JOSEPH H BRENSINGER 17

The Joseph H. Brensinger Public School 17 is located in an urban neighborhood of great cultural diversity servicing students who speak more than 14 different languages. Our school provides “state of the art” opportunities in the fields of Science, Art, Library-Media, Family and Consumer Science, Music and Physical Education. Our enrollment has increased to over 1200 students in pre-K through Grade 8, with class size averaging 25 students per homeroom as compared with the state average of 21.6 students per homeroom.
The Joseph H. Brensinger Public School 17 provides an atmosphere in which students and staff members work together to achieve cooperation, academic excellence and improved self-esteem. The climate is a positive one in which adults and students demonstrate mutual respect, applaud their cultural diversities, and ensure that “we succeed by meeting every student’s need.” The school corridors are decorated with examples of the students’ work, and the varied ethnic backgrounds provide a foundation for sharing and caring that exists throughout the school.

Each classroom has a minimum of three computers connected to a printer and to the Internet. In addition, students use wireless laptop computers to type their classroom writing and research assignments. The school has a computer lab with 26 computers, a library research lab with 12 computers, and an additional research center in the main library with 6 computers. The entire school facility is networked and connected to the Internet which facilitates intra- and inter-school communication. With easy access to the Internet and Email from each station, teachers and students can share information and research data. At the Joseph H. Brensinger Public School 17, the infrastructure capable of infusing educational technology into all aspects of curriculum and instruction is in place and is utilized on a regular basis.

Teachers at all grade levels continue to prepare our students for the NJASK3-8. All students in grades 3-8 receive 90 minutes of Math every day, while students in grades 1-2 receive 60 minutes of Math and Kindergarten students have 45 minutes. Students in grades K-2 receive 165 minutes of Language Arts instruction every day, while students in grades 3-5 receive 120 minutes and students in grades 6-8 have 90 minutes of Language Arts instruction daily. This year, our third through fifth grade teachers will continue to implement the Think Block curriculum which integrates Science and Social Studies.

All of the sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students attending the Joseph H. Brensinger Public School 17 complete a Performance Assessment in Science. The students select a research topic, develop a plan with their classroom teachers detailing the process the student will use to complete the assessment, and present the completed project to a committee who will evaluate the assessment using a rubric. The research, organization, writing, and development of the visuals used in the presentation must be completed in school over a period of ten hours.

We continue to invite published authors to speak to our students at all grade levels. For several years, we have received grants from the Goldman Sachs Company which we have used to create a school garden in our Kindergarten courtyard, a mural in our Library Media center, and a mural in our rear courtyard. In addition, employees from Goldman Sachs continue to come to our school to participate in various activities.

As part of our Parent Outreach program, we invite parents of our Kindergarten, first, and second grades to accompany their children into their new classrooms on the first day of the school year. In addition, all of our parents are invited to visit their children’s classroom for a monthly Parent Day. In partnership with the Jersey City Public Library, we have regularly scheduled workshops where parents are given the skills necessary to help their children be successful readers. We also have ELL classes for our parents to help them learn English. In addition, our Parent Literacy Nights include parents and their children working together to make home/school literacy connections.

Our Extended Day Program is extremely successful with various activities such as New Jersey Peer-to-Peer, Builders’ Club, REBEL Club, LEGO Robotics Team, test taking strategies, and tutoring in Language Arts, Math, and Science as well as for the NJASK3-8. Eighth grade students continue to participate in a Service Club program during their lunch period, helping classroom teachers with various projects. In addition, a number of our seventh and eighth grade students have been initiated into our Junior National Honor Society.

The Joseph H. Brensinger Public School 17 has a history of being an innovative school. We offer a variety of programs and services, including Reading Recovery, English Language Learners (ELL), Bilingual Arabic, Special Education, full-time counseling services with our Guidance Counselors and Licensed Clinical Social Worker, and Character Education.
“At P.S. 17, believing is achieving .”


Magda Savino
201-915-6120