Elliott Street

NJ Tree Foundation and Newark Public School Students Plant 24 Trees at Elliott Street School


[NEWARK, NJ – July 3, 2018] Students at Newark Public School’s Elliott Street School joined the New Jersey Tree Foundation for the planting of 24 trees around the school, located in Newark’s North Ward. The trees were donated by the NJ Tree Foundation. The students were joined by Senator Teresa Ruiz, North Ward Councilman Anibal Ramos, Superintendent Roger León and others.

Superintendent of Newark Public Schools Roger León said, “Thank you to the NJ Tree Foundation for helping to beautify Elliott Street School – a crowned jewel in our district.” I want to also thank our students, their teacher and Principal Nicole T. Johnson for developing a STEM based curriculum supporting the planting of the 24 trees.”

The Superintendent also thanked Senator Ruiz and Councilman Ramos for encouraging the students to continue to protect the environment and to contribute to beautification efforts around their school and in the community.

NPS Hosts Their 1st TriMATHlon More than 600 Students Participate in 4-Day Math Adventure

Trimathlon Logo

[NEWARK, NJ – June 1, 2018] Newark Public Schools hosted their first TriMATHlon, a four day program of math exploration for students, hosted by the Math Department. The TriMATHlon engaged more than 600 students in three areas; “Making a Math Game,” “Creating a Prediction Station” and creating a “Game of 24 Championship.”

“The Math Department of NPS has created a day of learning and excitement, centered on inspiring students to develop a love of math,” said Interim Superintendent Robert Gregory. “I commend them for developing a creative way to raise the level of engagement for students in math by developing games and using problem solving methods to address their respective projects.”

Each school participated in the three projects:

Event 1: Make a Math Game
Students created an interactive math game that incorporated the major work of the respective grade. Games included but were not limited to carnival type games, board games, escape rooms, developing apps and more.

Event 1 Winners:

  • 1st Place: BRICK Peshine Academy
  • 2nd Place: Elliott Street School
  • 3rd Place: Ann Street School

Event 2: Prediction Station
Students completed an investigation and created a mathematical model based on a given phenomena.

Event 2 Winners:

  • 1st Place: North 10th Street School
  • 2nd Place: Speedway Academies
  • 3rd Place: Dr. William H. Horton School

Event 3: Game of 24 Championship
Students competed in an arithmetical card game in which the objective was to find a way to manipulate four integers so that the end result is 24.

Event 3 Winners:

  • 1st Place: Elliott Street School
  • 2nd Place: Wilson Avenue School
  • 3rd Place: Branch Brook School

Nicholas Romagnolo, Director of The Math Department said, “I had a great time developing and executing the TriMATHlon, along with my team and volunteers. We want to open the door for students to understand math and its use to solve problems and to use in their daily lives. I look forward to using what we learned from our first TriMATHlon to engage students further in their journey into Math.”

Elliott Street School Hosts First Annual Family Math Night

Math Family Night!
Math Family Night! 5th Grade Math Teacher at Elliott Street School, Terence Daniel, helps students and parents on the First Annual Math Family Night. More than 450 parents and students attended this year’s event. Mr. Daniel is a member of the Math Instructional Team (MIT) at Elliott, under the direction of Principal Nicole Johnson.

[NEWARK, New Jersey – November 20, 2017] Elliott Street School recently opened its doors for a first ever, Family Math Family night to celebrate learning and to encourage students to understand the importance of Math in their daily lives.

Principal Nicole Johnson said, “We created Family Math Night as an opportunity for parents to participate in Math Learning with students and teachers and to be able to extend the learning at home by being able to understand/share what students are doing in school and hopefully extend that learning to home.” According to Principal Johnson more than 450 parents and students attended the program.

During this activity teachers, parents, students and administrators were able to engage in math learning and activities together and take home math games/activities that can be shared as families at home.

5th Grade Math Teacher Terence Daniel, along with a number of other teachers and administrators participated in the programs. Mr. Daniel is a member of the Math Instructional Team (MIT) at Elliott Street School.

A participating parent said, “This was so much fun! I’m glad that I came. It was nice to see my daughter’s teacher here too.”

Nearly 2,000 NPS 3rd & 4th Grade Students Perform At NJPAC

Recorder Arts Program Highlights Newark Students and A Commitment to the Arts


[NEWARK, NJ – June 27, 2017] Nearly 2,000 Newark Public Schools (NPS) 4th and 5th grade students recently performed at NJPAC as part of the Recorder Arts for Musical Pathways Program; a partnership between NPS and the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. This participation more than doubled the 739 students who participated last year.

