NEWARK, NJ — Superintendent Roger Leon announced the opening of two new schools for the start of the 2020-’21 school year. “The opening of the Newark School of Global Studies and Sir Isaac Newton Elementary School are pivotal to the district’s growth and expansion strategy,” said Leon. Both schools are opening at existing district facilities that have undergone major renovations and upgrades in preparation for the new instructional programs that will be offered to city students.
The Newark School of Global Studies opens with an inaugural class of ninth-graders and will grow one additional grade level each year until the school serves grades 9 to 12. “The Newark School of Global Studies is the first school in the district to offer four years of Arabic and Chinese. Students will be immersed in these strategic languages, deemed ‘critical,’ and engaged in rigorous coursework in the areas of international relations and international business,” shared Board of Education President Josephine Garcia.
The superintendent stressed that, “The district’s goal is to prepare students to compete with their classmates across the country and internationally by leveraging foreign language proficiency acquired in our schools to tackle the world’s most difficult challenges.”
“The next diplomats and world economic leaders will come from the Newark School of Global Studies,” said Newark School of Global Studies Principal Nelson Ruiz. “Our partnership with Seton Hall’s School of Diplomacy and International Relations will create a unique path for our students to further their studies at the postsecondary level.” The district has also partnered with Ambassador Attallah Shabazz, the eldest daughter of Malcolm X and Betty Shabazz, who will serve as a provost for the school and usher partnerships with multinational organizations, such as the United Nations.
Sir Isaac Newton Elementary School opens with prekindergarten through first grade and will grow one additional grade level each year until the school serves prekindergarten through eighth grade. Students from Sir Isaac Newton Elementary School will be admitted to Science Park High School, potentially redefining the traditional feeder pattern of elementary to high schools across the city. In preparation for the course work at Science Park High School, students at Sir Isaac Newton will be offered interdisciplinary modules throughout their elementary years that solidify core engineering principles.
“The faculty at Sir Isaac Newton have undergone an intense summer professional development with Project Lead the Way, the nation’s leading STEM institution,” said Leon.
“The faculty are excited about the curriculum enhancements that have proven to leverage the exploratory nature of our youngest learners,” added Sir Isaac Newton Elementary School Principal Frances Finazzo.
Since the superintendent’s appointment, the district has opened four new schools: East Ward Elementary and Newark Vocational High School in 2019; and Newark School of Global Studies and Sir Isaac Newton Elementary School in 2020. The district has also expanded five elementary schools — Benjamin Franklin, Roberto Clemente, Elliott, Harriet Tubman and Salome Urena — adding a grade level each year until the schools go through eighth grade.
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