Providing guidance and support to students in academic, personal, and social matters. Working closely with students to help them navigate through various challenges and achieve their goals.
Responsibilities
- Conduct individual and group counseling sessions with students to help them address academic, personal, and social issues.
- Provide guidance to students on matters related to academic planning, and course selection.
- Help students develop effective study habits, time management skills, and problem-solving abilities.
- Assist students in identifying and coping with emotional and behavioral issues such as stress, anxiety, and depression.
- Collaborate with teachers, parents, and other professionals to support the academic and personal growth of students.
- Develop and implement programs and activities that promote student success and well-being.
- Maintain accurate records of student counseling sessions and activities.
- Stay up-to-date with the latest research and best practices in student counseling and related fields.
Kindergarten
Kindergarten is a close-knit department, where the teachers assist each other. We offer three years of instruction, from K1 to K3. In K1, there are three classes with up to 16 students each. Once reaching K2, students are divided into two classes with up to 24 pupils. Each Kindergarten class has a general homeroom teacher and a Mandarin language teacher. A teaching assistant is assigned to each K1 and K2 class. We use an award-winning, integrated curriculum that we developed in-house that is organized into three main areas: Character Development, Science, and Mathematics. Each area uses a wide variety of methods and activities designed to stimulate the development of moral, social, and intellectual capabilities in children from age.
Primary
Our primary department is from Primary 1 to Primary 6. Primary teachers are with students for homeroom and core subjects, up to twenty periods a week. A maximum class size of 25 students allows teachers time to develop genuine relationships with their students. Our curriculum draws from several sources and is always being refined.
We believe that childhood is a time of life in which a firm foundation of high ideals is established, as children learn to be purposeful and develop praiseworthy qualities and good habits. The task of educators, we believe, is to find the talents in each child and foster their development. As children progress in character and learning, the result is “light upon light”.
Middle School and Secondary
Our middle school department comprises Primary 6, Form 1, and Form 2 (age 10 to 13), while the secondary department consists of students from Form 3 to Form 6 (age 14 to 18). Class size is kept between 20 and 25. Students’ English fluency includes ESL learners, but by Form 3 most are at or approaching native-level proficiency. We emphasize vertical and horizontal collaboration between teachers and expect teachers to work diligently for their students’ character development, thinking skills, academic performance, spirit of service, emotional, and physical health.
SON is developing its own curriculum that includes different aspects of a holistic education. The Middle School is based on the Cambridge curriculum, while Form 3 and 4 use the IGCSE program. Both of these encourage the use of problem-solving skills to link together knowledge from across subjects. Classes promote group work, projects, and individual work, as well as encourage the use of reasoning and communication skills. Academic content is cross-curricular and emphasizes understanding issues through a global perspective.
Special Education and Inclusive
"Regard man as a mine rich in gems of inestimable value. Education can, alone, cause it to reveal its treasures, and enable mankind to benefit therefrom…." - Bahá’u’lláh
We take our inspiration for our Special and Inclusive Education program from this quote from the Baha'i Writings. We see the vast potential in every human being and the goal of our programs is to uncover and develop this in each student.
Our Special Education program, which we call The Life Lab, delivers tailor-made, individualized learning programs to students with autism, Down’s syndrome, or other mental or physical challenges. Currently, with four or five teachers serving eight students, we are able to provide an enriching and loving atmosphere. Our program includes personalized academic instruction, life skills, community access, and targeted inclusion along with speech therapy where applicable.
We follow the Inclusive model of education and closely support over twenty-five K-12 students who have special educational needs, such as dyslexia and challenges with memory or attention. Four resource teachers use a range of methods to ensure that our inclusive students can follow the mainstream learning lessons.
Working Hours & Schedule
Office staff work 40 hours per week. Each month during the academic year there are occasional working Saturdays—which often foster community engagement and extension activities. There are almost three weeks of Macau and school holidays throughout the year and office staff are entitled to a further 18 days of annual leave, which can be taken during the year.
Compensation & Benefits
Benefits include reduced tuition for up to two dependents to enroll in the school—additional consideration may be given for admissions. The monthly salary follows a fixed salary scale, depending on the seniority of the role offered. Applicants can inquire about the salary range.
Requirements
- Bachelor degree (ideally with a Counselling qualification)
- Previous experience counselling of students
- Fluency in English, which is the medium of instruction.
- Strong interpersonal skills and networking abilities
- Organized, reliable, trustworthy, empathetic, positive and understanding