The company was started in a Chatham garage in 2004 and moved to Verona in 2007.  It now has clients in 28 states, and 30 employees in jobs from computer programming to sales, most of whom are based in Verona.

Gina Catania

Dr. Bruce Ettinger, CEO/Superintendent of  The Children’s Institute, has announced the promotion of Gina Catania of Verona to principal.

“Mrs. Catania has shown great leadership qualities and, as former assistant principal and teacher, she has been a wonderful role model and positive influence for her staff; and directly impacts the students’ curriculum and ability to for them to learn and succeed,” said Dr. Ettinger.

Catania is a graduate of Marist College, where she earned degrees in Elementary Education, Special Education and Psychology. In addition, she earned a supervisor of instruction certificate, a masters in administration and a masters in reading, all from Montclair State University. She will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the preschool, elementary, middle and high school programs; with a staff of 120 teachers and paraprofessionals and approximately 160 students.

“TCI is a family of dedicated and talented staff members, supportive Child Study Team and Board members, caring parents and incredible students,” said Catania. “I recognize how fortunate I am to go to work every day in an environment where everyone values an educational program that promotes the growth and success of every child’s future.”

Catania began her career at The Children’s Institute in September 1989 as a teacher, and was promoted to supervisor in 2000 and to assistant principal in 2007. She was the creator of TCI’s original behavior management program; shaping students’ behaviors through positive reinforcement and individualized token systems. As a teacher and supervisor, she also held the title of social skills coordinator; developing and training on a curriculum designed to increase appropriate social skills in the school, home and community. For more than ten years Mrs. Catania has cross-trained educators in this curriculum at The Children’s Institute, other private and public schools as well as the annual ASAH conference.

“One of my initiatives is the Life Skills and Career Education curriculum for students in 6th grade through 8th grade,” said Catania. “The curriculum focuses on building skill sets in the areas of cooking, cleaning, consumerism and personal hygiene. It is essential to provide step-by-step instruction so that skills such as using a microwave, appropriately interacting with a cashier, and dining at a restaurant can be carried out with independence.”

“Our goal is to address the needs of the whole child, to enable them to become independent, contributing members of the community,” she added. “We aim to provide our students with research-based curriculum and all of the social and extra-curricular experiences they would have in a typical school setting. For our older students we implement career-readiness and community service programs so they are prepared to meet the rigors of pursuing an active, rewarding adult life.” In addition, the curriculum stresses health and fitness, as Catania is a passionate proponent of establishing good eating habits, and healthy lifestyles as a means to success in the classroom.

The upcoming school year will feature more parent and educator workshops on topics that will support individuals who work or live with students with autism. “The goal is to outreach and educate members of wide-spread communities in New Jersey and provide them with research-based strategies that have been proven effective,” said Catania.

Catania resides in Verona with her husband, Ron and two high school children, Luke and Mario. In addition to her professional membership in Autism NJ, ASA (Autism Society of America) and ASCD (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Develpment) she is an active volunteer for various charity and school organizations.

The Children’s Institute (TCI) is a private, non-profit school approved by the New Jersey State Board of Education, serving children facing learning, language and social challenges, ages 3-21. Originating in Newark, New Jersey as an orphanage and sheltering home in 1890, TCI has evolved into a school that has been a pioneer in special education since 1963. Today, TCI serves children from northern New Jersey, including Essex, Union, Morris, Hudson, Middlesex, Passaic, Bergen and adjoining counties. For more information about the school or to schedule a tour, contact Dr. Ettinger at 973-509-3050 or visit the school’s Web site.

“I’ve known for a couple years I want to work in baseball professionally. The best way to get experience was to hook up either with a minor league team or a summer collegiate team like this one. I was talking to my assistant coach from high school in New Jersey and he suggested I apply for some jobs out here on the Cape. He told me it would be a really good exposure to high quality amateur baseball and there are always a lot of people out here. I sent out resumes to nine of the clubs and Bourne was the first team to call me and offer me an internship. I had to jump at that. Spending a summer of Cape Cod is awesome in itself, but being on the field every day watching these kids play and talking to people who are associated with pro baseball and have a higher understanding of how the game is played is the total package for me.

You can read the rest of the interview here.

