Verona Public Schools’s superintendent, Dr. Rui Dionisio, is announcing that Jennifer Gadaleta has been appointed director of school counseling. Gadaleta joined the district two years ago as a school counselor and took on the role of lead counselor at Verona High School for the 2018-2019 school year.
“As the lead counselor last year, Mrs. Gadaleta demonstrated her desire and ability to guide the school counseling department towards a more student-centered, communicative, and mental health focused department,” says Dionisio. “In addition to classroom guidance presentations on the college essay that were conducted yearly with juniors, Mrs. Gadaleta instituted classroom lessons for every grade level related to topics like mental health, career exploration, and transitioning to high school. Our yearly parent conferences with every student have continued with a renewed focus on addressing individual student needs. Additionally, Mrs. Gadaleta worked to improve and streamline information to the community via the creation of our online Program of Studies and will be introducing a quarterly newsletter for the 2019-2020 school year.”
Gadaleta has worked as a school counselor for the past 12 years. She began her school counseling career as a middle school, high school, and alternative school counselor for four years. She then spent six years as a school counselor in Bergen County, where she was responsible for the majority of school-wide testing, as well as running social-emotional groups and being an active member of Intervention and Referral Services and 504 teams.
“Previous work experiences opened her eyes to the importance of consistent, supportive, and innovative leadership,” Dionisio says. “She is passionate about the role that a school counselor plays in the lives of children and is excited to collaborate with all stakeholders to provide students and parents the best possible experience with their school counselors throughout their time in the Verona Public Schools.”
Gadaleta has a bachelors in psychology from Lock Haven University and a M.Ed. in secondary school counseling from Kutztown University in 2007. She has also earned a director of school counseling certification from Montclair State University. Gadaleta lives in Verona with her family.
