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Luis Muñoz Marin Inclusive Schools Week Celebration

Inclusive Schools Week is an annual celebration held each December to promote student diversity and advocate achievement for all learners. This year’s theme, “Kaleidoscope of Friends” is symbolic of collective, beautiful shapes that represent a culture of togetherness and inclusive education. Our school community is comprised of a diverse student body: 17% are recipients of special education services, 17% are bilingual students, 4% participate in the Gifted & Talented program, 5% are in the Honor Society, 55% are male and 45% are female.

On Tuesday, November 13th in preparation of Inclusive Schools Week, CST Social Worker Ms. Howard kicked off the special celebration with teachers, Ms. Abraham and Ms. Arce called Secret Second Graders-Getting to Know the Staff. Each student selected a name of a staff member at Marin and prepared interview questions for them. They also baked cupcakes and delivered them to each staff member. These interviewees were asked to take a picture with their Secret Second Grade Student and participate in an interview that included questions about their job title, responsibilities, office and classroom location.

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Monday, December 3, 2018

Student Darrin Frederick shared an inspiring quote written by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., “An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.”

School wide activity: 100 Things That Make Our School Inclusive - Students contributed to a list of 100 Things that Make Luis Muñoz Marin inclusive. A bulletin board displaying their responses is located near the auditorium.

Tuesday, December 4, 2018

8th grade student Zechariah Hopkins shared an inspiring quote written by civil rights activist Cesar Chavez, “We need to help students and parents cherish and preserve the ethnic and cultural diversity that nourishes and strengthen this community and this nation.”

School wide activity - Inclusive Clips: A collection of digital videos and pictures on various aspects of inclusion were shared during lunch in each cafeteria.

Wednesday, December 5, 2018

3rd grade student Xavier Davis shared an inspiring quote from motivational speaker and author, Catherine Pulsifer “We are all different, which is great because we are all unique. Without diversity life would be very boring.”

School wide activity-Inclusion Campaign: Students school-wide responded to the following writing prompt, “I feel included when…” The writing prompt inspired class discussions about inclusivity.

Thursday, December 6, 2018

7th grade student Mariya Carlo shared an inspiring quote from American businessman and writer Max de Pree, “We need to give each other the space to grow, to be ourselves, to exercise our diversity. We need to give each other space so that we may both give and receive such beautiful things as ideas, openness, dignity, joy, healing, and inclusion.”

School wide activity: Better Together Poster Contest - Classes worked together to create posters to celebrate inclusion and diversity along with a rubric for scoring. Mrs. Paz, Mrs. Odiase and Mrs. De La Rosa’s pre-k class won the poster contest themed “Great Things Happen in Inclusive Schools!”

Friday, December 7, 2018

2nd grade student Azjah Irby shared an inspiring quote from an unknown author who said, “Diversity is the one true thing we all have in common. Celebrate it every day.”

School wide activity - All Means All T-Shirt Day: Staff rocked their ‘All Means All, Better Together’ T-shirt. LMM Scholars wore ‘Celebrating You’ stickers to promote inclusion. Students and Ms. Howard decorated cupcakes and delivered them throughout the building. Photo opportunities to highlight our day were made possible by Eighth Grade Student Photographer, Leeroy Randolph.
The Inclusive Schools Week at LMM was a resounding success! The week long activities genuinely promoted inclusion and extended outside of our school community as central office members: Assistant Superintendent Jose Fuentes, Special Assistant Erica Paich and Special Assistant Francesca Finazzo returned to our site on Friday to support closing events. This event would not have been possible without the continued support of Principal Maria Ortiz, Vice Principal Adjoa Denchi-Smith, Academic Interventionist Ashley Jiles, School Operations Manager Courtney Johnson and Social Worker Kimberly Howard. Collectively, the LMM school community will maintain the implementation of effective frameworks that promote inclusive education.

