The Gramon High School Program is designed to empower our young adults as they prepare for life beyond high school. Gramon School focuses on building essential life skills, enhancing career readiness training, and fostering social and community connections.

Through personalized educational experiences, work-based learning, and community-based instruction, we ensure that each student's unique strengths and interests are celebrated. Together, we are paving the way for brighter futures and greater opportunities beyond the classroom.

FOUNDATIONAL COMPONENTS

of GFS Transition Program

Individualized Transition Plan (ITP): This personalized plan outlines the student's goals, preferences, strengths, and needs. It addresses various aspects of the transition, such as employment, education, independent living, and community involvement.

Collaboration and Coordination: Involves collaboration among various stakeholders, including special education teachers, parents, counselors, vocational rehabilitation services, and community agencies. Coordination ensures that all aspects of the student's transition are addressed comprehensively.

Life Skills Training: Special attention is given to developing practical life skills that are essential to foster independence. This may include instruction in areas such as self-care, money management, time management, and social skills.

Community Involvement:  Community involvement helps students connect with resources and support networks within their local communities. This may involve volunteering, participating in community events, or accessing recreational activities.

Self-Advocacy Skills: This vital skill promotes self-awareness, decision making, forming relationships and navigating resources. These advocacy skills help them understand their strengths, challenges, and the accommodations they may need. This empowers individuals to communicate effectively in various settings.

CONTACTS

Melanie Olsen

GR Transition Coordinator

molsen@gramon.org

Melissa Bradford

NB Transition Coordinator

mbradford@gramon.org

Phone:

(973) 808-9555

The Transition Journey at GFS begins with:

Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)

Activities for Daily Living (ADLs) play a crucial role in preparing students with disabilities for independent living. By focusing on essential life skills such as personal hygiene, meal preparation, laundry, budgeting, and household maintenance, students gain the confidence and competence needed to navigate everyday tasks.

In our life skills apartment, students practice these skills in a supportive and realistic environment. This space is designed to mimic a typical home setting, allowing students to apply what they’ve learned in class to real-life scenarios. For example, they might prepare meals using the kitchen, manage their own laundry, or organize personal items.

Find Out More about Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)

Community-Based Instruction (CBI)

Community-Based Instruction (CBI) is a vital component of our educational approach, focusing on fostering independence and generalizing skills in real-world settings. By collaborating with related services, including behavior analysts (BCBAs) and classroom staff, we ensure that each student's Individualized Education Program (IEP) goals are addressed effectively in the community.

Through CBI, students practice essential skills in natural environments. This experiential learning is beneficial as it allows students to apply what they’ve learned in the classroom to everyday situations, enhancing their ability to navigate the community independently.

Find Out More about Community-Based Instruction (CBI)

Ages 14 and 15

Students participate in various introductory job programs on campus to become familiar with the workplace. Programs include:

Clerical Program: "Copy That"

Maintenance Program: "Clean Sweep"

Skills Developed:

Following directions from a job coach

Arriving at the job site on time

Building stamina and endurance for work-related tasks

Ages 16 to 18

Students engage in various vocational training opportunities both on campus and in the community, offering high school students a range of work-based experiences. This helps them:

Explore their interests

Identify their strengths

Soft Skill Development Includes:

Cooperation among co-workers

Asking for help when needed

Problem-solving

Hygiene, and more

Reinforcing these essential skills alongside exposure to diverse opportunities has proven effective in preparing our students for graduation. This approach equips them with the skills, confidence, and comfort needed to apply for jobs in their areas of interest.

18 to 21 Program

Young adults in our 18 to 21 Program focus on enhancing their life skills, workplace readiness, and community independence. Through practical learning experiences, they gain the knowledge and tools necessary for a smooth transition to life beyond school.

These hands-on experiences offer students:

Real-world activities aligned with their IEP goals

Development of social skills such as problem-solving, decision-making, and self-advocacy

Pre-vocational training

Participation in on-site and off-site jobs

Employability skills and strong work habits

Daily living activities in a simulated apartment environment with a fully equipped kitchen and bedroom

Weekly community-based instruction trips to locations such as stores, supermarkets, libraries, community centers, and local leisure activity tours.

On Campus Job Sites

Taste of Gramon

Assisting in the kitchen includes preparing, portioning, and plating the students' school breakfasts and lunches, showcasing their understanding of meal preparation. Students read informational texts to interpret lunch orders, which involves identifying and counting the necessary items, measuring correct ratios for portion sizes, and ensuring each plate has the requested items. Additionally, students will help prepare for two pop-up lunch sales for the Gramon Family staff each week. They will assist in gathering ingredients and assembling each ordered lunch. Their pop-up experience culminates with running the cash register and handling cash and credit card transactions.

Knight's Table

Maintaining the dining area involves opening and closing the cafeteria, which includes removing chairs from or placing them on tables. Students demonstrate problem-solving strategies and spatial awareness concepts while keeping the Knight’s Table dining area clean. They identify and count the items needed to set the tables and roll silverware, showcasing their problem-solving and critical thinking skills. Additionally, they learn to identify issues and find solutions, such as effectively cleaning spills or disposing of waste in the appropriate recycling and garbage bins.

Clean Sweep

General cleaning and maintenance of the school’s cafeteria, windows, hallways, and conference rooms involve tasks such as sweeping, mopping, dusting, and wiping surfaces. Students learn to assess what needs to be cleaned and identify the appropriate tools for the job. They follow step-by-step directions to clean common areas, helping them transfer these skills to their home environment.

