Newark Charter School Administration hopes you have had a wonderful Summer thus far, and that you continue to take the remainder of July and August to rest, relax, and recharge. The 2026-2027 school year is a milestone year, as NCS celebrates 25 years of serving families in the Newark Area. Please take a moment to review all of the information below to begin preparing for the start of this terrific year!

Here are some helpful links to begin the process of starting the new year. More information to come in the August Bulletin.

• 2026-2027 NCS Calendar

• School Supply Lists

• Meal Benefit Form

• Military Connected Youth Form 

• Chromebook Video & Online Payment (action required)

• School Uniforms – if you haven’t ordered, please do so today! 

• Week of August 3rd: 

  • August 4th, 5th, & 6th - Senior High School Yearbook distribution - 8:00 am - 2:00 pm

  • August 7th: DIAA Physical Forms due for student athletes

  • Week of August 10:

    • Transportation Confirmation information will be emailed home to all families K-12.

    • August 11th - Incoming Kindergarten Parent Camp (Parents Only) 6:00pm-8:00pm

    • August 13th - Football Preseason begins

    • August 13th and 14th - Senior Portraits and Retakes

    • August 16th - 2nd Summer Bulletin released

• Week of August 17: K-5 Classroom Assignments mailed

• August 17: Sr. High Fall Preseason starts

• August 19th: Annual Summer Fundraiser at Klondike Kate's

  • • 5:00pm-9:00pm at 158 East Main Street, No RSVP required

• August 25: Intermediate School Meet Your Teacher

  • • 3:00pm-4:00pm - Students with last names A-K

    • 4:00pm-5:00pm - Students with last names L-Z

• August 26: Primary School Meet Your Teacher

  • • 3:00pm-4:00pm - Students with last names A-K

    • 4:00pm-5:00pm - Students with last names L-Z

• August 26: 6th Grade Orientation Night

  • • 6:00pm - Students and Parents at the Junior High School

• August 27: 9th Grade Welcome Night

  • • 5:00-6:30 pm, Senior High School

• August 31: Transition Day #1 (Full Day)

  • • Grades K-5 (Last names A-K Only) report to school

    • Grades 6, 9 & 12 Only (All students grades 6, 9 & 12) report to school

    • Transportation and food services offered

• September 1: Transition Day #2 (Full Day)

  • • Grades K-5 (Last names L-Z Only) report to school

    • Grades 6 through 12 (All students grades 6 through 12) report to school

    • Transportation and food services offered

• September 2: All students K - 12 report to school for a Full Day

• September 4 - Schools and Offices Closed

• September 7 - Schools and Offices Closed

Newark Charter School is thrilled to announce the third annual Summer Fundraiser on Wednesday, August 19th, from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm at Klondike Kate’s, located at 158 E Main St, Newark, DE 19711.

By attending this event, you'll not only have a wonderful time with your family and friends, but you'll also contribute to making a significant impact on our fundraising efforts. 

15% of all dine-in and take-out sales as well as all tips to the Guest Bartenders will be allocated to NCS.

We are fortunate to have NCS staff members and friends volunteering their time as guest employees. We hope to see you there and appreciate your ongoing commitment to the Newark Charter School community.

Newark Charter School uses Infinite Campus, a web-based Student Information System (SIS) for many applications across campus. 

Here is what you need to know:

• Schoology is still the system of record for assignments, scores, and the daily email digest. Schoology integrates with Infinite Campus

What you can do:

• View Grades, class schedules, and report cards

• Check attendance and assignments

• Access bus routes and other important updates

Access Anytime, Anywhere:

• Use it from your desktop or download the mobile app for quick access on the go by searching for Infinite Campus on the Apple or Google Play Stores. There is a separate app for Parents (Campus Parent) and Students (Campus Student).

A Smooth Transition:

• Look for step-by-step login instructions coming in August.

Want more information about Infinite Campus?

• Learn more by clicking here.

