NDHS Parents

Parent Teacher Conferences

2010-10-26T07:02:00.001-07:00

Parents & Guardians,

Please come to Parent Teacher Conferences this week!

Thursday, October 28, 2010
*Students have a regular school day and Parent Teacher Conferences will begin at 5:00pm and end at 8:00pm.

and

Friday, October 29, 2010
*Students will be in attendance from 8:50-12:00pm for a half day program.
Parent Teacher Conferences will be help from 1:00pm-3:00pm.

If you have a conflict with your schedule, please contact Morri Nkomo, Family Coordinator at 212.475.4148 x426 to schedule a private appointment.

School Begins Wednesday September 8th:

2010-08-11T12:15:00.000-07:00

Parents of 9th graders recently received a welcome letter in the mail. There is a correction on the date of school opening:

September 8th: First day of school

September 9th and 10th: School closed in observance of Rosh Hashanah.

September 13th: We will resume a regular schedule.

Parents please help with the DRESS CODE for NDHS attire!

2010-06-04T11:57:00.000-07:00

Vote for NDHS at Pepsi Refresh Project

2010-05-03T12:26:00.000-07:00

Vote for NDHS's very own Christian Rodriguez's grant proposal at the Pepsi Refresh Project!

You can vote daily! Help NDHS receive $50,000 in technology!

http://pep.si/apm59T

Save the Dates!

2010-02-18T08:07:00.000-08:00

Thursday, March 18, 2010 Evening (Time TBA)
Friday, March 19, 2010 - Afternoon (Time TBA)
Parent/Teacher Conferences

Monday, March 29, -April 6, 2010
Spring Break

Friday, April 16, 2010
End of 3rd Quarter

Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Senior Prom

Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Class of 2010 Graduation

Monday, June 28, 2010
Last day of School for all students/
teachers

Swine Flu Vaccination Information

2009-11-04T13:32:00.000-08:00

The Health Department is working with schools to offer the H1N1 vaccine at no cost to parents at elementary schools starting in late October/early November. Please check below for the center near your home.

Manhattan:

http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/flu/downloads/pdf/schools/weekend_vaccination_mn.pdf

Bronx:

http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/flu/downloads/pdf/schools/weekend_vaccination_bx.pdf

Brooklyn:

http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/flu/downloads/pdf/schools/weekend_vaccination_bk.pdf

Queens:

http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/flu/downloads/pdf/schools/weekend_vaccination_qu.pdf

Staten Island:

http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/flu/downloads/pdf/schools/weekend_vaccination_si.pdf

New Design High School: 8th Grade Admissions

2009-09-24T11:51:00.000-07:00

Attention all 8th grade students and Prospective Parents!

Admissions for the New Design High School Class of 2014 has begun!

Congratulations on your 8th grade year and the start of your journey to high school. New Design would like to welcome you at our ADMISSIONS OPEN HOUSE tours that will be help:

Tuesday, November 3, 2009 (Election Day - no school for students) at 2:00pm

or

Thursday, November 12, 2009 at 6:00pm

All tours will take place at 350 Grand Street, 4th Floor between Essex and Ludlow in the lower east side of Manhattan. Trains J/M/Z to Delancey or F train to Essex or the B/D to Grand Street.

Please choose either date to attend. We ask that parents, guardians or guidance counselors please attend with prospective students. There are NO RESERVATIONS needed to attend the admissions open house tours.

New Design High School is an educational option enrollment school which means 50% of our students that apply to NDHS are selected by our admissions team and 50% are selected by lottery. We ask students that really would like to attend NDHS in the Fall of 2010 must attend an open house tour.

For any other questions or concerns about NDHS admissions please email newdesignhigh@gmail.com.

Thank you!

New Letter from Chancellor and Health Commissioner to Parents on H1N1 Flu

2009-09-14T14:49:00.000-07:00

September 2009

Dear Parent or Guardian,

We want to welcome you back to school and share some important information about our plans for this year’s flu season. Influenza is a fact of life during the fall and winter months. In addition to ordinary seasonal flu, New York City may see a return of the H1N1 virus. We are confident neither of these viruses will disrupt the school year if we work together to control them.

We expect that an H1N1 vaccine will be available later this fall. The City will distribute the vaccine to health care providers, and plans to offer free vaccinations to school-age children. The current plan is to offer vaccinations to students in all NYC elementary schools—public and non-public—and to older children at central sites in each borough. The vaccination requires two doses, so each school or center will hold two vaccination sessions, approximately four weeks apart. Timing and logistics will depend on the supply of the H1N1 vaccine and the availability of staff to administer it. No child will be vaccinated without the consent of a parent or guardian. We will share details on this plan once it is finalized.

