News and Events
What's happening at Mustard Seed School?
May 2010
Mustard Seed Announces New Full-Day Four-Year-Old Program
May 10, 2010 Hoboken, NJ—Mustard Seed School announced today that it will offer a new, full-day
four-year-old program in its preschool, The Nest, beginning in September 2010. This is in addition to its current half-day offerings for three and four-year-olds. The Nest curriculum focuses on academic readiness for Kindergarten, using artistic media to express learning, developing social skills and exploring faith. The pacing of the full-day class will enable teachers to work more in-depth with preschool students. Students will benefit from the larger school community and have access to music classes, art instruction and physical education. Ideal candidates are four-year-old students who want the stimulation of a longer program and have the stamina for a full day. The class size will be up to eighteen students. Read more.
Download the full press release in .pdf format.
January 2010
Award-winning Filmmaker Makes Mustard Seed School the Subject of His Next Film
January 26, 2010-Award-winning documentary filmmaker Brian Fuller is burning through tapes. After two weeks at Mustard Seed School, he and his crew already have over 100 hours of footage and may shoot 50 more in the next week. For most of January, Mr. Fuller is on campus filming classes and interviewing faculty and staff, alumni, and parents. The school is the subject of his next documentary, which will focus on Mustard Seed’s holistic approach to education through integrating academics, arts, faith and service. Read more
Watch a clip from the 5th and 6th Grade Field Trip to Buehler Challenger and Science Center
November 2009
Nest Note Cards and Mustard Seed Children's Art Calendar 2010 Available
The new note cards are in with the artwork of the three, four and five year old children at The Nest. A box of eight note cards is available for $10. The 2010 Mustard Seed Children's Art Calendar featuring the art of Kindergarten through Eighth Grade students is also available for $5. Contact the school office at info@mustardseedschool.org or 201.653.5548 for more information.
Sol Rosenkranz Visits Mustard Seed
November 6, 2009-Sol Rosenkranz, a Holocaust survivor and Gallery Educator at the Museum of Jewish Heritage--A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, visited Mustard Seed School today. He spoke with Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Grade students about his experiences including hiding family members, surviving six different concentration camps, and ultimately being liberated in Terezin. Mr. Rosenkranz's visit gives students a real life encounter with history in their study of the Holocaust. This study is a unit in a year long study of Adversity, Change, and Making a Difference.
October 2009
Mustard Seed Announces Plans to Expand
October 21, 2009-Today Mustard Seed School announced that it will expand the number of
students admitted to its preschool and Kindergarten programs next fall. In response to growing demand in the community, Mustard Seed School will offer a new multi-age pre-Kindergarten/Kindergarten class and will rent additional space at its current location at 422 Willow Ave. in Hoboken to accommodate the new students. Mustard Seed School is now accepting applications for the 2010-2011 school year. Download the press release.
Mustard Seed School to Hold an Early Learning Conference
Mustard Seed School will hold an Early Learning Conference on October 28 and 29, 2009, from 8:30-3:00. The conference is geared toward educators who work with Preschool through First Grade students.Topics covered include the environment as the third teacher, collaboration among teachers and students, and the Shared Space. There will be time to observe classes in action as well as presentations and discussion. Space is limited to 10 people. Lunch will be provided. The cost is $200 per attendee. Contact Shanna Pargellis (spargellis@mustardseedschool.org), Director of The Nest and Lower School, for more information.
September 2009
Mustard Seed Celebrates Its 30th Birthday
September 12, 2009-Governor Jon S. Corzine was on hand to help Mustard Seed School celebrate 30 years of providing students with a high-quality, arts, faith and service-focused education this past Saturday. In addition to the governor, nearly 500 students, alumni, faculty, and community members attended the 30th Birthday Party that took place on the Mustard Seed School (MSS) campus. The celebration featured games sponsored by local businesses, food sponsored by local restaurants, and entertainment from The Fuzzy Lemons.
“Mustard Seed School has advanced the same principles for nearly a third of a century: providing for equal educational opportunity for each and every child, regardless of ethnic, religious, or economic status,” said Governor Jon S. Corzine. “Through this approach, children can realize their full potential, creating intellectual and economic opportunities that otherwise, might be beyond reach. I sincerely appreciate the strong, positive impact this school has had on thousands of students who have passed through these doors and the tremendous, positive impact the school has had on the community, and the state of New Jersey.”
