What We Do At New Dawn Charter High School

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 School 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 Charter School enrolls students who are over-aged and under-credited in grades 9 through 12, and includes 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 that we do not limit student entrance with admission criteria. We believe all students, regardless of where they are academically or personally, have a unique opportunity to hit a reset button and graduate with a New York State Education Department High School Diploma. Our organizations employs tools necessary to help all students achieve this goal through our commitment to three core values known as the Three R’s: Respect, Responsibility, and Resilience.

In addition to the emotional supports inherent in all aspects of our instructional program, New Dawn is an all-inclusive institution. The foundation of our educational model is an inclusion where teachers within the General Education program collaborate and co-teach with Special Education teachers in order to utilize several strategies to ensure that best learning environment is achieved for students of all ability. 

New Dawn Charter School does not offer High School Equivalency classes nor credit recovery programs. Students must meet all New York State Education credit, class, and Regents exam requirements in order to graduate.

Once a student chooses New Dawn Charter School, an individual plan for success is crafted with the student in connection with an experienced staff member who is able to calculate and project a student's personal needs through careful audit of transcripts and projected graduation dates based on credit and/or exam transferrals. Regardless of where a New Dawn Charter School student is at their date of entry, each student has the opportunity to gauge where the finish line is through extensive mentoring, socio-emotional, and academic programming. 

Students are grouped into three different cohorts, traditional 9-12 grade models are not applicable. The rotational model of the school has three sections: Academic-A Week, Academic-B Week, and Academic-C Week. A student who enters New Dawn Charter School with 0-11 credits is considered to be in Academic - C Week. This cohort attends academic classes daily and explore how to integrate into the school community through special advisory classes, internship training, and core academic classes that prepare them for the rigors of college, career, and civic readiness. Students who have more than 11-credits attend school and internship training and placements in an alternating A-Week or B-Week cohort, which is the opposite from their academic week cohort (Example: Academic A Week students are Internship B week students, and Academic B Week students are Internship A week students).  Each student is required to complete an extensive Internship Portfolio and participate in the Internship alternating vocational training components and internship and work-based placements. These students receive support through the College and Career Readiness department and work directly with Internship Coordinators in order to create cover-letters, resumes, and build a portfolio of work that includes an Internship Research paper. 

All students are assigned a mentor in the building. The role of the mentor is to ensure that students are contacted at least once-per week and that the student is performing and progressing throughout their coursework at New Dawn Charter School. The mentor serves as a liaison for the student in all aspects of their life at school. Mentors help a student stay connected to the school through all of the hurdles that they may encounter on their journey to college and career readiness. 

Our school has the ability to work with students on an individualized basis and offer opportunities such as school-wide PSAT and SAT administration, smaller class sizes, offer tailored educational approaches, and meet post-secondary goals. 

Graduation from New Dawn Charter High School means that you are a part of a family and a network of individuals who 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 Charter School never closes the door on a student, current or Alumni.