New Charter School To Open In The Fall

The Natomas School of Science, a new charter school, is scheduled to open in the Natomas Unified School District this fall.

The school's mission will to work with the school district to reach out to students in Natomas, Sacramento County and neighboring counties who are underrepresented in the scientific professions. The plan is to move these students successfully along the pipeline from middle school to high school to college and into professions and positions of leadership.

The charter school's goals are to:

• engage students of diverse backgrounds in their education;
• encourage their persistence and success in a rigorous academic curriculum and co-curricular program (using a science-themed approach in the initial year and other subject-themed approaches in successive years)
• provide students with rigorous and interactive learning activities; and
• foster a culture of learning that leads to a successful high school experience, matriculation to college, graduate or professional education, and adulthood as an engaged citizen and leader.

The Natomas School of Science will be for students in grades 6 thru 8. The initial target group of students will be approximately 125 6^th graders and a small class of 7^th and 8^th grade students, with the intention of adding a new class of 6^th graders each year until all three years of middle school are covered.

The charter school will open with a science-themed curriculum, but other profession-oriented themes will be explored for addition to the curriculum as the school evolves.