Consequences to Connection: Teaching Skills, Not Just Managing Behavior
March 6, 2026; 9:30 AM
March 6, 2026; 9:30 AM
Part of Westbridge Academy’s 2025–2026 WISE Presenter Series, this virtual workshop will welcome an unlimited number of attendees via Zoom. All participants, including presenters, will log in individually through their own devices to ensure accurate attendance tracking and CEU credit issuance.
SAVE THE DATE!
Join Us for a Car Show and Wellness Fair!
Join us on Friday, June 2, 2026 for our upcoming Car Show & Wellness Fair, an inspiring community event celebrating classic cars, wellness resources, career development, and family fun — all while supporting our school’s mission.
Details on free tickets and sponsorships coming soon.
Every Child Deserves the Chance to Heal, Grow, and Thrive.
For more than 51 years, Westbridge Academy has prepared students with complex learning and behavioral needs for meaningful futures. We meet them with compassion, structure, and high expectations in a therapeutic setting that blends education and healing, partnering with families and districts to rebuild trust, accelerate progress, and help students succeed in school and in life.
Check Out March Westbridge News!
Westbridge Academy students are making their own news! A group of students are producing a monthly podcast of coming happenings around the school community and publishing it for the school community. Students write the news, conduct interviews, read the news, edit audio tracks and music, and produce the podcast, from start to finish. Here’s the March 2026 edition.
Remember: Unmute the audio. Play the video. Enjoy!
REACH Transition Students Visit iHeartRadio Studios
Students in Westbridge Academy’s REACH Transition Program visited the iHeartRadio studios in New York for a tour of the facilities and visits with on-air personalities. Check out this in-studio video, as seen (and heard), on iHeartRadio.
Our Pillars of Impact
REACH (Student-Facing Curriculum)
REACH (Resilience, Executive Function, Academics, Citizenship, and Health) is Westbridge Academy’s secondary student curriculum. It began as an advisory program helping students envision their futures and now delivers a full 21st-century literacies curriculum tied to New Jersey Student Learning Standards (NJSLA).
Students ages 14+ engage in:
- Future Planning & Advisement (goal setting, transition planning)
- Campus Visits & Higher Ed Experiences (e.g., UTI in Bloomfield)
- Industry Exploration (workplace visits, workforce pathways)
Curricular focus areas:
- Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)
- Executive Function (EF)
- Digital Citizenship (safe online use, cyber-HIB prevention, district AUP alignment)
- Wellness & Health (resilience, self-care, decision-making)
- Career & Financial Literacy
Framework:
- NJSLA alignment
- Benchmark assessments & Certificates of Completion
- Optional dashboards for districts to track lesson completion and engagement
- UDL + MTSS scaffolds
- Accessible design (voice-over, video tutorials, below-grade-level text)
Important note for districts:
REACH is an online curriculum, not a stand-alone course. Each district must assign a teacher/facilitator to deliver it, ensuring content review, approval, and student support.
WISE (Educator-Facing Professional Development)
The Westbridge Institute for School Excellence (WISE) extends our impact beyond the classroom. Born from an NJDOE recommendation and 15+ years of PD feedback, WISE equips educators and leaders with best practices in compliance, HR, therapeutic instruction, and school leadership.
Offerings include:
- PLCs, Communities of Practice, Action Learning Groups
- Business Office Training aligned to APSSD fiscal code
- Flagship literacy programs (Social Media, Health & Wellness/THRIVE, Automotive, Reading Literacy)
- Expert-led workshops featuring Dr. Danielle Taylor, Dr. Nancy Sulla, and others
Extended School Year at Westbridge Academy
Keep your child’s IEP goals on track all summer with a seamless continuation of academic and therapeutic supports.
Stories of Growth and Success
From Home Instruction to Home District: Mason’s Journey of Growth and Success
At just six years old, Mason was placed on home instruction by his school district due to significant emotional and behavioral challenges. After spending some time at Westbridge Academy, Mason is preparing for a successful transition back to his home district.
That’s News to Me!
Westbridge students (pictured above) are now producing a monthly podcast covering school happenings!
Our Schoolwide Election Simulation
Civics lessons came to life this fall when Westbridge Academy was transformed into a fully functioning polling place, complete with a teacher-made voting booth, ballot box, and all the excitement of a real election.
Alumni Spotlight: Jovan Rodriguez ’16
UPDATE: In 2024, Jovan Rodriguez attended Westbridge Academy's Fall Gala, and spoke to the assembled attendees about what his time at Westbridge meant to him, and described his life since school, and his current work [...]
From the Executive Director’s Desk
A message from Dr. Anthony Hadzimichalis, Executive Director: At Westbridge Academy, we are deeply committed to providing a structured, supportive environment where students with emotional and learning challenges can grow, achieve, and reach their full potential, academically, socially, and personally.
About Westbridge Academy
Founded in 1973, Westbridge Academy is a New Jersey State Approved Private Special Education School serving students in grades K–12 with emotional, behavioral, and learning challenges. For more than 51 years, we have provided individualized academics, therapeutic supports, transition services, and Extended School Year programs, preparing students not just for school, but for life.