“Give me your tired, your Poor, your huddled masses Yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of Your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, Tempest-tossed to me. I lift my lamp beside the Golden door”

SCHOOL MISSION Newcomers High School was created to provide immigrant students with an academic program geared to achieve excellence by responding to their unique needs. In accomplishing this goal, our school has designed a rigorous instructional program, while at the same time providing our students and their parents with a supportive environment in their new country. For instance, a unique feature of our school is that students have the opportunity to transfer to a variety of educational options and specialized programs available to high school students. The school works with each student in identifying abilities, strengths, needs and interests, while offering programs that meet these needs. In addition to promoting academic and athletic excellence, our instructional program emphasizes important learning objectives such as the acquisition of English with an intensive English as a Second Language Program, the developing of native language skills, and the appreciation of cultural diversity.

Accountable Talk Learning as Apprenticeship Socializing Intelligence Academic Rigor in a Thinking Curriculum Fair and Credible Evaluations Clear Expectations Recognition of Accomplishment Organize for Effort Eight Principles of Learning

1 Principle : Organize for Effort Hard work replaces aptitude as the determiner of success. Everything is organized for students to work as hard as they need to for as long as they need to in order to reach high standards. Students develop skills later used at the science fair.

2 Principle : Clear Expectations Students, parents, school and community know and understand the targets at each stage of learning. Students participate in setting goals and evaluating progress.

3 Principle : Recognition of Accomplishment Celebrations of work at regular progress points invite families, friends and teachers to recognize student achievement.

4 Principle : Fair and Credible Evaluations Assessments are not based on the normal curve, but rather on absolute standards. The assessments are connected to curriculum and instruction.

5 Principle : Academic Rigor in a Thinking Curriculum "Knowledge based constructivism" means that students are engaged in thinking about a solid foundation of knowledge; process and content are linked.

6 Principle : Accountable Talk Student to student questioning, probing and conversing appropriate to the discipline uses evidence and accurate knowledge to develop ideas. Media student talks about the play “Twelve Angry Men”, an example of accountable talk and interdisciplinary instruction in Media, ESL and U.S History.

7 Principle : Socializing Intelligence Call on students to use intelligence, thinking, problem solving, reasoning, and their ability to make sense of the world. Teach intelligence.

8 Principle : Learning as Apprenticeship "Guide on the side," not "sage on the stage," is the apprenticeship model. Students engage in "authentic" work in class and in school - to - work arenas. Media student interviews journalist Warren Lehrer of Earsay productions.

