Social Worker + Nautilus Lead (Behavior specialist) (24-25 school year)

Mountain City Public Montessori is a tuition-free public Montessori Charter school for children in grades kindergarten through 7th grade in Asheville, North Carolina. Our mission is to provide equitable access to a high-quality, relevant Montessori education to meet the needs of all students and to strengthen our community. An integral part of our mission as an organization is to operate with a lens of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.

Our organizational structure is one of shared leadership that gives our staff the support they need to provide the best learning environment and experience for the students, and allows each individual to focus their attention, energy, and skills on what they do best. Shared leadership enables the school to draw on a larger pool of talent, wisdom, expertise, and experience beyond a single administrator, and nurtures the development of leadership experience and skills within the school, thereby cultivating the next generation of leaders.

Mountain City Public Montessori seeks a candidate with patience, reverence for children, and a willingness to learn about the Montessori and Nautilus methods. This social worker is a trained mental health professional with a degree in social work and holds (or is eligible to obtain) a professional educator’s license by the North Carolina (NCDPI). They will help all students learn academic achievement strategies, understand and manage emotions, and apply interpersonal skills to support a peaceful and collaborative school environment.

This position will also serve as the Nautilus lead and will be responsible for supporting staff on this unique approach to behavior management and discipline. The Nautilus Lead will ensure that all students will receive the maximum amount of time in their Montessori classroom through school-wide implementation of the Nautilus Approach. In collaboration with the EC Team, they will work with Key Children to support their growing ability to access the Montessori curriculum.

Nautilus training will be provided by MCPM in collaboration with Public Montessori in Action International.

Minimum Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree
Has, or is eligible to obtain, a professional educator’s license with the content area of school social work
3 years of relevant experience working with children

Skills and Characteristics

Has a firm commitment to upholding the school’s mission

Consistently uses Language of Reverence and models respectful interactions with all children and staff
Previous Montessori experience preferred. Without previous Montessori experience, demonstrates an eagerness to learn about the method and support its implementation
Has had experience working in education, preferably in a public setting
Demonstrates a willingness and ability to use data, assessment, and support for all students

Responsibilities as Social Worker:

Develop and implement an SEL curriculum that supports the Montessori curriculum implemented by the teachers
Delivers social-emotional instruction to children individually and in small groups
Individual support for students with referrals for long-term support as needed
Advocacy for students at 504 and other student-focused meetings
Data analysis to identify student issues, needs, and challenges
Acting as a systems change agent to improve equity and access, achievement and opportunities for all students
Support in connecting families to community resources
Facilitation of small counseling groups for students based on a shared need
Collaborate with staff to identify areas of needed support for children
Conduct regular observations of all students
Mediates restorative circles with individuals, groups, and families
Supports in school suspension as needed

Responsibilities as Nautilus Lead:

Implements the Nautilus Approach school-wide, ensuring all classrooms are following the Nautilus phases
Coordinates and leads meetings with families and staff that come as a result of classroom incidents
Collaborates with the Team to determine when to move a child into the Montessori Early Intervention system
Is present in classrooms daily to support on-going positive relationships with all children
Helps teachers develop and implement classroom-based, developmentally appropriate support to enhance acquisition of social/emotional and cognitive skills
Manages the data collection process; ensures all teachers are completing documentation, completes all referral reports, and logs all incidents in the Nautilus tracker daily
Oversees data analysis and facilitates a monthly data review to identify trends
Creates and facilitates whole-school professional development sessions to implement, support and strengthen the Nautilus Approach
Works collaboratively with the Montessori Coach to provide individual support to build skills in the adults to equitably support all children in remaining in the classroom and to implement the approach with fidelity

Salary and Benefits

Mountain City Public Montessori’s compensation philosophy is to pay competitively as compared to the surrounding LEAs to ensure the ability of our staff to live and thrive in our community. The hiring salary for this role is determined by years of experience and qualifications. Mountain City Public Montessori is committed to internal pay equity throughout our organization. We offer a competitive benefits package with comprehensive health benefits utilizing the state health plan. All staff members are equipped with the tools needed to succeed, including relevant and quality professional development, laptop computer, email, and all necessary supplies.

Additional Information

Equal Employment Opportunity: Mountain City Public Montessori provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training. All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines