Who is Salem Public Schools?

Here in Salem, great leaders are passionate about urban education, drive student achievement, reflect, respect, and value the racial, cultural, and linguistic diversity of our students and their families, and have a strong commitment to the Salem community.  Salem Public Schools seeks individuals who are able to serve all of our students, regardless of ability or language. Applicants who have experience teaching in urban schools, hold dual certification, and have bilingual skills are encouraged to apply.

What You’ll Do: 

Paraprofessionals will assist teachers and/or other certified personal in providing an innovative, high quality education program designed to meet the unique needs of children with disabilities in the Salem Public Schools. Paraprofessionals will work with school staff to create an educational environment in which quality and continuity are key factors. In addition to sound reasoning and good organizational skills, paraprofessionals are expected to contribute to positive school culture and climate. Paraprofessionals are district-wide employees and subject to the negotiated Paraprofessional Contract, as well as the rules and regulations of Salem Public Schools

The 1:1 position may include some personal care, lifting, assistance with physical positioning and ambulation, academic support, behavioral interventions and the use of technology. The right person for this position is eager to work with young children, dependable, organized, flexible and willing to learn through hands-on experience, reading and workshop trainings and and through consultation and observation with clinicians and specialists. Duties include providing lunch coverage forparaprofessionals working at Carlton who are assigned as 1:1 paraprofessionals.

Responsibilities:

• Demonstrate an understanding of assigned students profile, learning, social and medical needs.
• Read and assist in the implementation of the student’s IEP, required accommodations and specialized strategies for instruction, and skill reinforcement
• Engage in district and building and individualized professional development
• Support and collaborate with the special education and general education teachers, as well as clinical service providers on an ongoing basis
• Reinforce lessons with the individual student or with the student and a small group of peers
• Assist with observations and data taking under the direction of the classroom teacher
• Facilitate social interactions and model language between peers and with adults
• Escort and assist student as needed throughout the building, on community based experiences, and on/off the bus
• Assure safety of student at all times
• Other duties as prescribed by building administrative staff and PPS Executive Director, as described within the Paraprofessional contract

What You’ll Bring:

We are looking for candidates who have diverse backgrounds and experiences, are inspired by our mission and are highly motivated to change children’s lives through education. You’ll be right at home here if you are a reflective practitioner who values collaboration with colleagues and pushes yourself, your work and the people around you to the next level.  We expect our SPS employees to:

• Hold a deep commitment to students and families and value diversity - The SPS community is vibrant, diverse in background, ethnicity, language, and perspective. You embrace and affirm the backgrounds of all members of the SPS community and view our diversity as a powerful resource that supports us each in learning and doing our best work.
• Hold high expectations for yourself, students, and colleagues – You see potential in all, especially our SPS students, and maintain high expectations for achievement, while providing the support necessary to meet that bar. You hold yourself to high expectations, modeling SPS values and seeking opportunities to continuously improve.
• Build authentic, caring relationships with colleagues, students, and families – You build strong relationships across students, families, and colleagues that are collaborative in nature and contribute to the individual and collective success of SPS.  You partner with families and colleagues to make decisions in the best interest of students and learning.
• Embrace feedback – You are a reflective practitioner who learns from failure, using mistakes and challenges as opportunities for growth. You model persistence and growth mindset and thrive in a culture of feedback.

Position Expectations for 1 to 1, ECC, Life Skills, Autism Spectrum and Therapeutic Program Paraprofessionals

• Assist in toileting and Activity of Daily Living (ADL) skills as determined by student need
• Safety Care Trained or willing to be trained (training provided by District)
• Must be physically capable of, and willing to, engage in bending and lifting, restraint, assistance with walking or wheelchair use, as required to meet unique student needs 

The selected candidate must have the skills, abilities and aptitude to meet all unique needs of their assigned students.

Skills and Qualifications:

• High School Diploma or GED
• Forty-eight (48) Credit Hours of College Coursework or an Associate’s Degree, or a passing score on one of the two following Formalized Standardized Assessments: ParaPro Assessment (http://www.ets.org/parapro/ ) or WorkKeys
• Safety-Care Trained or willing to be trained (District will provide training)
• Minimum of one year experience working with school-aged children
• Written and Oral English proficiency required; fluency in Spanish advantageous

The Paraproessionals reports to the building principal, special education supervisor, students’ assigned classroom teacher(s) and Executive Director of Pupil Personnel Services. 

This is a school-year position.  The Collins Middle School follows the Salem Public School Academic Year Calendar. It provides an Extended Learning Day, with a start tme of 7:30 and and end time of 3:35.  Paraprofessionals are required to work the full day.  Salary according to union contract.