Paraprofessional

Atlanta, GA

Full Time

Experienced

Advancing Educational Justice for Refugee and Immigrant Youth

Paraprofessional

2024 - 2025 Academic Year

Who We Are / Our Purpose

Based in Atlanta, Georgia, Georgia Fugees Academy Charter School (Fugees Academy), is on a mission to advance educational justice for refugee students and English Language Learners. Our school model addresses a pressing need not currently met by traditional public education systems – the education of newcomer (refugee and immigrant) students in an environment where their unique identities and needs are welcomed and understood.

Our Approach / Design Principles

Built around the values, structures, and shared experience of soccer, the Fugees approach is defined by a unifying commitment to working together as a team. On and off the field, Fugees teammates support each other to address challenges, take collective and individual responsibility and realize success together. These Design Principles are reflected in every aspect of our school model.

Relationships: Fugees is an intentionally small and nurturing environment in order to build deep community and relationships. All students are known on a personal level by teachers, staff, leadership, and other students.

Mind, Body, Character: Expression, movement, and the visual and performing arts are as important as academics to overall growth and development. Social-emotional learning, character, and student well-being are seen as essential to success on and off the field.

Personalization: Despite being part of a larger team, students and families are given exactly what they need as individuals, whether those needs are academic, social, emotional, or wrap-around services.

Multicultural Identity Development and Celebration: Fugees believes that students can honor and own their identities while also acclimating to U.S. society. The school recognizes and celebrates each student’s and family’s backgrounds and cultures and recognizes diversity as an asset.

Loving Accountability: Fugees expects that all students can succeed at high levels both academically and behaviorally and students are lovingly held accountable to these expectations through a balance of frequent feedback, authentic consequences, and multiple opportunities for success.

Collective and Individual Responsibility: Students and adults take on increasing levels of responsibility both for themselves and for the larger community. This gradual release of responsibility is designed to support every member of the school in developing leadership and life skills.

More About Us!

Fugees Academy, part of the non-profit organization, Fugees Family, Inc., is a tuition-free, community-based, public charter school designed to meet the needs of new American students through English language acquisition and foundational skill study, culturally relevant curriculum and wraparound supports, restorative practices, arts programming, and soccer participation. Every student works as a team member on and off the field to bridge significant gaps in formal schools to graduate on time. We blend creative teaching with academic fundamentals, interwoven with leadership and character building. The Fugees Instructional Model is trauma-aware and is designed to meet students where they are, focusing on the foundational skills that are often lacking in children whose schooling has been nonexistent or interrupted.

Once students demonstrate an 8^th-grade level mastery, they move on to high school, where they can continue their development as critical thinkers, community members, and future citizens. Through small classes, high expectations, and targeted instruction, Fugees Academy empowers the most vulnerable of students–child survivors of war—to become independent thinkers and high-achieving scholars. We believe that this team mindset nurtures and prepares young adults who will be the next generation of international and community leaders. The core design principles of the school include an extended school day, a low teacher- student-ratio, interactive instruction, a comprehensive tutoring program, a soccer-focused athletic program, and intensive wrap-around support services for students and their families. Check Us Out!

Position Description

The paraprofessional supports teachers in meeting the educational, behavioral, and social-emotional needs of students in the classroom.

Schedule: Monday-Friday from 7:30 am-4:00 pm

Reporting to the School Leader, this is a full-time, 10-month, non-exempt position. Our program begins with middle-school-level; however, our instructional scope begins with Kindergarten-level material. Most Fugees Academy students begin middle school performing well below grade level.

Responsibilities and Duties

Provide small group and/or individualized instruction to students based on guidelines and lesson plans developed by the teacher
Obtains and/or prepares instructional materials/aids in the appropriate format for students
Assist the teacher in maintaining an effective learning environment
Incorporate formal and informal outside resources into educational processes
Follow written and oral instructions and direction
Thorough data collection and documentation of student behaviors and academic performance
Assists students with individual physical needs, including functions of daily living activities, which may include basic self-care, feeding, and leisure activities
Monitor students before and after-school and during other non-instructional transitional periods

