New Jersey Regional Day School at Mannington

The Regional Day School is situated in a totally accessible, state-of-the-art facility in Mannington, NJ. The building itself is fully air conditioned and enhanced with skylights throughout the corridors. A pleasant central lobby area helps welcome all visitors into the school.
There are ten classrooms in the facility with direct access to a large playground at the rear of the building. The facility provides an attractive, pleasant setting for educational activities and support services. Specially designed areas house life skills, adaptive physical education, medical services, adaptive technology, counseling, speech, occupational and physical therapies.
There are currently about 60 students attending the school. These students are referred from the surrounding school districts in Salem, Cumberland, Gloucester and Camden counties. The Salem County Board for Vocational Education has operated the facility for the State of New Jersey since it opened in 1982.

Staff

The staff has a wide range of skills which allow an exceptional level of educational services to be delivered at the school. Additionally, all students who require one-to-one support are provided with a support services personnel –special education (aide) whose primary responsibility is to work with that child. During the past school year, a total of sixteen support services personnel – special education (aides) supported the program and provided an excellent student-to-adult ratio at the facility.

Students

Students served by the Regional Day School are variously disabled students whose educational program includes wide therapy needs and related services. The school works to develop self-sufficiency and employability in all students. Students are provided with options that include in-house Career Orientation or part time placement in vocational and orientation programs offered by the Salem County Career and Technical High School. The school also works cooperatively with the ARC of Salem County to allow students a transition opportunity at their Sheltered Workshop if necessary.

Services

The Regional Day School provides a full range of support services and therapies for students in accordance with the goals of the child’s individualized educational plan. The school has a well-equipped therapy areas that houses both outstanding occupational and physical therapy programs. Each student also receives necessary counseling and speech therapy services through properly certified personnel. Counseling services are offered through an individual with a career as a social worker for DYFS. The school has had consistent therapy services available for all youngsters.

Child Study Team

A full-time Learning Consultant is employed at the Regional Day School to support student programs and to maintain records and proper documentation. The Learning Consultant also serves as liaison to sending district child study teams. Additionally, the school employs the services of a school psychologist to work at developing the goals and objectives for the child’s educational plan. Also, a social worker and director of special education serve on the child study team of the school.

Nurse

Students attending the Regional Day School are often fragile individuals with wide-ranging and potentially serious health issues. The school employs two part-time nurses to work in conjunction with the fully certified district school nurse whose primary responsibility is monitoring the health and well being of the students. The nurses work with staff to insure that all persons at the facility are aware of health related needs and necessary procedures.

Technology

The Regional Day School has worked diligently to provide students with the best computer and technology related options available. The facility is linked by fiber optics to the district's central network that maximizes performance and resources. Each class has two networked personal computers that are used for programmed language and reading, as well as, creative writing and math. Necessary adaptive equipment is available for each student based on need. Additionally, the entire school is connected to the Internet.

All technology in the school is supported through the Adaptive Technology Lab. This area provides access to the computer network and is scheduled by all classes at least once each week. This area also supports adaptive and assistive technology for all students in the facility and is designed to allow student programs to meet mandated assistive technology requirements.

Adaptive Technology

Adaptive and assistive technology is supported at Regional Day School through the Adaptive Technology Lab. This area provides support to staff in developing program and activity recommendations for students at the facility. The area includes a range of equipment designed to facilitate individual communication and technical interaction.

The lab also serves as a resource for local Child Study Teams to meet the Assistive Technology requirements of New Administrative Code (Title 6A:14) and the Individuals with Disabilities Act. Child Study Team personnel can use the lab to develop IEP recommendations, examine equipment and follow-up with vendors and related professionals. The lab also coordinates a full range of staff development and training activities.

Career Orientation - RDS

The Regional Day School operates a successful Career Orientation Program. Students will be assigned to this program as part of their life skills program. The program will consist of four components: Health, Cosmetology, Culinary Arts, and Information Technology. The health component will expose the students to the hospitality industry through bed making and bathroom and kitchen clean-up. The cosmetology component will expose students to personal hygiene and self-help skills as in dressing and care for one’s self. Additionally, the students will learn skills to be used while interviewing for a position. The culinary component will expose students to nutrition and healthy eating habits. The technology component will expose students to the utilization of technology to create menus and other print media that can be utilized in the field of hospitality. The classroom for the Hospitality Experience will be the current Living Skills center as well as a self-contained network in room 10 of the Regional Day School for the technology component. The students will display their abilities at the various functions held at the Regional Day School by preparing and/or serving snacks to invited guests. The program will also be supported by National Honor and National Vocational Honor Society students from the Career and Technical High School.