TEAM & Family Magazine—Newark—Fall 2022

Dear KIPP Newark Families,

W E LCO M E

to the fall edition of TEAM and Family Magazine! We are grateful for the continued partnership of our returning families and warmly welcome new families as we head into fall.

Over 6,200 students and their families are enrolled in our schools in Newark this year and we’re committed to supporting each of those students on their path to a choice-filled life.

Reflecting this growth, KIPP Truth Academy and KIPP Justice Academy moved into their permanent home in a stateof-the art facility on Sussex Avenue in August. See the photos on page 6!

This edition highlights our community’s efforts to encourage a commitment to lifelong learning and cultivating students’ natural curiosity. From families making big career moves and staff earning graduate degrees, to the vivid imaginations of young writers and big ambitions of our high school students, our community is modeling what it means to keep learning throughout life.

In this issue, you will find:

Special Education

Our special education team supports all learners on their educational journeys. Hear from a parent, special education teacher, and an alumnus on how they’ve advocated for their students and themselves on page 10.

Lifelong Learners

Meet members of the KIPP Newark community who embody lifelong learning on page 12.

Authors in Our Community

We’ve featured the work of a student author and an educator in our school community, who were finalists in our annual Writing Contest! Head to page 16 for more.

In addition to this magazine, I will be sending monthly newsletters and hosting several virtual family town halls. Keep your eyes out for those and for those dates!

As we go through this school year together, I look forward to working in partnership with families to ensure every child receives an excellent education that prepares them to achieve their goals.

Sincerely, Drew Martin Executive Director, KIPP New Jersey

RESOURCES

QUESTIONS?

ABOUT KIPP NJ

KIPP JUSTICE ACADEMY

The KIPP Justice Academy community moved into our new home at 275 Sussex Ave and we are launching another school year focused on academic engagement.

KIPP Truth Academy welcomed students to its permanent home at 275 Sussex Ave. Thank you to staff and volunteers for all your hard work in preparing our building and making it a home.

KIPP Newark Community Prep has launched an engaging new year with our scholars. We are “fully grown” now, adding 8th grade to our school for the first time this August.

KIPP Upper Roseville is up and running in its fourth year! We are adding fourth grade this year, making our school “fully grown-ish.” We will offer four enrichment classes and a few fall events including “Kamping at KURA,” Hispanic Heritage Month parade and Father Figure Day.

KIPP NEWARK COLLEGIATE ACADEMY

KIPP Newark Collegiate Academy students have spent all quarter manifesting their magic in the classroom, on the athletic courts and fields and in their performances. We’re excited to continue to build and grow with each and every Panther.

KIPP RISE ACADEMY

KIPP Rise Academy is off to a great start with new school leader, Kyle Newsome. We love seeing students flood our hallways with our brand new floors and students are exploring a variety of extended learning opportunities during the fall semester.

KIPP SEEK

ACADEMY

KIPP Seek Academy is celebrating our 10th year and we’re proud to be building a legacy of learning in the South Ward. This year, we are going to be focusing on our scholars’ reading growth in our phenomenal learning spaces. Our playground was installed this summer and kids are loving it!

LYONSAVE

KIPP Life Academy started our series of monthly family events with an in-person Back to School Night and Harvest Festival during October.

KIPP TEAM Academy hosted their fourth annual “Kings Recognize Kings” event in conjunction with “Fathers Walk Your Kids to School Day.” We enjopyed welcoming fathers, uncles, coaches, and all male mentors who impact our children’s lives.

KIPP Purpose Academy loved kicking off our second year with our 5th and 6th grade scholars! We’ve made many aesthetic improvements to our building to make our school feel more like a home this year.

KIPP Newark Lab marked its first year as a fully grown school with grades 9-12. As our 12th graders embark on their final year, we look forward to our first Senior Signing day, prom, and graduation. Go Sharks!

KIPP SPARK Academy is working hard to create a joyful learning environment for our students, families, and staff this year! Our goal is for each student to grow four reading levels by the end of the year.

KIPP THRIVE Academy staff kicked off Latinx Heritage Month and hosted our annual “Dads Bring Your Child to School” event. We love to connect with our community.

