Welcome to the Alpha School
The Alpha School is truly a unique environment for children
with special needs. Each child is accepted as an individual
with their own unique areas of strength and areas that require
special attention.
Our certified teachers, therapists and assistants are very committed to their work at Alpha School. We have very little turnover of staff. Our gym and art teacher have been with us
for over twenty five years. The average length of time that our teaching staff has been working with us is 10 years. There are
a large number of assistants who have worked with us for more than 15 years. This consistency and continuity of our dedicated employees allows our students to work with staff who have developed a high degree of expertise in all areas of special education
The best way to introduce you to our school is to give you some
of the words that our parents use to describe their child’s school. They use words like inviting, relaxed, secure, friendly, caring, warm, nurturing, family oriented, comforting, organized, welcoming, professional, positive, happy, up lifting and supportive. There is no other way to say it better than that.
View our award winning documentary titled I am an artist. This preview represents the heartwarming documentary about how art can transform a child with a variety of disabilites, to an artist having their creations in a gallery.
What's New at Alpha
We are busy preparing for our Spring Show. The theme for the show is “Alpha’s Got Talent”. Each class will be selecting something that will showcase their talents. It should be a lot of fun.
Dog Therapy has been completed with our high school students for this year and now the elementary students are beginning their sessions. We have a certified therapy dog named Koda who comes with his owner Officer Frank. The students love interacting with the dog and his owner.
The Therapy and Classroom staff are busy integrating the I-Pad’s into therapy and the classrooms. The students are really responding well to the use of this device. We hope to purchase more I-Pad’s in the future.
We are taking our students to the Atlantic Club on Fridays. Classes are taking turns going there with our gym teacher, Mrs. Moore. They are allowed to use the various facilities that are available. The kids love it and they are really enjoying the experiences that this facility affords them.
Student Life
Our students will be going bowling on March 12th at Ocean Lanes in Brick. Many of them love bowling and this will be an enjoyable activity for them.
Some of our students will be forming a Special Olympics bocce team under the direction of our physical education teacher, Mrs. Moore. They will be competing in various events. It will culminate at the Special Olympics which will have their major event on the campus of the College of New Jersey. We wish them success in their training and competing.
Valentine’s Day is bringing some nice event for our children. The High School students will be attending a dance at the Harbor school. They will be dancing to the sounds of a DJ and enjoying a pizza lunch. Our younger students will be having a pizza party that will be sponsored by the Jackson Elks. They sponsored this event last year and everyone had a great time.
Teachers Corner
Our teachers are working very hard to become familiar with our newly purchased I-Pad’s and the apps that are available. Lisa Glassford who is our technology coordinator, is training staff on the use of the I-Pad with our students. Some staff will also be attending workshops that will give them more information about the I-Pad’s use in the classroom and therapy setting. Judi Hall who is an occupational therapist, is using the I-Pad to develop social stories that will enhance our students abilities to deal with social situations and with situations in the community. It is evident that technology can enhance programming for our students.