Click here to read NDCHS II's proposals for usage of ESSER funds and the proposed 2021-2022 NDCHS II Safety Plan. Please submit all comments to pubcomment@ndchsbrooklyn.org.
Dear New Dawn Community Members,
This is a reminder of the policies regarding COVID safety at NDCHS II. Our first and best defense at the school is our temperature checks, health screening, and mask requirements to enter the building. Student must be wearing a mask to enter, must submit to a temperature check, and complete a daily survey regarding their exposure to COVID / if they are symptomatic themselves.
In the event that you or your student has been exposed to COVID outside of school or is exhibiting symptoms of COVID - they should not be sent to school. Please notify your / your student's mentor or any other New Dawn staff and proceed to schedule a PCR COVID test. Students who have been symptomatic must quarantine and return with a negative PCR test to enter the school again.
For the 2021-22 school year there is no remote learning option available. As such your student should contact their teachers via Jupiter in order to request make-up work during their absence from school or complete it upon their return as with any other absence.
Sincerely,
Mr. Zach Flory, Principal
Congratulations Seniors!
Please see attached flyer for details!
Hello All New Dawn Students and Families-
We are excited to invite everyone back this week to begin our Spring 2022 semester. Scheduling and enrollment for the semester will begin this week on Wednesday 2/2. The building will be closed on Monday 1/31 for staff PD and on Tuesday 2/1 for Lunar New Year.
Scheduling will proceed as follows for the week:
Wednesday 2/2
B/C Week Academics, No A-week Internship
9:00-12:00pm – Scheduling / Testing for B/C week students last names A-G
1:00-3:00pm – Scheduling / Testing for B/C week students last names H-Z
Thursday 2/3
9:00-12:00pm – Scheduling / Testing for A week students last names A-G
1:00-3:00pm – Scheduling / Testing for A week students last names H-Z
Friday 2/4
9:00 – 12:00pm – Scheduling Make-ups - ALL UNSCHEDULED STUDENTS WELCOME
This week will be an academic week for B-week students and due to the scheduling team taking the cafeteria space there will be no A-week internship. Please arrive during your scheduled time as you will be meeting with our schedulers personally to design your schedule. We will take students on a first come basis on each day scheduling is happening. Please be prepared to remain at school for the entire school day once you have arrived as classes will begin Wednesday.
Please be sure to follow all covid guidelines when entering and in the building so that we can keep everyone safe and in-person instruction operating smoothly for Spring 2022. We are excited to have everyone back and begin anew for Spring! Please feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns otherwise we will see you this week!
Thank you,
Mr. Flory
1. This week is B/C class week and A week internship. B/C week students are expected to arrive by 10 AM at the latest. A week internship is expected to arrive by 9:30 at the latest. If you are running late, please reach out to Mr. Pressoir, Mr. Flory, or your mentor.
2. Tomorrow November 2nd the building will be closed to students and staff. Staff will be participating in a PD and there will be assignments posted to students' Jupiter accounts which will be graded so all students should be logging in tomorrow and completing those tasks.
3. The school will be closed for Holidays on November 11th for Veteran's day and November 25-26 for Thanksgiving.
4. The first quarter will conclude on Friday, November 12th and all grades for the quarter should be submitted before 12pm on that date. Please talk to your teachers and ask about what you may be missing and how you can get your grade up before then. Classes will continue as scheduled for the 2nd quarter which will run through January at which point students in Regents identified classes will be taking Regents exams with the exception of the US Regents which has been cancelled for the January 2022 Regents Period.
5. On November 16th, we will be holding parent teacher conferences at the building and on Zoom. Please stay tuned as that date approaches for additional details regarding links and times.
Sanman Thapa sthapa@ndchsqueens.org
Michelle Spaterella mspaterella@ndchsqueens.org
Tatiana Cruz tcruz@ndchsqueens.org
The advisory program at the school is a major part of our instructional program and charter. Our belief is that students who are getting support emotionally will persist through barriers that their lives place in front of them. We connect our students through the advisory program to the school community and then the community at large through their internships. The Advisory Curriculum prepares our students on how to develop social skills (also known as the soft skills of the work environment), and problem-solving techniques. Participation in the advisory curriculum demonstrates that New Dawn II students will come to school and stay with us.
The Internship Program serves as an important component of developing relationships with the community at large. Students with 10 or more credits participate in Internships. The students work with two Internship Coordinators, their Advisory teacher and the Director of School Partnerships and College Readiness to achieve success in their placement.
Students need more than the Advisory Curriculum and the Internship Program for social-emotional support. All students at New Dawn II have a mentor at the school. The mentor works with this student to discuss issues that may be preventing the student from being successful in school or if there is an issue at home. Students can see the mentor about scheduling issues, attendance issues, or just one-on-one support on a variety of personal issues. Mentors reach out to students who have not come to school or are having trouble in their classes.
When students cannot solve a conflict on their own, they may participate in a peer mediation session with the Special Education Coordinator and selected peers. Under their supervision, this program allows students to work through the conflict using a peer mediation protocol. This process is effective in that students allow each other to be heard and work through the problem and reach agreements about how they will interact in and out of school. Students who participate sign a contract with each on the terms of their agreement.
Many New Dawn II students receive counseling as per their Individualized Education Plans (IEPs). Students meet with social workers and counselors based on these IEP designations. In addition, students who do not have mandated counseling may make an appointment with our counselors and social workers at any time.
New Dawn II is dedicated to supporting the whole student, which includes developing programs and partnerships with outside organizations such as Discover Outdoors for different learning experiences. Our students have camped, fished and have gone rock climbing. In addition to these excursions, our students can attend various field trips with their classes and as a school. Other activities include student recognition events such as our quarterly honor roll breakfast and our senior events which include a senior class trip, prom, and graduation. Our basketball team has been in the playoffs and helps connect our students to team spirit and camaraderie.
While discipline may not seem to be social-emotional support, the plan developed for New Dawn II's students definitely is a form of support. We knew before we opened the struggles students would be working with. One of these struggles would be the lack of success at traditional schools based on behavior. Students experiencing this will actively break rules and attempt to be disruptive. This group of students has experienced so much trauma, they push all help away. By allowing students to understand what the rules are, allow them opportunities to attempt to be pushed away, and providing an accepting environment, students are able to learn how to control their behavioral impulses over time. How these behaviors play out looks messy when not accustomed to the model, but it is necessary when working with this group of students. Once this group of students has been allowed to act out, have had the time necessary to develop relationships with adults in the building, build a budding trust, then you can begin the real work of dealing with inappropriate behavior. Our policy allows for this process.
