SPARK
Supporting Potential and Achievement in Remarkable Kids
The S.P.A.R.K. program is designed to challenge advanced learners with opportunities that extend beyond the regular classroom. Using multiple measures—including report card grades, teacher recommendations, COGAT, NNAT3 scores, district benchmarks, and NJSLA scores—students are identified for participation.
Through differentiated instruction, hands-on projects, and collaborative problem-solving, S.P.A.R.K. encourages students to think critically, explore creatively, and achieve their maximum potential.
Kindergarten & Grade 1
Enrichment Explorations (beginning in January)
Our youngest learners take part in a 4-week enrichment cycle that introduces them to exciting opportunities designed to spark curiosity and build early problem-solving skills. Students explore:
- Enrichment Explorations
- Introduction to STEAM
- Independent Inquiry
Grades 2–4
Foundations of STEAM & Multiple Intelligences
Students in these grades begin applying their creativity and problem-solving skills to real-world challenges:
- Grade 2 – Immersion in the engineering design process through read-alouds and connected STEAM activities.
- Grade 3 – Independent research on global destinations and cultures, highlighting the use of multiple intelligences.
- Grade 4 – Investigative learning through forensics, sharpening analytical and problem-solving skills.
Grades 5–6
Inventions & Entrepreneurship
Students expand their innovation skills as they transition into more complex problem solving and real-world applications:
- Grade 5 – Researching and developing original inventions while learning the steps of the invention process.
- Grade 6 – Diving into entrepreneurship by studying goods and services, supply and demand, market trends, and creating marketing strategies. Students pitch their own unique business ideas.
Grades 7–8
Advanced Innovation, Career & College Exploration
Older students deepen their critical thinking while preparing for the future:
- Grade 7 – Application of multiple intelligences through advanced inventions and innovation challenges.
- Grade 8 – Career and college exploration, including interest surveys, research on future pathways, and readiness skills for high school and beyond.
Beyond the Curriculum
Across all grade levels, students enhance their studies with board games, logic problems, and escape room challenges—rigorous and engaging activities that strengthen collaboration, persistence, and higher-order thinking.