KIPP BOLD ACADEMY

KIPP BOLD Academy welcomed back staff and students and our community came together for our Family Fun Fall Fest! #GoodTimes

KIPP NEWARK LAB HIGH SCHOOL

KIPP SPARK ACADEMY

KIPP PURPOSE ACADEMY

KIPP TEAM ACADEMY

KIPP THRIVE ACADEMY

KIPP NEWARK COMMUNITY PREP

KIPP LIFE ACADEMY

KIPP UPPER ROSEVILLE ACADEMY

KIPP Lanning Square Primary has been busy hosting and planning family engagement events like “Donuts With Grownups” and our Family Winterfest Dance.

KIPP LANNING SQUARE PRIMARY

KIPP Lanning Square Middle celebrated our traditions as an entire team and familia. We focused on engagement both in the classroom, and on fields and courts, in Camden, and at every celebration. The Revolutionary spirit is ready to rock out this year.

KIPP LANNING SQUARE MIDDLE

KIPP Hatch Middle families had a great time at

Welcome BBQ at the beginning of school and are planning a pumpkin carving for

end

October.

forward

families for

Potluck,

exhibit, and

carnival during the remainder of

school year.

KIPP HATCH MIDDLE

KIPP Sumner Elementary was proud to open our doors to Camden K-2 students in our founding year. We are so excited to witness the joy and community unfolding at our school!

KIPP SUMNER ELEMENTARY

KIPP Cooper Norcross Academy High School extracurriculars will take students outside of the classroom and into the community! Our competitive dance team will return to the stage at the Camden County Teen Arts Festival, while our photography club will continue to highlight the beauty of Camden and its residents.

KIPP HIGH SCHOOL

What’s new in Newark this school year? Our campus at Sussex Avenue!

STEP INSIDE OUR NEWEST BUILDING IN NEWARK, FROM THE EARLY DAYS OF CONSTRUCTION, TO THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL IN AUGUST!

Under construction since 2021, elementary school KIPP Truth Academy and middle school KIPP Justice Academy moved into the building, their permanent location, this August. Some highlights from the new campus include a performing arts space, science labs, a gymnasium, and a lounge where families connect with one another, or access a computer room and laundry. Collectively, these spaces will allow students to discover and explore their passions inside and outside the classroom.

KIPP Justice Academy parent, Ashley Carter-Anderson, was thrilled her son Carter was able to start the school year in the new campus.

“My husband and I are ecstatic that our son will have an opportunity to attend middle school in a state of the art facility. Every year we look forward to the start of the school year, but this year we anticipated that day with a new level of excitement, knowing we watched the campus transform right before our eyes.”

Ashley Carter-Anderson KIPP JUSTICE ACADEMY PARENT

A science classroom at Justice awaits desks prior to the first day of school!

Students on Day 1 at Justice

Ashley Carter-Anderson and KIPP Justice Academy 6th grader Carter Anderson, with younger daughter Carsynn Anderson, outside of the new building on the first day of school.

KIPP Justice Academy school leader Sharae Lewis-Griffith greets a student on the first day of school.

brand

dance studio

students to stay active

acquire new dance moves! Day 1 at KIPP Truth Academy

Early days of construction on the school’s gym!

Making Space:

NAVIGATING DIFFICULT TOPICS WITH YOUR CHILD

KIPP Newark Lab High School Dean, Sean Ogunnoiki can still remember the conversation he had with his students after the January 6th, 2021 invasion of the Capitol building in Washington, D.C.

“They came in with a lot of questions,” he said. “They asked me why it was ok for people to be violent in our Capitol, when the same behavior by their neighbors in Newark would likely cause immediate arrests. We talked about them one by one,” said Ogunnoiki.

Against a backdrop of rapid social change and an uptick in violence nationwide, students in 2022 are receiving information (and misinformation) from more sources than ever, whether it’s TikTok or Twitter. With more sources of news, it’s harder for adults and students alike to discern fact from fiction and have informed conversations that ease anxiety and promote greater understanding of the issues that shape our world.

