Pride Scholars at Kean University!

On May 1st students in our MVP program embarked on a college tour of Kean University. Kean University is located in Union, NJ, ten minutes away from Pride Academy Charter School. Kean University was founded in 1855 in Newark, NJ as the Newark Normal School. It later became known as the Newark Teachers College and in 1958, it moved from Newark to Union.

The trip to Kean gave the students an opportunity to gain insight into the life of a college student. Our students were given a tour of the University by a Kean ambassador. They were introduced to various sights within the University such as the Center for Academic Success, Kean’s Administration Building, Harwood Arena, and a Dormitory.

The MVP program began on April 17th in order to focus on developing self-growth in our male students and is conducted by teacher/mentors within the school. Students in the program meet on Saturdays and participate in workshops and activities that are interactive, engaging, and informative. During MVP’s first meeting, students participated in a workshop focusing on our core value of Respect. Students discussed the value of respect and how it shapes their lives on a daily basis. Students were engaged in various physical activities that focused on this theme and involved them in working with others to successfully reach a goal. In this session, students also came up with the program’s motto, which they called, “Respect,
No Excuses.”

In upcoming sessions, the MVP Program will be focused on leadership, drug awareness, and an end of the year trip with Project U.S.E. Through these experiences, the mentors hope to build upon key characteristics of leadership, respect, self-motivation, communication skills, and goal-setting that will help our young men succeed in their future endeavors. The program has also hosted guest speakers such as a councilman and an attorney from our wider East Orange community, who gave the students further insight into these important life skills.

The founders of the program, Mr. Altamirano, Mr. Simon, and Mr. Dinzey, hope to continue to provide opportunities and instill values that will help the young men in the program develop and exercise their talents in leadership, service, and scholarship.

By Mr. Dinzey, Mr. Altamirano and Mr. Simon

Genetics Expo

On April 21, 2010, the seventh graders hosted the 2nd Annual Genetics Expo. Prior to the formal presentations at the Exposition, the students were engaged in the study of heredity and genetics. Through the course of their studies, they encountered some of the genetic disorders that exist and affect many people. Working in teams, students embarked upon an in depth research project where they gathered information about a particular genetic disorder or disease. Some of the conditions researched included; Neurofibromatosis, Diabetes, Down Syndrome, Follicular Lymphoma, and Sickle Cell Anemia. Once all of the information was obtained, students organized Power Point presentations to communicate their findings with our school community. This year, we were honored to have several members of the community share their knowledge with us. Mrs. Judy Bellina from the ARC of Essex in Newark, joined us and addressed the community about Down Syndrome and further educated us about some of the services that are provided to individuals affected by this disorder. In addition, students had the opportunity to listen to the sister of a fellow classmate, as she spoke about living with diabetes. Another student, Abdul Ibn-Malik was joined by his mother during his presentation, and the duo shared information about a condition that was close to heart for both of them.

The Expo provided a wonderful platform for students to share their work with other students, parents, teachers, and other members of our community. It was an experience that enabled the students to develop their critical thinking skills, oral presentation skills, and most importantly, it was an opportunity for students to uphold the core value of empathy in a new light. Many presentations included video documentaries of individuals afflicted with the disorders and it was remarkable to observe the respect and admiration our students felt for them. The students would like to thank all of their teachers and parents for their support, as well as Mrs. Thomas for allowing them to arrive to school professionally dressed and giving them the opportunity to showcase their findings. It was an incredible learning opportunity and an experience that will
remain with them for a long time.

Reach For The Stars Literacy Campaign

To ensure that our students are exercising their brains at home during the NJASK testing season, Pride Academy is launching the "REACH FOR THE STARS" Literacy Campaign.

Students are being challenged to read at least 30 minutes a night for two weeks. Students are also being asked to get pledges from sponsors. Students will use the money that they collect to purchase their own books to read over the summer vacation. Other incentives include certificates, trophies, and a dress down day.

Teachers are getting the students motivated to read by challenging the whole student body to read for a total of 72,000 minutes. If the students reach this challenge, the teachers will perform the "THRILLER DANCE" for the school community. Students are encouraged to read beyond the 30 minutes a day in order to ensure they reach their school-wide goal.

Let’s work together to reach for the STARS and READ for life and leisure!

NJASK Testing for 7th and 8th Graders

NJASK tests will be administered to all 7th and 8th graders this week during the mornings of Tuesday 4/27, Wednesday 4/28, Thursday 4/29 and Friday 4/30.

As you know, these tests are very important for your children, and our teachers have been working hard with your children all year to ensure their success on the tests. Now the testing time has arrived and this is your children’s time to SHINE and show you and their community their talents and brilliance. We have made it to this final NJASK academic championship and we are excited about the outcome!

YOU can help support us as we work to continue to prepare your children for success on the NJASK tests by encouraging them to:

Sleep well! Please ensure that your children get a good night’s rest before testing days.

Eat breakfast! Please ensure that your children eat a healthy and nutritious breakfast on testing mornings.

Be on time! Please ensure that your children arrive to school on time by 8:00 am on all testing days.

Be Prepared! Please reinforce the importance of your children following all testing directions and being prepared to be SILENT and focused during the test, place their book bags in a designated area in the classroom, and hand in their cell phones so that they can be removed from the classroom during the test and stored in a safe place until the testing is over.

Be Brain-Sharp! Please ensure that your children READ every night to exercise critical thinking skills, condition their brains, and build their vocabulary and reading comprehension strategies.

