Family Engagement Coordinator

About Alma

Alma del Mar is a K-8 charter school whose mission is to put every one of our scholars on the path to college and to challenge them to be service-minded leaders . We do this by immersing our scholars in a highly demanding, highly supportive environment where they receive a content–rich education. As an Expeditionary Learning school, Alma brings to life a three dimensional vision of student achievement that includes mastery of knowledge and skills, character, and high-quality student work.

We’re located in New Bedford, Massachusetts, a beautiful coastal city known for its history as the heart of the whaling industry and as a central hub of the abolitionist movement.

Alma gets results for kids. Alma scholars not only outperform their district peers on MCAS, they often outperform their peers in the surrounding suburbs. In some areas, our scholar achievement now matches some of the highest performing schools in the Commonwealth. We have been nationally recognized for our work with English Language Learners.

Family Engagement Coordinator

The Family Engagement Coordinator is a member of the Family Engagement Team whose purpose is to build positive connections between all members of the Alma community, including families, scholars, and staff. The team supports campus leaders in their family engagement endeavors, including assisting with specific interventions for scholars or families who need unique support. The team also facilitates relationship-building and positive communication between families and school staff, including providing Alma staff with important information, resources, and perspectives from the New Bedford community to inform their work.

Primary Responsibilities

Fostering Positive Family-School Partnership

• Represent family interests to the school and network leadership teams
• Coordinate with campus and network leaders on network-wide family communication, including creating flyers and ensuring written communication is clear and accessible in multiple languages
• Inform school and network leaders about community issues facing children and families in New Bedford that impact the Alma community, including immigration issues, homelessness, and food insecurity
• Assist with scholar recruitment and retention efforts
• Conduct the bi-annual Family Survey
• Provide operational support to the campuses, including front desk duties

Family Meetings and Events

• Recruit and organize a team of parent volunteers at each of our two schools
• Facilitate PTO meetings, family workshops, and seasonal family events
• Support with interpretation and operations of all family-facing events, including family conferences, parent advisory councils, and after school academic events
• Promote local events to encourage staff to engage with the wider New Bedford community
• Operate the Alma del Mar Family Center, including maintaining a clean and welcoming environment and stocking uniforms, other clothing, and emergency supplies

Case Management

• Manage a caseload of scholars and families in need, directly providing individualized support and interventions
• Refer families to local community resources, organizations, and programs
• Provide translation services for IEP and 504 meetings, discipline hearings, or other meetings for scholars and families on the caseload
• Respond to emergency or crisis situations, including housing displacement, family tragedy, and legal issues
• McKinney-Vento Liaison, including attending regional meetings, documenting cases of homelessness and foster care, supporting families with housing, and coordinating with campus leaders to secure transportation
• Support campus leaders in reducing chronic absenteeism

Who We’re Looking For

We seek outstanding people with the following qualifications:

• Experience working or volunteering in a school setting
• Proven ability to build relationships with diverse families and community partners
• Growth mindset
• Infectious enthusiasm, when leading a team of volunteers
• Strong organization and follow through
• Bilingual in English/Spanish required
• Authorization to work in the United States is required
• English proficiency is required

In addition, the ideal candidate has the following competencies:

• Show me the Outcomes: Filters every decision through the lens of potential impact on the school and our scholars.
• High Demand, High Support: Sets a high bar for self, colleagues and scholars.
• Oxygen Mask: Builds the kind of personal habits that support physical and mental health in order to be able to maintain consistently strong work and be a reliable colleague.
• Crew: Believes that working with a diverse crew --with a range of perspectives, backgrounds and communication styles– makes us stronger. Seeks to uncover and address personal biases and structural inequities.
• It's Your Ship: Takes responsibility for the success of their class
• Challenge, Challenge: Sees difficult problems as opportunities to increase capacity and grow skills. Seeks out, and improves through, feedback.
• Detail Orientation & Accuracy: Maintains high standards of precision and reliability
• Constructive Collaboration: Develops trust-based partnerships and collaborates effectively across schools, leadership teams, and external stakeholders
• Accountability & Professional Integrity: Operates with transparency, discretion, and strong ethical standards

What You Can Expect

• A comprehensive benefits package including:
• Paid sick, personal, and vacation days, as well as paid holidays and school winter break
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance with PPO and HMO options
• Paid parental leave and short term disability available
• Multiple retirement options, including a 403(b) with matching
• A salary based on years of experience in a comparable position, starting in the range of $55,000 to $70,000
• This is an on-site position, candidates should be available to commute to New Bedford, MA daily with the possibility of hybrid work in the future.
• This position reports to the Director of Network Operations

Compensation: Salary will be competitive and commensurate with experience. We offer a comprehensive benefits package.

Alma del Mar is an equal opportunity employer and an organization that values diversity. People from all diverse backgrounds and identities are strongly encouraged to apply.