Here are some of the best tips we pulled from experts inside and outside of our community on how to connect with children about tough conversations and discern myths from reality.

Let Kids Lead

KIPP Newark Community Prep parent Kenyetta Gorham believes that unpacking difficult political or news topics requires making space for conversations with her child. “I give my daughter the floor to feel out where she feels. Instead of sharing my opinion and being biased, I get her insights. I allow her to elaborate, I’ll even tell her to Google the topic, then we come together for a conversation,” said Gorham.

Offer Context and Resources

Against a backdrop of school shootings or bullying incidents in the news, students may have a heightened sense of fear in classrooms.

KIPP Upper Roseville Academy parent Ethosha Parker noticed her son was concerned about bullying and also brought up the school’s recent safety drills at home. “In kindergarten, he learned so much, but he would worry a little about bullying. I gave him a talk about who in the school would be the right person to speak

Teacher Amiel Holliday greets a student at KIPP Lanning Square Middle.

Ethosha Parker and her son Idris Bryant

to if he had a problem, and it helped him to feel like he had those resources,” said Parker.

Sources Matter!

“For a lot of kids, social media and TikTok are where they receive their news first,” said Amiel Holliday, a History teacher at KIPP Lanning Square Middle in Camden, New Jersey. Holliday encourages students to think carefully about where they’re getting their news and always examine an issue from more than one perspective. “I believe in meeting kids where they’re at on social media, which means that I’ll take class time after a major event to help them unpack what they’re seeing,” said Holliday. “We’ll look at several TikToks on the same topic from a different perspective, and do the same with online articles,” he said. Holliday encourages families to do the same at home.

FROM COMMON SENSE MEDIA

We’re sharing top tips from Common Sense Media, a nonprofit that helps families and educators support children in navigating digital media.

CHILDREN UNDER 7

Keep the news away. Turn off the TV and radio news at the top of the hour and half hour. Preschool kids don’t need to see or hear about something that will only scare them silly, especially because they can easily confuse facts with fantasies or fears.

Tell them that your family is safe, loved, and valued. At this age, kids are most worried about safety and separation from you. It’s important to help them feel safe and cope with their feelings, even during troubling times. Try not to downplay their concerns and fears.

TIPS FOR KIDS AGE 8–12

Consider your child individually. Many kids can handle a discussion of threatening events, but if your kids tend toward the sensitive side, be sure to keep them away from the TV news. Repetitive images and stories can make dangers appear greater, more prevalent, and closer to home.

Questions & Conversation. At this age, many kids will see the morality of events in stark black-and-white terms and are in the process of developing their moral beliefs. This is a good time to ask them what they know, since they’ll probably have gotten their information from friends, and you may have to correct facts.

Discuss and limit coverage. You might explain that even news programs compete for viewers, which sometimes affects content decisions. If you let your kids use the internet, go online with them.

TIPS FOR TEENS

Check in. Since, in many instances, teens will have absorbed the news independently of you, talking with them can offer great insights into their developing politics and their senses of justice and morality. And it will give you the opportunity to throw your own insights into the mix (just don’t dismiss theirs, since that will shut down the conversation immediately).

Let teens express themselves. Try to address their concerns without dismissing or minimizing them. If you disagree with media portrayals, explain why so your teens can separate the mediums they get news from and the messages conveyed.

“I give my daughter the floor to feel out where she feels. Instead of sharing my opinion and being biased, I get her insights.”

Kenyetta Gorham PARENT KIPP NEWARK COMMUNITY PREP

Kenyetta Gorham and daughter A'maya

IEPPerspectives

Breaking the Stigma and Gaining Understanding

Across the United States, 7.2 million students receive support from an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) to address learning difficulties caused by a diagnosed disability.

At KIPP Newark, every teammate is committed to supporting every student that enters their classrooms and partnering with families on that journey. Our special educators provide additional support to students with IEPs by collaborating with classroom teachers and providing direct instruction to students with disabilities. By combining their expertise, knowledge, and dedication, our families and staff enable students to reach a high bar—and never feel embarrassed about receiving the support they need to get there.