Any parent or guardian who has questions about access to Infinite Campus should contact parent.support@ncs.k12.de.us

Students and families are welcome to visit the school in an open house format during the designated time to find their classroom, meet their teacher and confirm transportation arrangements. Students new to Newark Charter School will also receive their school-issued Chromebook at that time. Visitation times and parking instructions are as follows:

• Tuesday, August 25

  • • 3:00-4:00 pm - Intermediate School Students with last names A-K (Grades 3-5)

    • 4:00-5:00 pm - Intermediate School Students with last names L-Z (Grades 3-5)

• Wednesday, August 26

  • • 3:00-4:00 pm - Primary School Students with last names A-K (Grades K-2)

    • 4:00-5:00 pm - Primary School Students with last names L-Z (Grades K-2)

All families must park at the Senior High School (200 McIntire Drive). Starting at 2:45 pm shuttle buses will transport families to and from the Meece Campus throughout the event. During the trip to the Meece campus, families are encouraged to review the expectations regarding appropriate behavior while on a school bus.

It is recommended that you arrive to the Senior High School 15 minutes before your child’s assigned start time. This will ensure that you have enough time to arrive at the High School, transport to the Meece Campus and take part in the Meet Your Teacher event.

This is an excellent way for parents to meet their student’s teachers and learn more about the curriculum, expectations, policies and procedures. This night is designed for parents only:

• Kindergarten: Wednesday, September 16 (6:00-7:30 pm)

• 1st Grade: Thursday, September 17 (6:00-7:30 pm)

• 2nd Grade: Wednesday, September 23 (6:00-7:30 pm)

• 3rd Grade: Monday, September 14 (6:00-7:30 pm)

• 4th Grade: Thursday, September 10 (6:00-7:30 pm)

• 5th Grade: Wednesday, September 9 (6:00-7:30 pm)

• 6th Grade: Wednesday, September 30 (5:30 pm)

• 7th and 8th Grades: Thursday, October 1 (5:30 pm)

• 9th - 12th Grades: Tuesday, September 29 (6:00 pm)

Once the school year officially begins, Newark Charter School will distribute the Bi-Weekly Bulletin to parents via email. It will also be posted on our school website. If you are not receiving email communications from the school, please contact the office so that we can update your student’s record with a parent/guardian email address. 

IMPORTANT: In an effort to make sure that all important information reaches our families, Mr. Golder will send a recorded phone message on July 21st. If you do not receive a phone call, it most likely means that the school does not have your correct phone number in the system. Please call the office of your child's building to update your phone number so that you receive future messages. 

If you need to have more than two email addresses and/or three phone numbers listed in our automated distribution lists, please contact parent.support@ncs.k12.de.us.

The Primary and Intermediate School (Grades K-5) academic day is 8:45 a.m. to 3:25 p.m. All K–5 car riders must use the 2001 Patriot Way entrance. The new loop road (accessed via Interchange Blvd) is for buses only. Students must stay in their vehicle until 8:15 a.m. Students dropped off from 8:15 – 8:30 a.m. will report to their respective gyms until 8:30 a.m. At 8:30 a.m. students will be permitted to move to their classrooms.

Students who arrive from 8:30 – 8:45 a.m. will be dropped off at the Commons main entrance and report directly to their classrooms.Starting at 3:20 p.m. car riders will be dismissed. We will dismiss in three waves: red wave at 3:20 p.m., blue wave at 3:30 p.m., and gray wave at 3:40 p.m. Again, all car riders are to utilize the Patriot Way entrance. Bus rider dismissal begins at 3:25 p.m.

The Junior High School (Grades 6-8) academic day is 7:30 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. Students are expected to be in the building by 7:25 a.m. or will be marked late. Doors open at 7:05 a.m. All Junior High School car riders must use the 1089 Elkton Road entrance. Students must stay in their vehicle until 7:05 a.m. Students dropped off from 7:05 – 7:15 a.m. will report to the cafetorium until 7:15 a.m. At 7:15 a.m. students will be permitted to move to their classrooms.

