Athletic Director / Dean of Culture in Denver, Colorado at Denver Language School

Overview of Position:

The Dean of Culture & Athletic Director supports the academic growth of students by embodying the notion of a ‘warm demander’. In partnership with the campus leadership, the role of the Dean of Students is to set a tone conducive to excellent academic outcomes by promoting safe, respectful, punctual, participatory and inclusive community of learners in pursuit of continuous growth and excellence. The strongest candidates will be comfortable working as both a school culture leader and as a fearless champion of student academic progress. Furthermore, the Dean of Culture also serves as the Athletic Director for a developing Athletics programme. The appointee will serve as administrative leader for the building daily between 4pm and end of daily programming. The ideal candidate will be an educator seeking to develop in their career with an interest in moving towards Assistant Principal/Principal positions in the next 2-4 years.

Employees working more than 24 hours per week at Denver Language School are offered a variety of benefits, including health, vision, and dental insurance subsidized by the school. Denver Language School fully covers short-term disability insurance, term life insurance, and an employee assistance program. Additionally, full-time employees accrue 10 days of paid time off per year for personal dealings and illness. Opportunities for professional development are also available. Given the nature of this role and the after-school hours, this position is eligible for modified working hours co-determined with the Principal.

Essential Workflow Functions and Objectives

The bullets below are illustrative of the responsibilities that fall into the workflow of the Gilpin leadership team. Specific functions and objectives of the role will be co-determined during the interview process at the direction of the Principal. Tasks include, but are not limited to:

• Serving as a visible, vocal, and optimistic hallway presence in order to encourage and support students as they strive for excellence;
• Leading as de facto source of expertise ensuring the day-to-day implementation of strong practices for positive staff/student culture (as expected per the MTSS process) at DLS Gilpin;
• Providing counsel and feedback to leadership as to the efficacy of approaches to learning and teaching taken by students and faculty;
• Maintain data regarding student engagement and belonging, focusing on student participation, attendance, behaviors and practices (see Denver Public Schools Board Policy JK and Regulation JK-R);
• Consulting with l about effective in-class practices used by educators in pursuance of a highly effective learning environment;
• Acting as a beacon-of-competence in terms of comfort, professionalism, and skill in using, analyzing, and reporting on Gilpin Campus data as housed in Educlimber, Infinite Campus and other platforms as designated;
• Participating; with professionalism and authority in the role of building climate expert at meetings led by the MTSS Coordinator;
• Routinely collecting and analyzing data regarding student intervention plans and support leadership in the analysis of the MTSS process; make recommendations to the Principal and school staff for student support plans
• Ensure the school community exhibits a ‘prevention-based, tiered framework’ in pursuit of positive outcomes for all students
• Acting as champion-in-chief for Colorado Measures of Academic Success within the Gilpin community and to ensure that all educators and students demonstrate a culture of continuous improvement, growth and development;
• Maintaining routine and proactive communications with Gilpin families to keep parents/guardians informed as to the approaches to learning demonstrated by their student(s).
• Developing, planning, and implementing staff Professional Development, as requested by Campus Administration
• Briefing, if required, the Executive Director twice per year or as requested on how to allocate instructional resources to achieve student success;
• Working collaboratively and professionally with colleagues.

Furthermore, the appointee is also responsible for the responsibilities held as Athletic Director;
An ability and willingness to manage a budget allocated to the Athletic programme at Denver Language School with confidence and intentionality:

• An ability and willingness to learn operationally and administratively systems like Infinite Campus and/or PickMyKid (or similar) with the consequential ability to serve as staff member on duty at the Gilpin desk;
• A vision for Denver Language School’s participation in the wider community of athletic participation in the Denver Metropolitan Region and beyond;
• The appointed candidate to value both athletic excellence and foster a spirit of participation and inclusion for all students in a safe and welcoming environment;
• The confidence and ability to communicate frequently, effectively and directly with students and families to keep them familiar with matters related to Gilpin Athletics;
• The ability to make informed and non-discriminatory decisions on the appointment of persons to stipend roles as Coach and Assistant Coach of different Athletic teams;
• The willingness to take responsibility to “step in” for absent coaches and/or support when needs of teams require the assistance and support of additional adults;
• Take responsibility for ordering of equipment and uniforms for each sport in accordance with consulting responsibility and in partnership with Network team in order to meet branding expectations;
• Take responsibility for the affirmative consent of families and students to participate in DLS activities inclusive of information sharing with DPS Nursing services;
• Take responsibility to protect confidential student information;
• Organize and implement yearly family meetings and an end of year Sports Banquet.

Pay Range: at hire, $76,111 to $79,333

Denver Language School is committed to providing an environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based on race, age, creed, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, sex, gender, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or pregnancy and will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. Denver Language School is an equal opportunity/equal access/affirmative action employer fully committed to achieving a diverse workforce and complies with all Federal and Colorado State laws, regulations, and executive orders regarding non-discrimination and affirmative action.

Required Qualifications:

• A minimum of 2 years serving as a full-time teacher;
• A willingness and ability to work from a variety of hallway locations at the Gilpin Campus;
• The ability to confidently communicate an understanding of restorative, administrative and therapeutic interventions to students, families, faculty and staff;
• A demonstrated aptitude for attention to detail;
• Prior experience coaching sports and/or leading after-school activities in a K-12 public education setting.

Preferred Qualifications:

• A strong knowledge and understanding of Denver Public Schools Board Policy JK and Regulation JK-R;
• Experience working with a diverse, international, multilingual community;
• Demonstrated experience of successfully ensuring growth and development of 10-14 year olds in a school context.
• Prior experience leading overnight/residential school trips