Middle School Principal

Mission Statement

The NativityMiguel Middle School is a faith-based Middle School transforming the lives of underserved students through single gender education in a secure and nurturing environment. In partnership with our students’ families, we deliver a uniquely effective education that includes an extended school day and school year, dedicated and caring teachers, personal mentoring and continuing support through high school graduation.

NativityMiguel is co-endorsed by the USA East Province of the Society of Jesus, the District of Eastern North America of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, and the Daughters of the Heart of Mary.

NativityMiguel is a founding member of the NativityMiguel Coalition and an independent Catholic School in the Diocese of Buffalo, New York. The school is a member of the Jesuit Schools Network, the LaSallian Association, and the Mercy Education System.

The Opportunity

The NativityMiguel Middle School of Buffalo (NativityMiguel) seeks a committed educational administrator to join its Leadership Team in the newly revised role of Principal. The successful candidate is ready, willing and able to embrace the unique mission of NativityMiguel, its students, their families and its approach to education.

As Chief Academic Officer and instructional leader responsible for student growth, the Principal will engage and support a diverse faculty and staff intensely committed to the school’s mission and will effectively manage the school’s academic, religious and extracurricular life. This individual will hold students, others and oneself accountable to academic and behavioral standards that will strengthen the impact of a NativityMiguel education on its graduates’ success in high school and beyond.

The ideal candidate will provide clear and inspirational leadership to the faculty and staff and exhibit an unwavering belief in the capacity of NativityMiguel’s students to learn and grow. This individual will be a leader in the community, promoting and bringing awareness to NativityMiguel’s vision, mission, and standards of excellence. Along with the Leadership Team and Board of Trustees, the Principal will contribute to the development of strategic initiatives and the future direction of the school in the Buffalo community.

Position & Organization Overview

About NativityMiguel Middle School

The NativityMiguel Middle School of Buffalo has been offering intervention in the lives of sixth, seventh and eighth grade students in Buffalo since September 2004. A fifth grade was added in September 2007. We trace our history to the founding of St. Ann’s Jesuit Parish in the Broadway/Emslie area over 100 years ago. As change came to Buffalo’s East Side in the 1960’s, the schools and parishes in Buffalo’s Central City changed as well so that in 1970, the Diocesan Education Campus (DEC) on Dodge Street became the home of over 700 students from 7 parishes. In 1988, Catholic Central School was formed as a consolidation of DEC and 5 other elementary schools. Initially, students were served on two campuses, the Msgr. Herlihy Campus at St. Ann and the Father Bissonette Campus at St. James. The school was consolidated into one site at St. Ann’s in the 1990’s.

The transition of Catholic Central School to a NativityMiguel school began with the arrival of Father James F. Joyce, S.J. Father Joyce proposed that the Jesuit province bring its “Nativity model” to Buffalo. With the support of then-Buffalo Bishop Henry Mansell, who was familiar with the Nativity schools from his work in the Archdiocese of New York, Father Joyce procured grants from the Cassin Education Initiative Foundation to determine the feasibility of this model in Buffalo and to support its implementation at Catholic Central School.

Father Edward Durkin, S.J., who founded the original NativityMiguel School on the lower eastside of Manhattan in 1971 and, in 1989, established the second NativityMiguel program in Harlem, brought his more than 30-years experience teaching inner city boys to Buffalo in September 2003. Father Durkin was supported in his efforts by the Oblate Sisters of Providence, the first congregation for African-American women in the United States. Sister Timothy Howard, OSP, in particular, played a critical role in the education of hundreds of students in Buffalo. Father Durkin and Sister Timothy were joined by a dedicated lay faculty who exhibit total commitment to the mission of the school.

The work of the Oblate Sisters of Providence, as well as Father Joyce’s and Father Durkin’s roles in education in Buffalo, have been recognized by the Diocese of Buffalo. Sister Timothy was one of the first recipients of the Sister Lucille Socciarelli / Father John Sturm Making a Difference Award from Tim Russert in January 2006. In January 2008, Father Joyce and Father Durkin were awarded the Bishop’s Medal for their work in establishing the NativityMiguel model in Buffalo. In May 2014, Father Durkin was awarded an honorary degree from Canisius College for his selfless dedication to the education and personal growth of young people at risk.

On February 9, 2010, the name of the school was officially changed to the NativityMiguel Middle School of Buffalo when a charter was received from the New York State Board of Regents. In December 2013, NativityMiguel purchased the former St. James School for use as its St. Augustine Campus. The St. Monica Campus has been located in the former St. Lawrence School pursuant to a lease since September 2011. In June 2019, the Oblate Sisters retired from Buffalo and returned to their Motherhouse in Baltimore, Maryland. In September 2023, St. Monica’s division joined St. Augustine’s division on their campus, while continuing single gendered educational environments. This strategic move was made to develop more equity in the programs.

