Schedule, Events, & Curriculum

Photo of Hepburn Hall Banner

Schedule, Events, & Curriculum

Important Dates and Information for the 2024 Summer Program

IMPORTANT PROGRAM UPDATE: 
Program start dates have now been pushed back to June 26, 2024 as the first day of the program. Due to systemwide outages on the Main Campus, New Jersey City University is completing installation of new LAN lines. Construction and system upgrades are ongoing, and will be completed on June 25th. 
All students will begin their first day on Wednesday, June 26, 2024. 
 
  • Program Location: NJCU Main Campus, Science Building (2039 John F. Kennedy Blvd, Jersey City, NJ 07305)
  • Program Virtual Opening Ceremony: Friday, June 21, 2024, at 6:00 pm
  • Program Dates: June 26, 2023 - August 1, 2024
  • Program Times:
    • Monday to Thursday from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm
    • After-hours Mentoring Monday-Wednesday 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm
      • Requires weekly parent sign-ups only
  •  There is no Mentoring for students on Thursdays.
  • Mentoring begins the 2nd week of the Program, July 1st. 
  •  No early drop-offs are permitted. Students must arrive at the program at no earlier than 8:50 AM. 
WELCOME BACK EVENT POSED STUDENTS

Exciting Events & Activities for Proyecto 2024

On July 10, 2024, all students will participate in our exciting Field Day event that features Class Wars. This action-packed day will feature heart-pumping music, volleyball tournaments, indoor track time in our Athletic and Fitness Center, and more! There will be some soccer play, and relay and competitive class races held on the lawn in front of beautiful Hepburn Hall---all complete with special prizes! 

The goal for our Field Day is to encourage students to decompress, learn teamwork and communication skills, work through healthy problem-solving, and enjoy summer as teens with us in Proyecto Science! On this day, there are no academic activities, so parents and guardians, please send your student with their lunch, plenty of water, sneakers, and sunscreen!

Students with a STEM project

On July 31, 2024 all students will participate in our culminating end-of-the-Summer STEAM Fair. This first-of-its kind celebration will feature student capstone projects from the newly revised Proyecto Science Summer Program Courses. Throughout the Science Building, student projects will be on display with a gallery walk of student art, inventions, projects, and poster sessions on a variety of high-interest, accelerated STEM content, including those based on our Weekly Themes (Found Below).

This is going to be a day to remember! 

On August 1, 2024 all students will be invited and encouraged to attend our Proyecto Science End-of-Summer Ceremony. Held in our beautiful Margaret Wood Theater in Hepburn Hall, we join together to celebrate the accomplishments of all of our students, with particular emphasis on our graduating PS4 students.

 Awards will be bestowed to exemplary students across the PS Grade Levels in academic prowess, creative problem-solving, teamwork and collaboration, and more! Parents and guardians, as well as school district partners are strongly encouraged to attend! Parent and guardian arrival will begin at 11:00 AM on August 1st.

Proyecto Science Curriculum

The Proyecto Science Curriculum has been completely revitalized to offer a solid connection between advanced-placement (AP) level preparation in STEM following College Board's rigorous academic standards. The curriculum also features high-impact content directly correlated to the New Jersey State Learning Standards (NJSLS), and College and Career Readiness Standards. Using evidenced-based practices in the science of how people learn, Teaching Faculty and Mentoring Staff are offered training to help them plan the best academically engaging Summer experience for students using Understanding by Design frameworks that blend quality instructional materials with pedagogical approaches aligned to brain science principles. 

Developed in tandem with content-area endorsed educators in STEM fields, K-12 administrators, and instructional coaches, the newly revised, standards-aligned Proyecto Science Summer program curriculum will have measurable impact on student learning through exploratory, project-based, and inquiry-aligned instruction.

Summer 2024 Curriculum Schedule

Photo Gallery: Proyecto Science Summer 2023 Recreational Time (Photo Credit: Paul Gargiulo)

Proyecto Science 1st Year Student (PS1)

  1. Biology I
  2. Financial Literacy I
  3. Computer Science I
  4. Algebra I
  5. STEAM/Art/Music/Physical Education

Proyecto Science 2nd Year Student (PS2)

  1. Biology II
  2. AP Physics I
  3. Chemistry I
  4. Algebra II
  5. STEAM/Art/Music/Physical Education

Proyecto Science 3rd Year Student (PS3)

  1. Biology III
  2. Financial Literacy II
  3. Computer Science II
  4. Trigonometry
  5. STEAM/Art/Music/Physical Education

Proyecto Science 4th Year Student (PS4)

  1. Microbiology
  2. Biomedical
  3. Computer Science III
  4. Financial Literacy III
  5. STEAM/Art/Music/Physical Education

All students, regardless of year, will now have the following courses built into their schedules:

  • Structured recess with a Health/PE teacher and opportunities for further kinesthetic development.
  • Art
  • Music/Musical Theater 
  • STEAM for design and engineer thinking projects based on weekly themes with the STEAM teacher in the Optional Mentoring Hour

All curriculum is taught to the appropriate New Jersey State Learning Standards in the respective discipline, except for AP-level prep courses that are aligned to College Board's AP Standards and Criteria. 

*Due to programmatic changes planned for the 2024-2025 year, the curriculum may be subject to change.

Weekly Enrichment Themes

Each week, students will be exposed to a variety of activities and experiences around themes in STEM fields and careers. There will be a strong emphasis to reading informational text and technical literature, in alignment with the NJSLS in ELA.

Week 1: Astronomy & Quantum Physics

Week 2: Horticulture, Agriculture, and Hydroponic Farming

Week 3: Drones & Aviation

Week 4: Entrepreneurship & Industry
 
Week 5: Artificial Neural Networks
 
Week 6: Civil Engineering & Architecture
 

Class Colors

Each week we will have weekly Spirit Days on Thursday! Each Proyecto Science Grade Level is invited to wear their Grade Level Colors:

PS 1 Students: Green

PS 2 Students: Gray

PS 3 Students: White

PS 4 Students: Orange

Students in the PS Program are required to wear their program class colors on July 10th for Field Day and July 31st for STEAM Fair. 

Spirit Days

Every Thursday of each week of camp, except 2nd week (Wednesday) and the last week.

  • Week 1: Favorite Sports Team Shirt
  • Week 2: Red, White, and Blue (Wednesday, July 3rd)
  • Week 3: Beach Day
  • Week 4: Dress from the Decades
    • PS1: 70s
    • PS2: 80s
    • PS3: 90s
    • PS4: Y2K
  • Week 5: Pajama Day
  • Week 6: Class Colors