News

National Hispanic Heritage Month

Roberto Clemente students participate in cultural dance to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month;<br>First-place bulletin board winner goes to 6th grade at Louise A. Spencer
Roberto Clemente students participate in cultural dance to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month;
First-place bulletin board winner goes to 6th grade at Louise A. Spencer

Newark Board of Education approved the historic resolution to recognize Latina/o/x Heritage Month (September 15 – October 15) in celebration and appreciation of students and communities through culture, history, culture and contributions of Hispanic Americans.

NBOE schools planned across subject areas to actively engage students in lessons about friends and fellow citizens whose families hail from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America. Check out the school’s social media pages for photos! Roberto Clemente School & The Junta Cívica Cultural Popayán (non-profit organization) celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month by hosting an event that included a parade, food and dancing. Additionally, Louise A. Spencer held a school-wide bulletin board competition to highlight the history, culture, and contributions of Hispanic-Americans.

Student Art Exhibit Installed at Central Office: Curating a Restorative Experience Using Art as Medicine

Students from the NBOE Summer Arts Academies receive recognition during the opening reception of “Art As Medicine” an exhibit featured during the Newark Arts Festival 2022
Students from the NBOE Summer Arts Academies receive recognition during the opening reception of “Art As Medicine” an exhibit featured during the Newark Arts Festival 2022

The Newark Arts Festival 2022 (NAF22) launched with the theme of Artful Healing on Thursday, October 6th through Sunday, October 9th. The annual event featured a line-up of national and local artists of all disciplines who unite in Newark to celebrate the rich cultural heritage of the city through arts venues and arts experiences. Newark Board of Education utilized its ground level at 765 Broad Street and opened its doors during the festival with an exhibit featuring Newark student artwork. The exhibit’s theme, Art As Medicine, aligned with NAF22s theme of Artful Healing.

Newark students attending the NBOE Arts High School Visual Arts Culture Creators program and the Middle School Summer Visual and Performing Arts Academy, participated in visual arts classes at Arts High School where they manifested visions from their imagination post pandemic. The Young Artists were selected to spend 5 weeks in the summer program and were guided under the tutelage of NBOE Visual Art Educators. The 25 students channeled their inner artist as they interacted with themes, methods, and materials to produce the original artworks featured in the exhibit.

Cross Country Runners Compete in Weekly Conference Races at Branch Brook Park

Members of the cross country teams from Eagle, University, Central and East Side are viewed in action during a competition
Members of the cross country teams from Eagle, University, Central and East Side are viewed in action during a competition

Cross country is a competitive team sport offered in the fall for both girls and boys. Teams consist of five or more runners who all race together simultaneously against other teams. The top five finishers from each team are used for scoring, and their finishing places are totaled to see which team wins. It takes a certain level of discipline and stamina to run the 3.1-mile course, especially when training consists of running miles on hills and grass terrain to prepare for the race.

Almost all of our district’s high schools sponsor cross country where most training and racing takes place at Branch Brook Park. On any given Tuesday in September and October, hundreds of runners from the Super Essex Conference schools line up at the starting line waiting for their race to start. Once the air horn is sounded, these harriers (cross country runners) make their way towards the narrow path of the woods jostling for position to be near the top. The best runners pull ahead and once they emerge from the trail, they begin to surpass other runners in front of them while finding another gear to sprint to the finish line. Congratulations to the East Side girls’ team who recently won their division!

Schools Leverage Enersound TSB devices to Provide Interpretation Services to Reach non-English Speaking Families

Ann Street School provides interpretation in Spanish and Portuguese to families
Ann Street School provides interpretation in Spanish and Portuguese to families

Research shows that parents are unequivocally needed to engage in their children’s education. When parents and families are engaged, students are almost always more successful in their educational journey. Having an interpreter for non-English speaking families provides parents with an opportunity to regularly engage in school events and become partners in their child's academic success.

The Office of Federal Programs & Grants will be supporting and piloting the use of interpretation devices to reach our non-English speaking families. The school communities will learn how to break the language barriers utilizing interpretation resources for families in their native languages during parent workshops. By strategically empowering parents and families, the Newark Board of Education can help strengthen and further support school communities. Let’s go to Work!

Facilities on the Go!

As students and staff have settled into a new school year, The Office of Facilities has mobilized its management team to visit all NBOE schools within each network to ensure support of programs and initiatives district-wide. Facilities is currently conducting New Jersey Quality Single Accountability Continuum (NJQSAC) inspections and monitoring the Health & Safety report. This tool allows the department to gauge how the district is performing in various areas. More specifically, the Facilities’ portion ensures that all buildings are code compliant. The Facilities team has worked diligently throughout this process and is looking forward to a successful visit from the Essex County Business Administrator, John Ferraro, to validate NJQSAC reports submitted. Click here for more information on NJQSAC.

Classroom upgrades at Newark School of Data Science & Information Technology
Classroom upgrades at Newark School of Data Science & Information Technology

Recruitment on the Move

The 2022 NJEA Convention will take place Nov. 10-11
The 2022 NJEA Convention will take place Nov. 10-11

Teach Newark and NBOE’s talented Staffing & Recruitment team will be attending the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) Teachers Convention this year, scheduled for November 10th and 11th in Atlantic City, NJ. The Office of Human Resource Services will have an information booth and will be actively seeking potential teacher candidates for this and next school year.

Giveaways will be provided to candidates who are interested in joining this amazing district. Current NBOE teachers are also invited to stop by the booth and share why they love teaching in the district. This will be made live on the district’s social media platforms. For more information, please email the team directly at teach@nullnewark.apppresser.com.