The mission of St. Nicholas School is to embrace, nurture, and educate all God's children, preparing them for lives of service and leadership rooted in the Gospel values of faith, hope, and love.

St. Nicholas School has been accredited by the Middle States Commission on Elementary Schools since 1993, and our 2018 graduates received over $400,000 to our excellent Catholic high schools. In addition, thirty percent of the Class of 2018 was accepted to the selective McNair Academic, High Tech and County Prep High Schools.

Looking ahead to the 2018-2019 school year:

• St. Nicholas School has been invited to participate in an exciting pilot program to measure student growth and proficiency—and provide insights to help tailor instruction for each student. Through the Archdiocese of Newark’s affiliation with NWEA’s MAP Growth program, interim assessments in Reading, Language Arts, Math, and Science will determine student progress. When paired with Classworks on-line software, teachers will be provided with individualized digital learning paths that include instruction, practice activities, and assessment. Each student will be challenged at their own level and progress individually. The first year will include Grades 3-5, and we anticipate further rollout of the program in subsequent years.

• We will continue our partnership with William Paterson University’s Professor in Residence Program. Through this program, professors in Science/STEM and English Language Arts will work with our teachers to ensure the most up-to-date teaching methods are used to engage and develop our students.

• In conjunction with our STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) program, a new  Maker Space classroom has been created adjacent to the science lab. The Maker Space has been outfitted with an additional set of Chomebooks, robotics, circuit boards, a 3D printer, and many other tools to engage students. All students in grades K-8 will enjoy weekly lessons in ‘making’ solutions to design challenges. High tech and low tech will be incorporated into the program which requires students to ‘think outside the box’ in developing solutions to problems and challenges posed by teachers.

• St. Nicholas is partnering with the Archdiocese of Newark schools STEM initiative which will provide increased professional development for teachers as well as our participation in the Archdiocese-wide STEM Engineering Fair. This fair focuses on projects relate to The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. As you know, Mrs. Millan has been able to coach our students to gold, silver, and bronze for the last three years and we anticipate more success this year.

• A Robotics Team has been established for our 7th and 8th grade students. The team is part of the FIRST Lego League (FIRST Lego League). The ‘FIRST’ organization was established with the mission: …”to inspire students to be science and technology leaders and innovators, …by engaging them in programs that foster …self-confidence, communication, and leadership”. We are excited to be a part of it!

• Technology offerings continue to be enhanced. We completed our program to provide new Internet accessible Smartboards in all classrooms which allows teachers to bring the world into their lessons. PreK students enjoy the addition of iPads on a weekly basis which allows them to practice their numeracy and literacy skills. Students in K-8 receive weekly technology lessons and additional technology infusion opportunities to develop 21^st Century technology skills in students.

• The buildings are outfitted with Verizon Fios 150 mbps Internet service throughout along with new high-speed Internet access points. The school’s technology infrastructure will be further enhanced this year by partnering with Future Generation Inc. to identify additional opportunities for improvement.

• Junior High teachers will continue to integrate the use of Chromebooks and Google Suite for Education software into our Science/STEM, Technology, and English Language Arts program. Knowledge of these skills and the related applications are essential for today’s 21^st Century learner as they prepare for the challenges of high school and beyond.

• The Junior High Chromebook program is now enhanced with a second set of Chromebooks. We anticipate the implementation of a third set of Chromebooks for our English Language Arts program making our Junior High essentially a ‘One-to-One’ Chromebook program.

• There are many extra curricular activities including chess, engineering, coding, dance, taekwondo, arts and crafts (grades 1-3), fine arts (grades 4-8), choir, and competitive basketball, volleyball, and track programs.

• Security concerns are on everyone’s mind and therefore we are creating a locked interior vestibule at the front entrance which allows control over who enters when the buzzer releases the Main Entrance door lock. Sometimes referred to as a ‘mantrap’, a second set of security doors is becoming the standard for K-12 school entry because of the increased security features provided. 

• We will continue our emphasis on student service to others. Our Student Council, National Junior Honor Society, students and teachers will organize a variety of service projects to assist the homeless and needy families in Jersey City, St. Jude Children’s Hospital, the Hudson County Animal Shelter, the missions, and a number of other projects as we have always done.

Our school mission, ‘..to embrace, nurture, and educate all God’s children preparing them for lives of service and leadership’ is alive at St. Nicholas School!

Contact us today for your school tour: principal@snsjc.com