We spoke to a KIPP Newark alumnus, a special education teacher, and a parent about their experiences navigating IEPs and the advice they’d share about breaking the stigma and supporting students with learning disabilities to become lifelong learners.

Tianna Robinson LEARNING SPECIALIST, KIPP NEWARK COMMUNITY PREP

As a learning specialist at KIPP Newark Community Prep, I support middle school students with learning disabilities achieve their full potential and grow as learners and people. I want to get to know my students beyond any specific disability they may have and understand who they are and how they learn.

I believe that being transparent about a child’s disability can help them become better self-advocates and more empowered learners. I often meet with students in small groups, so first we talk about

what their goals look like for the year. Over time, I’ll start explaining that a learning disability means that a person acquires knowledge differently than other students, but that they’re just as capable of learning and excelling. By the end of the year, students are often able to connect the dots and articulate their disability to others, whether they have ADHD, a physical disability that impacts learning, or are on the autism spectrum.

I’ve learned that close partnerships with families are also vital to student success. I meet regularly with families and during IEP meetings they help us draft their child’s goals, often alongside students. This family-driven approach is personal to me—my brother has ADHD and is in 8th grade this year. One thing I’m supporting my mom with is understanding that his IEP comes with parental rights! She needs to understand those rights and so do our families. Communication and transparency with families, grounded in a belief that learning disabilities are nothing to be embarrassed about will help all of our students set and achieve their goals!

Michael N’Tifo KIPP NEWARK COLLEGIATE ACADEMY, CLASS OF 2018 LYCOMING COLLEGE, CLASS OF 2022

I grew up in Newark and attended district schools for elementary and most of middle school. In 8th grade, I enrolled at KIPP TEAM Academy. When I started at TEAM, I was concerned that I wasn’t on the same level as the other kids, since I didn’t attend KIPP directly after elementary school and I knew from my cousin that the bar there was high. The transition was tough, I had to take placement tests and take more intensive classes for support. I just felt like my previous school failed me.

Fortunately, TEAM was especially accommodating to my individual needs and offered me small group instruction and other support that helped me grow my reading skills. In high school at KIPP Newark Collegiate Academy, I knew my KIPP teachers really cared about my education and me as a person. They always took my IEP into consideration, helped me learn to write concise papers, offered audiobooks for difficult texts, and made modified handouts that

were easier for me to understand. I’ve acquired lifelong mentors like Ms. Okoye and also friends who help me succeed.

At Lycoming College, the curriculum was rigorous and unfortunately I felt like my college professors didn’t take my IEP as seriously as they should have, because the accommodations were inconsistent. My learning disability impacted my choice of major, and I wound up pursuing criminal justice because it was less reading-heavy and a way for me to support my community, which is important to me.

My drive to succeed in college led me to reach back out to my KIPP NJ family. My former teachers and KIPP Forward counselor, Ciera Martinez, always helped me if I needed academic support or struggled with mental health. I knew I could go to them for help and they would come through for me. If I had to give any advice to current KIPP students navigating an IEP it would be to always ask for help, always advocate for yourself, and never be scared to speak up about your needs. You shouldn’t be afraid of your IEP nor embarrassed by it. If anything, you should embrace it.

Vivian Melendez PARENT, KIPP NEWARK COMMUNITY PREP

My daughter is a seventh grader at KIPP Newark Community Prep and has struggled with reading comprehension, which also translates over to math work. Before she joined KIPP as a fifth grader, it was difficult to get her the support she needed. In fourth grade, she was finally diagnosed with a learning disability and was able to access additional resources.

When her reading struggles first came up, we did lots of different things to support her — including extra tutoring, Kumon, extracurriculars, but she still would struggle with things like completing her homework. When she got into NCP, they zoned in on what she was struggling with and made a plan for her IEP. It was such a weight off my shoulders as a parent to have a strong support system in place; I wanted to cry!

My advice to other families whose students have an IEP is to communicate with teachers! Ms. Robinson is always there for us and we check in through text or email if any issues come up. I also try to empower my daughter to advocate for herself and her learning. I say, “Ask five questions about a subject if that’s what it takes for you to understand it!” When you first start off with an IEP, there’s paperwork and it can feel overwhelming. But as a parent, it’s important to understand your child’s needs throughout the process and ask questions. I tell my daughter to not listen to anyone who might make her feel embarrassed about her IEP. Today, she’s getting A’s and B’s and I’m so proud of her progress!

