Paterson Charter School for Science/Technology Share

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PCSST earned Middle States accreditation for growth in 2014. PCSST will be working towards accreditation in Excellence for Design in the upcoming school year. PCSST offers 12 Advanced Placement courses, and in the 2018-19 school year 100% of the students enrolled in the AP Calculus course passed the AP exam. PCSST students have received Ivy League acceptances every year since 2013, with the first West Point acceptance in the class of 2019. PCSST currently have students taking dual enrollment courses with three different universities. PCSST has an award winning JROTC program, with over two hundred cadets participating.

Learn more about Paterson Charter School for Science/Technology.

PCSST''SMission is to provide our students with a rigourous education that produces literate, responsible, self- directed students who can contribute to society.

PCSST provides students with a standards based curriculum. College and career readiness is at the core of the curriculum at our 7-12 campus. PCSST offers twelve different AP courses, in addition to a variety of honors courses. The vast course catalog allows students to explore different career paths through a variety of hands and engaging electives.PCSST effectively use/integrate technology in all subjects by providing one-on-one devices in middle and high school.Teachers utilize the "I Do, We Do, You Do" model during a block period of instruction to provide students with skills based instruction that allows for the mastery of skills and standards that students will need to be successful in their courses and on state assessments.

Baseball (Boys), Bowling (Coed), Cheerleading (Girls), Cross Country (Boys & Girls), Soccer (Boys & Girls), Softball (Girls), Volleyball (Girls)

PCSST offers a full extracurricular program which includes over 50 club, competition, and sports teams so that students can pursue their passions and interests outside of the classroom. Clubs range from traditional options such as Arts&Crafts Club, Reading Club, Spanish Club, Book Club, Music Clubs, Academic Clubs, Computer Club, Technology Clubs and Fitness/Sports Clubs. We also offer activities that send students to compete across the state in Science Olympiads, JROTC Raiders competitions, Robotics competitions, science, social studies and art fairs and sporting events activities as well as opportunities for service learning.

PCSST offers after school programs to student who need extra help on core courses and enrichment programs for the college bound students. Credit recovery is a program for high school students to be on track of graduation and after school. Math and LA tutoring is offered to elementary and middle school students to provide them extra support afterschool. College Coaching Program is designed for college bound students to get them ready for college by providing enrichment activities and SAT prep.

PCSST faculty members begin their school year with an extensive professional development program. New staff members receive five days of professional development during and extensive new teacher orientation, with an additional five days during full staff orientation. Five school days are allocated throughout the year for continued professional development. The theme of this yearÕs professional development social and emotional learning. PCSST staff received one and a half days of training from outside organizations to help incorporate SEL practices into our classrooms. Based on need, professional development workshops are planned by PCSST administrators. Staff also participates in out of district professional development, webinars, and are members of professional organizations to help them meet their individual professional development goals.

PCSST class of 2019 consisted of 69 students of which 75 percent applied to post-secondary institutions including 4-year universities and 2-year colleges. As a result, 85% percent of the applicants were accepted and collectively received over $4,000,000.00 worth of Scholarships.. The remaining students applied to military and trade schools. Students who are uncertain about post-secondary plan usually seek employment which is supported by PCSST Alumni program. Through the years PCSST students continues on a trail blazing path to various post-secondary institutions including WestPoint, Princeton, Cornell, Carnegie Institute of Technology, FIU, UCLA, Boston College, George Washington, Howard, Rutgers, WPU, DSU, Felician, MSU, FDU, NJIT, Penn State, NJCU, Rider, Seton Hall, Caldwell, Bloomfield, NYU, Emerson College, Berkeley, Pace, Morgan State, Ramapo College, Norwich, Kean, Lehigh, University of Florida, NYIT, Saint Peters, Boston, Rowen, Coppin State, US Army

PCSST implements a high-intensity ESL program for ELL students by providing a minimum of 90 min of daily ESL instruction through in-class support or pull-out classes. PCSST has a special education program in place for students who are identified as eligible through CST evaluations. An in-class resource program is available for students who are able to function successfully in the general education classroom. For students who need a modified curriculum and small group instruction PCSST provides a resource replacement program. Speech/language therapy, occupational therapy, and physical therapy are also provided to students based on their identified needs in the IEP. Supports and services for struggling students include additional support through use of basics skills teachers, small group instruction, and tutoring programs. PCSST also has an I&RS committee that assists with the intervention process for students who are experiencing learning and behavior difficulties.

PCSST elementary school organizes a Healthy U assemply every year to emphasize and encourage a healthy lifestyle. During the event, students get informed about healthy eating habits and the importance of exercising with fun activities.

The goals of PCSST are to encourage interaction between family and school, serve as a source of support, and work with teachers, staff, and the community at large to improve children''s educational experience. The PTO works closely with the school administration to meet these goals.

PCSST has three campuses (K-1, 2-6 and 7-12) all located in Paterson, New Jersey. The K-1 campus located on Main Street in downtown Paterson opened in fall of 2017. The three-storey building was originally a department store. It has fully equipt kindergarten classes along with regular classes, a cafeteria, and a large indoor play area. This campus currently accommodates 288 students in Kindergarten and first grade. The 2-6 Campus is a 68,000 square-foot building located at 276 Wabash Avenue opened in the fall of 2005. The building was originally a warehouse and currently accommodates 624 students in second through sixth grade. The 7-12 campus building is an 87,200 square-foot building located at 196 West Railway Avenue opened in the fall of 2014. This location was originally a warehouse, converted into a school by the landlord which features with the state of art facilities including a spacious gymnasium. This campus currently accommodates 576 students in seventh through 12th grade.

PCSST offers STEM programs starting at ealry ages: In Elelmntary school, students are exposed to engineering and teccnology education by makerspace and robatics programs. In high school, students are prepared for STEM field with the makerspace program, hands-on Science labs, AP level Science and Math courses. Also, PCSST offers various computer education programs, including Cisco Networking Academy courses and AP Computer Science Principles, and AP Computer Science A courses.

The admission policy for PCSST is non-discriminatory and is designed to ensure equal opportunity for interested applicants in grades K through 12. Enrollment is open based the availability of seats in each grade level. Total applications received for 2019-20 academic year was 1955. Due to this overwhelming applications for admission, PCSST conducts an annual open public lottery event to identify accepted students and the order of enrollment for each grade. PCSST has a strict uniform policy in place for all grades. Transportation is available for all eligible students through Paterson Public Schools. PCSST provides a grade-level appropriate daily schedule at its three campuses. The elementary schedule accommodates breaks and recesses, whereas the high school utilizes a block schedule. All campuses utilize a variety of communication tools to reach out to parents including the school database system, emails, SMS and automated phone messaging, social media and one-on-one parent meetings. Home visits are also utilized by the faculty to reach out parents and families. PCSST is providing opportunities for students to be able to gain and exercise leadership skills through student-led organizations such as Student Council, National Honor Societies, Hero and Cool Kids, Teen Summit participation, mentoring programs, JROTC Leadership and Raiders teams and JROTC Cadet formation. Student achievements and recognition are a big part of the school culture where learning is encouraged. In addition to the morning assemblies, Honor Roll ceremonies, Students of the Month, Lion Pride, SWAG (Student with Academic Greatness), grade level assemblies, pep-rallies, special tag days (students representing school in competitions are allowed to wear their team/club t-shirt) are other ways of celebrating and acknowledging success. PCSST tries to make these recognition activities inclusive of all students. In addition to meeting high standards, students who are making progress toward those stand