Mission, Vision and Beliefs
Our Mission
The Mission of the Newark Charter School is to promote high levels of student effort, achievement and decorum for children in grades K-12 in the Greater Newark community by providing continuous, engaging and rigorous academic challenges grounded in a sequential core of common knowledge, delivered in a community of students, educators and involved parents who value scholarship and appropriate behavior.
Our Vision
The guiding vision and philosophy of the Newark Charter School is that all children can learn when they are challenged, supported, respected and motivated.
Newark Charter School will offer an educational alternative within the public school system for families and students seeking a strong academic program that invites family involvement in children’s education.
Our Beliefs
Academic
The purpose of public education is to serve the community by equipping future leaders and citizens with the skills and knowledge they will need as adults in a pluralistic society and a global economy.
Students benefit socially and emotionally, as well as intellectually, from being challenged academically.
Instruction, guided by meaningful and authentic assessment, will focus on ensuring that all students have mastered fundamental literacy skills and are continuously challenged to achieve their maximum potential in all academic content areas.
Learning is optimized when curriculum and instructional programming are based on a body of lasting knowledge that is carefully integrated and sequenced.
To successfully educate a broad range of students, instruction will be multi-faceted to accommodate different learning styles, different levels of social and intellectual maturity, and different degrees of academic interest and achievement.
It is the parents’ responsibility to ensure that their children come to school ready to learn, to abide by the Student Code of Conduct, and to participate in a dialog with school staff regarding their children’s progress and needs.
Early childhood development is a critical time in student learning. Learning occurs quickly in the early years and patterns that have far-reaching implications are established at this time. Therefore, the school offers a full-day Kindergarten program and, if viable, the school would consider incorporating a preschool program.
Stability and Family Involvement
The stable environment of a K-12 school that primarily serves the community in which it is located helps students and families to be able to become increasingly comfortable and involved with the school, fostering better student academic achievement and social development.
Strong parental involvement encourages families to share their expertise and time with the student body. It models for students an appreciation of the importance of education in one’s life and the mutual benefits of community participation, personal responsibility and service to others
Life Skills
In addition to reaching a high level of academic accomplishment, students should develop life skills vital to their future success. Therefore, they should to manage time well, think independently and critically, cultivate their own creativity, value diversity, evaluate information, develop a personal opinion, and defend it respectfully.
Opportunities for students to explore many different interests through a variety of clubs, teams and service projects is a means of building a school culture, expanding student interests, inculcating civic values, and applying their “textbook” education to their lives.
Charter Schools
Increased autonomy at the school level in exchange for clear accountability will yield outstanding student performance and a well-managed organization.
School choice is vital for a charter school to provide a focused learning community where administrators, teachers, parents and students share common values and expectations.
The goals of the Newark Charter School are:
To challenge each student in every course.
To elicit academic achievement commensurate with each student’s ability.
To maintain an unwavering commitment to student mastery of educational fundamentals (content) and development of critical thinking skills (process).
To strive to reflect the diverse population of the Greater Newark area.
To create and sustain an environment that prepares our students for citizenship in an increasingly global society, living and learning among peers whose perspectives and experiences differ from their own. We embrace differences and commonalities across race, nationality, gender, religion, physical appearance, learning ability, and socio-economic backgrounds. We value every student and consider their contribution significant.
To expand educational choices within the Greater Newark area.
To provide curriculum, school environment, and instruction that enables each student to meet or exceed all Delaware Content Standards and to demonstrate proficiency on the State tests designed to measure student mastery of standards in all grades.
To enhance students’ social and emotional development and to foster positive relationships among peers and with educators.
To continually evaluate the achievement of our goals through multiple, varied, and authentic assessment.
To recognize that the school’s customers are the students’ parents, and to be responsive and accountable to their concerns through a strong shared-decision making process, regular communication and a culture of mutual respect.
To ensure that students acquire a firm understanding and command of the English language as a means of communication and to develop an appreciation of the value and richness of verbal and written expression.
To develop an understanding and appreciation of other cultures and nations, including the study of a language other than English.
Anti-Discrimination Policy
Newark Charter School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, gender, gender identity, homeless or foster care status, disability, genetic information, marital or family status, military status, status as a veteran, or age in its programs or activities. Persons having civil rights inquiries may contact the School Director.