NRESC July/August Update
August 22, 2022
A MESSAGE FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT
I am excited to welcome everyone back for another school year! As we enjoy the final weeks of summer, it is once again time to think about returning to work and making a difference throughout the region. During the 2022-2023 school year, we hope to continue on our path back to pre-pandemic normalcy in education. Regardless of circumstances, it will be another year where the Commission operates as the premier organization for offering exceptional solutions for specific educational challenges.
Educationally yours,
Dr. Nicholas V. Vancheri
Superintendent
UPCOMING EVENT
Our journey begins with our virtual staff orientation on Thursday, September 1, 2022
Dr. Brad Haimowitz and Ms. Ayanna Thorne are organizing our virtual orientation. They will provide log-in details and an agenda soon.
- The orientation will take place from 9:00am-11:00am.
- Certificated staff (either new to the Commission or new to their positions as full-time employees for an entire school year) must also attend a training session on the yearly evaluation tool during the afternoon.
Regardless of your staffing assignment, our expectation is that every employee of the NRESC attends this mandatory orientation session unless you are a staff member with significant responsibilities in a partner district AND have cleared this with your immediate NRESC supervisor.
All staff will report as directed to their Commission program or partner school/district starting on Friday, September 2, 2022.
UPDATES FOR SCHOOL YEAR 2022 - 2023
CELEBRATIONS
- The Commission recently celebrated its one-year anniversary at our new central office on Totowa Road in Wayne!
PROGRAM UPDATES
- The Commission is excited to expand its service offerings for students at the Phoenix Center in Wanaque. This expansion, along with the continued growth of our special services department under the leadership of Dr. Brad Haimowitz, allowed us to hire Ms. Nancy Finelli as Supervisor of Special Services.
- Sadly, after 24 amazing years, we had to say goodbye to Skylands School in Butler. Although we are saddened by the closing, we are fulfilled knowing that our work at Skylands changed the way students with special needs are taught in this region.
- Under the leadership of Ms. Danielle Casolaro, Second Home Day Habilitation Center will reach capacity this year and the Commission is committed to expanding offerings for adults with special needs throughout the region.
- Hope Academy continues to thrive with enrollment at nearly 100 students. Ascend Academy, which only just opened in January of 2022, is also close to meeting these same enrollment numbers. We look forward to the continued growth of our alternative education offerings under the leadership of Ms. Ayanna Thorne.
- The Commission welcomes Ms. Melissa Margaritis-Gettleman as the new Principal of Hope Academy/Site Administrator at Ascend Academy.
- Under the leadership of Ms. Catherine Maxwell, before, day, and after care programs in Pompton Lakes and Riverdale continue to reach pre-pandemic enrollment levels.
TRANSPORTATION
- The Transportation Department, under the leadership of Ms. Oneida Phillip, is ready to meet the regular demands of any new school year, all while servicing the field trips and athletics needs of school districts which are returning to levels not seen since the 2018-2019 school year.
TECHNOLOGY
- The Technology Department, under the leadership of Mr. Brian Zinn, continues to leave no stone unturned in our efforts to become the leading provider in the region.
SHARED SERVICES
- Our shared services personnel does an exceptional job on a daily basis. I want to highlight the 16 therapists hired in 2018 to work in the Paterson Public Schools. These individuals, who will attain tenure during this, their fifth year with the Commission, were instrumental in eliminating 20,000 hours of compensatory time owed to students.
OPERATIONS
- The Commission welcomes Adam Weiss, Esq., and the Busch Law Group as our new Board Attorney.
COOPERATIVE PURCHASING
- The Commission dove into the world of cooperative purchasing this past year and we look forward to providing more of these services, along with shared business office staff members, to clients for years to come.
COMMUNICATIONS
- Our website and logo continue to be refreshed.
- Following our entrance into the Twitter world in 2021-2022, the Commission will now enter the world of Instagram! Gone are the days where print newsletters and brochures served as the basis for highlighting our work! In 2022, instantaneous displays of your great work are needed for the NRESC to remain on the radar of potential new partners.
HUMAN RESOURCES
- The Commission, with input from association President Ms. Marilyn Santiago, completed its first employee handbook. This handbook will be discussed during the orientation and will be accessible via the staff portal of the website.
Together, we will take the NRESC to the next level! I'm grateful to all of you for contributing to our continued success. And so, the adventure begins!
Stay Connected
Email: nvancheri@nresc.org
Website: nresc.org
Location: 82 Totowa Road, Wayne, NJ 07470
Phone: 973-614-8585
Twitter: @DrV_NRESC
Offering Exceptional Solutions to Specific Educational Challenges