Learning Community Charter School

There are two new programs this year for the upper grades that are very exciting.

Supervised Independent Study: If you have a student in grades 5-8 you might have seen a permission slip that went home about this program. Students who sign up for SIS will have a place to go on Mondays and Thursdays from 3:30-4:30 if they need a little extra help with a homework assignment, or they want a quiet place to work on homework.

The program, led by Emily Litman and Michelle Flam, will also be the place and time where students can make-up a test that they missed during an absence. That way, they won’t have to lose class time to take the test and they can keep up with their peers.

21^st Century: Middle school students have a chance to delve deeply into some exciting fields of study in this new course. At the beginning of the year, students were given a list of topics (urban gardens, abnormal psychology, social justice, nutrition are a few of the options.)

Students will work studying these subjects in small groups of 10-15, led by teachers across the Middle School faculty. For example, in the social justice class, students might research an issue surrounding that topic, come up with a proposal to explain a particular social justice movement and research that movement and then present what they’ve learned to their peers.

Students will get a chance to pick three topics in 21^st Century throughout the school year. Thanks to all the Middle School faculty who are guiding them in this fascinating effort! 

This is the inaugural blog post in a recurring feature we will have here at the blog about all the interesting things LCCS staff members are doing when they are not teaching or working with students. If you have a staff member you’d like to recognize, please email Jen Hughes at [email protected]

Sarah Westley, an early intervention reading teacher, is leading a team of other school employees and friends in the Making Strides of Jersey City Breast Cancer walk on Oct. 18 in the city’s Lincoln Park.


As Ms. Westley says, “I walk in order to remember a friend of mine, Mary Downing, who was a middle school ELA teacher here at LCCS who lost her battle with breast cancer in March of 2012.  Her birthday is in October and her teaching legacy lives on at LCCS (our library is named after her) so it seems particularly poignant to walk here in Jersey City in the fall.” 

Others who are walking this year include Emily Litman, Kimberly Smith, Kristen Hynes, James Laster, Scott Silva, and Michelle Smith.

In addition, the walk will be part of the 5^th grade’s community service project, led by Ms. Litman. Students and their families are invited to walk to support breast cancer research and awareness, and they will be collecting donations toward the cause.

Sarah formerly organized the Denim Day fundraiser at the school to raise money for breast cancer research, but loved last year’s walk so much that she decided to do it again.

"While I was at the event last year, I ran into many LCCS families and realized just what a great community building opportunity it could be for our staff, parents, and students."

For more information on the walk or to donate, check out the team’s webpage or email Sarah at [email protected]

When Ms. Jaffrey heard about a project designed to use song to spread awareness about educational equality in Afghanistan, she new it would be a perfect project for LCCS students.

She asked some of the children who were waiting for class to begin in the morning if they’d like to participate and the “Early Morning Singers” were born. The National Afghani Institute of Music in Kabul asked choirs around the world to sing “Proud Women,” a Farsi song, in solidarity with the women of Afghanistan, to support their freedom to gain an education.

Please check out our YouTube Channel, LCCS Live! to see them perform! 

It has long been a dream to bring an instrumental music program to LCCS and we are happy to say that this fall will mark the first year of our new program.

The program will begin in the 4^th and 5^th grades with plans to expand into the next Middle School grade in each subsequent year. Participation is optional and instruments available will be flute, clarinet, alto saxophone, trumpet, trombone, and percussion. Instruments will be rented through an outside company and the cost will be about $20 a month. We plan to have methods available to cover those costs for families who cannot afford it, and we will work to ensure that any after school music sessions don’t interfere with the popular 5^th grade musical.

Instrumental music will be offered during class time when “specials” are traditionally taught (music, art, gym, etc.) but days will rotate so participating students will not miss out on those important classes.

Over the summer we converted an old locker room into an instrumental music room, and because of the new program, we are thrilled to welcome Mike Brown as our instrumental music teacher.

Mike, in the music room as it was under construction. 

Mike has played in bands including the pit orchestra for the New Jersey Shakespeare Festival, and most recently spent the past 10 years touring the world with the ska punk band, Streetlight Manifesto. He has taught music at nearby Primary Prep, has substitute taught here at LCCS, and was giving private lessons to about 50 students a week.

