Special Education Services Provide Benefits to Entire School

Mendham Township, NEW JERSEY (October 7, 2019) – Special Education Services plays an important role in meeting the needs of every student, every day at Mendham Township Elementary School (MTES). To ensure all students, regardless of their individual academic capabilities, can access the target curriculum, the school employs a range of strategies to engage students and help them master learning key content. Recently, Ms. Darlene Sardinsky joined the Special Services team to further the school’s objectives in meeting the needs of all of its students.

Ms. Sardinsky brings a wealth of experience and enthusiasm. In speaking with individuals and groups of students she uses the experiences of 13 years of teaching to hone her message and capture the attention of students. She is an invaluable asset to colleagues on Child Study Teams with her background in writing and evaluating Individual Educational Plans (IEPs) as well as having a clear understanding of Special Education Law. She also has a proven track record in building relationships with parents and collaborating with administration and faculty in developing new and innovative curriculum.

To address the range of needs of individual students the school’s learning environment includes self-contained classrooms, integrated classrooms, access to resources rooms, as well as general education classrooms. The focus is on identifying the way each individual child likes to learn and applying teaching strategies in the learning structure that is optimized for that particular student.

Some students may process information more on a visual basis and will require customized instructional aids that address the same content covered in general education classes. Another difference may be that a student may use the same aids, and complete the same tasks as a general education student, but they may be allotted more time. These are examples of integration strategies.

Some students may experience delays in cognitive processing, motor and/or speech development. Providing access to dedicated subject matter experts in these areas will greatly increase the confidence and accomplishments of these students. Augmenting these efforts, by explaining to the general student population in the school how different students learn, creates a win/win solution for everyone. The school reflects a community made up of individual students with different skills and needs. MTES fosters positive interaction and communications among all students. These inclusive strategies help the entire student group prepare to participate and interact with all members of a larger community.

“I enjoy working with diverse members of the school community and my goal is to ensure that each student receives what he or she needs academically, socially, and emotionally to be successful in school and beyond,” concluded Ms. Sardinsky.