News

NBOE Celebrates The National Girls & Women in Sports Day

Newark Board of Education 2023 National Girls & Women in Sports Honorees
Newark Board of Education 2023 National Girls & Women in Sports Honorees

The National Girls and Women in Sports Day is an annual day of observance held during the first week of February. This is a moment to acknowledge the accomplishments of female athletes, recognize the influence of sports participation for women and girls, and honor the progress and continuing struggle for equality for women in sports. On February 2nd, the Office of Health, Physical Education and Athletics honored female student-athletes, coaches, administrators and alumnae at the district’s first annual NBOE National Girls and Women in Sports Day ceremony held at University High School. Retired school administrator, coach, and Malcolm X Shabazz alumna, Vanessa Watson, was the keynote speaker in which this year's theme was “Lead Her Forward.”

This day is set aside annually to recognize the progress made by women and girls in the world of sports, as well as, to encourage more girls and young women to get active and participate in sports. NBOE ensures that girls are provided with the same opportunities and equal access as their male and suburban counterparts.

Women in sports provide strong role models for young girls, showing them that anything is possible if you put your mind to it. Women athletes demonstrate to young girls everywhere that there are no limits to what they can achieve, and this knowledge is invaluable in a society where women are often underrepresented. Among the honorees were NJSIAA National Girls and Women in Sports award recipients.

To view this year’s program and list of honorees, click on the links below.

Building Capacity in Parent Liaisons Through Professional Development

Parent Liaisons engage in a February Staff Development Day with sessions, hosted by Dr. Donnette Green and Scholastic’s Family and Community Engagement Team
Parent Liaisons engage in a February Staff Development Day with sessions, hosted by Dr. Donnette Green and Scholastic’s Family and Community Engagement Team

The district’s Parent Liaisons gathered for a full day of Professional Development and engaged in various workshops facilitated by Dr. Donnette Green of Distinctly Guided, LLC and representatives of the F.A.C.E. (Family and Community Engagement) Team at Scholastic. Liaisons learned about mindfulness, participated in teamwork and team building activities, and explored what authenticity looks like in parent engagement.

Parent Liaisons took a deeper dive into the importance of mindfulness and how self-awareness becomes an asset in their work with families and in their personal lives. Additionally, the group focused on discussions and activities revolving around the various strengths needed from different individuals that may collaborate on a team. Scholastic then worked with liaisons on understanding the barriers to parent involvement, and how to identify the differences between parent involvement and engagement in their scope of work.

NBOE and Trust for Public Land Unveil Plans for a New Community Playground

The future for Lincoln Elementary School’s Playground
The future for Lincoln Elementary School’s Playground

The Trust for Public Land (TFPL) is a nonprofit organization with a mission to create parks and protect land for healthy, liveable communities. The organization has been involved in many projects around the country and have revitalized the playgrounds at McKinley School & Lafayette Street School, creating a more inviting environment for students to learn and grow. They have recently completed the design phase of a current project at Lincoln Elementary School in the Vailsburg section of Newark.

NBOE is excited to collaborate with TFPL on this project which is expected to be completed by the end of 2023. This rejuvenation will provide an outdoor learning center, rain garden, analemmatic sundial, hydroponics lab, track, and two play areas for students ages 2-12. With the projected updates to the playground, students will have an opportunity to learn and reflect on the beauty of the great outdoors.

NBOE Replaces Aging Network Cabling Associated with Wireless LAN in Schools

The upgrade plan outlines all phases of the project including the expected completion date, funding sources, and the timeline for future upgrades for each phase
The upgrade plan outlines all phases of the project including the expected completion date, funding sources, and the timeline for future upgrades for each phase

As part of the district’s strategy for upgrading and modernizing technology infrastructure to meet the ever increasing demand for bandwidth, the Division of Information Technology (DIT) will be replacing the aging network cabling associated with Wireless LAN in NBOE schools and offices. As part of this Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER) funded initiative, DIT will be installing over 4,000 new Category 6A cables in schools across the district that will facilitate the upgrade of the Wireless LAN to Wi-Fi 6.

This project is currently underway and the cabling teams have been actively working after school hours to replace the aging network cabling in classrooms and other instructional spaces throughout the district. The work has been completed at the following schools: Lincoln Elementary, Rafael Hernandez, Wilson Avenue, Oliver Street, East Side, and Hawkins Street. Thereafter, the teams will shift to Roberto Clemente, Quitman Street, Louise A. Spencer, and Barringer High School. A full installation schedule for all schools will be provided to schools in future emails. DIT will audit every installation to ensure compliance with district standards and federal funding requirements.

This project is part of a multi-phase initiative aimed at the upgrade and future proofing of the district's Wireless LAN infrastructure that will provide ample Wi-Fi bandwidth in NBOE schools for the years ahead. The upgrade plan outlines all phases of the project including the expected completion date, funding sources as well as the timeline for future upgrades for each phase. The district has completed phases 1 and 2 and is currently in phases 3 and 4 of the project simultaneously. Phase 5 is projected to commence in the 2023-2024 school year.

Newark Enrolls Experiences an Increase in Applications

The Office of Policy, Planning, Evaluation and Testing (OPPET) proudly announces that as of February 3rd, a total of 7,748 unique school applications were received from families within the city of Newark as well as from surrounding areas. The Newark Enrolls (NE) application flow did experience a spike in the last 6 weeks of the window; a total of 2,813 students applied in that period. Overall, the 23/24 cycle's applicant count is proximal to last year’s enrollment cycle. These results speak to the sought-after reputation of the Newark Board of Education and the families in the community that value the benefits of educating their children in district schools. 

The High School Admissions Test for district students took place on Friday, February 10th and 17th at the students’ respective schools; testing of non-NBOE students took place on Saturday, February 11th and 17th at Science Park High School. Fantastic work by the OPPET’s Testing, Enrollment and Student Information Services Teams along with volunteers from schools and central office staff.

OPPET sends a huge thank you to the Enrollment Team, School-based Clerks, School Counselors, School Social Workers, Support Staff, and Principals who made it possible to reach their goal to have every NBOE transitioning 8th grade student, submit a high school application for the upcoming 2023-2024 school year!