News

Thank You to the McCarthy/Vogt Family

Virginia McCarthy
Virginia McCarthy

On Wednesday, September 9, 2020, the McCarthy/Vogt family donated $25,000 to Dr. William H. Horton Elementary School in memory of their fourteen year old daughter, Virginia McCarthy.

As per the family’s request, the donation will be used to purchase $20,000 of technology equipment (chromebooks, smart boards, and a robotics table), and $5,000 will be utilized for robotics supplies, school uniforms, and backpacks.

Virginia’s parents described her as one who deeply cared about others and believed in providing equitable opportunities to those in need. Newark Public Schools would like to sincerely thank the McCarthy/Vogt family for their generous donation to the students of Dr. William H. Horton Elementary School.

Virginia McCarthy - Remembrance
Horton-Letter-Samuel-L-Cintron

61 Schools in Newark School District Achieve Sustainability Certification

Newark Schools meet Sustainable Jersey for Schools certification requirements

Newark, New Jersey, [September 15, 2020] Sixty-one schools in the Newark School District have met the rigorous requirements to achieve Sustainable Jersey for Schools certification. Sustainable Jersey for Schools, a program for pre-kindergarten through twelfth-grade public schools in New Jersey, is voluntary, but achieving certification takes commitment and collaborative effort. Each school in the Newark School District was certified at the bronze level after submitting documentation to show it had completed a balanced portfolio of the program’s sustainability actions, attaining a minimum of 150 points.

“Since 2014, this initiative has been 6 years in the making and we’re so glad that we’re able to accomplish such a tremendous feat” noted Superintendent Roger León. “We love doing programs involving the whole NPS community. This isn’t just words or another program; but an opportunity for the schools of Newark to benefit from Sustainable Jersey, which in turn will benefit the city of Newark,” he added.

Newark Public Schools has managed to create energy profiles and green cleaning initiatives while winning awards for sustainability.  With the help of Jill Buck, a Go Green consultant, the District was able to present these existing initiatives and receive credit for our many food service programs and clean air program, which works with school buses on a “no pollution” plan.

A significant part of the Newark Public Schools certification applications was the completion of the actions for energy efficiency of school facilities and energy tracking and management. Each school has completed an energy audit through New Jersey’s Clean Energy Program(NJCEP) “Local Government Energy Audit (LGEA)” program. The Newark Public School District instituted a $17 million Energy Savings Improvement Program (ESIP), also through New Jersey’s Clean Energy Program. “The project encompasses 63 Energy Conservation Measures (ECMs) over 1.4 million square feet. Actions included lighting retrofits, boiler replacement, roof replacement, solar installation, upgrading systems and components to improve the safety of energy use, and performance monitoring. From 2017-19, the district saved $1.9 million, 4.7 million kWh, and 460,000 therms of gas,” said Newark Public Schools Director of Sustainability, Rodney Williams.

The Newark School district is one of 352 school districts participating in the Sustainable Jersey for Schools program.  “Sustainable Jersey for Schools is pleased that the 61 schools from Newark Public Schools are part of our cohort of 321 certified schools,” said Randall Solomon, executive director of Sustainable Jersey. “I commend the teachers, administrators, staff, parents and students for their commitment and vision for the future. Becoming certified with Sustainable Jersey for Schools is a significant achievement and these schools are leading the way to a more sustainable New Jersey, right when we need it the most.”

Click here to review the list of Newark schools that achieved certification in 2020: 2020 Sustainable Jersey for Schools Certified Schools.

About The Newark Public Schools District

Newark Public Schools has a student population of approximately 38,000 students, a staff of more than 6,300, and is the largest and one of the oldest school systems in New Jersey. Its origin dates back to 1676 with Barringer High School, in Newark’s North Ward, being the third oldest public high school in the nation. In a city comprised of rich diversity, Newark Public Schools provides a multicultural learning experience for pre-kindergarten to secondary school students. As the city continues to thrive with widespread change, the district continues to revise its services to meet the changing needs of students.

About Sustainable Jersey for Schools

Sustainable Jersey for Schools is a certification program for public schools in New Jersey. It was launched by Sustainable Jersey, an organization that provides tools, training and financial incentives to support and reward municipalities and schools as they pursue sustainability programs. To date, 352 school districts and 969 schools are participating in the program. The full list of participating and certified schools and school districts is available: Participating Districts and Schools. Sustainable Jersey for Schools has awarded over $2.2 million in grants to schools and school districts.

