June Newsletter
March 5th, 2024
Supervisor’s Message
As the school year winds down, let’s take a moment to reflect, appreciate and celebrate many moments and milestones that our school year has brought us.
The Westlake School community is proud to acknowledge and celebrate the following 2023-2024 Westlake School graduates: Josh A., Venus A., Kaseem B., Rylina C., Robbie E., Alex F., Rick G., Sarah M., Josh Mc., Tianna P., Nyrkalens P., Anthony P., Tiffany R., Ian S.
We thank you for allowing us to be part of your amazing journey filled with personal growth, incredible achievements and countless moments of joy, pride and inspiration and look forward to seeing where your exceptional dedication and resilience take you as you begin your next chapter.
The School year provided a vast number of opportunities for students to get involved and participate in special events such as the March Madness Basketball game and cheerleading, Westlake School Carnival, Annual BMW Car Club Race and the Prom, to name a few.
We also would like to honor, acknowledge and congratulate Mrs. Robyn Pajewski, who after 33 years will be retiring at the end of the school year. The Westlake School Community will miss Mrs. Pajewski’s commitment to academic excellence for her students, lasting contributions she has made to the Westlake program and the profound impact she has made on her students for years to come. Thank you, Robyn - we wish you a rewarding and fulfilling retirement just like your teaching career! :)
As the school year comes to an end, we would like to thank all of our Westlake School staff for their continued, unwavering support in providing an inclusive and supportive learning environment for our students to thrive and grow to reach their fullest potential and all our students families and sending districts for your ongoing teamwork and collaboration allowing us to have the privilege to work with your kids.
Till next time my friends…stay cool this summer and as always…be good to yourself and each other :)
Best,
-Mr. P and Mrs. Tantillo
Dates to Remember!
ESY begins July 1; closed July 4, 5
Westlake May Spotlight!
Principal Award Winner!
Congratulations to N.R, she has been working so hard in June! We are so proud of her!
Congratulations Mrs. Pajewski!
Robyn has been a dedicated teacher at UCESC for the past 33 years. She has seen many changes and evolved. Robyn gives 110% of her heart and passion to her students. She not only raises the bar for her students to excel, but continuously challenges them to achieve greatness. She enjoys collaborating and sharing ideas. Robyn is highly respected by her staff,peers and administrators. Her kindness and compassion is infectious among anyone who interacts with her. These are the reasons why she will truly be missed. As Robyn sets off into the sunset to retire and start a new chapter of her life, she will be truly missed by staff,administrators and colleagues.
Spotlight on the Work Based Learning!
As the school year draws to a close, the Work Based Learning and vocational programs celebrate their achievements and milestones. Throughout the year, these programs have provided invaluable opportunities for our students to grow academically, socially, and professionally. From individualized vocational and work readiness goals to Work Based Learning goals each student has been supported in developing their unique skills and strengths. The end-of-the-year wrap up is not just a culmination of academic progress but also a testament to the dedication of students, educators, and community partners who have collaborated to ensure each student's success. A huge thank you goes out to our community partners who have contributed to internal vocational work within the classroom and the school building- Maschio's Food Services, The NJ Sharing Network, and Cranford Jaycee's. We appreciate and thank our external Work Based Learning sites - The Cranford Movie Theater, Olive Garden, Walgreens, Overlook Hospital, Tony's Pizza Delight, and Suplee, Clooney, & Company. We look forward to collaborating with our community partners next year and look forward to creating new relationships.
Westlake Carnival!
Another cherished Westlake tradition returned this year. After months of preparation and planning, The Westlake Carnival took place on June 7th. Staff and students enjoyed games, ice cream, snacks, bounce houses, a bubble dance party, spin art, tattoos, cotton candy, and the Kona Ice truck!
We were lucky to have many helpers from Goldman Sachs, who helped run all the different stations! Thank you for all of your help!
BMW Car Club Trip!
Mrs. Tantillo was joined by Ms. Datillo and group of students on a trip to the BMW Car Club of America! Students were able to race in the cars!
Graduation 2024!
Spotlight on the O.T. Department!
We are having so much fun in Occupational Therapy (OT) in the month of June. Students are seen individually and in groups to work on fine motor skills, sensory regulation, visual motor, activities of living, self-care, and pre-vocational skills. The OT department is made up of 2 full time OT’s, Sara Roch and myself, Jennifer Loggia. We have one additional OT Sara Loesch who works part-time at Westlake. Throughout the month we integrated summer crafts in order to work on strengthening the hands while performing multi-step activities. After completing the projects we decorated the OT/PT room with the student’s work. In our OT room we have a swing, trampoline, and canoe where our students can work on self-regulation skills. We incorporated summer yoga poses and obstacle courses to help our students with motor planning. Our students enjoyed making a rainbow out of handprints to display diversity and differences between individuals. Some students have started a typing program and practice. We are fortunate to have exercise equipment in our gym, where students ride exercise bikes or walk on treadmills as a part of their OT sessions to increase strength, endurance, and just have fun. When we are not in the OT/PT room, we are in Westlake’s own apartment, where we teach students how to make a bed, prepare a meal, and how to do laundry. This month we made pizza bagels and ice cream. Here in OT we work towards increasing students' independence in meaningful, motivating and functional activities. We are looking forward to a terrific Summer!
Watch Our Garden Grow!
Mrs. Mund and Mrs. Marshall's Classes have been hard at work in our garden space to grow vegetables and herbs. All of their hard work has paid off, everything is growing!
Ms. Shaw's class made a sign for our outdoor classroom! It looks amazing!
Talent Show!
Last Day of School Fun!
Ms. Marshall organized a fun end of the year relay race! All of our students were excited to cheer on their favorite teams!