CONTACT: Frank Belluscio (fbelluscio@njsba.org)
Mike Yaple (myaple@njsba.org)
(609) 278-5202
12 Schools Recognized for Innovative Special Education Programming
TRENTON, May 17, 2010 —One dozen New Jersey schools will be honored here today for creative special education efforts in the eighth annual Innovations in Special Education program, sponsored by the New Jersey School Boards Association (www.njsba.org) and ASAH (www.asah.org), a non-profit organization of private schools and agencies serving students with disabilities.
Representatives from the schools will accept awards during a ceremony at the Marriott at Lafayette Yard in Trenton. The event, underwritten by corporate donations, is designed to recognize the achievements of the state’s special education students and the work of their teachers and the support of their parents and school officials.
Fifty-three public and private schools nominated programs for the Innovations in Special Education project. Judges, representing the state’s public school special education programs and private schools for the disabled, selected 12 entries for recognition. The Innovations in Special Education program selects programs based on creativity, goals and results, according to the sponsoring organizations.
The following programs are being recognized through the 2010 Innovations in Special Education project:
Springboard Program—Bergen County Special Services School District
The Springboard Program helps students, ages18-21, make a successful transition into the world of adulthood by teaching daily living skills in real-life settings – through homes in Paramus and Garfield. Students, under the supervision of faculty and staff, are responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of both houses, and are able to apply daily life skills. To address the occupational needs of students, they are taught effective job-hunting skills and participate in internships in the community.
Contact: Robert Mortorano, principal, Bergen County Special Services; (201) 343-6000, ext. 8539, robmort@bergen.org.
Bonnie Brae Builders—Bonnie Brae School, Somerset County
Troubled adolescent boys, ages 16 to 19, work two days a week with Habitat for Humanity as they learn social and workplace skills and personal advocacy. Students are paired with volunteer mentors. The program fosters confidence, develops vocational skills and equips students to handle the transition to the “real world.”
Contact: Sharon Singleton, special education teacher; (908) 647-0800, ext. 703, ssingleton@bonnie-brae.org.
iPod Testing Program— Boonton Township Public Schools
The school district purchased iPods for use in testing special needs middle school students. Classroom teachers provide copies of upcoming tests, which are read and uploaded into the iPods. Students are able to review and hear the test, which is read to them via ear buds as they take tests with regular-instruction students. The program avoids the need for students to leave general education classrooms to have special education teachers read tests to them, and it allows special education students to stay with their peers.
Contact: Cordé M. Reed, director of special services, Boonton Township schools; (973) 334-4162, ext. 370.
Learning Is Unleashed—ECLC of NJ–Ho-Ho-Kus
The program brings dogs into the school to help students with autism and other disabilities build confidence, improve social and communication skills, and reduce behavior problems. These canine educators are fully integrated into daily school life and are an essential part of the students’ physical, occupational, and speech therapy services.
Each classroom has a weekly 45-minute dog therapy session. ECLC has also added a full-time facility service dog, Patrina, which is part of many students’ prescribed physical or occupational therapy plans. A service dog engages students in the classroom and during therapy sessions, and children thrive in the presence of the dog’s unconditional love and attention.
Contact: Vicki Lindorff, principal, ECLC of NJ; (201) 670-7880, vlindorff@eclcofnj.org.
Peer Groups—Green Brook Township
In this K-8 program, regular education students in both elementary and middle school volunteer their lunch time to eat and play with fellow students who are autistic. They help the students feel socially safe, learn age-appropriate social skills and develop friendships. A favorite activity for autistic students and their regular education peers is playing Wii video games. Students interact with each other to make the bowling, tennis and other games function.
Contact: Stephanie Bilenker, CSA/director of special services, Green Brook Township; (732) 968-1171, sbilenker@gbtps.org.
The Renaissance of Uniting Students Together—Kinnelon School District
High school students provide social and recreational experiences for special education students in the district’s primary, elementary and middle schools (ages 6 through 13) who do not ordinarily have access to these types of activities. Activities have included an egg decorating and hunt, a pajama and popcorn movie night held at the town library, a Halloween haunted house, and a faux New Years Eve party complete with a DJ, karaoke and refreshments. Student mentors are also engaged with younger students in activities such as tutoring and lunch and recess dates.
