YS 9.15.23

September
15	First Day of Hispanic Heritage Month
18	Parents Association Meeting -- Voting on Open Positions
19	SLT Meeting (Tentative)
25	School Closed -- Yom Kippur

M	18	64/73	Rain - Check the weather before you leave home.
T	19	61/77
W	20	58/76
TH	21	59/76
F	22	60/75

The Student Representatives to the School Leadership Team are:

 

Rhiannon Chaston, SGO President

The elected members are: 

Dashel Grossman

Victor Lie

Jazmine Mcadams

Jonah Schwarz

 

Thank you to everyone who voted and supports increased student representation in the decision-making process at LaGuardia.

 

  

The Big Sib program is where upperclassmen (11th and 12th graders) are matched with 9th graders to act like older siblings who can answer questions, make them feel at home, and explain some of the unique ways that LaGuardia does things.

Student data (including names, studios, emails, etc.) is handled a little differently this year to protect student privacy, it is taking a little longer for the sibling matches to occur.  We expect that 9th graders will be notified of who their Big Sib is next week.

• The Lil Sib is asked to email their Big Sib first.  (It is up to the Lil Sib to share their name, studio, and email.)
• The Big Sibs are volunteering their time, and sometimes life happens and they cannot contact their Lil Sib.  If this happens, we can match you with a different person.
• While many Sibs stay in contact through the year, Lil Sibs can expect their Big Sibs to be involved through October.  
• Big Sib/Lil Sib contacts and meetings held outside of school are not considered school-sponsored events as we are not able to monitor every time students meet.

We are very excited for this program to begin.  

  

Applications are now available to FORM a club for the current school year.  Clubs must be re-approved every year.

Club meetings will be held in person, generally from 3:40 PM - 4:20 PM one day per week. 

Each club must have a LaGuardia Arts teacher as its advisor.  

The advisor must be present for the entirety of each meeting.  

All clubs must submit an application each year.  This allows us to verify that the club has an advisor, along with the day and time the club meets.

This is the club application process as outlined in Chancellor's Regulations A-601.

In order to receive a charter, each student club and/or organization must:

• be initiated by a group of interested students;
• have a purpose which is consistent with the school’s educational goals;
• have a faculty advisor who is a licensed Department of Education pedagogue;
• be approved by the student government;
• be approved by the principal who shall be the final arbiter in the chartering process.

This form will help you submit all of the required information for forming a club.  All clubs charters must be approved annually.  Club Applications must be submitted by Thursday, September 21, 2023.

A faculty member must be present at all club meetings.  The faculty advisor must walk all club members down to the main entrance at the end of the meeting, so club members must go to their lockers before the meeting begins. All club members must exit the building at 4:25 PM.

A club must be approved by the SGO at an official meeting prior to the club being able to hold meetings.

Start the Club Application Process

  

New Students -  

If this is your first year at LaGuardia and have not received your ID yet, please see Ms. Wu in room 229 during your lunch period. 

 

Returning students - 

If you need a replacement ID; email Ms. Wu at jwu16@schools.nyc.gov and wait for a reply to pick up your ID. All replacement requests that were submitted last week, Monday and Tuesday have been processed. If you have not received a reply yet, check that you have the correct email.

This school year, let’s focus on reducing single-use plastic bottles.  A great way to begin is to use the bottle-filling

stations that are found in several locations in the building, including the gym, cafeterias, the Instrumental side of the basement, and the Dance Studio.  Just bring your reusable water bottle and always be hydrated.  

 

What is the Military Opt Out Letter

Federal law requires the NYC Department of Education to provide: the names, addresses, telephone numbers, and DOE student email addresses of 11th and 12th grade students to military recruiters who request this information; and/or the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of 11th and 12th grade high school students to institutions of higher education that request this information. While we are committed to protecting the confidentiality of our students, we must comply with the law.

Parents of high school students under the age of 18 and students who are 18 years of age and older may opt-out of releasing information to the military and/or institutions of higher learning. For further information, please see Chancellor's Regulation A-825(Open external link).

How do I opt out?

Complete and Return this Opt Out Letter to Room 201 by October 20, 2023 

There are a few, quick forms that can be completed in the FORMS section of your NYCSA.  We ask that you take a few minutes and complete these.  These forms are:

Media Consent for NYC Department of Education Use: The media consent form covers school-sponsored or other DOE-sponsored events
only. The form covers both recordings of students (for example filming, photo-taking, and audio recording) made by the school or others at the DOE, together with press or others reporting on the event. Additional information, including paper versions, is available on the Infohub.  As an Arts school, we ask for everyone's consent as LaGuardia students are more likely to be photographed at a performance or exhibit open to the public.