3d. Makes informed judgements about television, radio, and film productions 7b. Produces functional documents 1a. Reads 25 books or book equivalents each year 1b. Reads and comprehends at least four books about one issue or subject, or by a single writer, or in one genre 1c. Reads and comprehends informational materials 6a. Critiques public documents with an eye to strategies common in public discourse 6b. Procedures Public documents 7a. Critiques functional documents with an eye to strategies common to effective functional documents 2a. Produces a report 2b. Produces a response to literature 2c. Produces a narrative account (fictional or autobiographical) 2d. Produces a narrative procedure 2e. Produces a persuasive essay 2f. Produces a reflective essay 3a. Participate in one-to- one conferences with a teacher, paraprofessional, or adult 3b. Participates in group meetings 3c. Prepares and delivers an individual presentation 3e. Listens to and analyzes a public speaking performance 4a. Independently and habitually demonstrates an understanding of the rules of the English language in written and oral work 5a. Responds to non-fiction, fiction, poetry, and drama using interpretive, critical, and evaluative processes 5b. Produces work in at least one literary genre that follows the conventions of the genre 4b. Analyzes and subsequently revises work 3d. Makes informed judgements about television, radio, and film productions 7b. Produces functional documents 1a. Reads 25 books or book equivalents each year 1b. Reads and comprehends at least four books about one issue or subject, or by a single writer, or in one genre 1c. Reads and comprehends informational materials 6a. Critiques public documents with an eye to strategies common in public discourse 6b. Procedures Public documents 7a. Critiques functional documents with an eye to strategies common to effective functional documents 2a. Produces a report 2b. Produces a response to literature 2c. Produces a narrative account (fictional or autobiographical) 2d. Produces a narrative procedure 2e. Produces a persuasive essay 2f. Produces a reflective essay 3a. Participate in one-to- one conferences with a teacher, paraprofessional, or adult 3b. Participates in group meetings 3c. Prepares and delivers an individual presentation 3e. Listens to and analyzes a public speaking performance 4a. Independently and habitually demonstrates an understanding of the rules of the English language in written and oral work 5a. Responds to non-fiction, fiction, poetry, and drama using interpretive, critical, and evaluative processes 5b. Produces work in at least one literary genre that follows the conventions of the genre 4b. Analyzes and subsequently revises work 3d. Makes informed judgements about television, radio, and film productions 7b. Produces functional documents 1a. Reads 25 books or book equivalents each year 1b. Reads and comprehends at least four books about one issue or subject, or by a single writer, or in one genre 1c. Reads and comprehends informational materials 6a. Critiques public documents with an eye to strategies common in public discourse 6b. Procedures Public documents 7a. Critiques functional documents with an eye to strategies common to effective functional documents 2a. Produces a report 2b. Produces a response to literature 2c. Produces a narrative account (fictional or autobiographical) 2d. Produces a narrative procedure 2e. Produces a persuasive essay 2f. Produces a reflective essay 3a. Participate in one-to- one conferences with a teacher, paraprofessional, or adult 3b. Participates in group meetings 3c. Prepares and delivers an individual presentation 3e. Listens to and analyzes a public speaking performance 4a. Independently and habitually demonstrates an understanding of the rules of the English language in written and oral work 5a. Responds to non-fiction, fiction, poetry, and drama using interpretive, critical, and evaluative processes 5b. Produces work in at least one literary genre that follows the conventions of the genre 4b. Analyzes and subsequently revises work 3d. Makes informed judgments about television, radio, and film productions 7b. Produces functional documents 1a. Reads 25 books or book equivalents each year 1b. Reads and comprehends at least four books about one issue or subject, or by a single writer, or in one genre 1c. Reads and comprehends informational materials 6a. Critiques public documents with an eye to strategies common in public discourse 6b. Procedures Public documents 7a. Critiques functional documents with an eye to strategies common to effective functional documents 2a. Produces a report 2b. Produces a response to literature 2c. Produces a narrative account (fictional or autobiographical) 2d. Produces a narrative procedure 2e. Produces a persuasive essay 2f. Produces a reflective essay 3a. Participate in one-to- one conferences with a teacher, paraprofessional, or adult 3b. Participates in group meetings 3c. Prepares and delivers an individual presentation 3e. Listens to and analyzes a public speaking performance 4a. Independently and habitually demonstrates an understanding of the rules of the English language in written and oral work 5a. Responds to non-fiction, fiction, poetry, and drama using interpretive, critical, and evaluative processes 5b. Produces work in at least one literary genre that follows the conventions of the genre 4b. Analyzes and subsequently revises work STANDARDS ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS/NLA/SECOND LANGUAGES

1. United States History Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, ears, themes, developments, and turning points in the history of the United States and New York. 2. World History Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning points in world history and examine the broad sweep of history from a variety of perspectives. 3. Geography Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the geography of their interdependent work in which we live— local, national, and global—including the distribution of people, places, and environments on the Earth’s surface. 4. Economics Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of how the United States and other societies develop economic systems and associated institutions to allocate scarce resources, how major decision-making units function in the US and other national economies, and how an economy solves the scarcity problems through market and nonmarket mechanisms. 5. Civics, Citizenship, and Government Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the necessity for establishing governments; the governmental system of the US and other nations; the US constitution; the basic civic values of American constitutional democracy; and the roles, rights, and responsibilities of citizenship including values of participation. Social Studies Standards