“Thank you to NJPAC and Margaret El for their dedication to this important program that brings the arts to our students and allows them to play in the best concert hall in this country,” noted Superintendent of Newark Public Schools Christopher D. Cerf. “We must continue to grow programs like this because the arts are a vital part of our students’ education.”

The partnership includes 20 schools and teachers, who participated in a two day professional development program. As part of the program, NJPAC’s Recorder Arts master teacher conducted two site visits at each school during the first and second semester of the school year for in class support. In addition, NPS teachers from each of the 20 schools made nominations for the All-Star Recorder Choir, who performed on stage during the concert. The concert was held on June 15 at NJPAC’s Prudential Hall.

“I absolutely got chills looking out over the orchestra and all the way up to the third tier in Prudential Theater, seeing and hearing over 1900 third and fourth graders from Newark Public Schools performing in unison,” Added Margaret El, Director of Arts Education at NPS. “We are so excited about the work NPS music students and teachers have accomplished, and look forward to many students pursuing an instrument of choice in the future.”

Click here to listen to the concert.

Participating schools included:

  1. 14th Avenue School
  2. B.R.I.C.K. Avon Academy
  3. Camden Street School
  4. Elliott Street School
  5. First Avenue School
  6. Harriet Tubman School
  7. Ivy Hill School
  8. Lafayette Street School
  9. Lincoln School
  10. Louise A Spencer School
  11. McKinley School
  12. Mt. Vernon School
  13. Oliver Street School
  14. Park Elementary School
  15. Quitman Street Community School
  16. Rafael Hernandez School
  17. Ridge Street School
  18. Roberto Clemente School
  19. South Street School
  20. Wilson Avenue School

Newark Public Schools Welcomes Students, Parents and Teachers to New Elliott Street School

New Elliott Street School first newly constructed building in district since 2010



[Newark, NJ – February 25, 2016] – Superintendent Christopher D. Cerf of Newark Public Schools (NPS) joined Governor Chris Christie, Mayor Ras Baraka, Principal Nicole Johnson, Assistant Superintendent Roger León, State Senator M. Teresa Ruiz and Essex Corsunty Executive Joseph DiVincenzo yesterday in welcoming students, parents and teachers to the grand opening of the new Elliott Street School in Newark. The School Development Authority (SDA) invested $41,545,300 dollars to build the state-of-the-art school, which is the first newly constructed facility in the school district since the completion of the new Speedway Avenue Elementary School in 2010.

“Today is a great day for the parents, students and teachers of Elliott Street School who have been patiently waiting for their new school to be constructed,” said Superintendent Cerf, Superintendent of NPS. “This state-of-the-art facility is going to help us provide an excellent education for our school children and will have a profound impact on this community.”

The new Elliott School building, located at 721 Summer Avenue, features brand new, state-of-the-art facilities, including specialized instruction classrooms, labs and media centers. The new building is 138,000 square feet that can serve approximately 898 students with a total of 42 classrooms.

“We are incredibly grateful to the School Development Authority and so many community leaders for coming together to open our new school. It is truly an exciting moment for our students and faculty who finally have a school to call their own,” said Principal Nicole Johnson of Elliott Street School. “After years spent commuting to overcrowded schools, the students of Elliot Street School can now continue their education together in this brand new, modern facility.”

The school currently serves grades prekindergarten through 4 and will serve grades prekindergarten through 5 in the 2016-2017 school year. In addition, the building has a separate cafeteria, gym, and multi-purpose room with a stage. A time-lapse video of the new facility being built can be found here.

“It was incredible to watch parents, students and teachers walk into the new Elliott School for the first time,” said Roger León, NPS Assistant Superintendent. “Our community has wanted to create the best learning environment possible for our students for several years now, and today is a new day for our kids at Elliott Street School. I am looking forward to seeing how our new school will help improve the quality of life for so many of our families.”

Yesterday’s ribbon cutting ceremony represents years of extensive planning and collaboration by school community leaders to rebuild Elliott Street School, which burned down in 2006 after being struck by lightning. Since then, students have been attending schools in other neighborhoods in various locations and most recently the Old First Avenue School.

“This is a momentous day for the City of Newark and for the Elliott Street School administration, staff, students and families,” said Senator M. Teresa Ruiz. “This new state-of-the-art facility will contribute to a positive learning experience for our children and serve as a source of pride for the community. I want to thank the Christie Administration, the Schools Development Authority and the Newark Public Schools for their dedication to this project. I especially want to thank the Elliott Street School community for all of their efforts and patience throughout this process.”

In addition to Elliott Street School, the district is also rebuilding Oliver Street School, which is slated to open in the spring of 2016 and planning a construction project at South Street School, which is planned for completion in fall of 2018. These new buildings represent a new standard for facilities in the district that NPS leaders hope to build upon in coming years.