Website:              www.SustainableJerseySchools.com
Twitter:               www.twitter.com/SJ_Schools
Facebook:           www.facebook.com/SustainableJersey
Instagram:         https://instagram.com/sustainable_jersey/
Linked In:           www.linkedin.com/company/sustainable-jersey

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For more information, please contact:

Newark Board of Education
Nancy Deering, Interim Executive Director
Communications
973-733-6265

Deputy Superintendent Johnson and NBOE Principals are Ready for the 2020 School Year!

Deputy Johnson and Principal Venezia at Louise A. Spencer School
Deputy Johnson and Principal Johnson at Sussex Avenue School
Deputy Johnson and Principal Finazzo at Sir Isaac Newton Elementary School
Deputy Johnson and Principal Brown at Newark Vocation High School
Deputy Johnson and Principal Rufai at Dr. E. A. Flagg School
Deputy Johnson and Principal Branco at First Avenue School
Deputy Johnson and Vice Principal Rios at ECC North

Superintendent León and NBOE Principals are Ready for the 2020 School Year!

Superintendent León, Principal Pitts and first year teacher Ms. Crawford at Chancellor Avenue School
Superintendent León with Principal Branco at First Avenue School
Superintendent León and Principal Lopez at Hawkins Street School
Superintendent León with Principal Montalbano at Luis Muñoz Marin Elementary School
Superintendent León and Principal Pedro at Arts High School
Superintendent León and Principal Rose at Thirteenth Avenue School
Superintendent León with Principal Gifted at Malcolm X Shabazz High School Stadium
Superintendent León with Principal Garrison at Camden Street School

First Ever Virtual District Staff Convocation for Newark Schools

On September 1, 2020, Superintendent León and the Newark Board of Education hosted District Staff Convocation 2020.  The convocation is the annual celebration to the start of the school year where the Superintendent convenes all employees in one venue to share the state of the district, review multiple measures of data, celebrate accomplishments, set the tone for the new school year, and charge the staff.  As last school year ended in a historic way, so started this school year.  The District Staff Convocation 2020 was held virtually for all 6,300 employees.

Superintendent León charged the district “to continue to be flexible, exercise patience, build confidence, and demonstrate resilience” as we open this school year remotely.  He shared that last school year, prior to the emergence of the pandemic, attendance was the highest ever, student achievement was soaring, and record numbers of seniors were on track to graduate.  In spite of historic obstacles at the height of the pandemic, schools and homes joined forces unlike ever before.  Higher demands on students enrolled in advanced placement courses resulted in record participation numbers on AP exams, seniors in dual enrollment courses graduated with high school diplomas and associates degrees, and the Class of 2020 earned over $40 million in college scholarships resulting in the graduation rate reaching its highest level in Newark’s history.

Mayor Ras J. Baraka welcomed the teachers and staff to the start of this virtual school year and noted, “We are at a different moment, a different point in time in history.  We need you now, in this pandemic, to help encourage, inspire, to educate them, to advance them, to take care of their mental state of mind.”

“This is my 3rd Convocation, and it is a convocation like no other,” said Josephine C. Garcia, President of the Newark Board of Education.  She continued, “We know that out of adversity, comes opportunity.  We have the opportunity to improve on the great instruction that we have been providing over the past couple of years, we have the opportunity to strengthen relationships with our community partners, and we have the opportunity to be second to none!  Staff, you are seizing the moment, and together, we will continue to show everyone how it’s done, because we are NEWARK STRONG.”

During the last few months, the district created the NBOE Task Force for the Reopening of Schools who prepared an executive summary, established ingress and egress procedures, outlined intensive cleaning and sanitizing protocols, piloted in-person summer school at two locations, identified Pandemic Response Teams at each school, curated curriculum featuring social emotional learning, reviewed metrics for virtual learning to ensure rigorous instruction, continued to train staff to ensure efficient implementation, and began the return to in-person operations.

The first day of remote instruction for students is Tuesday, September 8, 2020.

For more information, please contact:

Newark Board of Education
Nancy Deering, Interim Executive Director
Communications
973-733-6265