Schools

Luis Muñoz Marin Hosts Production of Disney’s “The Lion King”

Luis Muñoz Marin School for Social Justice is pleased host a production of Disney’s The Lion King. A team of teachers and students in grades 3-5 have been working on all aspects of the production since October and are proud to invite family, friends, and members of the community to our wonderful production of The Lion King on March 8th and 10th at 6:30pm. Each night of the show is already sold out, and over 500 guests are expected to attend.

Luis Muñoz Marin was one of five schools in the State of New Jersey selected by NJPAC to have the rights to produce a Disney Kids musical. The school has been working with Disney teaching artists throughout the process who have provided ongoing guidance and support. Luis Muñoz Marin’s partnership with Disney will last for three years, with two more Disney productions on the way.

The entire experience has been transformative for the students, staff, and families involved, and we are excited to host our very own production of The Lion King on Broadway!



NHL Tonight: 2016 World Cup of Hockey Roster Announcement Show

NHL-Network

Eight NPS Hockey Players appeared live on NHL Network to take part in the NHL Tonight: 2016 World Cup of Hockey Roster Announcement Show. Each student represented one of the 8 World Cup teams and wore the jersey from that team during the show as the rosters were being discussed. They also discussed the Hockey In NJ program. In addition to having a boys’ hockey team NPS also had an ALL girls’ hockey team as well.


Daniel King, student at East Side High School is featured in this video.

Science Park High School’s award-winning debate program featured in NJEA’s Classroom Close-up, NJ

Synopsis
Newark Debate – Newark educator Jonathan Alston demonstrates that debate skills can improve test scores and help students critically read, write and think. Born and raised in Newark where he won two debate state championships, Jonathan went on the Yale University, and last year was selected as the National Debate Coach Association Educator of the Year. Because he proved that debate fit all the common core standards and prepares students for the international Baccalaureate, his administration approved a new initiative that requires every 7th grader to take a debate class. Under his coaching, two students have been on the USA Debate Team and competed internationally.

Science Park High School award-winning debate program was recently featured in NJEA’s Classroom Close-up, NJ. Jonathan Alston, who teaches and coaches the Science Park debate team, says that debate helps students develop high-level skills that are essential to the common core curriculum. Debate is now a required part of the Newark Public Schools’ curriculum starting in 7th grade.

Science Park High School’s debate team has received state and national recognition over the years, winning 20 consecutive state championships. Alston, who was born and raised in Newark, won two debate state championships and went on to study at Yale University. Last year, he was selected as the National Debate Coach Association Educator of the Year. Under Alston, two students have been selected for the USA Debate Team and went on to compete internationally.

Classroom Close-up, NJ is a half-hour television program that features innovative projects in New Jersey public schools. The 14-time Emmy® award-winning show is in its 22nd season and airs on NJTV every Sunday at 7:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; Wednesdays at 11:30 p.m.; and Saturdays at 5:30 a.m. The show is sponsored by PSE&G. The show is the only half-hour program in the country devoted to featuring the positive things happening in public schools. Here you can watch current shows, search for stories that have aired the past two decades, check out the video contest, become a fan, view the photo gallery, and check out the schedule and monthly guide.

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.

Newcomer Students at East Side High School

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Inspimind’s Hispanic College Student Leaders

On February 19, 2016, 60 newcomer students from East Side High School of Newark, New Jersey were inspired with the success stories of 7 young Hispanic leaders. In this workshop, students were split into groups where the topics of self-identity, and positive influences were addressed. In their groups, students illustrated their identity by drawing on a lunchbag, and they presented their identity (presented their bag) to their immediate group. The workshop concluded with having the students write to each other positive messages followed by a final motivating statement from each student leader.
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Outline for the workshop

The entire workshop will be done in Spanish

Purpose of the workshop: We’ll address the importance of self-identity, and how to express that identity to attract positive influences that will help newcomer students to adapt and adjust their lives in this country.

Logistics: The students will be split into 5 different groups. As they walk into the cafeteria, two of our program facilitators be handing out numbers (from 1-5) to each student, and the number a student receives, will represent the table they will sit at for the entire workshop; the tables will be numbered from 1-5. We will have 3 of our facilitators directing the students to sit at their corresponding tables.

Program Facilitators:

  • Albert Rodriguez-Graduate from New Jersey City University (Media Communications Major)
  • Elowis Burgos-Student at William Paterson University (Mass Media Communications Major)
  • Alejandro Rios-Graduate from Montclair State University (Family and Child Services Major)
  • Derlina Dias-Student at Montclair State University (Family and Child Services Major)
  • Jen Figueroa-Student at Montclair State University (Business Administration Major)
  • Milton De Leon-Student at Montclair State University (Anthropology Major)
  • Wilfredo Betance Jr-Graduate from Montclair State University (Business Administration Major)
  1. Introduction of Inspimind
    1. Wilfredo and his team of program facilitators will introduce themselves.
  2. Identity Exercise
    1. Purpose of the exercise
      1. This exercise is to offer the opportunity for the students to appreciate who they are, and to share their identity to their peers. We as individuals should be able to understand that we have something unique to offer to this world. Many of us may not have found our purpose, but that is ok. The ability to keep on revisiting questions like (“Who we are?), or doing exercises like this, it helps us, as individuals, to hone in on discovering our purpose.
    2. The actual exercise
      1. Students will be given a paper bag in which they’ll draw on it to express their identity. If students like to play soccer, they’ll draw a soccer ball, for example. After the students are finished drawing on their bags, they’ll present their bags (their identity) to others in their group.
  3. Speech of Positive Influences
    1. One of our program facilitators (Derlina Dias), who was born in the Dominican Republic, will be giving a speech on her experience in getting adjusted to her new life in USA when she first came to this country. Derlina will mention that by being around positive influences, she has been able to let go of the negative things in her past. In addition, she will mention how these positive influences has helped her overcome the obstacle of learning the English language.
  4. Positive Influences Exercise
    1. Purpose of the exercise
      1. The students are going to get a deeper understanding on how Derlina’s positive influences has helped her move forward with her life as a newcomer student to this country. The students are going to take her experiences of surrounding herself with positive people and apply it to their lives.
    2. The actual exercise
      1. The students will be given a bag from another student. Based on what’s drawn on the other student’s bag, they will write three positive messages in it. Afterwards, the students will receive their original bags, and they’ll read out loud their positive messages to their group. Lastly, this will be followed by a discussion within each group.
  5. Closing Remarks