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45 Highland Avenue
Whippany, NJ 07981
Call Us
973-884-2030
Visit our Website
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THE CALAIS COURIER
Summer 2015
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September is off to a great start and we are rapidly preparing for a year of excellence.
The 2015-2016 school year is The Calais School's 45th year providing special education to students
and we have many exciting events and activities to announce:
- Last year The Calais School's Twice Exceptional Gifted and Talented Program created new excitement among students gifted at technology. This pilot program received the NJ School Board Association's Innovations in Special Education Award. To expand this success, we have added a Twice Exceptional program in Science this fall. In the spring, we will add programs in Performing and Visual Arts.
- Thanks to a grant from Novartis, we have upgraded computers with larger flat screen monitors and faster speed in the technology lab and in classrooms throughout the building.
- Structured Learning Experiences (SLE) will be expanded to include new in-house work experiences and new community-based work opportunities for high school students.
- Our gym was renovated this summer! The newly-installed state-of-the-art gym floor provides a safe environment for sports and physical activities for all of our students.
- The Calais School now offers a College Experience Program at County College of Morris available to 12Plus students! We are all very excited students will have a college experience under the guidance and support of our dedicated Calais staff.
In between newsletters, you can always visit our school blog and Facebook page to see what's going on here at Calais... |
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High school students are organized and ready for the school year with supplies donated by RBC Wealth Management. The school supply fundraiser was the first of several fundraising events this year.
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| RBC in Florham Park Helps Calais Kick Off Fundraising Drive |
| For the first time this year, The Calais School held a school supply fundraising drive to start the 2015-2016 school year off right.
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Students show off their new backpacks.
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Parents purchased school supplies through The Calais School to save time and support the school. Thanks to RBC Wealth Management in Florham Park, we were able to maximize our fundraising efforts. RBC donated school supplies, including binders, notebooks, pens, pencils.... even backpacks for our students! The fundraiser was the first event for The Calais School's "together, we succeed" campaign to raise money for programs at The Calais School. We look forward to a successful year improving and expanding programs that benefit children with special needs.
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Our friends from RBC in Florham Park delivered school supplies before the first day of school.
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| CONGRATULATIONS CLASS OF 2015! |
Students Celebrate The Calais School's 44th Commencement Ceremony
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Graduates in our senior and eighth grade classes get ready to hear Pomp and Circumstance.
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The Calais School proudly announced our graduating class of 2015 during our 44
th
commencement ceremony in June. Proud parents, siblings, grandparents, friends, board members, and staff celebrated the accomplishments and hard work of our amazing students.
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Omar C. receives his diploma and looks proudly at his family in the audience.
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During the Principal's address, Dr. Diane Manno prompted everyone to think about their heroes. While many people may have thought of athletes or superheroes, she told the audience,
"Real heroes are those individuals who dare to overcome their fears in order to deal with life experiences that are difficult.... As I look around at the graduating class, I have observed the individual strengths and talents of each student. Each of these students has the capacity to become a hero.
Let's all think about who we could be if we did not allow fear or anger or our limitations stop us from being a hero. What could YOU do? Who would YOU be? So I challenge the graduating class of 2015 dare to become a hero!"
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"I have grown to believe in myself and feel like I belong."
Monica S.
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Each senior shared their Calais School experiences in moving speeches. Seniors thanked their family, friends, teachers, and counselors for their support. Each student took a moment to thank the people that made a particular impact on them. Their stories were both heartfelt and humorous. Connor S. thanked the speech teacher, "for helping me with my speech and my speech. Get it? My speech and my speech!"
Many students shared their personal stories of struggle, growth, and achievement. Caroline M. shared that she was nervous starting at The Calais School, but "I began to make friends and they listened to me. They were the first people who really understood how I felt about being bullied. They listened to how I was cornered by kids in my old school and how scared I was."
We are so proud of our students.
Congratulations class of 2015!
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| SLE Students Participate in Calais Foundation's Learn 'N' Earn Program |
Structured Learning Experience Students Receive Stipends for Working In Community
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Students received their work stipends from The Calais Foundation.
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The Calais School's Structured Learning Experience (SLE) had its ESY debut this year. For the first time, students were enrolled in a community-based SLE portion of the summer program. Students got a true sense of the responsibilities of employment while working at local businesses. They also completed coursework focusing on job skills, labor laws, workplace safety, and their rights as workers.
Students received financial compensation from
The Calais Foundation
as part of the Foundation's "Learn 'N' Earn"
program. Students received their checks at the end of the program thanks to a Foundation grant for the hours they worked at their job sites.
Twice a week, students went out to work at one of three locations in the surrounding area, including a floral shop and retail store. While working at Marshall's, students unpacked, sorted, and hung new merchandise while practicing interpersonal skills with a variety of store employees.
