Recognized by the New Jersey School Boards Association (NJSBA) as one of the

“10 best programs in New Jersey”

The Calais Twice Exceptional Gifted & Talented (2e) Program provides engaging course topics designed to meet the unique intellectual and social requirements of high-ability students who also have special needs. Our 2e program helps students excel and achieve by:

  • Emphasizing personal strengths and talents
  • Discovering and nurturing areas of interest through enrichment activities
  • Supporting the development of social thinking 
  • Fostering social and emotional growth
  • Encouraging new experiences and self-advocacy through advanced preparation and student choice

Strengths-Based Instruction

Through a strengths-based instructional approach, we put our students’ inherent strengths and capabilities in the forefront. By building on existing strengths students are in a better position to work on areas of challenge. We provide our 2e students with the confidence and opportunity to explore and develop personal talents and interests while also providing the necessary academic and therapeutic support where needed. 

Building Connections

Our 2e Program engages students’ interests and abilities while encouraging them to think critically about the world around them. This practice strengthens their ability to build connections between experiences inside and outside of the classroom. Students delve into topics of personal interest while engaging with peers that share similar interests.

Our whole-child perspective helps students to practice social thinking and skills, centering around four major areas:

  • Problem-solving to encourage students to adapt to change, make choices & solve problems.
  • Critical thinking to help students form generalizations, extrapolate new concepts & evaluate their own ideas.
  • Creative thinking to encourage students to make connections, observe the usual in unusual ways & relate the unrelated.
  • Research methods to support students facing challenging open-ended problems & investigating their interests.

The Calais School’s nurturing environment and student-centered approach creates a stimulating learning environment designed to challenge 2e students while also supporting them in a way that encourages personal achievement and growth.