The Senior High School (Grades 9-12) academic day is 7:30 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. Students are expected to be in the building by 7:25 a.m. or will be marked late. Students must stay in their vehicle until 7:15 a.m. when doors open.

Each year a new action plan is required for students with asthma, life threatening food allergy, seizures, diabetes, migraines, or any other medical chronic diagnoses. Please provide these to your building’s nurse by the start of school. You can find action plan forms to be filled out on our school website under Health Information.

Please remember all entering Kindergarten students need to have all their health physicals and immunization records into the Primary School nurses by August 24, 2026.

All 9th grade students are required to have a health physical (that has been done since 8/1/2024) on file with the high school nurses office. Also, they are required to provide documentation of the student having received a TDaP vaccine and at least one dose of the meningococcal vaccine. Please provide them to the high school nurses no later than August 24th.

Senior High School Yearbooks

The 2025-2026 Senior High School Yearbooks will be available for pick up from the High School Main Lobby on August 4th, 5th, and 6th from 8:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Please stop by to pick up your pre-ordered yearbook - or have a friend/family member pick up on your behalf.

If you wish to be notified should there be additional yearbooks available for purchase, please email NCSHSOffice@ncs.k12.de.us

Summer Reading

All students in grades 9-12 are expected to complete a summer reading assignment.  The summer assignments are listed here by course: Summer Reading Assignments.  Please purchase the novel listed and complete all required assignments by the due dates listed in the spreadsheets.  You are welcome to email the teachers listed if you have any questions about the assignment for your course.  We look forward to discussing the novels with you in August!

2026-2027 Book Bundles

Students in grades 9-12 are required to purchase the novels that will be studied in their English classes.  Please use the Online Ordering page for Newark Charter School (https://newarkcharterschoolonline.org/) to purchase your student's book bundle.  The book bundle price is determined by the novels used in each course, so please be sure to select the cost of the correct course before paying.  The books will be delivered to your student's teacher and handed out during the school year.  Thank you for your cooperation!

Course Cost

• American Literature CP (9th grade) - $21.00

• American Literature Honors (9th grade) - $22.00

• Language & Composition CP (10th grade) - $31.00

• Language & Composition Honors (10th grade) - $18.00

• Language & Composition AP/Combo (10th grade) - $18.00

• World Literature CP (11th grade) - $19.00

• World Literature Honors (11th grade) - $20.00

• Contemporary Literature CP (12th grade) - $33.00

• Contemporary Literature Honors (12th grade) - $35

• AP Literature & Composition (12th grade) - $34.00

9th grade Physical Education and Advanced Physical Education students are required to wear the NCS PE uniform for class.

The uniforms (t-shirt and shorts) must be purchased at the Senior High School store during the 9th Grade Welcome Night on Thursday, August 27th or during the first week of school. Each item is $10.

Junior High School Sports (Grades 6-8)

Fall sports season will be here before we know it at the Junior High School! We are very lucky to have some wonderful sports opportunities for our students! We have supportive and knowledgeable coaches for all of our sports! 

Newark Charter School will field Junior High School teams in the following fall sports:

• Cross Country

• Boys Soccer

• Volleyball (A and B team) 

• Field Hockey

The most important first steps for families to take are:

1. Register your child on Snap Manage (choose the sports they are interested in playing)- THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT STEP- if your child is not registered for a sport, they will not show up on the coaches roster as an athlete that is trying out and therefore will NOT be allowed to tryout. Tryout lists are generated from this registration.

2. Submit their NEW DIAA physical form on Snap Manage for Newark Charter Jr. High - ALL PHYSICALS MUST BE SUBMITTED BY August 17th, 2026 so that they can be reviewed. Please make sure you are registering your child on the JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL Page if they are trying out for a team at the Junior High School. Detailed instructions are linked here!

• **NEW FORM** - Submit form via SNAP! Manage for the Jr. High School Platform.