Employee Expectations

Excellent command of the English language with a passion for supporting expressive language in non-native speakers
A strong sense of loving accountability and individual and collective responsibility
Believe that all students are capable of academic achievement
Commit to building deep, authentic relationships with students and families
Duties and expectations are carried out in a positive, productive, accurate, and punctual/on-time manner
Be receptive to coaching, mentoring, feedback, and performance evaluations for purposes of professional growth and development
Attendance and dependability are essential

Preferred Qualifications and Experience

Paraprofessional certification from the Georgia Professional Standards Commission, or able to obtain EBD or ABA certification or experience working with EBD students
Minimum of a high school diploma or GED, and a passing score on the GACE (Georgia Assessments for the Certification of Educators) Paraprofessional Assessment, or take and pass the GACE Paraprofessional Assessment to be eligible for a Georgia Paraprofessional Certificate
Minimum of an Associate’s Degree or higher in any subject area; successful completion of a minimum of 60 semester hours or 90 quarter hours of college coursework
Experience working as a paraprofessional and with working with visually impaired, blind, hard of hearing, deaf, deaf-blind, or multi-disabled students
Knowledge of child development, educational principles, and approaches pertinent to children with various intellectual and learning disabilities, children with physical, emotional, and/or behavioral disorders
Excellent oral, written, and interpersonal communications
Ability to understand and interpret a wide variety of assessment tests relative to intellectual, emotional, and physical abilities and disabilities
Must be able to maintain confidentiality
Be able to manage multiple tasks simultaneously
Knowledge of assistive technology devices
Demonstrated ability to create and maintain a warm, yet strict and orderly classroom environment
Demonstrated expertise in the subject area
Must be able to speak, hear, see, lift, push, pull, bend, stoop, and reach
Citizenship, residency, or work VISA in the United States required

Benefits

We are proud to offer a comprehensive benefits package, which includes the following:

Specific medical, dental, and vision plans
Generous employer contribution towards the employee’s retirement plan as part of the Teachers Retirement System of Georgia
Paid holidays and days off
Paid family leave and backup care reimbursement
Working for a mission-driven organization doing impactful work
A fun, collaborative, and balanced culture

Apply!

Our search to fill positions for the 2023 - 2024 school year has begun! We are out to radically change the way education is experienced for all newcomers in this country and we are just getting started. We are a team of advocates, change-makers, and allies, and are looking for another passionate addition to join our close-knit team in August 2023. If you are interested in the role, we strongly encourage you to apply - quit your day job and come change the world with us!

Equal Opportunity Employer

Fugees Family, Inc. and Georgia Fugees Academy Charter School are equal opportunity employers, dedicated to building a culturally diverse staff committed to working in a multicultural environment and strongly encouraging applications from those with refugee and/or immigrant backgrounds.

Perseverance | Respect | Integrity | Dedication | Excellence

www.gfacs.org | www.fugeesfamily.org

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If Your Answer is No to the Above Question and We Later Learn that You Have Been Asked to Resign from a Previous Employer, I Acknowledge that this is Grounds for Dismissal and will be Considered an Ethics Violation.*

Fugees Family, Inc. and Georgia Fugees Academy Charter School are Equal Opportunity Employers. It is our policy to treat all employees and applicants fairly and equitably and in doing so, comply with all applicable federal and state laws relative to employment.

I have answered all questions in this Application for Employment to the best of my ability and in a true and complete manner. If employed, I realize false or omitted information in this Application, my resumé or any other information I provide will be grounds for termination. Anyone applying for a position that will work directly with students must disclose all schools for which they have worked or volunteered.

I authorize Fugees and its agents to investigate or cause an investigation to be made of my work experiences, education/training, references, motor vehicle check (if applicable to the position) and all other aspects of my background relevant to my possible employment, including all statements made in this Application, in my resumé or any other information provided. I hereby release Fugees and its agents, as well as any person to whom such inquiry is directed, from any liability arising directly or indirectly from such investigation.

I understand that if I am hired, my employment relationship with Fugees will be “at-will”. This means that Fugees may terminate my employment at any time, with or without cause and with or without notice. I also understand that neither this Application nor any other Fugees documents, including our personnel policies, are to be interpreted or construed as an offer of employment or a contract of employment that may modify, change or revoke any of its employment or personnel policies, pay practices and benefits at any time without my agreement.

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