E-News, The CTC Connection: January/February 2019

January/February 2019

Our Vision: Fulfilling the potential of all people with special needs.

The CTC Connection

AN E-NEWSLETTER OF CTC ACADEMY

Our Mission: Enhancing the lives of children and young adults with special needs, and their families, by providing an enriched educational, therapeutic and supportive environment.

Parent Update from the Executive Director

Dear CTC Parents,

We are making great progress at both campuses in our efforts to improve our physical plants! At Oakland, in spite of the bitterly cold weather at times, they are making tremendous progress in constructing our water treatment plant. Our two tanks are now in the ground with appropriate piping and the shed (which controls the water and electrical circuitry for the treatment plant) construction is in the final stages. So, we continue to be on schedule to have the project completed by the end of March. As you know, the water treatment plant is required for us to fully occupy the building and use the pool, etc.

At Fair Lawn, we have had numerous meetings with our architect and are honing in on final drawings. Our hope is to begin work over the April break (for some work on the lobby and reception desk area), followed by classroom renovations - one class at a time, new cabinetry, new floors, knee walls and better window insulation (among other things) starting in July - and then EEP and other major modifications in August. The project may not be totally completed until the following August (2020) but we are moving right along!

A bit of disappointing news, our hopes to implement an afterschool program by working with an established organization did not work out. It turns out that the organization that we were hoping to partner with could not financially implement a program that would provide the level of supervision and support we believe our students require to be safe and secure. We may revisit operating such a program ourselves at some point, but currently our focus is exploring whether we can operate an adult day program and a clinic in the future. I will provide more information about these two types of programs as we progress in our exploration of what we may or may not do.

As always, you can contact me anytime by phone at either campus number (201-797-7440 ext 3258 or 201-612-5677 ext 2111) or by email at kberger@ctcacademy.org .

All the best,

Ken Berger, Executive Director

What's New at CTC Academy

Environmental Improvements

The Oakland Campus is moving forward with environmental improvements to help us best serve our students. The walls have become more colorful, tactile, and auditory as each room now has a symbol and paired switch to help students identify where they are in the school. These room markers are helpful in transitions for our students particularly those with visual impairments, as it supports their independence and self-awareness. As students leave their classroom during the school day, the students are exposed to the symbol of the room they are going to and upon arrival are touching the same symbol and using the corresponding switch that provides auditory feedback matching the location. These tools are used to support predictable transitions, self-advocacy, and independence throughout the school day for all of our students. The Fair Lawn Campus doors will be decked out in the same way very soon.

CTC Academy Girl Scout Troops

It’s Official! CTC Academy Girl Scout troop #97838 held their first meeting on January 30th. Our scouts learned the ‘pledge’ and played a game of bingo while discussing the scouts’ mission. The next meeting will be our pinning ceremony on February 27th. More information to follow...

It’s not too late for your daughter to join our troop!

All Troop activities will be led by CTC’s own Tracy Collins and will take place during school hours. All materials and uniforms will be provided.
All cookie sales will be done during school hours in our school Snacker’s Bar.
The cost per girl is $40, which is the annual membership fee. It includes insurance covered by Girl Scouts of the USA, the national organization.
To register, call 973-248-8200 Monday-Friday 9am-5pm.
Financial aid can be requested during the online registration process, so the cost doesn't need to be a barrier for any girl.

This is a wonderful opportunity for our students to be part of a community based organization that supports all girls. We hope your daughter will come be a part of this exciting new program!

THE SOCIAL WORK DEPARTMENT

SIBSHOPS PROGRAM

Sibshops provide support and guidance to siblings of children with special needs in a fun and interactive setting – games, creative projects and even cooking!

Open Enrollment - Click HERE for more information!

Click HERE for the Social Work Calendar of Events!

“Notice from the CTC Health Department”

The NJ Department of Education Public Law entitled “Tabitha’s Law” mandates that a child’s parent or guardian report the child’s absence from school. This law is to protect the safety of your child. We require notification each day your child is going to be absent regardless if the absence is due to illness, weather, or appointments. All attendance communications need to be reported directly to the Campus Health Office via phone call or email. Voicemail can be left after school hours. Please do not rely on other staff members or bus drivers to deliver messages.