The new Dock Street School for STEAM Studies (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) is a new stand alone middle school (6th to 8th Grade) that opened this school year in DUMBO.
The school is located on one entire floor inside Two Tree’s new development on Water and Dock Street. It hosts a Gymnatorium (gym that can be converted into an auditorium), Science lab, dance room, music room, library, cafeteria, and more.
All students have a period of science daily either in the science lab or in the class room. The school is an Urban Advantage school which is a standards-based science partnership program to improve students’ understanding of scientific inquiry through collaborations between middle schools and science cultural institutions such as zoos, botanical gardens, museums, and science centers (free admissions to all museums, zoos etc). The partnerships give students opportunities to conduct hands-on investigations that engage them in science as a way of thinking and investigating rather than simply as a body of knowledge. The school has also partnered up with the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy for a custom outside science experience. Each grade has one to two classes per month in cooperation with Brooklyn Bridge Park – either in the park’s education center, by the river, or even on the Brooklyn Bridge. The students also receive Spanish and Physical Education periods weekly.
6th Grade students explore all of the arts for one year within 6 weeks blocks including vocal, instrumental, dance, drama and fine arts. The school requires every student to choose a major in 7th and 8th Grade concentrated around the arts either vocal, instrumental, dance, drama or fine arts.
School hours are 8 am to 2.30 pm, the free after school program runs from 2.30 to 5.30 pm. Lunch and recess are 45 minutes and students spend it either in Brooklyn Bridge Park, in the school’s library or in the gym. The school is a uniform school. According to the principal, students get approximately one to 1.5 hours of homework per day.
The school has currently around 140 students enrolled and will be able to accommodate a total of 330 students. 6th grade classes have around 25 students per class.
The school gives priority to students who live in District 13, however to date has students from various districts enrolled. It is a “screened” school with the following admissions process for those students who list the school as 1st or 2nd choice on their middle school application:
- School reviews student’s 4th Grade report card, attendance and Common Core scores.
- School invites student to a Saturday morning interview which consists of a group interview, science activity and writing task.
You can join an open house on December 14th from 8.30 to 10.45 am. No need to RSVP. More information about the school here.
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