Student Care Assistant

Rochester Academy Charter Middle School is currently seeking a Student Care Assistant. This position is designed for someone who has a passion for youth services and guiding adolescents as they grow.


This is a 10-month position that follows the instructional calendar. The successful candidate will have all school breaks off, including summer break.

Rochester Academy offers benefits to employee including heath, vision and dental benefits. All staff are covered by a life insurance and short term disability policy. Tuition Reimbursement is available for those seeking a career in teaching.


The Student Care Assistant plays an essential role on the student support team in each building. The student support team includes non-teaching members of staff who focus on supporting the whole child to maintain a positive, student-centered school culture. The Student Care Assistant will assure student safety as a first priority.


Student Care Assistants will be called to respond to classroom behavioral concerns and must be able to calmly de-escalate students and maintain a professional demeanor even in high stress situations.


The SCA role requires flexibility, strong communication skills, and a commitment to fostering a safe and supportive environment for all students.


Key Responsibilities

Student Behavioral Support

• Respond to minor student behavioral issues to facilitate a quick return to the classroom.
• Help students to de-escalate students experiencing a crisis or exhibiting behavioral challenges using a restorative approach.
• Spend time in classrooms to get a sense for student needs focusing on potential behavioral challenges.
• Build positive and supportive mentoring relationships with students and families. Support teachers, when needed, to foster strong student and family relationships.
• Develop and utilize skills to build capacity for mediation between students or between students and staff.
• Check student compliance with the uniform policy and make every effort to help the student meet those requirements.

Student Support

• Attend regular student support meetings, participate fully, and complete any tasks or responsibilities assigned in a timely manner.
• Support all RACS staff in dealing with students in times of defiance and/or crisis with an aim to return the student to class, ready to learn.
• Work with the building level administrative team and the student support team to continuously improve the structures, systems, processes, and culture of the school.
• Make phone calls home to support student attendance and encourage those that are not in school at the beginning of the day to get to school as soon as practicable.

Supervision of Common Areas

• Actively monitor areas of the school as assigned. This can include arrival and dismissal areas, the cafeteria, hallways, the In-School Suspension room, or any area assigned by a member of the administration.
• Report to assigned areas promptly to assure student safety.

Communication

• Communicate effectively with students, teachers, parents, and administrators in order to support student success.
• Document actions in the school's student information system, SchoolTool.
• Participate in mentoring of students as assigned in student support meetings.

Relationships

• Maintain a calm and positive attitude.
• Build effective, trusting relationships with students, their families, and other supporters.
• Understand the strengths and challenges of students, their families, and communities.

Transportation and Outreach

• May be asked to provide transportation for students between home and school using a school vehicle.
• May be asked to accompany teachers or leaders on home visits for students and families.

Additional Requirements- Consistency of professional requirements is important to maintain a productive learning environment. Frequent failure to meet these expectations will result in progressive disciplinary action.

• Daily Working Hours- It is 8.5 hours and will be established with the Building Administrative team to assure proper supervision of students at all times. Additional supervision may be available for extra pay around contract hours.
• Timeliness - All members of the school community are expected to be on time to school and to all meetings and work assignments during the school day. When issues arise that affect timeliness, the staff members are required to communicate proactively.
• Dress expectations- Dress expectations for staff members are outlined in the staff handbook, but in general staff should plan for a business casual work environment.
• Duties- Staff members may be assigned additional duties during the school day to assure student safety, this may include arrival/ dismissal duty, lunch duty, and/or accompanying students during transitions.

Qualifications

• High School Diploma or equivalent.
• Ability to work independently with minimal direct supervision.
• Experience working with children, teens, and families.
• A clear track record of professionalism.
• Collaborative working style, able to work as part of a tight-knit team.
• Commitment to RACS values, culture, and goals.
• Possess a passion for creating opportunities and developing leadership for urban youth.
• Demonstrated ability to accept and immediately implement feedback.
• Ability to handle the intensity and flexibility required to work in a high stress setting and remain calm, collegial, organized and reliable under pressure.

Additional Opportunities for Compensation

• Additional paid opportunities for supervision of student activities will be offered to all members of staff and assigned on a first come, first served basis. This can include supervision of athletic events, student events or after-hours school trips.
• Additional pay for regular daily duties beyond the contract day, such as providing transportation, supervising students during after school programs, and supporting operations during Saturday School. Extra pay opportunities will be offered based on administrative decisions and will be paid hourly only on days when the duty is performed.
• Athletic Coaching Assignments will be offered to members of the RACS staff before they are posted externally. Data shows that participation in student athletics bolsters student academic achievement.