 

Digital Equity Family Questionnaire - The Digital Equity Family Questionnaire is a required form by the New York State Education Department (NYSED). Through NYCSA, the NYCDOE is required to collect information from families to assess student access to devices and internet connectivity. NYSED will use this information to better understand, investigate, and Family Access Management and NYC Schools Account promote educational equity for our schools and students. The questionnaire totals nine questions. Additional information on the digital equity family questionnaire is available on the family website.

 

Request to Identify Parents on Active Duty in the Armed Forces - Federal law requires NYC Public Schools to report each year on students who have parent(s) on active duty in the armed forces.  The Armed Forces are the Army, Navy, Air Force, MNarine Corp, the Coast Guard, or full time National Guard.  Please complete this form if you had a parent or guardian on active duty any time between July 1, 2021, and today.

Dear Art Studio Artists and Families,

I am so excited to welcome our new Fine Art Studio members and welcome back all of our returning ones! The Fine Art Studio is filled with unique, gifted, passionate, kind, and talented artists, and I could not be more honored to be here with all of you.   

 

We have so many exciting opportunities and events in store for you this year. We will begin the year with our Faculty and Staff Art Show opening on October 13th, followed by our Student Curated Art Show opening on November 17th. In December, we will host our Winter Semi-Annual Art Show, followed by our Senior Show Series and the Spring Semi-Annual Art Show. We will continue the tradition of the Art Studio Internship and the Art Studio Newsletter, two terrific ways our student artists can have a voice in the studio's leadership. Our Fine Art Parent Association will continue the Visiting Artist series, ensuring every student can learn from professionals in art-related fields. 

 

To learn more about what the year will look like, CLICK HERE

 

I want to thank our wonderful teachers for working hard to plan for a great year ahead; we are so lucky to have them.  I wish you all a wonderful year and look forward to seeing you in class and at an Art Show soon!

 

Best,

Heather

Heather O'Connell (Polacik)

Assistant Principal of Fine Arts 

HPolacik@schools.nyc.gov

Art Shows I  Newsletter I laguardiahs.org

Good Morning Dance Families,

 

Welcome back to LaGuardia Dance and welcome to our newest families of the class of 2027! We are excited to have a LaGuardia alumnus and former teacher, Deepak Marwah, as our new principal. On behalf of Principal Marwah, co-chair of the dance department Michelle Mathesius and the entire LaGuardia dance faculty, we are thrilled to welcome you back. If you are receiving this message you have successfully set up your NYCSA account! If you know of someone in the department who hasn’t received this email, and it’s not in their spam folder, please have them email me directly and we will help them setup/troubleshoot their NYCSA account.

 

We are excited to kick off the first full week of school for the 2023-24 school year! We are thrilled to see everyone back in the studios, excited to continue their dance journeys. This year we will continue to build upon the initiatives we introduced last Fall including our guest artists series, where each dancer will participate in a minimum of eight guest artists classes throughout the year in different styles of dance. We will also be introducing a new collaboration with a licensed physical therapist as well as an increase in the number of one-on-one conferences, which will help our dancers get the necessary feedback to progress in their training. 

 

As a reminder from last year, when we noticed a greater number of injuries, I urge you to consider limiting the amount of after school dance. Over-training is counter-productive. We don't recommend any after school dance for Grade 9 dancers for the Fall term.  Our freshmen need time to get acclimated to dancing four periods per day at school along with their academics, commute, and homework while leaving time to socialize, spend time with their family, self-care, and sleep. For Grade 10-12 dancers, we recommend no more than three days per week of after school dance, no dancing after 7pm, and only dancing one day on the weekend to give the body a chance to recuperate on a day of rest. 

 

Our priority is training and developing strong and healthy bodies and we encourage you to take the necessary steps to support your dancers in their development. 

 

To kick off the year, our Parent Association dance studio representatives, Erica Schohn and Joslin Paradise, will be in touch with you regarding our “Meet the Dance Teachers” evening. Please see below if you are not receiving information from our Parents Association. 

 

I look forward to meeting you all and supporting our talented dancers as they pursue their passion! Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or if I can help in any way. 

 

Cheers to a fabulous school year! 

 

Sincerely,

Greg Sinacori

Assistant Principal

Co-Chairperson; Dance Department

Modern Dance Instructor

gsinacori@schools.nyc.gov

 

Dear Technical Theatre Studio Technicians and Families,

Welcome to the 2022-2023 school year!

 

So, what will this year look like in the Technical Theater Department? 

