Immediate Dean of Students

Belmont Charter Network is a family of 5 community schools centered on the central mission to promote the academic, social and emotional well-being of each child. Our schools are supported by a non-profit partner to provide holistic services to the school including out-of-school time, our social work project and Head start.  How do we do this?  We do it by ensuring our students have access to complete support both in and out of the classroom through a talented team of teachers, leaders, social workers, and partners.

We believe that schools and learning should be joyful!

You can find more about our core values and vision here.  We believe that education is the single biggest way we can disrupt the systemic racism that impacts Philadelphia and by extension our country.  We are a mission centered organization that has grown since its founding over 20 years ago to be the organization that serves Philadelphia today.  Learn more about our partners who support this vision by creating a full scope of community support for our students and families.  Our approach is grounded in trauma informed practice which you can read more about here.

Your areas of knowledge and expertise:

• Demonstrated skill in working with students from diverse cultural, economic and ability backgrounds.
• Creative problem solving
• A commitment to being a lifelong learner, commitment to refining your craft
• A knack for connecting with people across differences including parents, colleagues and students.

Position Summary:  The Dean of Students role is to ensure students are upholding Belmont’s Code of Conduct and assist teachers and staff in this process in accordance with the mission and values of Belmont Charter Network. Deans are responsible for ensuring a positive, structured, joyful school culture. Deans work with school leaders, staff, students and families to maintain a safe and positive school environment through consistent communication, partnership, clear expectation, targeted behavior interventions and consequences. The Dean of Students is a 10 month position that is supervised by the Assistant Head of Culture. 

Core Responsibilities: 

• Support positive school culture: 
• Maintain and monitor safety by being accessible and visible in hallways, classrooms, during arrival/dismissal of students, lunch periods, community meetings and schoolwide events. 
• Collaborate and build relationships with school leaders, teachers, students, families, and staff to effectively and consistently implement a school wide culture plan. 
• Develop, implement, promote, and facilitate weekly and monthly student and family celebrations.

• Support student behavior management:  
• Implement strategies for positive behavior management, working collaboratively with teachers and staff to create and maintain a respectful and disciplined atmosphere within the school.
• Manage daily communication systems regarding student consequences and follow-ups so that teachers/staff are informed. Hold restorative conversations with students. 
• Lead after-school or in-school detentions.  
• Collect, input, and analyze discipline data on a daily/weekly/monthly basis to identify specific areas of need and develop targeted supports based on the Code of Conduct
• Conflict Resolution: 
• Serve as a mediator for conflicts among students or between students and staff, employing effective conflict resolution techniques to ensure a harmonious school environment.

• Community Engagement: 
• Collaborate with teachers and parents to support a strong sense of community within the school.
•  Organize events and initiatives that enhance parental involvement and support the overall well-being of students.

• Support Character Development Programs: 
• Facilitate character education programs that instill school values and empathy among students. 
• Facilitate activities that promote social-emotional learning and personal growth.
• Support Tier II and Tier III students to assist them in reaching their daily behavior and/or attendance goals including checking in and goal setting with individual students as needed.
  
  
• Serve on School Culture Team:  
• Actively participate in the school's leadership team, contributing insights, ideas, and collaboration to shape the overall direction of the department. 
• Engage in regular meetings, offering expertise and perspectives to enhance the effectiveness of school policies, programs, and initiatives.

Additional responsibilities: 

• Support classrooms and hallway transition to ensure students are meeting school-wide expectations by addressing student misbehavior in a proactive and positive manner.
• Schedule and facilitate parent meetings or multi-family mediations when needed, supporting the director of culture.
• Assist the Director of Culture in conducting strategic home visits before the start of the school year to emphasize cultural and academic expectations of Belmont Charter School and build relationships with families.
• Attend all school staff, department, grade team meetings, and participate in professional development.
• Other duties as assigned by Director of Culture 

Qualifications: 

Education and Experience: 

• Bachelor’s degree preferred
• Experience in an urban school setting
• Experience managing and implementing school wide culture systems
• Pennsylvania State Police Criminal Background Check Clearance (Act 34)
• Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Clearance (Act 151)
• Federal Bureau of Investigation Record Check Clearance (Act 114)
• Sexual Misconduct/Abuse Disclosure Clearance (Act 168)

Skills and Abilities: 

• Evidence of self-motivation and willingness to be a team player 
• Knowledge of public education and charter schools highly desirable but not required 
• Demonstrated capacity to work effectively with youth 
• Eager to learn and has a growth mindset
• Belief in and alignment with Belmont Charter’s mission and values