Admitted students are also required to complete and submit the following as part of the enrollment process:
• Birth Certificate
• Proof of residence: This can be a utility bill (but not a cable bill), lease, HRA application, or any government issued ID.
• Enrollment Form: This form is used to record all basic information about the student and the family, including home, work, and emergency telephone numbers.
• Parent/Guardian Consent to Attend: It is extremely important that a parent or guardian sign this form.
• Free and Reduced Price Meals Application: This form must be completed for all students and will be held in strict confidence.
• Immunization Records
• Medical Forms: This set of forms must be submitted for all students within the first 30 days of attendance. It is the responsibility of each parent to keep their child’s medical information, including food allergies, up to date.
• Record Release: This form gives the school permission to obtain all records pertaining to a given student from his or her previous school. It must be completed and should include the telephone number and address of the previous school, as well as the signature of a parent or legal guardian.
• Transcripts from All Schools Attended Prior to New Dawn
• IEP or 504 Modifications
It is critical that the school be notified immediately of any changes in a student’s name, address, phone number, responsible parent, or any other information provided at the time of registration. Such changes should be communicated in writing and sent to the Principal.
Placement of Incoming Students
Once admitted to New Dawn Charter High School, students must provide transcripts from their previous academic institutions. New Dawn then reviews these transcripts and determines placement in classes based on the number of accumulated credits and classes needed for graduation. At New Dawn students are “ungraded” in the sense that they are able to take the classes necessary for them to graduate and this is not based on what “grade” the student is in. The chart on the next page is simply for placement into the special programs (intensive 9th grade, Internship, and College Now). New Dawn officials often contact students’ transferring schools with questions regarding their transcripts.
Grade Credits
9th 0-10
10th 11-20
11th 21-32
12th 33+
Students also take a series of assessments during orientation that help New Dawn staff determine grade and classroom placement. These include the following:
• Terranova Assessment (diagnostic tests in a variety of subjects including language arts, mathematics, social studies and science); and
• Home Language Survey (used for placement in ELL programs).
Transfer Credits
Whenever possible, incoming students’ report cards and/or progress reports are reviewed for course placement and credit. If a student has made satisfactory progress at his/her transferring school in a course, then he/she may be able to get full credit for the equivalent course at New Dawn, given that he/she completes all stated requirements by the end of the term. The degree of partial credit granted hinges on consultations between the Principal and respective instructors.
Privacy
New Dawn complies with all confidentiality laws protecting the privacy of its students and their families. Information regarding a student’s progress will be shared only with parents or guardians, appropriate members of the school’s faculty and staff, and any professional consultants retained for the purpose of measuring and/or improving instructional quality. When information regarding student performance is made public, it will be presented in such a way as to avoid the identification of specific, individual students.