News

Newark Celebrates the Park Elementary Debate Team’s Success

Park Elementary Debate Team Winners
Park Elementary Debate Team Winners

Congratulations to the Park Elementary Debate Team for their participation and success in the first Elementary Middle School (EMS) Tournament on October 28, 2023. From left to right, Christian Echevarria, Saniyah McLaren, Branden Lizardo, Yamilex Castillo, Yliannel Mosquera, Dylan Lopez, Troy Savage, and Suriema Burgos.

Competitors Christian and Branden walked away with their first win. Dylan and Troy competed in their first tournament and brought with them a vast array of historical context. A special shout out to beginners, Saniyah McLaren and Yliannel Mosquera, for winning first place team in the beginner division, and winning second and seventh, respectively, in the individual category. In the experienced division, Yamilex Castillo and Suriema Burgos also won first place as a team based on the preliminary results. Yamilex won third individually and Suriema took first. Congratulations to all of the scholars, as well as coaches Jonathan Vanderhoof and Omyra Molina. Thank you to the Park Staff and Principal Sylvia Esteves for their continued support of the team.

Newark Celebrates the Transformative Renovation of Shabazz Field

Malcolm X Shabazz receives newly renovated athletic field
Malcolm X Shabazz receives newly renovated athletic field

The athletic facility, which was inaugurated in 2000, served as a symbol of pride for the South Ward, South Side High School alumni, and the Malcolm X Shabazz High School faithful. Over time, the facility's maintenance had been upheld, but its former brilliance has diminished. In the previous year, the Facilities department enlisted the expertise of CTS Architects, renowned for their involvement in similar projects. A comprehensive renovation has been executed, encompassing the replacement of the artificial turf field, installation of a new running track, tennis courts, shot put area, and long jump pit. We are now delighted to host Track and Field events, as well as football games under the illuminated field. Join us on a Friday night to support the bulldogs and witness the remarkable transformation that has been accomplished for the enjoyment of students, staff, and guests.

The District’s Saturday Academy at East Side High School: Bridging Education and Community Support

Newark students engage in Saturday Academy for Academic Success, supported by local businesses
Newark students engage in Saturday Academy for Academic Success, supported by local businesses

East Side High School organizes the Saturday Academy annually, providing an opportunity for 11th-grade students at the school to enhance their skills in English Language Arts and Math in preparation for state testing. The school community has shown strong support for this initiative, with local businesses such as Seabra's Market and McDonald's generously contributing gift cards on a weekly basis to be distributed among the students. By fostering collaboration between education and the community, the Saturday Academy not only enriches the students' educational experience, but also emphasizes the significance of community involvement, ultimately benefiting both the students and the larger community.

Project Prevent Newark Holds Kick-Off Meeting for Long-Term Sustainability and Trauma-Informed Support

Project Prevent schools gather to discuss intervention and support services
Project Prevent schools gather to discuss intervention and support services

The Office of Student Life held a kick off meeting with all 18 Project Prevent schools and their support staff members at Belmont Runyon Elementary School. Project Prevent Newark is a multi-tiered system of supports that create culturally responsive learning environments, build the social emotional learning capacity of teachers and students and increase mental health counseling services for students to ensure they are equipped with the tools to deal with trauma and break the cycle of violence prevalent in Newark communities. The primary objective of the meeting was to assess the achievements made, lessons learned, and to strategize the next steps for long-term sustainability.

In order to ensure the successful completion of their respective programs, each vendor/partner presented a comprehensive overview of their initiatives, highlighting the data collected since 2019 and outlining their goals for the upcoming school year of 2023-2024. The latter half of the meeting consisted of breakout sessions, which aimed to enhance planning, programming, and address sustainability concerns. These sessions involved collaboration with social emotional learning curriculum partners and mental health vendors such as Rutgers and Effective School Solutions, MAYASA Consultant, and Metis Evaluators.

The District is confident that, in the coming years, schools will be able to maintain the progress achieved through the implementation of their structured School-Wide Support and Intervention and Referral Services teams.

District Expands Supports for Accessibility to General Education Curriculum for Students with Exceptionalities

The Office of Special Education is pleased to announce the addition of the Vizzle curriculum as a supplementary resource to assist both students and teachers. Vizzle, developed by RethinkEd, is utilized in classrooms to provide intervention and enrichment across all four content areas for students with exceptionalities in grades K-12. It offers a Standards Aligned Library, which includes a searchable collection of K-12 resources for Math, English Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies. Additionally, Vizzle provides lessons on life skills, transition, and speech, with over 40,000 interactive and differentiated lessons that align with the New Jersey and Dynamic Learning Mapp state standards. These lessons are designed to assess, instruct, generalize, and engage students who are facing academic learning gaps.

With Vizzle, teachers have the ability to create and modify lessons according to the individualized learning needs of students. The platform also offers automatic data collection for progress monitoring, making it easier for teachers to track student performance. Furthermore, Vizzle provides advanced technological support in the form of accessibility features at both the classroom and student level, promoting independence for students with diverse instructional needs.

Currently, several NBOE schools are utilizing Vizzle, including Park Elementary, Rafael Hernandez, Avon Avenue, Belmont Runyon, Louise A. Spencer, Fourteenth Avenue, John F. Kennedy, Central High School, American History High School, Weequahic High School, and East Side High School.

Avon Avenue school embeds new visual supports to complement the general education curriculum
Avon Avenue school embeds new visual supports to complement the general education curriculum

Bilingual Parent Advisory Meeting Empowers Parents with Valuable Insights

Parents convened at Oliver Street School for the Office of Bilingual Education Parent Advisory Meeting, where they delved into various topics. These included the crucial correlation between social-emotional well-being and a student's academic success, as well as the significance of reading to children in their native language. The meeting emphasized the immense potential of embracing one's cultural and linguistic heritage as a formidable tool in a child's overall growth.

Furthermore, a discussion on parental rights empowered participants with a comprehensive understanding of their entitlements and obligations within the educational system. Additionally, parents were informed about the availability of Adult Education classes, which present opportunities for personal enrichment and advancement. The meeting concluded on a high note, leaving parents equipped with a wealth of invaluable insights to bolster their children's educational journey.

Supervisor of the Office of Bilingual Education provides parents with essential resources at the Bilingual Parent Advisory Meeting
Supervisor of the Office of Bilingual Education provides parents with essential resources at the Bilingual Parent Advisory Meeting