Overview

POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT: Director of Student Support

Saint Ann’s School seeks a Director of Student Support beginning with the 2025-26 school year. This is a full time senior administrator and member of the school’s Core Administration, who reports directly to the Head of School.

The goal of the Department of Student Support is to help each child thrive academically and socially-emotionally at Saint Ann’s. The Department includes two psychologists, two LCSWs, the Coordinator of Learning Support who oversees seven learning specialists, a Testing Coordinator and the Teaching and Learning Center.

The Department’s role is to both work directly with students who need academic and social-emotional support and to serve as a liaison among parents/guardians, faculty, administrators and outside service providers.

The Department of Student Support provides a diverse array of interventions. At times we meet directly with students. At other times we may consult with a student’s outside clinician. These consultations may or may not involve parents/guardians, faculty or administrators. Here again, the aim is to support the healthy development and well-being of students. The Department of Student Support is always managing the delicate balance between the privacy of a student and the needs and interests of their parents/guardians and the rest of the community.

The Department of Student Support is also a resource for families. We frequently meet with parents/guardians to discuss the well-being of their children. These meetings range from crisis management, to updates regarding ongoing issues, to referrals for outside services when indicated or requested. The clinicians may determine if a student in psychological distress needs psychiatric clearance from an outside mental health professional (approved by the school). In such cases, the Director of Student Support, together with the Head of School and the relevant Division Head, will determine if Saint Ann’s is an appropriate setting for the student at that time.

The Department of Student Support is an integrated part of the teaching and learning community of Saint Ann’s. We work with the Division Heads, Deans, teachers and students to help ensure that all students at Saint Ann’s receive the academic, social and emotional support that they need to be active, engaged learners and members of our community.

When an outside evaluation (neuropsychological, speech and language, occupational therapy, etc.) is indicated for any student, the Department of Student Support partners with the relevant Division Head or Dean to explain our thinking to families, and assist families in finding appropriate service providers and sees the process through to completion. Upon receipt of a report from an outside specialist, the Department of Student Support assists the division heads in reading and interpreting the report and adapting the recommendations to our setting in ways that are appropriate for our culture at Saint Ann’s. In the event that it is determined that our setting is not one in which a student can thrive, the Director and/or other members of Student Support work closely with the Division Head to help families understand our reasoning and consider more appropriate settings for the child.

ABOUT SAINT ANN’S SCHOOL

Since its founding in 1965, Saint Ann’s has embraced a commitment to education for its own sake, oriented to the capacities of each individual student and free of the encumbrances of formal grading, prizes, and rankings. At the same time, we are unabashedly committed to excellence in all that we do. With a faculty and staff numbering close to 400, and nearly 1100 students, Saint Ann’s is among the largest and most selective independent schools in New York City. The lives of our graduates speak powerfully to the potential of an education based on these principles to ignite a love of learning and sustain creative energy in every field of endeavor. We accomplish this by bringing together talented teachers with creative and motivated students. Saint Ann’s is committed to centering anti-racism in the life of the school. Seeking to create a community rooted in trust and equity, we invite each other to take risks, pursue knowledge, and celebrate growth.

RESPONSIBILITIES

  • Oversees hiring, supervising and evaluating members of The Department of Student Support including the Coordinator of Learning Support.
  • Oversees the Coordinator of Learning Support, who is the Learning Specialist in charge of overseeing the work and roles of the Learning Specialists and the Teaching and Learning Center.
  • Supervises the clinicians in the Department of Student Support
  • Oversees crisis interventions for social-emotional needs across the school
  • Ensures that the Department of Student Support is working in alignment with the school’s mission
  • Works with DEIB best practices at the forefront of all endeavors
  • Ensures that our inhouse services are provided equitably across students and divisions
  • Oversees Student Support Projects determined by the Head of School or the Core Administration
  • Works collaboratively with Division Heads, Department Chairs and other Administrators to ensure that neurodiverse students are supported academically and socially-emotionally
  • Attends weekly meetings with Administrators, who may include other members of Student Support, Deans and Division Heads, nurses and the Coordinator of the Health Education Department. In these meetings, ongoing work with students of concern is discussed with the aim of ensuring positive progress and integrated support.
  • Attends monthly Core Administration meetings
  • Plans department retreats and approves professional development for department members
  • The Director of Student Support is the primary clinician for the 4th and 5th grades. This allows the Director to get to know all of the children as they enter middle school.

The Director of Student Support is the supervisor for the Coordinator of Learning Support. Together they collaborate to oversee the following:

  • Outside evaluations: Neuropsychological testing, speech-language and occupational therapy, among others
  • Accommodation Forms
  • Collaboration with the Testing Coordinator and Division Heads to oversee testing accommodations for in-house standardized testing (e.g., ERB’s)
  • The running of the Teaching and Learning Center

PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL REQUIREMENTS

  • Education: PhD or PsyD in Psychology or an LCSW
  • Work Experience: Minimum of five years working in a relevant position in a school or similar setting
  • Communication Skills: Superb written and oral communication skills; the ability to engage sensitively and appropriately with children and adults within our school community and with outside professionals
  • Interpersonal Skills: To project professional competence, leadership capability, discretion, sound judgment, and personal maturity
  • Personal Characteristics: Compassion, charisma, wit, intelligence, empathy, humor, and equanimity

COMPENSATION

This is a full time exempt administrative position with an annualized salary range of $165,000-$180,000, commensurate with experience and degrees. Compensation includes a competitive benefits package.

TO APPLY

Interested candidates should submit their cover letter and resume to this link by January 17, 2025. Candidates who identify as members of historically underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged to apply. Anticipated start date of August, 2025.

NOTICE OF NONDISCRIMINATORY POLICY

Saint Ann’s School hires employees of any race, color, religion, creed, gender, disability, national or ethnic origin, sexual orientation or any other category protected by applicable federal, state or local law, to all the rights privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to employees at the School. The School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, gender (which includes a person’s actual or perceived sex, as well as gender identity and expression), age, marital status, disability, national or ethnic origin, sexual orientation, familial status, predisposing genetic characteristics, actual or perceived domestic violence victim status, unemployment status, caregiver status or any other category protected by applicable federal, state or local law, in carrying on its educational activities or in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, employment policies, financial aid programs, and athletic and other school administered programs.

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