Spaces still available for the 2024-2025 School Year.
Students in the Lower House (K-2) have been studying the rhyme and rhythm of poetry all month and they participated in a Poetry Slam where they recited original poems and some favorite poems. Families attended the event and were thrilled with the student work! We are proud of our young poets for their wonderful efforts!
Link is proud to share an article from Newark Patch on April 29, 2024, which highlighted Link as one of four public charter schools in Newark that scored well on the annual NJ Performance Report. The article states that Link “exceeded standards” on student growth set by the Department of Education’s accountability framework. Click here to read the entire article.
Over 100 participants – students and their families – had a wonderful time at the K-2 Family Game Night recently. They participated in a number of games and activities revolving around math. There were six stations for games, including in the new outdoor classroom where families played weather bingo. (A great introduction of the new space to our families!) Other stations included measurement, money, geometry, movement to numbers, and more. There was an “estimation jar” where participants could guess the number of rocks in a jar. One parent came within 2 of the actual total number of rocks in the jar. There were raffles of gift cards, books, and packs of playing cards. And families enjoyed dinner and time to socialize with each other. Thanks to Link’s K-2 staff for a great evening of fun!
In observance of Black History Month, Lower House (Kindergarten through grade 2) students came to school dressed to represent a “Changemaker” in Black History, a person who has worked or works proactively to make the world a better place. Students paraded around the Penn campus showing off their creativy to 5th and 6th grade students and staff. Among the changemakers at Link: Ruby Bridges, Malcolm X, Dr. Martin Luther King, Misty Copland, Mae Jemison, Louis Lattimore, LeBron James, Beyonce, Bob Lemmons, Dorothy Vaughn, and so many more people!
We are pleased to share that the Nourishing Newark Community Grants Program and the Education Department at Greater Newark Conservancy awarded a Newark Grows School Gardens Mi
ni-Grant to Link Community Charter School. Ms. Boyle, Link’s lower house science teacher, had a vision for the school and applied for the grant, which will transform the courtyard at the Pennsylvania Avenue campus into a lovely multifunctional space for outdoor learning and play.
The plan is to section off a part of the courtyard to accommodate classes of up to 25, with bench planters, raised bed gardens, and picnic tables to accompany a raised bed project in the courtyard that the Kindergarten and first grade have begun (in photo to the right). The planters will contain dwarf coniferous and deciduous trees underplanted with herbs and gardens, and the garden beds will have flowers and crops. Students will engage in planting and tending the gardens while learning about the plants and trees. This dovetails nicely with the Kindergarten-Grade 1 science curriculum, which focuses on exploration in nature. The outdoor space will render lessons in nature so much more effective, as now students can be outdoors in a safe place and observe it first-hand! The plan also includes making the space available for the Upper House learning and collaborations between grade levels. Ms. Boyle stated in her grant request,” By providing an interactive outdoor learning space, scholars will be able to engage in nature and grow in confidence as they care for and maintain their living classroom.”
What a wonderful night for families to celebrate the upcoming season! Families circulated through the building to attend three sessions: creating a paper art winter scene; hearing Link students on their recorders and the Link Choir sing, as well as joining in a sing-a-long; and viewing a performance by students in this quarter’s Performing Arts Classes. At the end of the evening, everyone gathered in the gym to congratulate the winners of the “Find the Snowmen” contest and to enjoy some cookies and hot cocoa! Thanks to our performing arts teachers for a thoroughly enjoyable event.