Read the full press release. View pictures of the party in our gallery.
Mustard Seed School Announces the Theme for 2009-2010: Vision
Every year faculty and staff choose an overarching theme for the school year. Teachers and students explore the theme in community worship, in the classrooms, artwork, and service projects. In 2009-2010, the community will consider vision.
August 2009
Mustard Seed School Still Accepting Applications for Select Grades
The school is still accepting applications for some grades for the 2009-2010 school year. Contact the Director of Admissions, Sebastian Olukun, (solukun@mustardseedschool.org) for more information.
July 2009
Mustard Seed Students Win Graceful Envelope Contest
Congratulations to Carson (4th Grade), Mark (5th Grade), and Isaac (5th Grade) for their winning entries in the Graceful Envelope Contest, sponsored by the National Association of Letter Carriers. Three of the 16 winners in the Children's Division are from Mustard Seed! Read more about the contest. The winning entries are posted below.
March 2009
Joan Isaacs Litman, Mustard Seed Founder and Music Educator Emerita Selected as Educator of the Year
Mustard Seed Founder and Music Educator Emerita Joan Isaacs Litman was selected as “Educator of the Year” by the Organization of American Kodály Educators. “I spent 21 years at the Mustard Seed School where I was able to develop a strong choir, thanks to the support of the entire community,” Ms. Litman says. Under Litman’s direction, the Mustard Seed chorus performed at Carnegie Hall, the United Nations, the Kennedy Center and the White House. Ms. Litman is currently a member of the music faculty of the United Nations International School in Manhattan and a member of the summer faculty at the Kodály Institute at Capital University. She has guest conducted and trained teachers in the Kodály method in Hungary, Egypt, Iran, and Israel. She is also the author of “Caravan of Song: Folk Songs and Singing Games of the Middle East.” Congratulations Ms. Litman!
Mustard Seed School Co-sponsors Parenting Workshop: Bringing Your Child to Jesus
On Saturday, March 21st, former Mustard Seed School Kindergarten teacher Janet Johnson spoke to 40+ parents and community members about church, worship, and family spiritual life. Ms. Johnson has worked with children and families for over 40 years, including 20 years at Mustard Seed School. The workshop was co-sponsored by Redeemer Hoboken Church and open to the community.
Grades 6,7,8 Sing at the Apollo Theater
For the 2008-2009 school year, Mustard Seed School has been participating in the Carnegie Hall Weill Music Institute program, Perelman American Roots. As a part of this program, Sixth, Seventh and Eighth Grade students sang March 20, 2009 at the Apollo Theater at the Honor! Festival. Read the New York Times article “Carnegie Hall Meets Apollo Theater at Honor! Festival” about the concert. The Perelman American Roots program explores the dynamic connections between American music and American history. It fit directly with a broader curriculum study in the Upper School of the Civil Rights Movement and spirituals. Also as a part of the Perelman American Roots program, music teachers received professional development and a teaching artist visited the school several times.
February 2009
Elliot Levine, Composer, Comes to Mustard Seed School
In addition to attending Lower School and Upper School worship, Mr. Levine spent time with students on February 10, talking about his work as a composer. The school community learned Mr. Levine’s composition, “Make a Joyful Noise” in advance of his visit and was able to sing it for him. Mr. Levine has been awarded five Meet-the-Composer grants. His most recent large commission, The Cantata of the Animals, has been performed by the Westminster Choir College Choir, the Yale University Choir and by the Studio Arsis Chorus of Tokyo. He has been composer-in-residence at New York City’s Church of St. Thomas More.
December 2008
Shanna Pargellis, Mustard Seed Founder and Director of The Nest and Lower School Speaks at Intervarsity Conference
Shanna Pargellis, Director of The Nest and Lower School, spoke to graduate students on a profession in education at Intervarsity Christian Fellowship’s Following Christ Conference on Human Flourishing in Chicago, on December 28 and 29. Click here and scroll to the education section for the audio track.
July 2008
The Calvin Institute of Christian Worship Publishes Article on Mustard Seed School
The Calvin Institute of Christian Worship has posted an article titled “Who We Want to Be: Linking community worship (school chapel) to life.” The article is a feature study on Mustard Seed School and designed for small groups to study, complete with discussion questions. Read the article and hear a recording of Shanna Pargellis, Mustard Seed’s Founder, Lower School Director and Director of The Nest Early Learning Center.