Page 4 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • May 2, 2012 Franklin Lakes Student raises funds for CAPS classrooms by Frank J. McMahon A seventh grade student at the Franklin Avenue Middle School in Franklin Lakes recently presented the Franklin Lakes Board of Education with a check for $1,750. The funds are to be used for an iPad and apps for each of the three CAPS (Children with Autism in Public Schools) classrooms at the Colonial Road School. The student, Jordyn Yeshion, has been working with the children in the CAPS classrooms for many years, according to her mother Felice, who explained that her daughter was exposed to the CAPS program at a very young age. Jordyn reads to the children and plays with them. Superintendent Romano receives the check from Jordyn Yeshion. Looking on is BOE President Kathie Schwartz. “She is very passionate about the children in this program and she understands how to relate to them,” Felice Yeshion said, adding that her daughter organized and ran a Bake Sale in January to raise the funds and donated all the proceeds to the CAPS classrooms. In a letter to Jordyn Yeshion, Superintendent Frank Romano stated, “On behalf of the board of education and the entire Franklin Lakes School District, I’d like to extend a very special thank you for coordinating the fundraising effort and for your very generous donation to the CAPS classrooms at Colonial Road School. I know I speak on behalf of the administrators, teachers, staff, board members, and parents when I say that we so appreciate this extraordinary show of support. We are lucky to have young adolescents like you actively contributing to our schools. “It is generosity and caring of individuals like you that benefit countless children and families. Your involvement, along with the support of the Franklin Lakes community, will undoubtedly enhance the wonderful learning environment that is already in place at Colonial Road School. This is truly what makes Franklin Lakes the special place that it is. I personally extend a heart-felt thank you for your hard work and support. This donation will make a world of difference in the CAPS classrooms and will do so for many years to come.” CAPS is a program in the district’s special services department that was designed to serve children with autism from pre-K to grade five at the Colonial Road School. The district maintains a program at Franklin Avenue Middle School in partnership with Bergen County Special Services. At the pre-K and elementary levels, the program accommodates children on the spectrum in the mild to moderate range. Personnel in this program are highly trained in the area of autism with particular expertise in assessment, IEP development, curriculum planning, Applied Behavior Analysis, communication programming, and emotional/ social development. The program is ABA driven, but also emphasizes the critical importance of children learning how to communicate with others verbally, if they are capable to do so, or by means of assistive technology. The CAPS program is supervised by Dr. John Caliso, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist. Dr Caliso earned a doctoral degree in child-clinical psychology from Seton Hall University in 1986. Prior to receiving his doctorate, he graduated from Saint John’s University with a degree in psychology and received his school psychology certification from Jersey City State College. He also holds a supervisor’s certificate from William Paterson University. His professional career in the Franklin Lakes Public School District began 36 years ago. Over those years, he has developed numerous programs for students who are challenged by the school environment or are in need of enrichment. He developed self-contained classes and resource program services for students with mild to moderate learning disabilities. Along with several other special educators, Dr. Caliso implemented CAPS, which is one of the first programs in public education for children with autism. He also has been instrumental in creating services for preschoolers with developmental delays, and created the district’s first preschool program for general education children, which currently is named Bright Horizons.