High School
Mission, Vision, & Core Values
The mission of Great Oaks Legacy Charter School is to prepare students for success in college.
We fulfill this mission by focusing on three guiding principles. We believe that to fulfill our mission, we must:
- Creating a community that is built upon genuine and meaningful relationships
- Being surgical in our approach to differentiation of instruction and support of ALL students and members
- Setting and exceeding high expectations for academic growth and character development for all students, in preparation for success in college and beyond
The vision of Great Oaks Legacy Charter School is for its graduates to lead Newark to become a transcendent city in our nation and world—a model city where all children have access to the highest quality education and constant interaction with exemplar adults, which, in turn, prepares each and every child to fulfill his or her greatest dreams—dreams that further strengthen the moral, cultural, and intellectual fabric of Newark.
A Culture of Discipline and Learning
A set of non-negotiable rules creates a consistent culture with a focus on academics. Great Oaks Legacy is a place where students are nice to each other — no bullying, no fighting; nothing unsafe is tolerated. Great Oaks Legacy is safe and structured.
Knowing Each Student Well as an Individual; and Significant Parent Communication
Faculty and staff know every student, not just by name, but who the student is as an individual. Parents are an integral part of the school’s work. Parents of middle and high school students receive weekly check-in phone calls from tutors, and all students receive check-in calls from teachers or the School Leadership Team from time to time. The school door is ALWAYS open for parents.
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Serving Grades 9 to 12Will Mellman
High School Director
Great Oaks Legacy Charter High School Values
In order to prepare students for success in college and beyond, the Great Oaks legacy Charter High School community is committed to the following values:
Respect
- We show our respect at all times for each other, for property, for differences, and for opinions different from our own.
- We accept individuals for who they are.
- We use positive language to strengthen our community.
- We interact with others confidently and humbly.
Integrity
- We value the qualities of honesty and truthfulness.
- We stand up for what is right, even when others do not.
- We are reliable and responsible.
- We do the right thing, especially when no one is looking.
Self-Discipline
- We do not make excuses for ourselves and we take ownership of our actions.
- We show our self-control at all times and refrain from hurting others physically and emotionally.
- We resolve conflict by choosing options that will produce positive outcomes.
- We work and study hard.
Excellence
- We will remain focused on our goals and persevere.
- We are committed to the highest level of academic, social, and personal achievement.
- We achieve 100 % mastery on all tasks, learning from our mistakes and striving to continually improve.
- We take pride in our efforts and accomplishments, practicing until we can’t get it wrong.
Understanding
- We actively practice having a growth mindset towards ourselves and others.
- We learn about our community, its members and the role that we play in building a culture of respect.
- We are informed citizens.
- We seek to know the “why” behind right answers, opinions of others and our goals.
Professionalism
- We arrive at school in dress code, prepared with all required materials and with the right attitude.
- We are solutions-oriented.
- We will go to college and we will graduate from college.
- We will leverage our success to positively impact our community.