On the Planning Board, Fred Sambataro, James T. Kirby and William Brown were re-appointed as members, with terms ending in June 2015. Richard Codella will again be alternate No. 1. Frank Sapienza and Bob Manley will serve as Town Council representatives, and Jim Helb with be on the board as Township Engineer.

On the Board of Adjustment, John Denton, Sean Sullivan, Edward Conlan and Louis Russo were re-appointed as members, with terms ending in June 2015. Patrick Liska and Colleen D’Alessandro were reappointed as alternates.

On the Shade Tree Commission, Bob Prout and Gloria Starita were re-appointed as members, with terms ending in December 2016. The boards and commission are volunteer positions.

They, and you, might want to take a look at this month’s cover story in Wired magazine, called “The Smartest Jobs in America“. Since Wired is a tech magazine, you’d expect that it would talk a lot about Internet and computer jobs. But that’s not what this feature is about–it’s about the fields that are going to need a lot of brainpower. Here’s how Wired defines its premise:

“Smart jobs tend to scramble the line between blue-collar and white-collar. Their titles tend toward the white (technician, specialist, analyst), but the underlying industries often tend toward the blue, toward the making of physical stuff. Smart jobs can involve factories and machines, plastics and chemicals, but operating those instruments and manipulating those materials demands far more brains than brawn. Even though some of these jobs are nominally in old-fashioned industries, visit the factories and shops and fields and you’ll find that these industries are in the process of being utterly transformed.

And now the big question: Will Verona’s kids be smart enough to get them?

The expo runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Essex County College Gymnasium is located at 303 University Avenue, near the courts complex in Newark.

This is an ideal position for a mature high school or college student on summer break.  This individual will work at the Verona Pool Monday through Friday from 12:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. from June 27 through July 29, with July 4 off.

Responsibilities include:

• Engaging children from preschool age through 8th grade in reading by signing them up for the Reading Room program and guiding them through the Reading Room book collection;
• Assisting the Reading Room Supervisor with story-time hour, daily projects and activities for the children;
• Facilitating Author Visits (e.g., answering their questions, assisting them with presentation materials);
• Set up and break down of the Reading Room site (e.g., rolling book carts to tables, setting up umbrellas, returning books to storage at the end of each day);
• Maintaining records of readers (e.g., participant names and contact information).

To qualify for this position, you should have a love of reading, enjoy working with children of all ages, and exhibit a helpful, can-do attitude. To apply, please e-mail Norma Francullo. For more information about CHILD, please visit its Web site.  For more information about the NJ Reading Program, please visit www.njsummerreading.org.

The pool jobs include lifeguard, recreation tent, office and maintenance positions. Snack bar staff is hired separately by Lakeside Deli. Summer Playground jobs are available for all playground locations.

All the requirements for these jobs are spelled out on the application form, which you can download here.

Chief Douglas Huber congratulates Captain Mitchell Stern on his promotion to captain of the Verona Police Department. Captain Stern, who was promoted on Tuesday, October 8 at a ceremony in police headquarters, has been carrying out the captain's responsibilities since July 1, when Captain Fred DiStefano retired.

The Verona Police has promoted Mitchell Stern to captain. In that role, he is responsible for overseeing the VPD’s patrol division, serving as scheduling officer, training officer and technology liaison to the town, and assisting Chief Doug Huber as the VPD’s spokesman.

Stern is a Verona native, having lived in town since 1969. He attended F.N. Brown and H.B. Whitehorne, and graduated Verona High School with the class of 1979.

Stern joined the Verona Police Department in March 1985, after working in the computer departments of several major corporations. He was appointed detective in 1992, and subsequently promoted to sergeant in 1995, and to lieutenant in 1997. He also served for seven years on the Verona Rescue Squad, including two years (1984 and 1985) as its captain.

He is a graduate of the certified manager program
administered by the state of New Jersey and Fairleigh Dickinson University, and is a member of the Certified Public Managers Society of New Jersey.  Stern will graduate this December with a bachelors in public administration from Fairleigh Dickinson and is planning on enrolling in the masters in public administration program at Rutgers University that begins next summer.

“My focus as a police officer has always been to give back to the town and to assist those in need,” says Stern. “I recognize that most people will have only one encounter with a police officer their entire life and knowing this, I strive to treat each person that I encounter with respect and dignity, no matter what the issue may be.”

“My vision going forward for our agency,” he adds, “is to make the most out of our resources, both personnel and equipment, allowing us to work smarter and more efficiently.”