Cougar Cafe - 2024-2025

For the 2024-2025 school year, our Cougar Cafe Crew consists of students in Grades 4-6. We also have a "Friends of the Cafe" program that incorporates general education students into our Cougar Cafe program for larger group activities.

Our activities this school year have included:

Staff Lunches (salads, soup and grilled cheese, chicken quesadillas)
Chocolate Covered Pretzels
Chocolate Covered Oreos
Cake Pucks (larger cake pops)
Hot Chocolate Cart
Soft Pretzel Sales for Autism and MTSD Relay For Life Team
Popcorn and Iced Tea
Gardening in the Courtyard

Friends of the Cafe:
- S'More Kits ("Boo! Welcome to our Crew!")
- Chocolate Covered Oreos
- Homemade Dog Biscuits
- End of the Year Lunch at Bella Mia

Community Based Instruction Outings:
- ACME
- Mansfield Township Police Station
- Franklin Fire Department
- Bella Mia

Our Cougar Cafe Team Leaders (staff) are also being supported by The Boggs Center on Developmental Disabilities (Rutgers Health and NJ-Department of Education, Office of Special Education) on training on Community Based Instruction.

"The Community-Based Instruction (CBI) Project is a collaboration between The Boggs Center on Disability and Human Development and the New Jersey Department of Education’s Office of Special Education. CBI is an evidence-based instructional practice that supports students with disabilities during the transition from school to adult life by promoting positive post-school outcomes in the areas of community living, postsecondary education, and careers. When the community (traditional or virtual) is utilized as a learning environment it provides practical, meaningful opportunities for students to develop skills in authentic experiences thus promoting greater independence, interdependence, and enhanced quality of life once reaching adulthood." (The Boggs Center on Developmental Disabilities- Community Based Instruction)