• If you are an 8th grader (potentially) trying out for a high school sport during the 2026-27 school year, you must submit pages 2, 3, 4, & 5 to the high school platform. High School information is linked here!

**Please understand that we have hundreds of students that try out for fall sports. If you submit your physical after August 17th, 2026 there is no guarantee that your child will be cleared in time to participate in tryouts therefore they would not be eligible to participate in a fall sport. 

THE JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL WILL NO LONGER ACCEPT PHYSICALS ON PAPER OR VIA EMAIL. We are mirroring the Senior High School with our submission and collection of physicals. Everything is done via the Snap Manage site. 

Attention 8th grade families- If your child has the potential of playing a sport at BOTH the Junior and Senior high school, they must be registered on BOTH sites and physicals submitted on both sites. The athletic directors from the Senior High and the Junior High do not have the option to “share” submissions. There are two different sites. 

All physical clearances for the 2026-2027 school year must be dated after April 1, 2026. 

The tryout schedule is as follows:

Girls Volleyball

September 1st and September 3rd - Tryouts for grades 6-8 in the Junior High School Gym from 3:00-5:00. There will be two teams chosen, an A Team and a B Team.

After team selection practice schedule will be as follows:

A Team - Tuesday & Thursday - 2:30-4:30

B Team - Monday & Thursday - 2:30-4:30

Cross Country

Tryouts will be Wednesday, September 2nd and Thursday, September 3rd from 5:00-6:30 at Carpenter Area of White Clay Creek State Park (880 New London Rd, Newark, DE 19711). All runners must be at both tryouts.

After team selection practice schedule will be as follows:

Monday - 5:00-6:15 White Clay Creek State Park

Wednesday - 5:00-6:15 White Clay Creek State Park

Thursday - 5:00-6:15 at White Clay Creek State Park

Field Hockey

Tryouts will run from Wednesday, September 2nd and Thursday, September 3rd from 2:45-4:45

Tryouts will be held on the outdoor fields at the Junior High School. 

After team selection practice schedule will be as follows (until games begin):

Monday through Friday - 2:45-4:45

Boys Soccer

Tryout Schedule below:

September 1st - 6th Grade only - 3:00-5:00

September 2nd - All Grades - 3:00-5:00

September 3rd - 7th and 8th Grade ONLY - 3:00-5:00

September 6th - Roster posted

September 8th and 9th -  First team practices - 3:00-5:00

Regular season practice schedule is posted on the Newark Charter Jr. High Soccer Team Page.

*For all sports- once competitions (games and meets) start coaches will communicate weekly schedules for practices around games. Our coaches do a wonderful job of parent/family communication throughout the season!

Fall sports begin on August 17th with football beginning August 13th. For information on tryouts please go to the Team Info tab for your respective sport. For any general athletic questions please contact Greg Shivery at greg.shivery@ncs.k12.de.us.  For sports specific questions please contact the head coach.  Coach's emails can be found under the coach's tab of your sport of interest.  To receive additional information about your sport of interest, sign up for Stack Team App.  You can find it in your App Store on your phone.  Download it to your phone and then search for NCHS Fall Sports. Select the sport that you will be trying out for.

Student athletes from 8th through 12th grades are eligible to try out as long as they have a cleared physical on file and are in good academic standing. Physicals are due one week prior to the start of your team's season. Any DIAA Physical forms submitted after that time will take a two-day processing period.  Student athletes cannot participate until they have a cleared physical on file.  Physical must be uploaded into our platform Snap! Manage. Please see that information for SNAP Manage below. The link for current DIAA Physical is also below.   

DIAA is also requiring all Parents to create and account with RankOne. This is also a requirement in order for student athletes to be eligible to try out for the 26/27 school year. This must be completed by September 1st! While Newark Charter High School parents will be required to register their student athlete and complete the DIAA Tracking Form, we will NOT be for DIAA Physical Form Submissions. We will continue to use Snap! Manage for ALL DIAA Form Submissions.

