This edition of Trust Matters is dedicated to providing opportunities and resources for children and families to enjoy one another and the Newark community throughout the summer months. Here we provide a round up of options to help prevent summer slide, have fun, and engage in self care with resources from Arts Ed Newark, The City of Newark, The Newark Museum of Art, The Newark Public Library and Newark Thrives.

NEW PANELIST & PRESENTER ALERT! We are excited to announce the addition of new panelists and presenters at NTE's third annual Safe and Supportive Learning Environments (SSLE) Summit: Covid-19 & Beyond, including SEL Award Presenters:A'Dorian Murray-Thomas (Newark Board of Education); Kaleena Berryman (Abbott Leadership Institute); and Superintendent Roger León (Newark Board of Education); Day 3 Session#1 The Path Towards Building Systemic SEL: New Panelist - Kelly Allen (NJ Department of Education Office of Student Support Services) and Senator M. Teresa Ruiz (D) (New Jersey ); Day 3 Session#3 Arts Education & Healing-Centered Practices to Build Resilience: Panelists - Sheikia “Purple Haze” Norris (NJPAC's Hip Hop Arts & Culture Education Program); Alysia Souder (The Institute of Music for Children); Lara Gonzalez (Independent Dance Teaching Artist); Kelly Heinze (Newark Board of Education Art Educator); and Olivia Betzen (Peshine Avenue Elementary School Music Educator).

The following sessions require separate registration

Day 2 - Session #1 (11:30 am to 12:30 pm) - Tuesday, May 11th

Student-first SEL: Developing a Culturally Responsive Approach to Social Emotional Learning
SEL can be a powerful tool for deepening one's connection to their own culture and for building bridges between communities. For this to occur, SEL initiatives and practices must be developed in a responsible and inclusive manner. This session will deepen participant’s understanding of culturally responsive SEL and its key principles, for application to individual practices and communities. (Facilitators Brandon Frame, Joshua Bobrow, and Fabiola Quinones, Urban Assembly)
Click here to register.

Day 3 - Session #3 (11:00 am to 12:30 pm) - Wednesday, May 12th

Arts Education and Healing-Centered Practices to Build Resilience
As we think about the future of education in a post-pandemic world, we must acknowledge and address the impact of trauma caused or exacerbated by COVID-19 in both students and adults. Since 2018, Arts Ed Newark has partnered with artists, school leaders, community health providers, and philanthropy to develop and implement arts based, healing-centered training to provide the adults in schools with the tools to address trauma and build resiliency in their students. Learn about and experience elements of this scalable and replicable model that is building skills and changing hearts and minds in Newark, NJ and beyond.
(Facilitators: Lauren Meehan, ArtsEd Newark; Chiho Okuizumi Feindler, Save the Music Foundation (STM); Panelists: Sheikia “Purple Haze” Norris, NJPAC's Hip Hop Arts & Culture Education Program; Alysia Souder, The Institute of Music for Children; Lara Gonzalez, Independent Dance Teaching Artist; Kelly Heinze, Newark Board of Education Art Educator; Olivia Betzen, Peshine Avenue Elementary School Music Educator)
Click here to register.

Are you registered?

NEW SESSION ALERT! We are excited to announce the addition of a new session focused on Arts Education and Healing-Centered Practices to Build Resilience at NTE's third annual Safe and Supportive Learning Environments (SSLE) Summit: Covid-19 & Beyond! Scheduled for Thursday, May 12th (11:00 am - 12:30 pm), this session will introduce participants to arts based, healing-centered approaches to address trauma and build resiliency in students.

Are you registered?

The Newark Trust for Education is proud to present the third annual Safe and Supportive Learning Environments (SSLE) Summit: Covid-19 & Beyond! This year’s summit will focus on working together with students and families to create safe and supportive learning environments post pandemic. Over the course of four days (May 10th – 13th) participants will hear keynote remarks delivered by experts including Dena Simmons, Ed.D., Educator. Activist. Lifelong Learner and founder of LiberatED; David Adams, Board of Directors of the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) and  CEO of The Urban Assembly; and national expert on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) Dave Ellis, Executive Director for the Office of Resilience within New Jersey’s Department of Children and Families (DCF).

DOWNLOAD AGENDA HERE

Did you know that there are four open seats on the Newark Board of Education? On Tuesday, April 20^th Newark residents will have the opportunity to cast their votes for four open seats on the Newark Board of Education (NBOE). Six candidates will vie for three open seats for three-year terms. Two candidates will vie for one open seat to complete a one-year unexpired term.

After the passing of NBOE member, Tave Padilla, Vereliz Santana was appointed to his seat in January of 2021. Santana’s term will expire after the April 20^th election. The candidate elected for the unexpired one-year seat will complete the final year of Padilla’s term. Visit Campaign Central to learn more about the candidates!

Curious about the public question on the ballot regarding the budget for school year 2021-22? Download our Budget Fact Sheet to unpack the question regarding funds for the 2021-22 school year.

The Newark Trust for Education is dedicated to coordinating and focusing ideas, people, and resources to provide a quality public education to all children in Newark, New Jersey. As part of this mission, we are excited to announce the launch of Great Start, Great Future — our new early milestones campaign for Newark children, ages 0–3.

Our goal for the campaign is to educate parents and caregivers of children ages 0–3 about developmental milestones, connect them with resources and supports, and build and strengthen the communication infrastructure for engagement with parents and caregivers of young children in Newark.

To that end, we are excited to announce the rollout of our webpage and campaign materials. The webpage provides a list of local and national resources to inform and equip parents and caregivers with resources needed to aid their child’s development.

To understand the thoughts, questions, and concerns of the Newark community about starting school in September, Newark Trust for Education hosted an online conversation on ThoughtExchange. The views of ALL community members – with or without school-aged children – were captured because all voices are essential to this discussion. The feedback gathered via ThoughtExchange will be made public during a virtual town hall scheduled for Tuesday, September 1^st, 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm.

This is your opportunity to hear what Newark has to say.

Click Here to Register

The Newark Trust for Education is committed to hearing and lifting the voices of all community members on issues impacting the conditions for learning of the young people in Newark. To understand your thoughts, questions, and concerns about starting school in September, we are currently hosting an online conversation on ThoughtExchange. The views of ALL community members – with or without school-aged children – are essential to this discussion.

Led by the National Summer Learning Association (NSLA), National Summer Learning Week is a week-long celebration dedicated to elevating the importance of keeping kids learning, safe, and healthy every summer, ensuring they return to school in the fall ready to succeed. Themes for the week are: Dive into a Book Adventure, Discover STEM and Soar, Arts, Eat Healthy and Grow Strong to Win at Wellness, Celebrate the Future Leaders of Tomorrow and Make a Masterpiece. In celebration of National Summer Learning Week, this week's resources focus on local summer learning options. Find additional summer resources by clicking here. 

Welcome to summer! As we celebrate the graduates of 2020, parents and families also scramble to find summer resources and activities for children of school age. This week's newsletter features articles celebrating recent graduates, resources for summer learning,  and more.

Newark Trust for Education is also pleased to continue our partnership with Newark Arts Education Roundtable, Newark Thrives! and Schools That Can to administer the Victoria Foundation Public School Grants Program. Congratulations to recipients of the Social Emotional Learning grant for the 2020-2021 school year as part of the Victoria Collaborative.

Belmont Runyon School

Dr. William H. Horton School

Roseville Community Charter School

Science Park High School