School Clerk Assistant

Position: 

School Clerk Assistant 

Geographic Network:    

Southwest Side High School Network

School Name and Unit: 

Southwest Area Early College STEM School (ECSS) 7651 S. Homan Chicago, IL. 60652 
  
Reports to:    Principal
 
Purpose of the Position:  

The purpose of the School Clerk Assistant is to provide support for any of the specialized clerical functions of the school.  The School Clerk Assistant supports all clerical functions in order to free administrators and mid-level leaders to attend to the development sessions on teaching and learning in the school.  The School Clerk Assistant may be assigned a specialized area of responsibility, such as: Payroll, Attendance, and Assistant to the Principal or designee, Counseling Office, Individualized Education Services (IES), Programming Office, or Business Office.  The School Clerks provide the biggest first impressions when stakeholders and guests visit the school.  School Clerks should represent the school with the utmost integrity and professionalism, and with high quality customer service.

Context:

Southwest Area Early College STEM School (ECSS) will open during the 2012-2013 school year to freshmen with a focus on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).  Southwest Area ECSS will connect high school, college and the world of work through dynamic partnerships and a new vision for college and career readiness.  Our partnership with IBM will allow our students to pursue a career in technology and gain skills for the 21^st century work force.  Our students will have the opportunity to graduate with industry certification and up to two years of college credit.  In addition, our students will benefit from workplace learning experiences through internships and professional mentorships.
 
Southwest Area ECSS is cultivating a team-driven environment grounded in the belief that all children will achieve college success.  The key lever to improving student achievement is classroom instruction; therefore, we believe in empowering teachers to lead.  We will inspire historically underachieving students to reach their fullest potential through innovative project-based and inquiry-based instruction.  Through perseverance, collaboration, and global awareness, we will redefine education.  We are committed to developing independent thinkers who utilize their knowledge to transform the world around them.  Finally, we understand the need to work collaboratively with parents, communities, colleges, and industry to drive student achievement.
 
The ideal team member at Southwest Area ECSS will passionately possess the following core beliefs:
 

1. All children can achieve at high academic levels as measured by college success
2. A growth mindset is a prerequisite to achieving greatness
3. Authentic collaboration is critical to the development of a healthy community
4. Maintaining a results orientation leads to effectively identifying root causes and creating meaningful solutions
5. All adults must take responsibility for the learning and achievement of the community
6. The belief that delivering high-quality public education to all students is critical to a just society

• Under the direction of the School Clerk I, perform support functions including but not limited to:  organizing and maintaining school calendars and website, producing memos and written correspondence, answering phones in a timely and friendly manner, providing customer service to students, parents, faculty, staff, and other school visitors, organizing logistics for special meetings and luncheons, and organizing guest teachers acting as substitutes in the building for the day.
• Process files, documents and records and maintain one or several of the following areas: payroll, student records and transcripts, Individualized Education Plans (IEP)s, budget and finance documents, school testing materials, attendance.
• Support efforts to transform the school's main office (or assigned department) into a new and refreshed environment by purging and cleaning out old materials and supplies that are no longer usable by the school.
• Answer phones promptly and attend to students, parents, staff, or visitors in the office promptly and efficiently.
• Maintain impeccably organized files that any administrator could access and utilize with ease and efficiency.
• Maintain and update the Outlook calendars of administrators in your department.
• Maintain high levels of confidentiality on all matters related to department.
• Maintain a warm, welcoming, and friendly office environment.
• Respond to emails and voice mails within 24 hours.

 
Qualifications/Skills:

• Proven ability to step into an unknown school or environment and pro-actively perform functions that will lead to the effective operations of the assigned department.
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills, record-keeping skills, and inter-personal relationship skills.
• Ability to stay several steps ahead and anticipate and address problems before they develop.
• Comfort with ambiguity and ability.
• Troubleshoot and devise targeted, ad hoc solutions.
• Ability to successfully manage and actively stay attuned to email communication, school calendars, and Outlook scheduling functions for administrators in your department.
• Willingness to take risks and propose solutions or strategies outside of traditional or current paradigms.
• Dogged focus on high quality customer service for all school stakeholders. 
• Outstanding time management and organizational skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, Microsoft Outlook, IMPACT, SIM, Verify, and other student information databases.

Type of Education Required:   High School diploma or equivalent required.  Some college experience preferred.   

Type of Experience and Number of Years:

The School Clerk Assistant should have substantial and successful experience with office management, clerical functions, and school support functions. Specific qualifications include:

• 2-3 years office management or clerical experience in an urban high school or related setting.
• Experience with one of the specialized clerical areas of the school, such as attendance, payroll, IES, or business office. 

• Candidates interested in being a part of the Southwest Area ECSS team should visitwww.jobs.cpsturnaround.org