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Dear Manchester Regional High School Community,
I am extremely excited about the opportunity to serve as your Director of Special Services. I will begin my 21st year in the field of public education. I began my career as a Child Study Team School Social Worker. My administrative experiences have consisted of serving as Vice Principal, Supervisor of Special Services Pre-k - 12, and Director of Special Services Pre-k - 12.
I possess a Master of Arts Degree in Administration and Supervision from Montclair State University and Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology from Centenary College. I hold New Jersey Principal, Supervisor, and School Social Work certificates.
I am committed to working with the entire school community and its stakeholders to meet the district's mission and core beliefs. I take pride and ownership of my professional duties, fostering positive relationships with students and their families, and working cohesively as a team in order to attain department and district level goals.
I reside in Wayne with my wife Jennifer and am the proud father of three sons and a daughter.
Sincerely,
Roberto Mendez
Director of Special Services
Manchester Regional High School
Mission:
To provide highly effective comprehensive educational programs and service delivery across all grade levels in order to meet the diverse needs of our students within the least restrictive environment so that they can attain their maximum potential.
Program Overview:
The Department of Special Services provides an array of resources that are individually customized to develop and support a highly effective educational experience for students with disabilities in the least restrictive environment (LRE). Our special education teachers incorporate differentiation in their daily instructional practices that aligns to the diverse needs of our students and the New Jersey Student Learning Standards (NJSLS), across all programs.
Our special education programs and services are offered to students who are found eligible from the 9th grade through age 21.
Manchester Regional High School offers the following comprehensive educational programs for our students: Inclusion, pullout replacement, Learning and/or language disabilities (LLD), Community Based Instruction (CBI), Life Skills, and Effective School Solutions (ESS).
The Child Study Team is a collaborative group of professionals who provide consultation, evaluations, educational, social, emotional, and behavioral support to students, teachers and parents. The members of the Child Study Team, as determined by the N.J.A.C. 6A:14, Special Education are a school psychologist, a learning disabilities teacher-consultant, and a school social worker. Manchester Regional High School also employs speech and language pathologists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, a transition coordinator, and a job coach.
Staff Directory:
Roberto Mendez, Director of Special Services
Kim DeRosa, Administrative Assistant
Melanie Tischler-Quinn, School Psychologist
Tara Sager, Learning Disabilities Teacher-Consultant
Jaclyn Marcella, School Social Worker
Project Child Find
In addition to a full continuum of special education programs and services the district, through its Child Find Project, helps to identify un-served and handicapped children three to five years of age. Parents are encouraged to contact the office of Special Services, if they have concerns about their child's development and whether a preschool program may be of benefit. Project Child Find is a free referral service and public awareness campaign to assist in the identification of unserved/underserved youth with a delay or disability from birth through 21 years of age. It also develops and distributes information to the public about early intervention services and special education programs throughout New Jersey.
The toll-free number for Project Child Find is 800-322-8174 and the site is: https://www.nj.gov/education/specialed/childfind/fact_sheet.pdf