Contact: Dr. Richard Maizell, director of special services, Kinnelon School District; (973) 838-1418 ext. 111, maizellr@kinnelon.org.
Support Our Troops—Mainland Regional High School
Mainland Regional special education students, ages 15 to 18, operate an ongoing drive to send personal items such as deodorant, tissues and toothpaste to American military personnel deployed overseas. In each box, the students include poems, letters and cards they write. The soldiers respond in emails with great appreciation and connections are made. Students use a
variety of skills in marketing the cause, budgeting for postage, item inventory, corresponding with recipients, and maintaining collaborative partnerships with community sponsors.
Contact: Jo-Anne Goldberg, supervisor, Mainland Regional High School; (609) 927-0825, jgoldberg@mainlandregional.net.
Shop Talk—Passaic County Technical Institute
Deaf children are mainstreamed into various “shops” such as auto servicing, medical arts, clerical skills and culinary arts. The goal is to give these students, who are generally severely language delayed, the vocabulary and language they need to succeed in their chosen fields. “Shop Talk” identifies the vocabulary and language needed for the particular shop and reinforces it in a variety of contexts so that the student learns both the sign and the English word and can understand it receptively and use it expressively in appropriate situations.
Contact: Naomi Miller, speech/language therapist, Passaic County Technical Institute; (973) 389-2052.
Game Day—River Vale School District, Woodside School
The program provides children with learning disabilities in grades two through five the opportunity to develop stronger social skills by playing games with non-disabled students in a supportive environment. Taking turns, sharing, patience, being a gracious winner or accepting defeat are among the skills being addressed. The program also provides children with the chance to develop friendships with regular education peers.
The program does not require a large budget; students play games that can be bought at garage sales, or donated through PTA grants or from parents whose children outgrew them.
Contact: Kerry Arbadji, resource teacher, River Vale-Woodside School; (201) 358-4000, karbadjia@rivervaleschools.com.
Is There a Picasso Among Us?—Schroth School – LADACIN Network, Monmouth County
Students study an artistic genre and then collaborate to create works of art in that genre. In the 2008-2009 school year, students studied Expressionist and Abstract Expressionist art. The artists were not limited to traditional paint and palette, but also had access to digital media. Students shared their skills and creations at a special art exhibit displayed at a simulated “museum” designed to resemble a real art gallery. Community support for the project was significant, with a gallery in Freehold displaying the show. The 2010 show will be on tour to three locations in Monmouth County.
Contact: Lisa Graul, principal, Schroth School; (732) 493-5900, ext. 253, lisa.graul@ladacin.org.
Health and Fitness Program—The Children’s Institute, Essex County
Healthy eating and fitness are especially important for special needs children, who can often face additional physical challenges. The program’s multi-pronged approach educates students, families and school staff, and focuses on nutrition, fitness and self-esteem. Activities have included installing cardiovascular equipment; using Wii fitness programs and fitness trainers and nutritionists; and running health fairs, family outings such as weekend family hikes, yoga classes and hip-hop dance classes. Surveys of the students indicate they are engaging in healthier eating and are exercising more.
Contact: Gina Catania, vice principal, The Children’s Institute; (973) 509-3050, ext. 244, gcatania@tcischool.org.
The Road to Work and Community Based Living – Super Senior Program—The Midland School, Somerset County
“Super Seniors” is a two-year program for students 18 to 20 years old who have completed the four years of core curriculum and testing requirements needed to receive their high school diplomas. The goal of the program is to provide intense career preparation, and it includes instruction both at the school and at worksites. Job coaches accompany the students to help
them adjust to the environment and learn job skills. Students also receive training in resume writing and job interview training, and they receive occupational, speech and language therapies focusing on problem solving for adult living.
Contact: Barbara S. Barkan, principal, The Midland School, (908) 722-8222, ext. 101, barkan@midlandschool.org.
********
The New Jersey School Boards Association is a federation of 588 local boards of education and includes 44 charter school associate members. NJSBA advocates the interests of school districts, trains local school board members, and provides resources for the advancement of public education.
ASAH is a professional organization of private schools and agencies in New Jersey that provides highly specialized services to more than 10,000 children and adults with special needs.
###
|