You may remember that when H1N1 began spreading last spring, we temporarily closed schools with large numbers of ill children and staff. Given what we now know about the virus and how it is spread, this school year the Department of Education and the Health Department are adopting an open school policy. This means that when the flu returns in the fall, we do not plan to close schools with high levels of flu activity. Instead, we will work with parents and other members of the school community to keep our schools open.

School nurses will use a citywide database to report the number of students with confirmed flu-like illness while at school, and the number of students with flu-like illness will be listed by school on the City’s influenza website www.nyc.gov/flu.

We are confident that routine infection-control measures are effective at preventing the spread of the flu and are less disruptive to families. The steps needed to control influenza in our schools are simple. By getting your children vaccinated, keeping them home when they’re sick, and teaching them the importance of washing hands and covering coughs, you can help keep your children healthy this year. Here is a more detailed list of the steps we ask you to take.

Get your child vaccinated against H1N1 and seasonal flu as soon as a vaccine is available.

Teach your children to wash their hands often. Washing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds is ideal (roughly the time it takes to sing the Happy Birthday song twice).

Teach your children to keep their hands away from their faces and to avoid touching their mouth, nose, or eyes.

Teach your children to cover coughs and sneezes with tissues or the inside of an elbow. Cough or sneeze into sleeves—not hands!

Help children learn these healthy habits by setting a good example yourself.

Do not send your child to school if he or she has a fever with cough or sore throat. Students kept home with flu-like symptoms should stay out of school until their symptoms are improving and their temperature is normal (98.6° F) for at least 24 hours. They will not need a doctor’s note to return to school.

Children sent home from school with a fever and a cough or sore throat will not be allowed to return to school until at least one full day has passed since they were dismissed.

If your child becomes ill during the school day, it is important we know how to reach you. Please remember to give your up-to-date contact information to your child’s school. And be sure to inform your school nurse if your child has a chronic health condition, such as asthma or diabetes.

For more information about influenza and how to protect your family, you can always call 311 or visit www.nyc.gov/flu.

Thank you in advance for doing your part to make this a healthy and productive school year for your children.

Sincerely,

Joel I. Klein Thomas Farley, MD, MPH
Chancellor Commissioner
Department of Education Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

INDEPENDENT READING LOGS

2009-06-30T11:30:00.001-07:00

Find your summer reading forms here! Click to enlarge image and print!

School Year Wrapping Up

2009-06-11T08:15:00.000-07:00

Students' last official day of school is Monday, June 15, 2009 If your student has library books out please make sure they turn them in to Rena (the librarian).

Final Report Cards can be picked up in the office from 9:00- 11:00 am on Thursday, June 25, or 9:00- 11:00am on Friday, June 26th

Report Cards

2009-05-08T06:36:00.001-07:00

Students have received report cards for the Third Marking Period. If you would like a copy of your son/daughter's report card, please call Morri at 212-475-6147.

Make Breakfast Part of Your Teen's Day

2009-03-03T06:28:00.000-08:00

Tips for Parents:

We all know that breakfast is the “most important meal of the day.” But American children aren’t eating their breakfast, despite its availability in most schools. According to the anti-hunger organization Project Bread, in the state of Massachusetts, 48 percent of public schools have to offer free breakfast, and another 22 percent choose to give it. Still, only 34 percent of disadvantaged students take advantage of the program.

The school breakfast program was established after Congress enacted the Child Nutrition Act of 1966. The program grew out of research showing children who skipped breakfast had a difficult time concentrating at school and paying attention. Today, nearly 80,000 schools nation-wide offer a breakfast program.
Despite easy access to breakfast programs, children are still not eating breakfast, at school or at home. Statistics show almost half of all girls and one-third of boys do not eat breakfast regularly.

So why is breakfast so important? Ohio State University suggests considering the following before rushing the kids off hungry in the morning:

1. The hunger resulting from skipping breakfast may cause children to exhibit nervousness, irritability, disinterest in learning, listlessness and lack of concentration. Students may be fatigued, bored and apathetic.
2. Skipping breakfast is linked to behavior problems, attention deficit disorder, poorer language development, slower thinking and memory retrieval, and lower IQs. Calorie deprived children lack fuel to power the brain. They may not explore, play, or interact socially - all of which affect learning. The result can be lower scores on standardized tests, less focus, and higher absentee and tardiness rates.
3. One-third of children who do not eat breakfast do not meet their daily protein requirement.
4. 75 percent of children who do not eat breakfast fail to meet their recommended daily allowance for calcium.
5. A poorly nourished body cannot resist disease and infection. More illness results in more missed school and less learning.
6. Poor nutrition can lead to obesity.

