Our School
1900
By the end of the century the city of Newark kept growing by the influx of new immigrants, mostly Italians families coming from an impoverished Italian nation, looking to cover the raising demand for cheap labor. The increasing number of children forced the city to start building new schools. At the beginning of the century, Sussex Avenue School was erected as well as Abington Avenue School, and Bergen Street School. Sussex Avenue School was enlarged for the first time in 1904. New additions were completed in 1955.
Newark's central and west wards have few parks or green spaces. To help change that, The Trust for Public Land partnered with Congregation Ahavas Sholom, Newark's oldest operating synagogue, and The Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey to transform Sussex Avenue School's asphalt schoolyard into a safe and vibrant play space. The partnership reflects the synagogue's focus on tikkun olam (repairing the world) and tzedakah (social justice).
The playground now features play equipment for students of all ages, a basketball court, a running track, and an outdoor classroom. The new design also incorporates green infrastructure elements (including gardens, porous play areas, and a turf field) to help manage stormwater and prevent flooding.
Support for this project came from the Charles Emil Thenen Foundation, CTW Foundation, Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, Gibson Family Foundation, The Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey, Helen & William Mazer Foundation, Hyde & Watson Foundation, John & Margaret Post Foundation, Landsberger Foundation, Prudential Foundation, Provident Bank Foundation, PSEG, Snowflake Youth Foundation, Victoria Foundation, Wallerstein Foundation for Geriatric Life Improvement, and other private and public funding.
We proudly nurture scholars as young as three years of age through 8th grade.
Mission Statement
Sussex Avenue School empowers students to ASPIRE:
Achievement
Social Responsibility and Self-Reliance
Perseverance
Integrity
Respect, and
Excellence
Vision Statement
At Sussex Avenue School, highly effective teachers and school staff ensure that children are prepared for lifelong education and social participation. We, as a school community, nurture students as they aspire to achieve, become socially responsible and self-reliant, persevere, and act with integrity, respect, and excellence. Every adult takes responsibility to ensure that each student reaches their full academic, social, and personal potential. We encourage and challenge students to take risks and be creative in an intellectually safe environment. We focus on building conceptual understanding, critical thinking skills, and creatively solving problems. These skills are generalizable and transferable to nearly every academic and social undertaking, and will serve our students well in their journey toward self-actualization.