If you believe your child could benefit from special education service, please reach out to your school’s Assistant Principal of Special Education or your child’s teacher.

KIPP NCA alumnus and KIPP NJ summer marketing intern Alexis Conde contributed to this piece.

“I believe that being transparent about a child’s disability can help them become better self-advocates and more empowered learners.”

Tianna Robinson LEARNING SPECIALIST KIPP NEWARK COMMUNITY PREP

LIFELONG LEARNERS IN THE SPOTLIGHT!

Our teachers and staff work to draw out our students’ innate curiosity every day in our classrooms, whether they’re examining a nonfiction book or creating a volcano for a science fair.

The goal? To ensure the curiosity our students bring to the classroom is cultivated, not just in their time with KIPP Newark, but for life.

Luckily for our students, they have some great role models in our KIPP community. Whether they’ve completed graduate degrees or received a promotion, our teachers and families are making big moves to improve their careers and model lifelong learning for their students and children.

Rodari Edwards

PARENT, KIPP TEAM ACADEMY

I graduated university in 2005 and started my career in the financial services industry, but I ultimately found that the work didn’t align with my value system. Joining the military had always been a bucket list dream for me, and in 2014, I enlisted as a medic in the New Jersey Army National Guard.

Since that time, I’ve helped service members process their medical clearances and ensured that Soldiers receive the medical tests they needed to deploy across the country and abroad. I was recently promoted to staff sergeant, so today I assist with the credentialing of military medical providers, maintain the department’s budget, assist with the continued Medical Readiness of soldiers and also manage the Army hearing program to support soldiers who were exposed to hazardous noise.

The military is an environment where you have to constantly learn new things and adapt to new problems. You always need to learn something new or understand a new regulation or process. I try to pass this mindset along to my kids and I believe that my children have benefited from their teachers who try to foster that environment.

Kelon Givans

SENIOR, KIPP NEWARK COLLEGIATE ACADEMY KIPP SPARK AND TEAM ACADEMY ALUMNUS

This past summer, I was accepted and enrolled in the Summer@ Brown program at Brown University. Walking into the week, it was a new experience and there was nobody there who I knew, so it really pushed me out of my comfort zone. I wound up making a lot of connections.

I’ve always been passionate about math and science, which led me to enroll in the physics course. It was a good refresher from the course I took at NCA, because I know in college I’ll need to take a higher level physics course. Since I can remember, my favorite subject was math. At TEAM, my math teacher, Ms. V, really pushed me to do better. I am smart, but I’d never act smart and she helped me realize my potential.

I think it’s important to have people who push you towards your goals. In the future, I’m thinking about studying engineering or accounting. I will be the first person in my family to attend college. Even when it’s stressful, I’ll keep learning for learnings’ sake.

Sashai Roberts

TEACHER, KIPP SUMNER ELEMENTARY (FORMERLY, TEACHER KIPP THRIVE ACADEMY IN NEWARK) KIPP NEWARK COLLEGIATE ACADEMY ALUMNUS, CLASS OF 2010

As a KIPP alum who’s been teaching with KIPP New Jersey for three years, I try to help my students share their stories and develop a lens of being constant learners. So much of that emerges from the relationships we build with them and their families. I’m still in contact with my mentors from KIPP NJ and I want my students to have that same support.

Earlier this year, I graduated from the Policy Fellows program run by JerseyCAN, which is an education advocacy organization. This fellowship allowed me to explore my passions for education policy and better understand how politics influences educational practice in New Jersey. We met twice a month to hear from guest speakers, school leaders and hear panel discussions on different topics.

One thing I took away from the program was the importance of sharing your voice on things that matter to you. I created an action plan to write a letter to Assembly ED asking for a hearing and sent my letter to an online media source to share my story about replacing the Praxis with a mentorship program for teachers. I am currently working on other ways my story and advocacy work can be heard.

