What Makes Mercer County Special Services So Special?

Small class size, highly qualified teachers and therapists, experienced and dedicated principals, autism program (preschool through high school), classes for severe and multiple disabilities, programming for emotional and behavior disorders, experienced behavior and autism specialists in each school, individualized behavior programming, accountable data collection systems, differentiated instruction, integrated preschool and kindergarten, community based learning experiences, multiple - monthly staff training opportunities, case management and on site child study teams in each building, planning and supported transition into adulthood - job placement – back to home schools, parent training, home program, respite services, programming to teach self responsibility, decision making, problem solving and conflict resolution, Parent Advisory Committees, individual and group counseling, specialized assistive technology team, buddy classes and transition opportunities, staff trained in the current best practices in autism (ABA, TEACCH, ABLLS, RDI) social skills training, peer mentoring and buddy classes, feeding specialists, responsive classrooms, character education, augmentative communication assessments, library, art, music, adaptive physical education, full time nursing staff in each school, adolescent health classes.

School based highlights:

Joseph Cappello School: sensory based programming, father’s group, full day preschool and kindergarten

Regional Day School: monthly team building and social skills activities, classroom point systems, academic programming for students with average IQ having social, behavioral and emotional difficulties

Mercer Elementary School: school choir and augmentative choir, activities of daily living incorporated into programming, academic and prevocational training, student safety patrol

Mercer High School: vocational programming incorporating: culinary arts, office skills, computer repair, horticulture and landscaping, industrial arts, and retail marketing. prom, student council, sports teams, cheerleading, fine arts

The Joseph F. Cappello School is proud to offer the community a full day, 5.5 hours, preschool program. The PANDAS Integrated Preschool Program is a collaborative preschool program serving 4 year olds.  Note:  Students must be 4 years old by December 31, 2009, to be eligible for the program.  PANDAS is a developmentally oriented program based on the New Jersey Preschool Teaching and Learning Expectations:  Standards of Quality.  The class will consist of typically developing children and children with developmental delays, learning together in a structured and enriched environment. 

The PANDAS program incorporates activities into the instructional time based on children’s individual learning styles with a focus on language and social skills development.  The goal is to provide an enhanced preschool environment that meets the social, emotional, physical, language and cognitive needs of all of the students.

We are seeking typically developing youngsters from the community to serve as peers to our students with special needs.

Each classroom will be staffed with a teacher who is dually certified in preschool and special education and an instructional assistant.  Occupational and speech therapies will be integrated within the classroom setting.


The class will meet five days per week, 5.5 hours per day, from 9:20-2:50, at the Joseph F. Cappello  School.  The cost of the program is $500 per month for the 2009 – 2010 school year, (September, 2009 – June, 2010), and $600 for the five week summer program from July 7 – August 7, 2009.  Transportation is not included for typically developing students and will not be provided by the school.  After acceptance into the program, parents must complete program enrollment forms for their child and provide a copy of his/her current physical examination and immunization records.

To apply for the PANDAS program, complete an initial application form for typically developing students (see attached).  Applications must be received no later than May 1st.  Due to the limited number of spaces available for typically developing children, the school will hold a lottery-type drawing if necessary.  Parents will be notified of their child’s acceptance prior to May 31, 2009.  There is a possibility that we will extend the enrollment period.

Applications can be found online at http://www.MercerCountySpecialServices.com and in the offices of Joseph F. Cappello School, Mercer Elementary School, Regional Day School and Mercer Jr/Sr High School.

Please mail completed applications to:

Joseph F. Cappello School
1072 Old Trenton Road
Hamilton, NJ  08690
Attn:  Christine Sevilla

Attachments:

Panda_Application.pdf

[Panda Application]

92 Kb

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