Tech Courses 

Courses are split into two categories: Production and “Tech-ademics”.  In Tech-ademic classes students learn theories and concepts that explore the elements and principles of the technical theater industry.  Production classes are where the students get their hands dirty (sometimes literally) putting those theories into practice on our many productions. 

 

First year students will explore each of our 4 “shops” Costumes, Electrics, Paint and Scenery in a quick 2 week intro format to allow them to get a glimpse of what they will be seeing throughout the year.  First year students then return to those shops in a longer exploratory fashion over the course of the remainder of the year. 

 

Second Year students choose two shops to focus in - one in the fall and one in the spring semester.

*Students joining our department as second students will experience production similarly to first year students and then skip to 3rd year students 

 

Third and fourth year students Choose one shop to focus on for the remainder of their time at LaGuardia training as specialists in their area and working toward leadership crew positions. 

 

. As a reminder, and for those who are new to our community, please review the Technical Theater Program Sequence Here.

 

NOCTI 

 

This year Tech Sophomores (excluding incoming sophomores), Juniors and any seniors who did not complete their NOCTI examination will sit for the NOCTI during the January Regents.  The NOCTI exam fulfills ⅔’s of the state requirement for CTE certification students will engage in test preparation during class time. 

 

The Written portion of the NOCTI exam assesses a student's general knowledge of the technical theater industry in a 3 hour 180- - question format, while the practical position assesses a more specialized hands on practice. 

 

Tech Supplies

 

For all shops students will participate in, there are various tools that will help them successfully complete the assigned tasks - we provide the basic tools but occasionally students have the desire to bring in additional tools for their projects.  Students must ensure that they are in compliance with all school and Department of Education guidelines when bringing any equipment into the classroom. 

This school year, we will resume fundraising efforts with ourTech Studio Parent Association to close funding gaps. In the coming weeks, you may see Donors Choose projects posted by teachers. You will also receive communication from the Tech Studio Parent Association sharing ways you could help with fundraising. We are so lucky to have a wonderful and supportive community that helps to ensure that all students in our program have access to the supplies they need! 

 

Dress Code 

 

Students are asked to come to tech dressed to work.  Dispensing on the shop they are in - this can look a little different.  All Students are required to wear closed toe shoes during production periods as well as clothing that allows them work safely with power tools and while climbing ladders, and other such activities. 

 

Productions

 

Technical Theater students are required to work on various productions throughout their time at LaGuardia.  

 

	Fall	Spring
Freshmen	May not work on shows*	Voluntary
Sophomores	Voluntary	Mandatory
Juniors & Seniors	Mandatory	Mandatory

 

Students will receive a list of shows and a method to sign up for shows that they are interested in working on - shows worked outside of the requirement will count towards community service hours. 

 

*We want our incoming freshmen to adjust to high school life prior to joining us in production work. 

Portfolio Support

 

Students are required to create and maintain a resume and portfolio (website) of their work.  There is support for students throughout their class times, and a portfolio review in June. 

Tech Department Parent Association

 

Our partnership with the Tech Department Parent Association is critical to our success.  Please sign up for their newsletter, HERE, and volunteer to help in their efforts if you can!

 

Staying Informed

 

Who should I contact if I have a question about my Tech classes?

• Double Period Tech Teacher

Your double period Tech teacher is there to help guide you through everything related to the Tech Studio.  They will help direct you to the right people if they do not have the answer to your question.

• Guidance Counselor 

Tech students are assigned to Ms. Leston  

• AP Theatre, Eli Schreiner

Please do not ever hesitate to reach out to me, room G30 & eschreiner@schools.nyc.gov.  

 

Parent Contact Info Form

• Please fill out the above form - this will allow me to better email your family and keep you informed about our activities! 

Wishing everyone a wonderful year! 

Sincerely,

 

Eli Schreiner

Assistant Principal of Theatre & 

Career and  Technical Education

Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School 

for Music and Art and Performing Arts

100 Amsterdam Ave New York, NY 10023

TEL: 212-496-0700 ex 2930

 eschreinera@schools.nyc.gov

 

Dear Performers and Families,

Welcome to the 2023-2024 school year!

 

So, what will this year look like in the Drama Department? 

Classes 

Courses are split into two categories: Acting and Theater Skills. 

 

In acting classes students will train with our wonderful Theater Teachers in a variety of acting methods, learning about works and playwrights throughout history and modern times. 

As a reminder, and for those who are new to our community, please review the Drama Program Sequence Here.

Dress Code 

 

Students are required to change into Drama Neutrals (black shirt and black pants that allow easy movement) for Acting and Theater Skills.  