Students also completed job safety coursework that focused on workplace hazards and ways to identify and avoid injury on the job. Two students worked at Gogel's in East Hanover, where they were able to identify common workplace safety hazards, discussed
possible solu
tions, and implemented procedures that improved safety in their workplaces.
All students gained valuable knowledge and experience that prepares them for their futures in the workplace.
The SLE program is continuing during the 2015-2016 school year with an expanded range of workplaces offered to maximize the variety of experience that they receive.
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Students Spend the Day with NFL Players and Microsoft
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The Gridiron Gang motivated and encouraged our students during a day of NFL-style drills.
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4th Annual
Calais Foundation Touchdown for Success Student Field Day Brings the NFL to Calais
Thanks to the support of The Calais Foundation and its generous donors, students enjoyed a day of sports, gaming, and fun back in June.
The 4th Annual Calais Foundation
Touchdown for Success Student Field Day with the Gridiron Gang gave our students with special needs the opportunity to learn about health, fitness, teamwork, education, and self-confidence from current and former NFL players. The interactive program also included a nutritious lunch, motivational message and fun gift bag for our
students.
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Damian Gregory congratulates Darrin C. on the news that his award-winning artwork would be featured at art shows throughout NJ.
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Coach Femia helped organize the day's events with Gridiron Gang founder, Calais Foundation President, and former NFL player Damian Gregory. Mr. Gregory was recently featured by the NFL Legends Community and Touchdown for Success guest speaker Keith Elias for his work with children with special needs.
Read the article on NFLPlayerEngagement.com.
Damian Gregory was joined by the Gridiron Gang, current and former NFL players who motivated and cheered our students on. The Gang encouraged them to try their hardest and celebrate their achievements with some very creative touchdown dances!
gaming station for our students to play with the Xbox and Surface Pro 3 as part of Calais Week at Microsoft, a week-long program of STEM programming workshops for students.
Our Microsoft volunteers worked
with our students and reminded them that the are the types of creative minds and outside-the-box thinkers that will be
making the next "big thing" in video games and software!
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Thank you all for making the day a big success!
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Summer Artist-in-Residence Program
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Life at The Calais School Comes Alive in Summer Art Project
Kevin Brooks of Dzine Art joined us this summer to bring scenes from the school year at The Calais School to life. Using photos of students taken throughout the year, students made large scale drawings in marker. The illustrations depict scenes from the Calais Foundation Touchdown for Success Student Field Day, SLE student internships in the community, basketball games, field trips, and many more.
This is the third year Mr. Brooks has worked with Calais students on a major summer art project.
Last year he was commissioned to create a 3-D art installation with students. The installation
illustrates the values we strive for here at Calais: kindness, helpfulness, fairness, honesty, trust, and respect.
In 2013, Mr. Brooks and students
created a story mural, now on display in the lower school hallway. The four murals created represent what our students feel about The
Calais School and illustrate their dreams for
the future.
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Our students' artwork is displayed near the English and Spanish rooms.
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Calais Canine Crew Mentors Students and Supports Local Animal Shelter
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Students organized a massive donation drive to help support a local animal shelter.
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Casey Butler
The Extended School Year "Canine Crew" was very busy this summer preparing lessons and materials to teach to younger students about canine care.
Students in The Calais School's
Animal Adaptive Therapy™
summer program with
Merlin's KIDS
worked with several dogs of different breeds and ages on different skills. The group focused on skills such as grooming and bathing, dog walking, proper handling, and gentle touch. Students also learned about canine health and wellness and how to make dogs feel comfortable in a variety of situations. They learned about animal shelters and rescues, as well as careers that involve working with animals.
Older students visited younger students' classes to teach their younger peers all about animal shelters and rescues. They discussed the differences between rescues and pet stores, how animals can end up in shelters, and what we as a community can do to help these animals and shelters.
One of the students' favorite activities was teaching the younger students how to make toys for the dogs waiting for their "fur-ever" homes at
11th Hour Rescue in Randolph.
The students truly embraced this project! They have become amazing mentors and role models by taking on the responsibility of running the shelter drive. They spent their summer collecting, sorting, and organizing all donations. Students spent hours learning and preparing to go out and educate the other students.
Our students are an amazing group of individuals with a true passion for helping animals!
They were so very excited to be making something special for these pets who may not have toys to play with while they wait patiently for a family of their own.
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Student mentors and their mentees show off the dog toys they made for shelter animals.
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Matt M. Wins State Award in Fire Safety Poster Contest
We are thrilled to announce that Matthew M. won the New Jersey Division of Fire Safety and the New Jersey Fire Prevention and Protection Association's 2014-2015 Fire Safety Poster Contest! His poster, "Working Smoke Alarms Save Lives. Test Yours Every Month!" won at the local, county, and state levels.
His artwork also won him a MacBook Air for his hard work!