“Music has played such an important role in my life,” Mike says. “I’m so excited to come into a school, to help create a program, and help children have the same experience with music that I’ve had.”

A music committee has been formed to support the program. If you are interested in more information in supporting our developing music program, please reach out to parent Allyson Johnson at [email protected]

It was on a bittersweet note this summer that we said goodbye to some dear friends on the LCCS team. We are grateful for their time and dedication to our families. Thank you to Warren Anderson, Angelina Rha, Mirtha Perez, Margaret Murhpy, Atif Usman, Christina Meluso, and Samere Garido.

We are so excited to welcome some new additions to the LCCS family.

Anto Higgins joins us as Jess Wuerthner’s maternity leave replacement.  Originally from Dublin, Anto also came to the US to pursue a career in music.  He has taught math at community colleges in Ireland and worked for the Irish foreign ministry.  He is a passionate soccer player and fan and will certainly be right at home in our soccer-crazed school.

Andres Nunez will be our Spanish teacher for grades 2,3,7 and 8.  Andres is a dedicated volunteer working closely with high school students from immigrant backgrounds across Hudson County to consider attending  St. Peter’s University.  Andres acts as a mentor to these students and frequently translates for their families to assist them with navigating the college application and financial aid process.  Prior to teaching at LCCS, Andres taught Spanish at middle schools and high schools in Union City and East Newark.

Sal Pauciello will teach 7^th and 8^th grade math.  Sal comes to us with more than 16 years of experience teaching math in urban settings.  He is renowned for his approach to project-based learning through math and is exceptionally dedicated to students with math anxiety and those that excel at math.  Sal is the recipient of the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Award for Tolerance for taking a stand in his classroom against hate and intolerance. 

Jackie Rocha will teach 6^th and 8^th grade ELA special education.  Previously Jackie served as teacher assistant and leave replacement teacher in Ridgefield, working with students in special education classrooms ranging in ages from 3-21.  Jackie’s training includes guided reading, balanced literacy, and working with the History Alive program. 

Samantha Brooks will teach 7^th grade ELA and provide in class support in social studies in the middle school.  Samantha worked as a special education teacher in Jersey City.  She most recently worked with an organization that provided consultation and interventions for schools with students in danger of dropping out. 

Quincy Creadick will teach 2^nd grade.  Quincy graduated from the University of Delaware this past May.  While conducting her student teaching she was so exceptional her school hired her to serve as an intervention teacher once her student teaching assignment ended.  Qunicy had an incredible career as a high school basketball player and hopefully will be a future MVP in our faculty versus student basketball game.

Erica Roark will be the second grade assistant.  Erica continues to work for American Foundation for Children with AIDS and has led and organized trips for volunteers to build playgrounds in Zimbabwe.  She is an accomplished  pianist and ballroom dancer and continues to teach both to children and adults.  

Our popular STREAM program had a summer session, including a fascinating project done thanks to the creativity, ingenuity, and talents of Art Teacher Jill Schifter.

Watching news reports about refugee camps, Jill came up with an idea to prompt students to make a shoe that would work for all different types of weather conditions.

Working in two teams during the month of July, students (incoming 6th graders) contemplated the problem _ a lack of good shoes in developing nations during disasters _ and the fallout. They came up with ideas on what would work, and brainstormed designs and materials. They made clay models and then prototypes. 

During the project, a little bit of research pointed Jill toward an incredible company, The Shoe that Grows which makes shoes that expand five sizes, providing needy children with necessary foot protection around the world. She reached out to the company’s owners to tell them about the LCCS STREAM project and one of the company officials was eager to connect.Working in two teams during the month of July, students contemplated the problem (a lack of good shoes in developing nations during disasters) and the fallout. They came up with ideas on what would work, and brainstormed designs and materials. They made clay models and then prototypes.Watching news reports about refugee camps, Jill came up with an idea to prompt students to make a shoe that would work for all different types of weather conditions.

This fall, the STREAM club plans to Skype with company officials from The Shoe That Grows to learn more about designing with a purpose. 

      “Thanks for the reply and everything you shared. It inspires us as well! Loved reading the details and seeing what the kids came up with. I hope you inspire them to use their talents and creative efforts to continue to be a driving force for good in the world!”

                                                            Andrew Kroes, The Shoe that Grows

Thanks to Jill for creating this experience this summer, and congrats to our STREAM students for their hard work!