What We Do At New Dawn Charter School II

All students must be given a chance to complete high school and this includes students who may be struggling with traditional schools. New Dawn Charter High School II is a New York City Transfer School, reaching out to students who have either dropped out or are in school truants-those who will most likely not graduate with their four-year 9th-grade peers. New Dawn enrolls students who are over-aged and under-credited in grades 9, and students 16 years of age or older in grade 8 that will engage in an intensive program for those students who are the most at-risk and difficult to engage in their education. What sets us apart from other programs is we do not limit student entrance with admission criteria. Many other programs require a minimum credit accrual or number of Regents passed. This is not our philosophy. We believe ALL students, regardless of where they are, have a unique opportunity to start over and graduate. We believe we have that we have the tools necessary to help all students achieve this goal through our Three R’s: Respect, Responsibility, and Resilience.

In addition to the emotional supports inherent in all aspects of our instructional program, New Dawn II is all-inclusive. This means that all students, including students with special needs and students who do not speak English, are all treated the same and all participate in the same classes. This is known as an Inclusion Model. Teachers in the General Education Program collaborate with Special Education teachers to use several strategies to ensure this produces the best learning environment for all students.

Not only is New Dawn II an inclusion program, but all students will meet the class and testing requirements to attain a New York State Regents Diploma. New Dawn does not offer GED classes nor credit recovery programs. Students must meet all New York State Education credit, class and Regents exam requirements.

Once a student chooses New Dawn II, an individual plan for success is crafted with the student. This is done in a variety of ways, but first, experienced staff meet individually with each student to review their transcripts and create a plan with them. This transcript audit is extremely important, as a student will learn about their projected graduation date based on the credits and exams they are entering school with. Some students have 0 credits earned and start from scratch. Others may have just a few classes and a Regents exam to complete. Regardless of the starting point, every student learns in this meeting where the finish line lies.

When New Dawn II enters its second year of operation, students will be grouped into three different cohorts, as we are not graded. Students in C week come to the school with 0-11 credits. This special group comes to school every day and is trained on how to reintegrate into the school community with special advisories, internship training and foundational classes that prepare them for the rigors of College, Career, and Civic Readiness. Students who have more than 11 credits come to school in an A week or B week cohort. These students participate in the Internship and Research portfolio program. Students participating in internship receive support from the Internship Coordinators and work on their research papers with an English teacher. Students are expected to complete a research paper each semester.

All students are assigned a mentor in the building. This person ensures that they are touching base with their student once per week to ensure that they are on track. The mentor serves as a liaison for the student in all aspects of their life here at the school. Mentors help a student stay connected to the school through all of the hurdles they may encounter on their journey to a Regents Diploma.

When a student reaches senior year, they have special classes that prepare them for the college selection process. These classes include visiting different schools, filling out the applications and the FAFSA, and an audit of degree programs that will be the best fit for each student. New Dawn II will be participating in several college readiness programs, including CollegeNOW. When a student graduates, they gain a new family. Graduates are welcome to come back to visit, support and mentor other students, and work with staff on college applications, resumes, and other materials for their post-secondary endeavors. New Dawn never closes the door on a student once they enter the school, they are a Sun for life!