Newark Superintendent of Schools Hosts 4th Breakfast for Parents and Students

West Ward Parents & Students Are Invited for 1-on-1 Meetings with Superintendent León

[Newark, NJ – November 29, 2018] Newark Superintendent of Schools Roger León will host “Breakfast with the Superintendent” on Saturday, December 1, 2018. This is the fourth breakfast – this breakfast is for West Ward parents and students and will be held at Speedway Academies, located at 701 South Orange Avenue. The breakfast will be held from 8:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Parents and students affords parents and students to have a one-on-on meeting with the Superintendent. The breakfast also provides an opportunity for parents and students to network with one another, and enjoy breakfast.

Superintendent León said, “It is important for there to be clear lines of communication between parents, students and the school district – which is the reason why I created “Breakfast with the Superintendent.” The Superintendent continued, “The purpose of the breakfast is for me to hear directly from the parents and students about their ideas on how we can work together to ensure academic success for our student scholars and provide the best school experience possible. The breakfast will also provide a forum for both the parents and students to be clear about the district’s goals and expectations for their child.”

The Superintendent indicated there are a number of topics he plans to discuss at the breakfast including attendance, academic achievement, curriculum, graduation, extracurricular activities and more. The breakfast meetings will be held in each of the city’s five wards. Four breakfast meetings have already been held.

The breakfast meeting is free and open to students and parents in the respective ward, only. RSVP is not required to attend the breakfast.

The Superintendent said, “In order for our students to be their best, we must be our best. The breakfast provides an open door for each parent to engage with me and the district to ensure their student has the best academic experience possible and has the tools to be their best in everything they do.”

Arts High School Students Participate in the Nashville, TN. Berklee Music Summit

Students from Arts High School’s music department recently attended Berklee’s City Music Summit in Nashville, Tennessee. City Music is a network of music schools around the country that partner with Berklee College of Music to provide students in their community with high quality contemporary music education. Students from the Jazz Band, Latin Band, and the vocal department were invited by City Music to observe and participate in masterclasses with world class musicians, engage in meaningful discussions with professional songwriters and performers in the field, and to connect with other students from City Music through improvised musical jam sessions. Arts High School students were given the opportunity to perform on the final day of the summit as a culminating farewell performance.

Arts High School Girls Volleyball: SEC Freedom Division Champions – Runner-up in NPS City Tournament

Arts Volleyball 2018Arts High School Volleyball Team finished with a 17-7 overall record and a 15-1 record in our division. The team won the Freedom Division championship and finished second place in the Newark Public Schools city tournament. We also had three student-athletes (Syasia Bryant, Euda Dongo, and Yasmille Ubiera) receive all-tournament team honors.

At the end of season meeting on November 5th, not only did we receive our team championship plaque (which is being displayed in the main office), we also had eight student-athletes receive all-conference honors. Syasia Bryant, Euda Dongo, Keyleen Ubiera, and Yasmille Ubiera received first team all-conference, Valerie Valle and Jacyah Jones received second team all-conference, and Vylette McKnight and Princess Yeboah received honorable mention.

14 Newark Students Are Selected to Participate in the Global Peace Ambassador Program

Students from Eagle Academy, Central and American History High Schools to Travel to Belfast, Ireland

[Newark, New Jersey, November 21, 2019] Students from three Newark high schools will travel to Belfast, Ireland to participate in the Global Peace Ambassador Program next month. Twelve students from Eagle Academy, in addition to a student from Central High School and American History High School (AHHS) will leave Newark for Belfast on December 8 and return on December 16. The two students from Central and AHHS are youth representatives for the City of Newark Youth & College Affairs Program.

“This is an extraordinary learning opportunity for Newark students,” said Superintendent of Newark Schools Roger León, “Our students must be exposed to global experiences – the mission to Belfast will give them a great life experience and a strong global foundation for the future.”

