2021-2022 School Calendar “Hope is on the horizon here On behalf of the Elizabeth Board of Our greatest priority since the start students, our educators, and our at Elizabeth Public Schools Education, it is my great pleasure to of the pandemic has been returning leaders with the tools and resources and in the City of Elizabeth, welcome you to the 2021-2022 school all of our children to school and their to make these things a reality. I will do year and to welcome you all back to our classrooms safely. The relentless everything in my power and work as and I am so proud to be part schools! commitment from our Board, our hard as I can for every child, for every of both. As a Board, we have administration, our teachers, our parent, for every district team member, achieved our number one The challenges of the last year and a half support staff, and our families helped and for every citizen of our great city. have been perhaps the greatest of our priority of returning all of pave the way for Elizabeth Public We as a Board, and me as the president, lifetime and we remained resilient while Schools to reopen all of its schools in are here to support our superintendent, our children to their schools working together to work with what we April for in-person learning. We are so administration, and team members and classrooms safely. have and strived to make things better. excited to truly welcome back all of in the school year ahead. We are all Our next step is to ensure The pandemic has affected our children our students to their classrooms this here collectively to ensure our children beyond measure and nothing else can they receive the resources fall and to restore a greater sense of receive the best education possible fully replace the inherent benefits of in normalcy back into their lives. while improving our community. necessary to thrive, succeed, person learning, the mode of learning and lead. We as a Board used since the beginning of time. In bringing back all of our students to I am certain of is that 2021-2022 will be will continue to work the classroom for in-person learning, another year marked by the amazing I truly appreciate the passion, our true work begins. We must continue achievements of our students, team with our superintendent, dedication, and efforts and hard work to work tirelessly to provide a safe and members, and community members administration, and team that our teachers, our administrators, nurturing school community where our and I look forward to finally having members to try to provide our support staff, and the rest of our students are valued, respected, and the opportunity to celebrate those Elizabeth Public Schools team members the best for our children, for encouraged. We must fill in the learning successes together again. have demonstrated to help advance us gaps to ensure all of our children are our community.” though these very difficult times. In capable of reaching their full potential. Thank you again for your valued advance, I thank you from the bottom It is our duty to offer our students an support of Elizabeth Public Schools and – Jerry Jacobs of my heart for your continued devotion education that allows them to thrive, the Elizabeth Board of Education and President, Elizabeth to our students and their families as we succeed, and lead in a global society. best wishes for a healthy and wonderful Board of Education aspire to reclaim excellence during the school year. 2021-2022 school year. The Elizabeth Board of Education remains strongly committed to taking the steps necessary to provide our Your Elizabeth Board of Education Jerry Rosa E. Nathalie Diane Charlene Maria Z. Iliana Stephanie Stanley Jacobs Moreno Ortega Alcaide- Barbosa Bathelus Carvalho Chevres Goncalves Neron President Vice President Hernandez Welcome back for the 2021-2022 we come back together and are to the unwavering commitment school year at Elizabeth Public reminded of what makes Elizabeth made by the Elizabeth Board Schools! Public Schools such a special of Education, in collaboration place. with state and local health and I have never been so excited for government officials, district team the start of a school year as this In the pages ahead, you will see members, and families, to get our year truly is a welcoming back of some of those activities and events students back into our classrooms our entire learning community— that have developed the passions safely and responsibly. our students, our team members, within our students to pursue and our families— to all our district excellence and prepare themselves As we enter the 2021-2022 schools to resume in-person for college, career, and life success. school year, it is vital that we learning. We look forward to those types of continue to collaborate to ensure ““With each passing day, we activities resuming in the months our students are receiving the The pandemic has presented move forward on our path to ahead as our students return to excellent instruction, rigorous us with many unprecedented promise and closer to a return curriculum, and high-quality challenges and hardships, but school with the opportunities to to the wonderful educational education they deserve. I look through our collective resiliency truly reconnect, learn, and grow experiences our students with one another. forward to working alongside our enjoyed in the classroom, on as a community, we have reached devoted Board members, amazing the playing field, and on the this wonderful moment in time Once again, the success of our team members, and valued family that has brought Elizabeth Public performance stage before schools is a collaborative effort and community members to help Schools back together. We enter the pandemic. In the months and I thank all our families and prepare our students to reclaim this school year, strengthened by ahead, we will continue to team members with tremendous excellence by providing them the tough lessons we have endured draw from our greatest gratitude for their outstanding with the skills, knowledge, and and complex circumstances that strength of collaboration to dedication to teaching and caring environments necessary to we have navigated over the past provide our students the learning. The effects of the succeed in all facets of their lives. education they need to achieve year and a half. Our path forward is a journey to reconnect with pandemic required students, team Thank you again for your continued the successful future they members, and families to juggle deserve. Together, we will the familiar, to reclaim those support of Elizabeth Public very complex situations and to reclaim excellence for our unique feelings that come with Schools. It is my greatest hope make extraordinary sacrifices. entire learning community.” participating in learning activities that 2021-2022 will be a healthy and events within our schools. The fact that we were able to put and prosperous school year for – Olga Hugelmeyer With a greater sense of hope ourselves in the position to reopen our entire learning community! Superintendent and optimism, we look to reclaim all our schools for in-person Elizabeth Public Schools excellence for our students, our learning toward the end of this past schools, and our community as school year is a strong testament Every Child Achieving Excellence Our Vision Our Promise Elizabeth Public Schools will be one of the highest performing To provide an innovative and personalized learning environment urban school districts in the nation that ensures that every child achieves excellence Our Goals College Preparedness Career Readiness “On-Time” Graduation Our Core Beliefs & Commitments Student We believe ALL students can learn and achieve at high levels regardless of race, ethnicity, culture, neighborhood, household income or home language. ALL Means ALL. We will narrow the achievement gaps of students by providing a high quality education to ensure that ALL of our students are college and career ready. Teacher We believe teachers make a positive difference in student achievement. Teachers will prepare ALL students for success in college, career, and our technological global society. We believe that teachers are central in a child’s life. Having an effective teacher is the single most important factor in student success. Leader We believe that effective leaders demonstrate unwavering commitment to high levels of achievement for ALL students. Leaders will exemplify and support practices that promote high levels of achievement for ALL students. Family We believe that parents and caregivers are both valued partners and active participants in their children’s learning. A shared sense of mutual responsibility for learning is the foundation for family involvement to ensure student success. We are committed to engaging parents and caregivers in their children’s education. We will develop a coordinated strategy that enables parents and caregivers to play an active role in building and sustaining family support for their children’s learning and academic success. Team We believe that every member of the Elizabeth Public Schools team has a responsibility in producing and supporting high levels of achievement for ALL students. Every member of the Elizabeth Public Schools team will make a measureable contribution to the success and achievement for ALL students by ensuring equitable distribution of resources throughout the organization. Equity • Expectations • Excellence Equity As a nation, America’s Promise is that every child, regardless of race, ethnicity or social class, should receive a high quality, academically rich and rigorous public education. Expectations The concept of high expectations is premised on the philosophical and pedagogical belief that a failure to hold all students to high expectations effectively denies them access to a high quality education, since the educational achievement of students tends to rise or fall in direct relation to the expectations placed upon them.