 

Drama Locker Room Policy 

 

Students are allowed the use of the drama locker rooms to change for class. Students should not keep items for daily use in other classes in the drama locker room. The Locker room policy can be found here.  Drama Locker Room Policy 

Drama Department Parent Association

 

Our partnership with the Art Studio Parent Association is critical to our success.  Please sign up for their newsletter, HERE, and volunteer to help in their efforts if you can! 

Commencement Exam

 

All Seniors will participate in the Arts Commencement Exam. This city-wide exam typically consists of an On Demand acting task and a written exam. Drama Department majors begin preparing for this exam in their year-one Theater Skills classes helping us to achieve a high success rate. If you have questions about the Commencement Exam, please get in touch with your Drama teacher, who is there to help you.

Staying Informed

 

Who should I contact if I have a question about my art classes?

• Double Period Drama Teacher

Your double period Drama teacher is there to help guide you through everything related to the Drama Department.  They will help direct you to the right people if they do not have the answer to your question.

• Guidance Counselor 

Students should see either Ms. Jusino or Ms. Leston 

• AP Theatre Elijah Schreiner

Please do not ever hesitate to reach out to me, room G30 & eschreiner@schools.nyc.gov.  

 

Parent Contact Info Form

• Please fill out the above form - this will allow me to better email your family and keep you informed about our activities! 

Wishing everyone a wonderful year! 

Sincerely,

 

Eli Schreiner

Assistant Principal of Theatre & 

Career and  Technical Education

Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School 

for Music and Art and Performing Arts

100 Amsterdam Ave New York, NY 10023

TEL: 212-496-0700 ex 2930

 eschreinera@schools.nyc.gov

 

Dear Students and Families, 

I am elated to welcome you back to the 2023-2024 school year, and ask that you join the English Department in a year of renewed exploration and growth. In the days ahead, teachers and students will continue to get to know one another, establish class routines, identify norms for discussion, and embrace the growth mindset. We will strive to create classroom environments where our students can engage in academic discourse while maintaining an openness to differing perspectives. We will delve into literary works, and begin analyzing the interconnected lives of those portrayed in the tales we read, while honing our skills for analysis and debate. It is here that we examine how authors craft their stories, bringing us into worlds that differ vastly from ours, yet evoke strangely familiar feelings. We look forward to our continued partnership, and celebrating our students’ many successes in the literary arts. 

Wishing you all a wonderful year of learning, 

Julissa Marrero 

Assistant Principal, English & ENL 

 

Dear Students and Families, 

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you to the 2023-2024 school year.  For many of you, it is a welcome back and a continuation of all of the exciting experiences Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Arts and Performing Art has to offer.  For others, it is a brand new journey filled with excitement and new opportunities.  

 

We hope that the first few weeks of school have gone well for you and your families.  At this point most teachers and students have gotten to know one another, established class routines and laid the groundwork for achieving academic success.  Teachers should have shared important course information with students and families, including syllabi, class expectations and contract information.  Students should be linked with Google Classrooms for each of their classes and have access to information and materials they will need to progress in their courses throughout the remainder of the school year.     

 

I am excited about all that this new school year has to offer and look forward to working collectively to ensure that our students are provided with the best educational experience possible to be critical thinkers, responsible citizens, and prepared to be successful.

 

As always, please feel free to reach out to me with any questions.

Best,

Mr. Mannino

Assistant Principal,

Social Studies and World Languages

Mmannino@schools.nyc.gov

 

Families,

 

Welcome to LaGuardia Physical Education. I hope this message finds you all in great spirits as we embark on a new school year full of promise and opportunities. It is with immense pleasure that I, as the Assistant Principal of the Physical Education Department, extend a warm and hearty welcome to each and every one of you.

In physical education , we firmly believe that you are at the heart of our commitment to the Chancellor's Third Pillar focus on student wellbeing. Our Physical Education program is dedicated to ensuring that every student thrives not only academically but also in their physical and mental health. This year, we have an exciting array of activities and lessons planned that will contribute significantly to our students' holistic development. Lessons in AED/CPR, pickleball, meditation/mindfulness, yoga and strength and conditioning. Your involvement and support in this journey are invaluable, and together, we can inspire our students to make positive choices for their physical and mental wellbeing.

We look forward to partnering with you to make this school year an enriching and health-focused one for our students. Thank you for being an essential part of our school community. Here's to a year filled with health, growth, and success!