Here is a link to the REGISTRATION instructions for Rank One: Please ONLY complete the steps required by Newark Charter. DIAA Forms will NOT be accepted if they are submitted in RANK ONE!

Please contact  Mrs. DiMauro at shannon.dimauro@ncs.k12.de.us if you have any questions about DIAA physicals. Below is a link to the PDF form of the  DIAA Physical.

https://education.delaware.gov/diaa/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/03/2026_27_DIAAATHLETICPHYSICALANDCONSENTFORMS_UPDATEDMarch2026.pdf

Attention Parents and Athletes: New Platform for DIAA Sport Physical Submission

We are excited to say all physical forms must be submitted through our online platform Snap! Manage, making the process quicker and more organized. This is our second year using this platform and have found it to be convenient and easy to use when following the instructions below.

How to Submit Your Physical: 

1. Log In: Visit our new online platform. The platform is not an app. Please use this link for the high school registration. Junior High can be found on the junior high sports website. 

https://manage.snap.app/register/patriots

2. New users/student create an Account: If you are a first-time user, parent/guardian please create an account. If you have a returning student please use the username and password from the previous year. DO NOT create a new account.

3. Complete Athlete Profile: On the home page please click create participate and fill out all the required information. (8th graders please put the year you came to NCS for enrollment)

4. Begin Registration: Once a profile is made please make sure the athlete is registered for the sport/sports they plan on trying out for. Every sport the athlete plans on participating/ trying out for should be registered for. You can confirm their registration by going to their profile and seeing all the sports they are registered for.

5. Upload Your Physical: Once the profile is created and the athlete is registered then go into their profile, click edit participant, and scroll to the bottom. There you will see a drop box to upload the DIAA physical. Please make sure the physical is uploaded as ONE FILE using Word or as a PDF. The file must be smaller than 10mb. The DIAA physical is 5 pages and all 5 should be completed and uploaded. (we understand the DIAA is only requiring 2 pages but as a school we would still like all pages for the students records)

6. Confirmation: You will receive an immediate confirmation email once your athlete is registered and it should show pending physical once uploaded.

7. Approved: Once a physical is approved on our end, it will reflect on their profile. If a physical is not approved then an email will be sent with corrections needed. If a physical is declined, you will receive either an email or a note will be made on your account with the reason for the denial. Please correct the error and re upload the corrected physical. Please check that the physical that shows approved is the current one uploaded and not an old one.

Important Information:

· All physicals must be submitted by August 7th for the Fall season. Any physical submitted after this date will require a 2 day processing period before being approved.

· Make sure your physical is signed and dated by a physician after April 1, 2026.

· If you encounter any issues with the submission process, please contact our Athletic Trainer Shannon DiMauro by email at Shannon.dimauro@ncs.k12.de.us

· Physicals will be reviewed once a week. Once closer to the start of the fall season they will be reviewed more frequently.

We are excited to streamline this process for everyone’s convenience! Thank you for ensuring that your physical is turned in on time.

Marching Band Details:

All students enrolled in high school band (grades 9-12) will participate in marching band, in some way. It's an exciting opportunity for students to meet others and make some new friends before the school year even starts!

For planning purposes, HS Marching Band rehearsals for all students enrolled in band will begin before school starts, from August 9th-23rd, 2026. I've done my best to avoid conflicts with fall sports schedules and will communicate any necessary adjustments through GroupSpot (see information for that later on) for student-athletes, particularly those involved in Boys Soccer and XC.

