To our WRA & Project SEARCH Community,
We are now officially two months into the new school year which means our students are starting to get settled into their daily routines both at school and at their Work-Based Learning experiences in the community. I would like to remind our WRA families to keep an eye out for copies of our Work-Based Learning Feedback forms that are sent home at the end of each week. Please make sure to review these sheets with your children and use the information to help prompt conversations about their internships, including tasks they are learning, and the areas of strength and growth that are noted.
Thank you to all of our families who attended our October online Parent Workshop on "DDD Services in New Jersey". Our next online session will be held on Wednesday, November 17th at 7pm. The topic for this workshop will be SSI and Medicaid. Our guest presenter will be Ms. Jerisa Maseko, the Director of Planning for Adult Life at the Arc of New Jersey's Family Institute. You can find more details in our Community Resources section below.
During the month of October we also held "transition" and "employment" planning meetings with our students and families who will be exiting the school system and leaving our programs at the end of the year. We utilize these meetings to set goals and assign responsibilities related to supporting our student's vision for themselves after they graduate including what they want to do for work, where they will live, where they may continue to study (when appropriate), and what they will do socially and recreationally in their free time. We are looking forward to supporting this year's exiting cohort as the year continues.
I would like to "shout out" our new WRA Media Liaison and Newsletter Coordinator, Ms. Deborah Italiano. When Deb is not working as a Teaching Assistant with our program, she runs her own Graphic Design and layout business. We are very lucky to have her talents supporting our newsletter each month!
Finally, I am so very proud of former Project SEARCH intern Jalen Boyd (pictured above) who is finishing his 8th year as a full-time employee in the Food Services department at Overlook Medical Center. Jalen recently served as a guest speaker at the Union County Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Service's countywide Transition committee meeting where he discussed the positive impact that Project SEARCH had on his ability to seek and maintain his employment. Jalen can now be found frequently training new employees and mentoring current Project SEARCH interns.
Please enjoy the rest of this October edition of our newsletter, including an update on what's been happening in the classroom from Rachel Richer, our Supervisor of Instruction.
Sincerely,
Josh Bornstein, Director
UCESC Work Readiness Academy
As the seasons change and the leaves begin to fall, we're excited to share with you what's been happening here at the WRA! Our students and staff have been exploring, learning and celebrating the achievements, histories, traditions, diversity, and vibrant culture of Hispanic and Latino Americans. Students have researched and prepared recipes, created art, read books and watched films in recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month.
This year's theme "Pioneers of Change: Shaping the Future Together” has inspired our discussions, peaked our interests, and become the foundation of our work together in becoming the best version of ourselves. Students have been introduced to information for how to use their voices, ideas, and talents to accomplish their goals as well as to become active and contributing members of their environment.
We continue to investigate and explore having a healthy relationship with technology as well as how to appropriately navigate online communities.
During our career exploration and readiness class periods our students have taken some time this month to better understand how they learn and how to ask for support that meets their individual learning styles at work, in their homes and when they are out in their community.
Finally, students have been diligently working to test recipes, logos, and packaging ideas as they continue to grow their student run enterprises! We are so excited to share next month what the final products will be, and where everyone can purchase!
Have a happy Halloween to all who celebrate!!!
Rachel Richer, Supervisor of Instruction
UCESC Work Readiness Academy
New Attendance Reporting Email!
In the event that your child will be absent, arriving late, or picked up early, please send us an email at AttendanceWRA@ucesc.org. You may also call our main number at (908) 633-2704. If it is before 8am, please leave a message.
On October 16th, the Project SEARCH interns participated in Atlantic Health Care System's Disability Mentoring Day. The day's events included a tour of several departments around Overlook Medical Center, including Clinical Engineering, Environmental Services, and Radiology. Disability Mentoring Day was part of a month long celebration of National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). Observed each October, NDEAM celebrates the value and talent workers with disabilities add to America’s workplaces and economy.
For more information about Project SEARCH, or to access the application for the Class of 2026, please visit:
https://www.ucesc.org/schools/the-work-readiness-academy/project-search
UCESC District Wide Collaboration Project
The goal of this project is to create a collaborative mural that represents and celebrates the diverse voices and perspectives of our community. Each and every member of the UCESC staff is decorating a small canvas. The canvases will be collected from each school, mixed up, and re-distributed throughout the district to create beautiful and meaningful murals. We cannot wait to share the photos once the murals are all installed.
Downtown Cranford & UCESC: An Innovative Partnership for Work-Based Learning and Job Development
Staff from UCESC’s Work Readiness Academy recently presented at APSE New Jersey’s Facing the Future 2024 Conference at the Hyatt Regency in New Brunswick. The workshop focused on the innovative partnership between the WRA and the Downtown Cranford Management Corporation to provide Work-Based Learning and Community-Based Instruction to our students. Caren Demyen, the Director for Cranford’s Downtown Management Corporation, was the co-presenter.
About the Work Readiness Academy
The Work Readiness Academy serves students ages 18-21 with disabilities and provides a comprehensive employment training experience that incorporates both classroom-based instruction and community-based work-learning experiences. While in the training classroom, students work cooperatively with similar aged peers to learn critical skills related to employment and socialization. Students also work on career exploration and planning, including the development of a person-centered, post-secondary vision and plan with clear goals and action steps. Program staff remain on-site during the internships to provide and fade support and assistance as needed. Students also participate in field trips focused on career discovery, independent living skills, recreation and independent travel training.
For more information or to make a student referral, please email Rachel Richer at rricher@ucesc.org
Email: jbornstein@ucesc.org
Website: https://www.ucesc.org/schools/the_work_readiness_academy
Location: 970 Suburban Road, Union, NJ, USA
Phone: 908-633-2704