Warm regards,

 

Gregory Brummell,

Assistant Principal 

New York City Public Schools 

Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School 03M485

(212) 496-0700 ext. 1229

gbrumme@schools.nyc.gov

Dear Music Studio Students, Families and Staff:

 

Welcome to the 2023-2024 school year and music department concert season!    As I visited classrooms towards the end of this first week of school, I saw the LaGuardia magic in action.  All of our ensembles - choruses, orchestras, and wind bands sang and played challenging and inspiring music.  We can't wait to share that magic with you throughout this school year.  Below you will find some important information to support our transition back to school. 

 

Student Opportunities

Please be on the lookout for email blasts that I send with outside music related student opportunities.  These opportunities range from free tickets to local events/concerts to scholarship opportunities as well as audition announcements for summer programs.  Please note that these are outside opportunities for students/families and are not LaGuardia school programs.  The email will be entitled “Music Opportunities [Date]”.

 

Music Studio Communication Protocol

We believe that communication is essential for the success of your child. Please don't hesitate to reach out to us with any questions or concerns you may have about music classes.. We are here to listen and provide guidance, however if your child is struggling in a class or ensemble…

• First, reach out to the teacher/conductor of the class.  If the teacher/conductor of the class is unable to resolve the issue, then they will reach out to Mr. Meyers (Coordinator of Instrumental Music) or Ms. Ballard/Ms. Swerdfeger (Coordinators of Vocal Music) for support
• If you are still unable to get your issue resolved then reach out to AP of Music (bschott@schools.nyc.gov) for Music concerns

 

Name	Email	Name	Email
Benjamin Schott	BSchott@schools.nyc.gov	John Hamilton	JHamilt5@schools.nyc.gov
Bernice Fleischer	bfleisc@schools.nyc.gov	Dawn Jones	djones83@schools.nyc.gov
Robert Apostle	RApostl@schools.nyc.gov	Darryl Jordan	DJordan8@schools.nyc.gov
Jana Ballard	JBallard@schools.nyc.gov	Flora Kirou	fkirou@schools.nyc.gov
Krystyna Berman	KBerman3@schools.nyc.gov	Christ Koelzer	ckoelzer@schools.nyc.gov
Kevin Blancq	CBlancq@schools.nyc.gov	Joseph Meyers	JMeyers7@schools.nyc.gov
Jonathan Bloomfield	JBloomfield2@schools.nyc.gov	Jonah Piali	JPiali@schools.nyc.gov
David Blumenthal	dblumenthal@schools.nyc.gov	Kimberly Roof	KRoof@schools.nyc.gov
Rocco Carbone	RCarbone@schools.nyc.gov	Valentina Shohdy	vshohdy@schools.nyc.gov
Victor Clark	VClark5@schools.nyc.gov	Mary Ann Swerdfeger	MSwerdfeger@schools.nyc.gov
Jeanne Cascio	JCascio@schools.nyc.gov	Roslyn White	RWhite22@schools.nyc.gov

 

2022-2023 Operetta

Operetta Workshop and Operetta Workshop Pit will perform Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Gondoliers!  We look forward to another exciting year of instrumental music studio, vocal music studio and Technical Theater Studio collaboration.

 

Instrument Care

Vocal Music Students:  Your body is your instrument.  Practice self-care and communicate with your teachers when you are sick or need a vocal break if you have been singing too much.  They will show you how to “mark”  which allows you to participate without straining your voice.

Instrumental Music Students:  At LaGuardia we are privileged at LaGuardia to provide instruments to students on a 1:1 basis so that students both have access to instruments that they may not own as well as avoid having to carry their instruments to and from school on a daily basis.  All instrumental students have been assigned an instrument locker (and should also have access to a general school locker - if your child does not have a general school locker contact AP Mackey at jmackey2@schools.nyc.gov).  It is imperative that students care for their instrument as well as secure their instrument.

• All instruments must be LOCKED in your assigned instrument locker with the case closed when not in use.  
• If your instrument is not cared for and is lost or stolen we families will need to replace the instrument so that future students have access to instruments - we are unable to replace instruments and losing instruments will result in students having to share.
• Follow your teachers guidelines for the care of your instrument
• If your instrument needs repair see your teacher for next steps.  Some repairs can be completed by you (with teacher support), some can be completed by your teacher and some need to be sent to the instrument repair shop on campus.

 

Programming Updates

The add/drop deadline has passed.   Now that students have settled into their classes, please review our 2023 2024 Instrumental Music Course Sequence/2023 2024 Vocal Music Course Sequence to better understand your music trajectory while at LaGuardia.

 

Please do not hesitate to contact me at Bschott@schools.nyc.gov if you have any questions or concerns.

 

Sincerely,

Benjamin Schott

Assistant Principal - Music