Westlake School

About Westlake School

1571 Lamberts Mill Road  Westfield, New Jersey 07090
908-232-4181

Hours: 8:30am-2:30pm; Main office 8:30am-3:30pm
Summer Hours: 9:00am-2:00pm; Main Office 9:00am-3:00pm

Welcome to Westlake School!  We are a public school specializing in serving classified students from ages 11 to 21 that have multiple disabilities, these include cognitive impairments, autism spectrum disorders, visual impairments, hearing impairments, learning disabilities, communication impairments, other health impairments, traumatic brain injuries, and physical disabilities.  We are a special needs school that prides ourselves in providing opportunities for students to create connections between school and everyday life through hands on academics, vocational and transitional skills, social/emotional coping skills and behavioral intervention strategies.  We aim to provide needed services in a barrier free setting which include all related services: Speech and Augmentative Communication, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy and Counseling.

Integral to our academic program, students are taught traditional academics as well as daily life skills through hands on activities and subject based functional academic curriculum. Academics are embedded throughout the school day and generalized into our community based instruction model for success.

Our Comprehensive High School Transition and Work Readiness Program supports students with in-house workshops designed to build on a student’s vocational success and interests while expanding and encouraging the development of new abilities.  Students transfer their vocational skills in creating products, learning to increase time on task, reinforce social skills and apply money handling skills through exposure and experience. Our Workshops include: exposure to graphic arts, sign making, sewing, jewelry making, retail store, post office/mail carrier, custodial/ADL, cafe/chocolates, and packaging/assembly.

Our Job Academy experience provides an additional vocational component centered on high interest, structured learning experiences intended to immerse students in job exploration in a community setting.

Westlake School’s mission is to provide support, guidance and direction for each student to achieve their greatest level of independence in order for students to have the requisite skills needed for their success upon graduation.

Danielle Cicalese, Principal
Robert Peneno, Supervisor of Instruction