About

About Mades-Johnstone School

Mades-Johnstone Center (MJS) is the home of two Mid-Valley Special Education Cooperative programs that support students who need an alternative learning program to be successful.

Overview

At Mades-Johnstone School (MJS) we pride ourselves on creating a culture of acceptance, mutual respect, and individualized student successes. Each day our students are provided with a small, highly structured educational setting based on a positive behavior system (PBIS) that motivates students to achieve their personal goals.

It is a primary commitment of our staff to foster a safe and supportive environment for students who may have not been successful in a traditional classroom. At MJC, students are treated as individuals and receive specialized support to maximize educational and emotional /behavioral success. 

New Directions is a program designed for students who have been diagnosed with one or more disabilities that are primarily emotional or behavioral in nature, but whose needs cannot successfully be met in a traditional public school setting. The program provides services for students in grades K through 12. The classrooms are small, structured settings focused on differentiated academic instruction and employ a variety of positive behavior and support systems. These include consistent feedback on behavior, social skills instruction aligned with Illinois Social Emotional Learning Standards, specialized learning strategies, and vocational instruction and support. Intervention techniques aim to help students develop self-management skills, effective decision-making and problem-solving strategies, and improved interpersonal skills. Students are taught pro-social skills to enhance their ability to self-regulate, stay on task, complete work, focus on learning, and interact with teachers and peers. All of our classrooms are supported by an amazing team of related services providers such as our Social Workers, Speech/Language Pathologist and Occupational Therapist.

When appropriate, our students are reintegrated back to their district home school. Students with the support of their parents can choose to graduate from their home school or MJC with a diploma from their home school.

The Safe Schools Program is designed to give students who have been recommended for expulsion with their district, a second chance at completing their education. Students work individually using a computerized Education system. All grades and transcripts are issued from the student’s home school. Students in the Safe Schools program are also provided with social-emotional support through our School Social Worker and are given awesome opportunities for community service and vocational skill building.