Frequent Asked Questions
What kinds of students does Villa Maria serve?
Our students have been diagnosed with language processing disorders, nonverbal learning disabilities and executive functioning difficulties. They may struggle with organizational, social pragmatic, expressive language or reading comprehension skills.
How are students grouped for instruction?
Students are grouped by ability for reading, writing, and math. For example, if you are a fourth grader reading on a 3.5 grade level, you will generally be grouped with other fourth graders working on approximately the same level. For other subjects, such as social studies and science, students are group by grade level. This will enable students to keep up with the curriculum and standards in their public school.
Do you offer related services such as speech and language, counseling, and occupational therapy?
Yes, we have a social worker, school nurse and speech and language therapists on staff. An occupational therapist is available at a private fee. In September, parents meet with their child’s teacher and together they determine how to adjust the student’s schedule to establish times and days for therapy sessions.
Do you have a socials skills program?
Yes, our social worker runs a class with each grade level to teach and refine social skills.
How long do most students stay at Villa Maria School?
Our goal for our students is always independence. Students are working to gain skills and strategies to help them be successful in a less supportive environment. Our average length of enrollment is three years, however this can vary depending on the student’s learning profile and in which grade they initially enrolled.
Is Villa Maria a state approved school?
Yes, Villa is a state approved special education school. In addition, we are accredited by the Connecticut Association of Independent Schools. This enables Villa to be accessible to families from all socioeconomic backgrounds and promotes diversity.
What type of certification and training do your teachers have?
As a state approved special education facility, all teachers at Villa Maria are certified in special education. In addition to having this certification, it is crucial that Our teachers be highly skilled and dynamic educators who work collaboratively to understand how to best teach each student. All of our teachers participate in professional development twice per month focused on reviewing the latest research and evidence-based programs for instruction. All of our teachers have completed thorough training in PAF (Preventing Academic Failure) for reading instruction, which is an Orton-Gillingham based, multi-sensory, structured decoding and comprehension program.
What type of support is provided for families for the transition process?
The specifics of the process that aids students and families in transitioning to other schools when greater independence is achieved is an ongoing dialogue within the Villa community. Typically for transitions prior to 8th grade, the school works together with the family to identify the types of options that may be appropriate as the next step for the students and to facilitate the investigation and application process. When students are matriculating to a high school setting after 8th or 9th grade, the family and student will be supported by the School Counselor beginning in their 7th grade year.
What is the parent's involvement at Villa?
Villa Maria has an active Parent’s Association which organizes many community events throughout the year. Some examples include parent cocktail parties, family picnics, and monthly weekend meet-ups for students.
Is religion a component of the academic program at Villa?
No, there is no religious instruction at Villa. Part of our mission and focus is to ensure all of our students become compassionate citizens. Monthly values are taught and integrated throughout the school day.
Questions?
If you have any questions, please call us at 203-322-5886, extension 104.