Be Comfortable! Please ensure that if your children suffer from seasonal allergies, that they use eye drops or take non-drowsy medications before they come to school in the morning.

Be Confident and Courageous! Remind your children that they have nothing to be anxious or fearful about –they are prepared and ready for the tests!

Be Determined! Remind your children to not put their heads down during the tests or give up because some questions may be difficult. Ask them to promise you that they will write complete and full answers to ALL the open ended questions.

Be Proud! Remind your children how much you love them and how proud you are of their accomplishments.

Thank you for your continued support and for your faith in Pride Academy. Please reach out to Mrs. Thomas or Ms Dumenigo if you have any questions about the testing.

Countdown to NJASK Testing!

The months of April and May are very important months in the lives of your children and in the life of our school. Important State mandated NJASK tests will be administered to students in grades 5-8 beginning two weeks after we return from Spring vacation. In order to build your children’s motivation and increase their level of preparedness and confidence in taking the tests, we have implemented a school wide 20–Day Countdown to Success. Each day, teachers lead presentations and activities that focus on math and language arts literacy skills. Students are encouraged to take part in competitions during Morning Assembly and homeroom periods that give them the opportunity to strengthen their skills as well as win prizes for their participation in critical thinking and brain power building challenges.

YOU can help support us as we work to prepare your children for these tests by doing the following:
Ensure that your child arrives to school on time by 8:00 am, attends school every day, and stays in school until the designated dismissal time.

Ensure that your child completes quality homework assignments EVERY night.
Ensure that your child takes advantage of extra help and tutoring opportunities provided by his/her teachers. Make attendance at PEP a priority!
Support the school in reinforcing that your child follows all school rules, respects our teachers and does his/her part to maintain a focused and productive learning environment.

NJASK for 7th and 8th graders: April 27th, April 28th, April 29th, and April 30th

NJASK for 5th and 6th graders: May 3rd, May 4th, May 5th and May 6th

Mentoring Program

When Mercedes Cotchery first visited Pride Academy Charter School, she was just a generous and kind-hearted volunteer from The Life Christian Church in West Orange who heard about our school and wanted to help out. Pride Academy later learned that Mrs. Cotchery was the wife of Jerricho Cotchery, wide-receiver of the New York Jets and the Board Chair and Executive Director of The Cotchery Foundation. We soon also learned that Mrs. Cotchery is a dynamic person with a real passion and gift for connecting with young people.

Her relationship with Pride Academy and its students began with the creation of a Girls’ Mentoring Group. Mrs. Cotchery developed her own curriculum to address some of the issues and challenges facing young women today. Mrs. Cotchery provided lunch for the girls during their weekly meetings where they shared and discussed topics like self-esteem, healthy relationships, goals, and life after high school. The Girls’ Mentoring Group was a great success, and Mrs. Cotchery soon set out to expand the program for the 2009-2010 academic year.

This year, The Cotchery Foundation made a greater commitment to the Pride Academy community. Jerricho and Mercedes Cotchery established The Cotchery Foundation to benefit inner city youth in January of 2007. The foundation's mission is to inspire children to conceive and achieve goals by providing programs and services designed to enhance their futures. The Cotchery’s have set out to help children understand that ordinary people can do extraordinary things if they have the desire and passion. To this end, The Cotchery Foundation has funded the expansion of the mentoring program to mentor all Pride Academy students in grades seven and eight using the RESH 180 Program. The RESH 180 Program is a course designed to inspire students to maximize their purpose in life through goal setting and planning.

Mercedes Cotchery trained community leaders to serve as mentors to Pride Academy students and help them reach their true potential. Mentor, Jared Winley, stated, “While growing up I lacked direction and was unaware of what existed outside of my everyday life. If it was not for people like James Flaherty who convinced me to attend college or Joe Browne who challenged me to change my thinking, as well as, my approach to professionalism there is no telling where my life would be right now.”

Pride students look forward to their weekly meeting and have learned and grown from the Cotchery Mentoring Program. However, the students are not the only ones learning! Mentor, Jaqueline Bruno, powerfully sums up her experience in the following words: “Although this class has been about me mentoring the students, I must admit that I have learned just as much from them. I have learned that it's just as important to be able to react positively as it is to plan. Each student has made a difference in my life and I am honored to know each and every one of them. They are the future and I am blessed to be a small part of their big journey.”

by Ms Dumenigo

Ms Cenac Named Charter School Teacher of the Year!

We are very proud to share that Ms Jodi Cenac (Dean of Academics and 7th/8th grade Science Teacher) has been selected as New Jersey Charter School Teacher of the Year!

Ms Cenac was presented with her award by Carlos Lejnieks, Chairman of the NJCSA Board of Trustees (left), and Dawood Farahi, Kean University President (right), at the Annual NJCSA Conference Gala in Long Branch on March 18th, 2010. 

During the award ceremony, Ms Cenac gave an inspiring acceptance speech that showcased her admiration for and love of our Pride Family of students, parents, and staff. This is a wonderful tribute to Ms Cenac's excellence, as well as to the strong professional learning community that we continue to build here at Pride Academy.

Ms Cenac is in her seventh year of teaching and is in her second full year at Pride Academy. Ms Cenac was inspired to become a teacher after reading Kozol's Savage Inequalities: Children in America's Schools, a classic work on educational inequality. She is motivated by the desire to help all children achieve to their potential and to help them believe in themselves. Her career has been dedicated to education in urban settings.

Ms Cenac earned a bachelor's degree in psychology and a master's degree in education from Seton Hall University. She received her initial training through Teach for America, serving initially at an elementary school in Paterson.