Franklin Elementary School is nestled in a picturesque Summit neighborhood, proudly welcoming approximately 340 first through fifth grade students and 45 dedicated staff members. Our core mission is to cultivate scholarship, leadership, and citizenship in every child. We successfully achieve this mission by providing a robust instructional program, an extensive array of opportunities to hone essential 21st century leadership skills, and a deliberate infusion of civic-minded endeavors that inspires compassion towards others. This steadfast commitment to excellence and holistic nurturance yields exceptionally high student achievement performance on state and district assessments, innumerable accolades across disciplines and the arts, and cohorts of caring young citizens who recognize the profound positive impact they can contribute to the lives of others.
Our educators regularly collaborate and advance their own professional development to ensure that we remain on the cutting edge of providing dynamic, progressive, and immersive learning experiences that challenge our scholars to think critically, creatively, and meet the ever-growing complex demands of a 21st century competitive global workforce. We “breathe life” into the curriculum by designing lessons and project-based learning experiences that provide our students with inquiry-based, hands-on explorations to connect abstract concepts with concrete real-life applications. By providing authentic interactions with concepts, meaningful applications of skills/strategies, and opportunities to express their learning in a multitude of ways, our children thrive as articulate, engaged, critical thinkers who embrace challenging academic endeavors with confidence and a solid repertoire of skills/strategies to draw from. Guest speakers provide a valuable added dimension to our studies, so we actively seek those in careers related to our curriculum.
We regularly integrate technology by utilizing our Smartboards, Chromebooks, and laptops to access web-based resources that deepen student learning and advance students’ technological proficiencies as digital natives. Our educators regularly facilitate meaningful academic discourse and design interdisciplinary projects that afford multiple possible outcomes for students to uniquely express their learning. Staff members actively analyze student assessment data to closely monitor progress and inform their instructional planning decisions. They also recognize that every child has a unique learning profile and provide highly differentiated instruction to optimally meet the varied needs of their learners. This includes the necessary interventions and enrichment opportunities to meaningfully carve every child’s path to academic success.
In order to develop and optimize the leadership skills in all of our students, we provide a wide array of opportunities for them to express their talents and pursue their interests in both academics and the arts. We offer lunch clubs that include, but are not limited to: Spanish, computer coding, blogging, music, art, book clubs, iMovie-making, STEAM activities, and robotics/lego engineering. We also provide after school enrichment clubs that provide a variety of explorations including baking, science, mathematics, and chess. Our band, orchestra, and chorus participation is exceptionally high, and additional prestigious opportunities are provided for students to audition for Honors Band, a Jazz ensemble, and Honors Chorus. Many of our dedicated musicians have been selected for the Central Jersey Music Educator Association’s Honors Band, from over 400 nominees, based on their exceptional talent. Our students’ artwork has been proudly on display at Overlook Hospital and we select Student Artists of the Month whose masterpieces adorn the Principal’s office.
Franklin’s staff also recognize the importance of nurturing the socio-emotional development of our children and cultivating compassion, civic-mindedness, and community engagement. We offer social skills groups, a school-wide series of conflict resolution lessons, a mentoring program that matches teachers with students, Student Council, a recycling club, and ongoing charity-based endeavors to collect needed resources and financial contributions for a variety of worthy causes. It is not uncommon for our young citizens to initiate and lead events and projects intended to better the lives of others, both locally and globally.
We are also very fortunate to have an exceptionally active parent community whose regular presence and contributions provide generous PTO funding for cultural arts, artist-in-residence experiences, assemblies that complement our curriculum, a biennial theatrical play performance, and additions to the school that greatly enhance students’ experiences. Parents regularly volunteer to take part in our school happenings and remain engaged as active partners in decision-making processes. Open lines of home-school communication are a treasured attribute of our relationship with parents and one that fortifies positive partnerships for the benefit of our “shared” children.
Here at Franklin Elementary School, it is a privilege and joy to create an exceptional learning environment where our students thrive as fervent scholars, confident leaders, and compassionate citizens.
Should you wish to contact Principal Esther Loor, kindly email her.