Strategic & Innovative Educational Leader

The ideal candidate will display a genuine love, understanding, and appreciation for the NativityMiguel student population and their families; will demonstrate leadership, vision, adaptability, creativity, empathy, humor, energy, and an ability to understand multiple perspectives and understand the place that diversity, equity, inclusion and justice plays in allowing students to be their authentic selves. The next NativityMiguel Middle School Principal will utilize these qualities to make key decisions and continue to create a dynamic community that will maximize students’ potential. Specifically, the

Principal will:

● Reports to the Head of School (HOS).
● Demonstrate strong educational leadership with respect to the school’s curriculum and its implementation by the school’s faculty, maintaining an emphasis on the fundamental skills identified as required for academic success in high school.

● Maintain school climate and behavior expectations, routines, and consequences reflective of our vision, mission and core Jesuit faith based values.

● Recruit, orient, encourage, supervise, evaluate and terminate teachers and academic staff in conjunction with the HOS.

● Collect and analyze data for use to inform instruction, to identify academic strengths and weaknesses and support student goals.

● Plan and execute professional development opportunities for faculty and staff by using Title II and Title IV funding administered by the Buffalo Public Schools.

● In collaboration with faculty and staff, manage academic intervention, support, and social emotional learning services including Title I, Title IV, Special Education services, the volunteer tutor program, and the Catholic Charities School-Based Social Work Program; oversee extended day, extracurricular and summer programs.

● Plan and execute the production of report cards, progress reports, parent teacher conferences and related communications with the students’ family.

● In conjunction with the Board of Trustees Education Committee, lead the strategic plan initiatives related to academic and student driven improvements such as, but not limited to, teacher support, recruitment of faculty, student programming and support.

● Maintain positive relationships with, represent the school, and actively participate in programs and other offerings of the Diocese of Buffalo Department of Catholic Schools, the NativityMiguel Coalition and its member schools, the Mercy Education System, the Jesuit Provincial Assistant for Secondary and Pre-Secondary Education (PASE), the Jesuit Schools Network (JSN) and the Lasallian Association.

● Engage in ongoing development as an educator in light of new research, best practices and social and cultural change.

School & Community Leader

The NativityMiguel Middle School Principal will be a leader in the school community providing guidance, leadership, and collaborative opportunities to administrators, faculty, staff and students. At the same time, the Principal will have a presence in the Buffalo community, promoting and bringing awareness to NativityMiguel, its standards of excellence, and the benefits of attending. To accomplish these efforts successfully, the principal will:

● Develop strong relationships with faculty and staff to support student success and professional growth.

● Maintain communication and relationships with parents to support student success and foster parent involvement.

● Maintain regular communication with faculty, staff, students, families, and the community regarding programs and activities.

● Serve as a member of the School leadership team to manage policies, procedures, and implementation processes.

● Facilitate meetings between families, students, and staff to discuss areas of concern, to identify solutions, and to make recommendations.

● Support admissions and enrollment efforts by attending events and recruiting students.
● Support the school’s Advancement efforts by interacting with visitors and potential donors and preparing students to participate in the annual Scholars Awards Banquet and other public activities and events.

● Build relationships with local secondary schools attended by NativityMiguel graduates.

● Understand the importance of working in conjunction with families to help children excel.

Additional Responsibilities

• Work in conjunction with the HOS to prepare an annual budget, as well as monitor adopted budgets.
• Act as the educational leader responsible for the school’s daily operations including safety programs and emergency planning; prepare and publish class schedules, the school calendar, and faculty and staff assignments.
• In collaboration with the faculty, establish guidelines for student academic and behavioral policies and make decisions regarding student discipline and student retention.
• Work with the HOS to support the strategic plan initiatives related to student enrollment including the admissions process, guidelines, timelines and enrollment goals.
• Support the efforts of the Graduate Support Program such as participating in the high school selection and transition process.
• Serve as an ex-officio member of committees as determined by the Board of Trustees and/or the President of the School.

Minimum Qualifications

● New York State Teaching and School Building Leader Certifications;
● Master’s degree in Education or a related field from an accredited educational institution;
● Minimum of three (3) to five (5) years classroom teaching experience combined with prior administrative experience;
● Demonstrated leadership and initiative in the field of education;
● Ability to motivate and work with Middle School students from diverse cultural, ethnic and economic backgrounds;
● Ability to analyze and utilize data to increase student achievement and effect school improvement;
● Knowledge of curriculum and instructional programs, scheduling and supervision;
● Interpersonal and instructional leadership skills necessary to promote increased student achievement through a commitment to continuous improvement, educational innovation, and student-centered learning environments;

Commitment to faith, spirituality, and Christian values and an ability to lead students, families, and staff in Catholic traditions;

● Ability to be flexible, patient and creative when problem solving;
● Skill to work closely with people in an effective manner;
● Ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing;
● Ability to plan, organize, and prioritize;
● VIRTUS Training as required by the Diocese of Buffalo (this can be completed post hire)

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $60,000.00 - $75,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Health insurance
• Professional development assistance
• Retirement plan

Work Location: In person