Tentative Rehearsal Dates:

• August 9 – 6:00 PM–7:30 PM (Drumline Auditions, Music Rehearsal, and Color Guard Rehearsal NCHS Band Room)

• August 10 – 6:00 PM–9:30 PM

• August 11 – 6:00 PM–9:30 PM

• August 12 – 6:00 PM–9:30 PM

• August 13 – 6:00 PM–9:30 PM

• No rehearsal Friday, August 14th or Saturday, August 15th

• August 16 – 3:00 PM–8:00 PM (Dinner details will be shared later)

• August 17 – 7:00 PM -9:30 PM

• August 18 – 7:00 PM -9:30 PM

• August 19 – 7:00 PM -9:30 PM

• August 20 – 7:00 PM -9:30 PM

• No rehearsal Friday, August 21st or Saturday, August 22nd

• August 23 – 3:00 PM -8:00 PM (Dinner details will be shared later)

• You can also find this information on ncspatriotssports.com under Marching Band → Team Info.

To avoid missing any important updates over the summer, I will be using an app called GroupSpot to share information about rehearsals, performances, and other key events. Some of these key events are already loaded into GroupSpot so you can add them to your calendar. I'm asking all students joining HS Band next year to download the GroupSpot app on their phones. Once downloaded, use the join code: iwRJ to access our group. 

Students will need to provide basic information (name, school email, etc.) and will be placed in a pending approval status—I'll approve requests as quickly as possible. Families also have the option to join the group and link to their student’s profile to receive updates (using the same join code). 

All brass / woodwind students will need flip books/lyres. Please use this document to find links to purchase those items for your instrument:  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Pj50hI7kNbt_5beYruhTSt7Yhtk_twUEmo-PdU87ohk/edit?usp=sharing

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to Samantha DeLuca, HS Band Director, if you have any questions (samantha.deluca@ncs.k12.de.us).

Outreach and Equity Committee 

Newark Charter School is excited to continue to enhance outreach and champion equity in our community via the Outreach and Equity Committee. The committee is open to parents, guardians, staff, and students. The committee works to identify and facilitate potential community partnerships, support school events, and ensure a consistent focus on equity for all students. If you are interested in becoming a member or continuing your involvement in the Outreach and Equity Committee, please complete this form. Please contact the committee chair, Chimere McLean, via email at Chimere.McLean@ncs.k12.de.us for additional information. 

Outreach & Equity Committee Form

Newark Charter School values your time, talents, and energies! At this time, we highlight two opportunities to volunteer. Please be aware that there will be other opportunities as the year progresses and future opportunities will be communicated via upcoming bi-weekly bulletins.

The NCS Casino Night/Gala will be held on Saturday, November 7, 2026. Volunteers are needed to assist with planning the event as well as assisting the night of the Gala. Contact Sharon Dorr at sharon.dorr@ncs.k12.de.us for more information and the meeting schedule.

Athletic Boosters ~Volunteers are needed to become involved with Athletic Boosters to support our high school and junior high student-athletes and teams. All interested parents are welcome; Boosters activities include coordinating periodic team and school-wide Spirit Wear sales, coordinating and staffing concession booths, assisting with Homecoming activities, serving as team liaisons, as well as hosting the annual Patriot Open Golf Tournament. Monthly meetings are held at the High School and are generally held the 2nd Monday of the month in the High School library at 6:30 pm. The first meeting is scheduled for Monday, September 14th. 

Contact Boosters President Melissa Palese at melissa.k.palese@wilmu.edu for more information and meeting schedule.

NCS Oversight Committee

Pursuant to House Bill 119, all local school districts and charter schools are required to establisha Finance (Budget Oversight) Committee to oversee the financial position of the local schooldistrict/ charter school for which they represent.   

• The Committee shall have representation from parents, educators, employees and the Department of Education.  

• At least two (2) members of the Committee shall have either formal educational or vocational backgrounds amenable to oversight of school financial statements.

Members of the Committee should be committed to serving a two-year term. Members of the Committee should have no conflict of interest arise by serving on the Committee.  Conflicts of Interest are defined in §5805, Title 29, Delaware Code. Members of the Committee agree to attend training developed by the Department of Education within three (3) months of being appointed. If you are interested in being a member of the Newark Charter School Finance Committee, please fill out the attached application in its entirety and return to Newark Charter School (Attn: Rachael Dallas) no later than September 1, 2026.

Oversight Committee Volunteer Member Application