Now that you understand the importance of breakfast, what do you do if your child doesn’t like the school breakfast?
Does an apple or banana suffice? Eating something is definitely better than nothing. Ideally, a breakfast consisting of starch, protein, fat and sugar will provide your child with the most energy. The Dairy Council of California suggests these simple breakfasts:
• Juice and cereal with milk.
• Toast with peanut butter and a piece of fruit.
• A fruit smoothie made with yogurt.
• A hard-cooked egg and a bagel.
• A cereal bar or a piece of fresh fruit and string cheese are great portable breakfasts.
• Leftovers can also make a great breakfast.

To make your morning routine run smoother, try these easy tips from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Human Nutrition Information Service:

1. No time? Build a breakfast around foods that are ready to eat or take little preparation time. There are plenty that qualify: fresh and canned fruits, milk, yogurt, cheese, cottage cheese, ready-to-eat cold cereals and instant breakfast mixes.
2. Take it to go... Try celery stuffed with peanut butter or a meat or cheese spread, dried fruits or vegetable juices.
3. Perk up cereals... Top cereals with fruit or stir chopped nuts such as peanuts, pecans and walnuts into cooked cereal.
4. Not hungry yet? Drink juice. Something is better than nothing. Have some bread or crackers later in the morning, then drink some milk and eat some cheese, an egg or peanut butter.
5. Don't let your child skip, even if he/she is on a diet. There's no evidence that skipping meals will help you lose weight. In fact, studies show that most people who skip breakfast tend to eat more later in the day. Some even select more highly caloric foods than those who eat breakfast.

-Dr. Scott Conti,
Principal
New Design High school

Get Involved

2008-09-16T11:03:00.001-07:00

Parents,

We are in need of a committee of folks that would be interested in planning a Spring Family Event on the roof. We would love for you to share your ideas. Please contact Morri, the Parent Coordinator if you are interested in helping to organize this.

No Fear! Help is HERE!

2008-09-16T10:59:00.000-07:00

Tutoring and Academic Support Services

Math Tutoring:
With Jess J and Phil in Rm 413: Monday, Wednesday, Friday during lunch
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday after school for an hour (Ends at 4:45 on Tue. & Thursday. Ends at 4:15 on Wednesday)

English Tutoring:
By appointment only after school. Speak to Jess W.
Writing Center:
Open every day during lunch in Rm 429. Afterschool (3:15) on Wed. any day afterschool by appointment. Speak to Erin Mack.

SAT Prep(Verbal section):
Rm. 429: Free help w/a professional tutor. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, during DFL/Lunch. Wednesday & Thursday, after school until 5:00

Senior US History Regents Prep:
With Jessica Stewart in Rm. 431. Monday during lunch. Wednesday after school.
Spanish Tutoring:
By appointment, after school on Wed. See Jess R or Michelle H.

Got Email?

2008-09-16T10:30:00.000-07:00

Please email Morri, Parent Coordinator at Morrinewdesign@yahoo.com so that we can add you to our parent email list.

Problem Solving

2007-10-16T06:44:00.000-07:00

Design and Problem Solving: A Design for Life
Why Focus on Problem Solving?
NDHS tries to provide students with the life-skills to tackle personal and professional issues. Often students give up when they encounter failure. We want our students to see those stumbling blocks as part of the process towards achievement. We hope that the design projects, combined with the student advisory program will help students internalize this process.

the Design Studios

2007-10-16T06:43:00.000-07:00

The DESIGN STUDIOS create projects directly related to the school themes. Academic classes are encouraged to do the same.

Year One: Identity: Exploration
Year Two: Community: Creativity: Polarity
Year Three: Perspectives: Professionalism
Year Four: The Future: Application: Success and Failure

DESIGN at NDHS

2007-10-16T06:20:00.000-07:00

How does DESIGN help visual learners in academic classes?
Design teaches visual learners to organize information in a visual way. NDHS students are encouraged to use calendars, colorcode information, and to make flowcharts and diagrams.

Other Ways DESIGN permeates through the school
Design also permeates the school through Arts Integration, After School Classes, and Special Programs and Events. These permutations are facilitated through our relationship with our lead cultural partner, Working Playground.

Design Program Mission

2007-10-16T06:19:00.000-07:00

Design Mission:
The Design Program helps students to become effective problem solvers. The assignments explore themes of Identity, Community, Perspective, and the Future.

The Design Program provides students with the essential skills in Media and Communications, Architecture and Design, and Industrial Design. With this toolbox students will be able to visually communicate their ideas.

A graduate of the four-year design program can define a problem and develop a plan to propose an innovative solution. Comfortable with success and failure, graduates will be resilient through a belief in process.

The New Design High School Green CurriculumTM, promotes citizenship and ethical design.