Students will use mathematical analysis, scientific inquiry, and engineering design, as appropriate, to pose questions, seek answers, and develop solution. Students will access, generate, process, and transfer information using appropriate technologies. Students will understand mathematics and become mathematically confident by communicating and reasoning mathematically, by applying mathematics in real-world settings, and by solving problems through the integrated study of number systems, geometry, algebra, data analysis, probability and trigonometry. Students will understand and apply scientific concepts, principles, and theories pertaining to the physical setting and living environment and recognize the historical development of ideas in science. Students will apply the knowledge and thinking skills of mathematics, science, and technology to address real-life problems and make informed decisions. Students will understand the relationships and common themes that connect mathematics, science, and technology and apply the themes to these and other areas of learning. Students will apply technological knowledge and skills to design, construct, use, and evaluate products and systems to satisfy human and environmental needs. Mathematics, Science, and Technology Standards

Will diversity lead to divisiveness? “Diversity need not lead to divisiveness. But the failure to promote intercultural understanding virtually guarantees societal division. Multicultural education must not be viewed as a short range program for solving societal problems, eliminating prejudice, or eradicating intergroup conflict. It cannot resolve all the issues related to American racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity, not to mention such other types of diversity as gender, religion, social class, religion, and physical and mental differences. But comprehensive, continuous, well-conceived, effectively implemented multicultural education can help make this a better nation.” As S. Buck wrote, “All things are possible until they are proved impossible; even the impossible may only be as of now.” Carlos E. Cortés (1990)

Every child is an artist – the problem is to remain one once one grows up P. Picasso

I shut my eyes in order to see P. Gauguin

PROMOTIONAL POLICY SOPHOMOREJUNIORSENIOR To enter grade 10 you need 8 credits including: - 2 credits in English - 2 credits in Social Studies* - 2 terms of Physical Education To enter grade 11 you need 20 credits including: - 4 credits in English - 4 credits in Social Studies* - 4 terms of Physical Education To enter grade 12 you need 29 credits including: - 6 credits in English - 6 credits in Social Studies* - 4 terms of Physical Education HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA REQUIREMENTS All students are required to meet the following graduation requirements for a High School Diploma SUBJECT YEARSCREDITSREGENTS DIPLOMA English48+8 Social Studies488 Mathematics366 Science*366 Foreign Language126 Physical Education3 1/240 Health1/211 Art1/211 Music1/211 Electives Total44 *SCIENCE:3 years with 2 years of Laboratory Science

Subject:9/989/999/009/01 + Regents ExamsLocalRegentsLocalRegentsLocalRegentsLocalRegentsAdv. Regents English(55+)65+(55+)65+(55+) Math(55+)55+(55+)55+(55+) nd Math Global Studies(55+)55+(55+)55+(55+) U.S.Hist/Gov.(55+)55+(55+)55+(55+) ScienceRCT55+(55+)55+(55+) nd Science Foreign Language EXAMS NEEDED TO GRADUATE STUDENTS ENTERING THE 9th GRADE IN: The entering class of 2001 will require all 5 Regents with a passing grade of 55 and earn a minimum of 44 credits.

ALBANIAN ARABIC BENGALI BUELO-RUSSIAN BULGARIAN CANTONESE CZECH FRENCH FUJIANESE GAELIC GERMAN GREEK ENGLISH HEBREW HINDI HUNGARIAN ITALIAN JAPANESE KOREAN MANDARIN POLISH PORTUGESE ROMANIAN RUSSIAN SHANGHAINASE SPANISH UKRANIAN URDU VIETNAMESE LANGUAGES SPOKEN BY STAFF TOTAL LANGUAGES SPOKEN = 29

To dream the impossible dream To fight the unbeatable foe To bear the unbearable sorrow To run where the brave dare not go To right the unrightable wrong To love pure and chaste from afar To try when your arms are to weary To reach the unreachable star This is my quest, to follow that star! No matter how hopeless, no matter how far! To fight for a right, without question or pause To be willing to march into hell for a heavenly cause And I know, if I only be true, to this glorious quest Then my heart will lay peaceful and calm when I lay To my rest... And the world, will be better for this That one man, scorned and covered with scars Still strove with his last ounce of courage To dream the impossible dream! To reach the unreachable star!