About The Calais School

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The Calais School, a leading resource in the field of special education, has served students with learning disabilities for over 36 years. This private, non-profit school offers opportunities for kindergarten through high school.

Learning disabilities are diverse and cut across all socio-economic, cultural, ethnic, and religious groups within American society.  In addition to having a deep impact on the learning process, learning disabilities greatly influence self-image, confidence, moods, social relationships, and behaviors thus affecting a child from their earliest interactions and continuing throughout their development into adulthood.

Regardless of whether a child is five or seventeen years old, The Calais School provides a safe, nurturing, academically challenging environment.  Students learn to focus on their subject matter while developing new behaviors and academic strategies in a non-judgmental atmosphere.  Calais is a place where these special children can learn how to cope with their inner struggles.  For the first time in their development they learn to manage their emotions, feel better about themselves, and communicate effectively with others.  These positive improvements lead to greater security, motivation, and responsibility which, in turn, produce caring and respected adults for the future of their own families, employers, and society.

In many ways, The Calais School offers hope to both students and their families…the hope of learning how to be at peace with oneself, of not being teased by peers for being different, and how to accept those that do.  The healthy core values that The Calais School offers its students help them become students for and of life. 

Academic and personal success at Calais is achieved through:

• Academic programs based on NJ Core Curriculum Content Standards.

• Additional programs designed to meet the specialized needs of each student;

• A Behavior Modification Program that encourages all students to employ available choices in every situation to make appropriate decisions as problems arise;

• A Cognitive/Behavioral Counseling team that provides emotional support and cognitive strategies for dealing with stress, social competency, and character development.

• Learning Consultants who supervise ongoing programs and work with teachers to ensure that best practices are provided for each student. These professionals are the case managers responsible for implementing the IEP and coordinating prescriptive learning services. They are also the liaison with the sending school district.

Where do Calais students come from?

These students are referred to Calais by approximately 80 school districts throughout 9 northern New Jersey counties. 

Is the student population diverse?

Yes.  Some of the children are from neighborhoods or schools that are relatively homogeneous and have had little exposure to children from other cultures or backgrounds.  At Calais, they work side-by-side with students from black, white, Hispanic, Asian, protestant, catholic, Jewish, liberal, conservative, and orthodox communities.  The differences and commonalities they learn to share and respect makes the impact of this experience priceless.  This is the real world, one of diverse ethnicity, socio-economic backgrounds, cultures, and religions, that each of these students will experience whenever they go to the mall, the food store, or their future jobs. 

How long do students stay at The Calais School?

Some students come to The Calais School for a relatively short period of time before returning to their home school districts while others with more complex needs, goals, and abilities may stay longer.  They may arrive late in their school career or spend their entire K-12 school years at the School.  Regardless of how many years a student spends at Calais or their age when they enter, the majority of our students and alumni realize fulfilling and productive futures.

Directions to The Calais School