NBOE Teacher Talk

Message from Deputy Johnson

Dear Teachers and Instructional Staff,
 
The countdown to winter break has begun. As you relax, rewind and rejuvenate, here are a few NBOE resources to support you and your mental health and well-being. 

• NBOE Support Spa: We understand the need for intentional moments to disconnect, regroup and ground ourselves for ongoing inner strength. To support in these efforts, NBOE and OSL have provided a Staff Support Group (Spa). The last session is Wednesday 12/22 from 5:15pm-6:15pm. The topic is Inner Strength Approach to Mental Health and it is open to all staff and will be

Message from Dr. Reilly
 

Dear Teachers and Instructional Staff,
 
“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.” — Albert Einstein

Do students have multiple opportunities to question and wonder during the course of the school day? Children are naturally curious and eager to learn new things. Using NBOE curricula, we can find a multitude of ways to foster that curiosity.  In our visits to classrooms, the T and L team have observed teachers tapping into their students’ curiosity as a foundation for deeper learning. These

Message from Dr. Reilly

Dear Teachers and Instructional Staff,
 
Being in the presence of learning at schools these past two weeks has been a joy. As we continue to make our rounds, I want to direct your attention to the district’s academic walkthrough expectations. This document can assist you to organize learning environments and assist with planning. Attention to the domains can help you ensure that essential components are present in your classrooms, such as the use of notebooks and questioning techniques. Please use the link below to become aware, if not

Message from the Deputy Superintendent

Academic Walkthroughs
 
As shared by your school's leadership team, this document captures the district's academic walkthrough expectations. Please review it and access it as needed for reference.
 
COVID-19 Testing and Vaccination Guidance for Staff
 
Governor Phil Murphy signed  Executive Order #253, requiring all preschool to Grade 12 school personnel to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by October 18, 2021 or be subject to COVID-19 PCR testing at minimum one to two times per week. Governor Murphy also announced that all State employees must be fully

Message from Superintendent León and Deputy Superintendent Johnson

Dear Teachers and Staff,
 
It is critical to remember that this year is like no other year before. The 9th grader that stands before you asking for your help has not had a normal school year since he was in 6th grade. The second grader that reaches for your hand in support has not had a normal year since she was in Pre-Kindergarten. Over the past two years, some of our students have only been in classrooms for a total of 9 months, while others had not seen the inside of a school building since March

Message from Dr. Mary Ann Reilly

Dear Teachers and Staff, 
 
All day, I kept returning to a sentence from the new Richard Powers’ novel, Bewilderment. The narrator, Theo Byrne, an astrobiologist, says: 
 
Watching medicine fail my child, I developed a crackpot theory: Life is something we need to stop correcting. 
 
I don’t know why that sentence resonated, but I think it has something to do with the tenuousness of living 18-months during a pandemic and how sustained stress worries a body, a kind of erosion of the spirit. There is a grace though that comes from simply

Message from Dr. Mary Ann Reilly

Excellent teachers make a significant difference in students´ lives during the year they teach them and beyond. On behalf of the Office of Teaching & Learning, I would like to congratulate all school-based Teachers of the 2020-2021 School Year! We are grateful for your ingenuity, dedication to students, and exemplary practice.  

I would like to acknowledge DeJanee Martinez of Bruce Street School for the Deaf, for being selected as Newark's Teacher of the Year. Congratulations and continue to be the inspiration that you are for all! 

Have a wonderful week.

Dr