Copy That

Applying language skills to file and sort items appropriately while completing various clerical tasks involves identifying problem-solving strategies for sequencing the steps of copying, counting, and collating handouts for students and staff. This includes ensuring papers are in the correct order and distributing the right quantity for each classroom. Tasks also involve stapling or paper-clipping handouts as needed. This vocation emphasizes social-emotional skills by fostering interactions between students and staff to accomplish the required duties.

Garden Harvest

Demonstrating an understanding of the principles of life cycles with plants and vegetables, particularly in horticulture, involves assisting with the care and maintenance of the garden, greenhouse, and seed room throughout the seasons. This includes measuring the correct soil-to-plant ratio for potting, seed germination, cultivating fruits, vegetables, herbs, flowers, and non-food crops like small shrubs and flowers, as well as fertilizing plants to promote healthy growth. Students are encouraged to connect with the living world by engaging with plants and soil. Through hands-on experiences, they learn about growth cycles, environmental responsibility, and the importance of nurturing living organisms. This interaction fosters a deeper appreciation for nature and develops their understanding of ecosystems.

Creation Station

Assisting with the design of products commonly found in manufacturing involves applying language skills to read, create, and fulfill orders as requested. Students read and identify text to interpret shirt orders, locating the correct size and color. They focus on precision when placing or ironing designs onto items. Collaboration is encouraged as students imagine, construct, and reflect on their creative processes to design, create, and produce various products, including custom glassware, plates, stained or painted wooden signs, and custom shirts, blankets, and bags. Creation Station promotes decision-making, enhances self-awareness, and builds self-esteem.

GreenVision

Focusing on precision, students learn how to properly dismantle, sort, and recycle unwanted electronics. They develop problem-solving skills by identifying the correct screwdriver to use and locating the appropriate bins for sorting items. Green Vision engages students with scientific principles and emphasizes recycling, encouraging them to think critically and promote innovative solutions to community and global challenges.

N'Bistro

Students demonstrate basic food and beverage duties essential for a barista, including engaging in social interactions by listening to and fulfilling customer orders. This process encourages independence as they follow multi-step directions to identify and locate the correct items for each order. They stock shelves appropriately by reading labels and recognizing item characteristics, and complete inventory tasks by identifying and counting quantities. Additionally, students develop functional money skills while managing the cash register and learn to understand nutritional information on product labels, including identifying expiration dates. The Bistro aims to foster skill and content mastery to ensure success in its daily operations

Not Just Laundry

Not Just Laundry promotes and supports the development of concepts and skills that encourage healthy behaviors. This includes essential skills for sorting, laundering, and folding items, along with a pickup and delivery aspect to the laundry services. Additionally, students learn to pack a suitcase based on weather-specific clothing and necessary toiletries, discussing and practicing these important details.

Maple Woodshop

In Maple Woodshop students will be given the opportunity to thrive through meaningful, hands-on work. This job site is specifically designed to offer a supportive, accessible environment for individuals to engage in the assembly of small wood projects. Through this job site, individuals with disabilities are empowered to showcase their talents, gain valuable experience, and contribute to the production of wood projects, all while enjoying a positive, inclusive, and empowering work environment.

GreenVision Donation Request

Students work to properly dismantle, sort, and recycle unwanted electronics.

We are always looking for materials.

A list of electronic donations, that we can accept, can be found by following the link below.

Find Out More about GreenVision Donation Request

Off Campus Job Sites

Manhattan Bagel - Fairfield, NJ: Assist in the overall maintenance and cleanliness of the store. This includes stocking shelves with product, ensuring the napkin dispensers are full, and working the cash register.

West Caldwell Library - West Caldwell, NJ: Assist in copying, cutting and sorting papers. Helping return books and DVDs to their proper locations along with dusting and straightening the shelves.

Franklin Steakhouse - Fairfield, NJ: Assist with the opening of the restaurant. This includes washing, drying, and setting the tables, ensuring the condiments are fully stocked on each table, and cleaning and updating the menus.

Recycling: Collect all recycling from the classrooms and buildings. Load all the recycling into the vehicle, take all recycling from the school to the recycling center, unload all recycling into the correct sections at the recycling center.

Il Classico - Fairfield, NJ: Keeping the snack and drink items clean and fully stocked. Cleaning all display. Bussing and cleaning tables and chairs.

Il Panino - Fairfield, NJ: Keeping the snack and drink items clean and fully stocked. Cleaning all display cases. Bussing and cleaning tables and chairs.

Gramon Family of Schools Business Office - Fairfield, NJ: Assist with filing, shredding, and general office work.

Kathy – Jeannie Hat Factory - Fairfield, NJ: Assemble boxes. Assist with tagging and assembling hats. Count out specific orders.

Green Vision - Randolph, NJ: Similar to Green Vision on campus where students must dismantle old electronics, but on a much larger scale.

Canete Garden Center - Wayne, NJ: Assist with shredding, filing and general office work as well as general assist in the overall maintained and cleanliness of the store. Students help to water and weed plants as well.

Fiddler’s Elbow Country Club - Bedminster, NJ: Assist in kitchen preparation including washing, peeling and cutting vegetables. Students work in the laundry room and assist in the general maintenance and cleaning of the country club.

Monster Golf - Fairfield, NJ: Students work to clean the party room and golf course area as well as restock the prize area.

Marketspace Vendors: Students work to assemble promotional bags to be passed out at various fairs and vendor events.

Logo Image

Logo Title

In This Section