Newark Museum

“One Country – Many Languages”

Newark Hosts NJ’s Only Multilingual Spelling Bee
Portuguese, Spanish and English Speaking Spelling Bee
Event Is Believed to Be the Only 1 in the Region

[NEWARK, NJ – May 31, 2018] Newark Public Schools, New Jersey’s largest school district, hosted the 39th Annual MULTILINGUAL Spelling Bee. The spelling bee, held at the Newark Museum, spans 3 days and incorporates three languages.

Day 1 featured the spelling bee in Portuguese, Day 2 featured Spanish and the final day, Day 3 featured all spelling in English. The Multilingual Spelling Bee included more than 250 students from across the city. The Spelling Bee featured Division A consisting of Grades 4-6, Division B consisting of Grades 7-8 and Division C consisting of Grades 9-12.

Interim Superintendent A. Robert Gregory commended the Bilingual Department for continuing to carry on a NPS tradition that encourages students to speak in their native language, as part of their overall learning. He added, “Communication, whether in Portuguese, Spanish, English or other languages, is key to opening a world of wonder and engagement with others.

Brenda Garcia, Executive Director of the Bilingual Department said, “I am very proud of the students and their engagement in our Multilingual Spelling Bee. The love of languages is something that we encourage for our students and families. This event helps to reinforce our mission of engaging students in the languages.

Shabazz & Weequahic High Schools Open Newark Museum Celebration

[NEWARK, NJ – February 23, 2018] The Malcolm X Shabazz and Weequahic High School marching bands performed as the opening act at the official reopening of the Front Doors at the historic Newark Museum on Wednesday. The opening ceremony and ribbon cutting celebrated the opening of the front doors of the museum for the first time in 20 years. The renovation of the new grand entrance includes a welcome reception area and art designed by an African artist, entitled, “Gateway.”

Interim Superintendent of Schools Robert Gregory said, “Art and culture play an important role in Newark and in any city. Bringing youth together around the arts is essential. Today is a special day because our bands performing together marks a new era of focusing on the arts in Newark Public Schools. I want to thank Margaret El, Special Assistant for the Arts, for creating a bridge from Malcolm X Shabazz and Weequahic High Schools to the Newark Museum. We have a longstanding relationship with the Museum and we look forward to furthering it even more.”

Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka said, “Today is a special day, not just because of the opening of the front doors of this beautiful edifice, but also because this is the first time I have seen the Shabazz and Weequahic marching bands perform together. Thank you to all of the students.”

Various Newark Public School marching bands will also perform at the St. Patrick’s Day Parade on March 16 from 1 – 3 p.m.

Hundreds of Children and Parents Attend Family Preschool Night at The Newark Museum

It was an evening of excitement and wonder as 885 children and adults gathered for this year’s Newark Public Schools Family Preschool Night at The Newark Museum. Preschoolers, their siblings and parents streamed into the museum on the evening of June 13 for the second annual family night.

Public television’s Thomas the Tank Engine characters and friends were there to greet the children, as they participated in activities at the Museum’s interactive exhibits and other hands-on family fun. To add to the excitement, there were free books, free raffles and prizes.

Hosted by the Newark Public Schools Office of Early Childhood Education, the event’s collaborative partners included The Newark Museum, United Way of Essex and West Hudson, the Nicholson Foundation, WNET Thirteen, HIT Entertainment and Jumpstart. Representatives from these and various other organizations that support early childhood education joined NPS staff in volunteering for the evening.As well as promoting educational and fun summer programs, the event was designed to provide families with information on community based resources available to them, in addition to advice on preventing their children from experiencing summer learning loss.

Thanks to Early Childhood staff who worked hard to promote the Night at the Newark Museum event, along with parent liaisons at schools and family workers at the child daycare centers, hundreds of Newark children and families spent a memorable evening discovering that learning can be fun.

Press

Streetinsider.com: Nicholson Foundation Grant Brings Creative Play to Newark Museum, Community

By: The StreetInsider
July 19, 2014

A grant from the Nicholson Foundation will enable the Newark Museum to offer new educational programs to young learners (ages 3-5) and their families in Newark and the surrounding communities. The Museum is the only institution in Newark that provides access to works of art, a natural science collection, and cultural and historic artifacts that stimulate curiosity and learning.