Ann Burke MATH TEACHER, KIPP RISE ACADEMY

I recently completed a master’s degree in education policy and management at the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE). The courses that most resonated with me included one class on community and school partnerships and another on healing-centered student engagement.

The partnerships course really gave me the tools I needed to implement strategies that connect with families and lead to systems at Rise that support community engagement. The course on healing-centered engagement gave me the space to think about how intergenerational trauma can impact teachers and students. I’m trying to bring this lens to my work as a teacher coach this year, and encourage teacher wellness and self-care. When adults in the building can prioritize self-care and community care, that positive impact trickles down to our students as well.

I’ve always shared my curiosity with students. I’ll come back to class after a professional development conference and share new math strategies I learned. During graduate school at HGSE, I showed them things like how I organized my assignments, and even shared my final statistics project. They live-streamed the graduation on YouTube, and my students watched! They’ve always been my biggest cheerleaders!

Authors in Our

Every year, KIPP New Jersey offers students and staff the chance to share their best writing through our community Writing Contest.

We’re grateful for the imaginations of students like Abdoul and the work of teachers like Ms. Ivy who help cultivate lifelong curiosity in their students!

“Can You See It?”

BY CASSANDRA IVERSON (AKA MS. IVY!) ELA TEACHER, KIPP PURPOSE ACADEMY

The future sits in front of me, their smiles, hope, and curiosity, paint the picture of what I know will be, the future we all need.

Artists, teachers, scientists, inventors, musicians, and activists, young people who will heal our planet, just as we have imagined it.

Limited only by their will to be, but not by what they can achieve, these faces that sit before me, hold the future we all need.

Politicians, authors, mathematicians, nurses, fire fighters, and pediatricians, they are more than the careers they choose, they are more than they believe to be true.

Can you see the endless possibilities? Their questions, their voices, their discoveries, their grows, their glows, their reveries? There in their joy I see the future as it should be.

Community

“As Of Now”

BY ABDOUL DIALLO STUDENT, KIPP NEWARK COMMUNITY PREP

As of now, “simple” is a distant past, As of now, the world has been overtaken by the future, No walking, No driving, No buses, no cars, Only teleportation and flying, The world was reworked, bit by bit, Paper textbooks, wooden pencils, where have they gone? Replaced by advanced technology, Replaced by artificial intelligence

Where before you would walk down a simple sidewalk, Now you travel in a pod that can extend at will. What has before been a paper textbook, Is now a screen that hovers over a desk.

Schools, now being something that you can do from home, or from anywhere,

Another generation ahead of our time, This is our new world.

Jul 4 Closed - Holiday

Aug 15 First Day - Entry Grades: SPARK, THRIVE, Seek, Life, KURA, Truth (K), TEAM, Rise, BOLD, NCP, Purpose, Justice (5th), NCA and NLHS (9th)

Aug 17 First Day - All Grades

Aug 29 No School - Staff PD Day

Sep 5 No School - Labor Day

Sep 26 No School - Staff PD Day

Oct 10 No School - Indigenous Peoples' Day

Oct 28 No School - Staff PD Day

Nov 11 No School - Veteran's Day

Nov 16-17 Early Dismissal - Q1 RCCs

Nov 23-25 No School - Thanksgiving Break

Dec 5 No School - Staff PD Day

Dec 22 Half Day Dismissal

Dec 23-31 No School - Winter Break

Jan 2 No School - Winter Break

Jan 3 No School - Staff PD Day

Jan 16 No School - MLK Day

Feb 1-2 Early Dismissal - Q2 RCC's

Feb 3 No School - Staff PD Day

Feb 17 Half Day Dismissal

Feb 20-24 No School - Mid-Winter Break

Mar 20 No School - Staff PD Day

Apr 7 Half Day Dismissal

Apr 10-14 No School - Spring Break

Apr 25-26 Half Day Dismissals - Q3 RCCs

Apr 28 No School - Staff PD Day

May 26 No School - Staff PD Day

May 29 No School - Memorial Day

Jun 12-16 Half Day Dismissals

Jun 14-15 Q4 RCCs

Jun 16 Last Day of School

Jun 19 Closed - Juneteenth Holiday