“Night at the Museum” features early childhood resources and programs that prevent summer learning loss

[Newark, NJ – June 16, 2016] – Newark Public Schools (NPS) and the Office of Early Childhood co-hosted the fourth annual “Night at the Museum” on Friday at the Newark Museum. The event features fun, meaningful educational activities for parents, teachers and children that support learning at home and prevent summer learning loss.

“The Office of Early Childhood does a tremendous job in making sure the district’s youngest students continue their education in fun and easy ways over the summer months,” said Superintendent Christopher D. Cerf of NPS. “Night at the Museum is a great opportunity to get parents and guardians invested in their children’s education, showcasing all the exciting educational programs available to their children throughout the summer. Thanks to the support of our community partners, Newark’s children will continue to learn and grow over the next few months, ensuring they are ready to hit the ground running when they return to the classroom this September.”

Community agencies like Statewide Parent Advocacy Network (SPAN, Department of Children and Families), the Newark Public Library and the Boys and Girls Club were available to provide information for Newark families about the early childhood resources and programs they can access throughout the summer. Additionally, the Newark Museum offered attendees tours of the exhibits and planetarium show screenings.

“We really love hosting these types of events for our students and their families. Engaging with families helps supplement our work in the classroom and ensures that parents, grandparents and guardians become part of their child’s educational success,” said F. Nana Ofosu-Amaah, Executive Director of NPS Office of Early Childhood. “Events like ‘Night at the Museum’ help us ensure that our youngest learners receive the best educational experiences both inside and outside of the classroom, and is just another way the Office of Early Childhood Education tries to make learning fun so that our students’ continue to expand their knowledge and build skills during the summer months.”

Attendees also received free library cards, raffles, prizes and books, as well as a special meet and greet with the “Cookie Monster” from Sesame Street, Clifford the Big Red Dog and literacy educator Ritta Book.

“Night at the Museum” is sponsored by NPS and the Nicholson Foundation with additional support from the United Way, WNET, HITN, NJTV and the Prudential Foundation.

NPS Superintendent’s 3E Awards honor graduating seniors for equity, effort and excellence

[Newark, NJ – June 14, 2016] – Superintendent Christopher D. Cerf of Newark Public Schools (NPS) hosted the third annual Superintendent’s “3E” Award which recognizes student outstanding student achievement in the areas of equity, effort and excellence. This prestigious award is presented to graduating NPS seniors who promote social justice and are dedicated to hard work and academic achievement.

“The Superintendent’s ‘3E’ Awards are presented to students who are leaders within their school communities and exemplify what it means to not only be an excellent student but an excellent citizen,” said Superintendent Cerf. “As these students go on to continue their education or pursue a career after high school, I have no doubt that they will have a profound impact on the world around them. I want to congratulate all of the outstanding recipients of this year’s 3E awards and thank them for the positive influence they have had on their peers.”

The 3E recipients must meet the following criteria:

• Equity – focus on justice and fairness: the nominee exemplifies spirit and intent of the old adage “treat others the way you want to be treated”
• Effort – hard work and consistency of effort: the nominee shows diligence and perseverance in overcoming obstacles and consistency of effort over time
• Excellence – results driven: the nominee exhibits exceptional and tangible results in community involvement for social justice, self-improvement and academic achievement

This year’s recipients will attending the following colleges and universities after graduation: Bloomfield College, Boston College, Centenary College, Columbia University, Delaware State University, Essex County College, Franklin & Marshall, Hampton University, Kean University, Monmouth University, Montclair State University, Morris Brown College, NJIT, New Jersey City University, Rowan University, Rutgers University, Rutgers Newark, Saint Peter’s University, Seton Hall University, Stockton University, Tish NYU-Clive Davis Institute and William Paterson University.

Click here to read student bios.

Uncommon Schools encourages South Ward’s youngest learners to read during the summer months

[Newark, NJ – June 13, 2016] – Newark Public Schools (NPS) announced last week that it will be expanding its literacy and summer reading initiatives in collaboration with Uncommon Schools North Star Academy. Uncommon Schools will be providing all 4-year-old children living in the South Ward of Newark with North Star Academy’s Kindergarten readiness book. The workbook, which contains close to 200 pages of engaging and rigorous content, is the same workbook that Uncommon Schools provides to incoming North Star Kindergartners each summer to help them prepare for the upcoming school year.

“On behalf of all of the children of Newark, I am grateful to Uncommon Schools for its generosity and spirit of partnership in providing children of the South Ward with Kindergarten readiness workbooks,” said Superintendent Cerf. “We succeed when all children in Newark are provided with the resources they need to reach their full potential. The summer is an excellent time for our children to be able to continue to improve upon their literacy and mathematical skills, and these workbooks are a valuable tool that will help students as they continue their education throughout the summer months.”

The North Star Academy’s Kindergarten readiness book announcement adds to NPS’ focus on providing students across the district with greater access to a wide variety of books to improve student literacy skills and reading comprehension through innovative partnerships. The City of Newark is one of six My Very Own Library (MVOL) locations throughout the country including Chicago, Milwaukee, California, Delaware and the Dominican Republic. MVOL inspires and supports students’ love of reading by allowing them to choose from an assortment new and free books to build individualized home libraries. Over the course of the 2015-2016 academic year, MVOL provided 150,000 books to approximately 15,000 students throughout 23 Newark Public Schools.