Students from Eagle Academy qualified for the program through a methodology that required students to read the article, “Foreign Yet Familiar: Program Brings Irish, African American Teens Together,” by Peter Smith, write an essay and participate in a personal interview.  In addition, all Newark scholars had to complete a required course that covers, “The Newark Rebellion,” “The Belfast Rebellion,” “The History of Newark and the History of Belfast,” four collaborative online classes with contemporaries from Belfast and a class on photography and vlogging. All participating scholars are required to create and manage a video blog of this experience.  The mission includes trips, tours, discussions and other activities.

“We are very excited that our students have this amazing opportunity to travel abroad to Ireland where they will gain invaluable knowledge while experiencing a new culture,” said Newark Board of Education Chairwoman Josephine C. Garcia. “We are proud of them, we congratulate them, we wish them continued success and encourage them to enjoy the experience. As a mother, whose children traveled outside the country, I know that it will be an experience that they will always remember.”

The theme of the project “Same Melody, Different Key,” was taken from Black playwright Loraine Hansberry.  This project is a unique opportunity for scholars from Eagle Academy and Central and American History High Schools and youth in Belfast to explore the similarities and differences in their cities and their cultures.

“In order for our students to lead this world, they must travel around the world,” added Superintendent of Newark Schools Roger León.

The students serving as Global Ambassadors are:

Mayor’s Youth Council/American History and Central High School Scholars

  • Isa Perkins
  • Jhaques Jones

Eagle Academy Scholars

  • Tylin Battles
  • Ajani Carter
  • Samuel Colon
  • Christopher Cuyun
  • Zachary Halley
  • Kenneth Haynes
  • Jusanic Henry
  • Peter Iyayi
  • Munir Mohammed
  • Sjade Nedd
  • Quadir Sauls
  • Jamar Williams
  • Amani Wilson

The Newark Board of Education will host a special dinner to inform people throughout the city about this unique opportunity for school scholars.

Newark Arts High School Girl’s Basketball Point Guard Signs to Play for Wagner College in New York

Submitted by RLS Staff

Joined by more than a dozen administrators, former/present coaches, parents, students and friends, 17-year-old Arts High School senior Fredrayah Heyward has confirmed that her basketball talents will be shared with the Wagner College Seahawks to begin the 2019-2020 college basketball season.

Arts High School’s Principal Ricardo Pedro closed-off the school’s atrium on Monday, November 19th, for Fredrayah’s official ‘intent to play’ signing that began at 2 p.m. as he took the opportunity to praise the success of Heyward.

Principal Pedro went on to congratulate the talents that encompass students at the United State’s first school of the visual and performing arts of its kind; Arts High School.

“I am honored to have another student here at Arts High School obtain a scholarship in her intent to play basketball for Wagner College. I am extremely proud of Fredrayah” Principal Pedro said in the opening statement.

According to officials, Heyward, a four-year starter, 5′ 7″ tall point guard knocked down over 1000 points to close her junior year as the Jaguars excelled in the Super Essex Conference of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association American Division.

Heyward’s tenacity off the basketball court earned her excellent academic success while her on the court toughness gained her a First Team All-Conference bid from Super Essex Conference officials.

In a statement released by Arts High School’s Girls Basketball Coach, Ms. Ray-Quell Cotton, Heyward’s basketball skill sets were praised then congratulated.

“Fredrayah encompasses a combination of natural athleticism and hard work. She is going to be a great asset to Wagner because she brings experience and knowledge that will allow her to contribute to the Lady Seahawks of Wagner team immediately” Coach Cotton said.

On the campus of the Staten Island liberal college, The Wagner Seahawks women’s basketball team represents and currently competes in the Division 1 Northeast Conference.

According to the college’s website, Wagner began women’s basketball began competing in 1970. They have won the Northeast Conference title just once, in 1989. That year, they went 22-7 (14-2 in conference play), winning both the regular season and the tournament (66-60 over Robert Morris). The Seahawks have never qualified for a postseason tournament, neither Division I nor WNIT nor WBI. As of the end of the 2015-16 season, the Seahawks have a record of 511-665.

Heyward, a Television Production Major at Arts High, plans temporarily move away from the visual arts craft and focus on Criminal Justice at Wagner.