Matt is a very talented artist and we are so proud of him. His artwork is now with New Jersey State Fire Prevention and Protection Association, encouraging people to regularly check their smoke detectors.
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Matt M. shows off his new computer.
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Students Practice Sportsmanship and Social Skills During ESY Tournaments
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Students were competitive during the Super Smash Brothers tournament.
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Adam Maturo
I hosted the first ever Super Smash Brothers for Wii U tournament at the Calais School. We had 39 entrants to
the Smash Brothers tourname
nt of all ages f
rom Pre-K
to 12 Plus to staff. Students practiced
social skills and good sportsmanship in this friendly competition.
In addition to the Super Smash Brothers Tournament, we also h
eld a school wide Wii Bowling tournament
of 44 entrants. Students were proud to show their gaming skills and interact with peers of all ages in friendly competition. Good sportsmanship is one of the primary virtues of students at The Calais School.
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Adventure at Turtle Back Zoo
One of our most engaging and memorable trips during the Calais School's ESY Program was our day at the Turtle Back Zoo.
There were plenty of sights to see including more than 150 species from around the world that were featured in their naturalistic habitats. Kangaroos, penguins, wolves, monkeys and giant lizards were some of the many animals that our students were able to observe.
Some of the interesting exhibits we were able to view included: The Reptile Center, Great Plains Exhibit, Essex Farm Exhibit, The Sea Lion Sound Exhibit and Penguin Exhibit. A student favorite was the Tropical Aquarium that included a touch tank and allowed our students to engage their senses.
Students were also able to enjoy a relaxing ride on a miniature train through the beautiful South Mountain Reservation. An enjoyable day was has by all!
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Students Design Calais Monopoly
Ellen Reich
This summer, besides reading various short stories, the English class spent many hours designing a board game.
After designing the board, photographing various places in the Calais School, and assembling the project, the first edition of Calais Monopoly Game was completed. The students are now enjoying playing the game. Much thought and cooperation went into this project.
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Mrs. Russo and Students Whip Up Delicious, Nutritious Lunches for All
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Marybeth DelliSanti
To keep moving requires energy and Mrs. Russo's class provided that to the ESY students with their great lunches. It is amazing the amount of hard work needed to provide a meal for one hundred people!
Oscar F. became the master pepper slicer using his knife skills to dissect and chop a colorful array of these enticing vegetables. Joy C. masterfully sliced the cucumbers on the mandolin. Michael L. and Michael C. successfully learned to marinate, brown, and bake an assortment of meats. Ryan M. quenched our thirst with cold drinks and Nick M. measured and whipped sweet confections.
Mrs. Russo is a conductor of a symphony of recipes, with Mrs. Ramos, Mrs. DelliSanti and Mrs. Ganley assisting in the orchestration. As a result the ESY staff and students enjoyed nutritious culinary delights for the six-week period. These will be sorely missed!
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ESY Students Plan Road Trip
Fran Cifrodelli
Le
t's go to Yellowstone National Park, The Grand Canyon, Mount Rushmore, The Smithsonian Museum of Art, The American Museum of Natural History, Disney Land, Disney World, Universal Studios, Dorney Park, or the Bronx Zoo!!!
ESY high school students made their own destination choices and calculated travel expenses. They researched their locations through various websites, and gathered information about gas prices, driving expenses, distances, travel time, and admission costs. Students learned that traveling takes a lot of planning, and can be quite expensive depending on where you are going.
Everyone had fun choosing their places of interest and using their math skills for the real world!
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ABOUT THE CALAIS FOUNDATION
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The Calais Foundation is a separate non-profit entity that provides financial support to The Calais School and to other organizations that serve the special needs community.
The mission of The Calais Foundation is to empower children with serious learning and behavioral problems to overcome their disabilities so they can be responsible, productive and reach their fullest potential in life. A special interest is also placed on helping parents overcome and cope with the unique challenges of raising a child with special needs. Our mission is accomplished through innovative programming, information, education, grants, awareness and volunteer support for families and other organizations that serve the special needs community.
Our goal is to make a difference and be the best at helping children with special needs fulfill their potential and thrive in society. Together, we can make a difference one child at a time by giving hope and meaning to a child's life.
To get involved or learn more about The Calais Foundation, please visit our link at https://calaispassportgala.eventbrite.com and join us at our Passport to Excellence Gala Reception, December 3, 2015 at Paul Miller Porsche in Parsippany.
For additional information about The Calais Foundation or our Passport to Excellence Gala, please visit our website www.calaisfoundation.org, or contact Board Secretary Jennifer Tedeschi, 973-884-2030 x222.
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Please consider joining our PTA to support program development for your children and help us celebrate 45 years of excellence in special education.
Visit our new updated website and parent portal to see your children as they enjoy creative learning experiences. And please remember to "like" us on Facebook!
We look forward to a happy and productive 2015-2016 school year!
Sincerely,
Megan LoBue
The Calais School
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