Announcements

• A Message On Behalf of the Incoming Parent Association President

  Dear Families,
  
  I am eager to get to work and want to invite all parents to join me for two information sessions via Zoom this summer with the goal of engaging parents, improving communication, fielding questions, and simply getting to know each other. These informal conversations will take place on:
  
  Wednesday, 7/6, 7:30 pm

  and 

  Wednesday, 8/3, 7:30 pm
  
  Click either date for the Zoom link.
  
  Jamie McShane
  2022-23 LAGHSPA President

  Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts

• PSAL Summer Program Registration Link

  The Public Schools Athletic League (PSAL), is pleased to announce the PSAL Summer Program registration is now open! PSAL Summer will provide comprehensive athletic training and sport specific skill development with the goal of improving the skill level of our students.

   

  PSAL Summer will operate Monday-Thursday, from 3 pm to 6 pm, July 11 - August 11. The program is open to students who will be enrolled in high school in September.

   

  The PSAL Summer Program will operate in various high school sites in all five boroughs.  Students are able to register for any available site. (Please note, students who wish to participate in the following sports must be fully vaccinated: football, volleyball, basketball, wrestling, lacrosse, and stunt)

   

  Schools should encourage families to register their students by using the link below.

   

  Register for PSAL Summer Program

   

  For questions, e-mail psal@schools.nyc.gov.

  
  
  

  Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts

• Discontinuing Use of PupilPath and Skedula on June 30, 2022; Please check school's website for school communications

  Hello.

   

  At the end of tomorrow, June 30, Skedula/PupilPath (and all IO Classroom functions) will no longer be used by the DOE.  As Skedula/PupilPath is the primary way LaGuardia communicates with our community, we will not be able to send email notifications over the summer until the appropriate DOE systems are in place.

   

  Please check lagaurdiahs.org on a regular basis for all school communications that would normally be emailed.  (Please note:  our website can be translated into other languages by using the Google Select Language drop down menu.)

   

   

  We look forward to having a better, more secure way to communicate to our community, and we appreciate your understanding and patience during this period of transition.
  
  

  Thank you.

   

  MSW

  Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts

• PSAL Summer Program at LaGuardia

  The Public Schools Athletic League (PSAL), is pleased to announce the PSAL Summer Program. PSAL Summer will provide comprehensive athletic training and sport-specific skill development opportunities with the goal of improving the skill level of New York City’s high school public school students. 

   

  PSAL Summer will operate four days a week Monday-Thursday, 3 pm to 6 pm starting July 11 and running through August 11, in sites throughout all five boroughs. The program is open to all students entering grades 9-12 in Fall of 2023, regardless of any previous participation in PSAL activity.

  LaGuardia Arts will be hosting:  

   

  BADMINTON

  FENCING

  HANDBALL

  The student registration process will begin later this week through July 11, 2022.  

   

  More information will be sent out when available.

   

   

  Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts

• SGO Information About 2022-2023 Bell Schedule

  It has been a hectic last couple weeks of school, and we wish everyone a great summer.

   

  The 2022-2023 SGO knows that next year’s bell schedule surprised many in the LaGuardia community, and we wanted to provide you with some information about the change.

   

  On Monday, June 27, the 2022-2023 SGO met with Ms. Vasconcelos to discuss how the new bell schedule came to be and how we can make sure that every student will have a schedule that accommodates their individual needs.

   

  HOW WAS THE DECISION MADE?

  The bell schedule announced for 2022-2023 is final. It is with complete transparency that we reiterate that the bell schedule at every school is decided by the school’s chapter of the teacher union, the United Federation of Teachers (UFT). So the bell schedule for next year was decided by LaGuardia’s chapter of the teachers union. Students, parents, assistant principals, and the principal cannot interfere with -- and have no part in -- union discussions and this voting process; however, students and parents can give teachers their opinions, though it is ultimately LaGuardia’s teacher union who makes the final call.

   

  This process is not new. Every year, each school’s UFT chapter must decide on the schedule for the next school year.  LaGuardia’s current bell schedule was not in compliance with the contract between the UFT and the DOE and a change was required.

  
  
  

  SOLUTIONS

  We know many students and families are concerned about how late the new bell schedule will end. As SGO, we cannot vote on how the bell schedule should look, and neither can Ms. Vasconcelos.

   

  What we can do is work together to propose ideas to ensure that no student would be required to have a full-10 period day. We would also like to offer more clubs and other student activities before Period 10 ends. We are currently researching different suggestions (such as asynchronous classes or gym credit incorporated into studio classes that have dance/movement components) that we’ll develop as more data is collected from student surveys. Ms. Vasconcelos is eager to work with us and to hear as many student voices as possible to help us have a positive year no matter what grade we are in.

   

  Though the new schedule is final for this coming year, we will find solutions to your concerns to ensure a healthy, safe, and enriching school life.

  
  TAKE THE SGO STUDENT SURVEY (Using your LaGuardiahs.org account)

  Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts

• Last Day of School, June 27, 2022, Information & Diploma Pick Up

   

   

   

   

   

   

  Hello,

   

  This Monday, June 27, 2022. is the last day of school for the year for all students grades 9 through 12.

   

  Here is the schedule for this day:

   

  • Freshman 9:30am-11:30am
  • Sophomores 9:30am-11:30am
  • Juniors 10:30am-12:30pm
  • Seniors 10:30am-12:30pm (Diploma Distribution)

   

  Students should swipe in upon entering the building and will be directed to the appropriate location.

   

  Freshmen, Sophomores, and Juniors will attend an assembly presented by various departments and school staffl.  After that, then students needing the opportunity to go to their studio to retrieve any items before summer may do so.  Students could be dismissed as early as one hour from arrival.

  
  Seniors have more flexibility when they arrive to pick up their diploma.  Seniors leave the building when they are finished.  Parents/Guardians may pick up the diploma for their Senior and will need to show Identification that matches school records.  Because diplomas are one of a kind documents, diplomas cannot be picked up by any other person.

   

  Beginning July 5, 2022, graduates and their parents/guardians can look at the laguardiahs.org home page to find out the day of the week and time that diplomas and ordered transcripts will be available to be picked up during summer. The home page will also have contact information for our summer staff.  In September, our Records Secretary will be able to assist during school days.

   

  Graduates and all students needing transcripts sent during the summer will need to complete the Transcript Request Form.

   

  Have a great summer.

  
  
  

  Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts

• Chancellor's End of Year Message to Families

   

   

   

   

   

   

  June 22, 2022 
  
  
  
  

  Dear Families, 
  
  
  After six months as your New York City Schools Chancellor, I feel enormous gratitude as we approach the end of the school year. In that short period of time, you helped me begin to realize my vision of empowering our families to be genuine partners in the decisions we make together for our students. Your input is shaping everything we are doing in our schools, and we can all see the difference! 
  
  
  Think back to when I first started on January 3, at the height of the Omicron variant surge, when our attendance rate was only 65 percent. We implemented a variety of measures to improve safety called Stay Safe, Stay Open. That included increased testing and offering highly successful vaccinations on-site for our students.  
  
  
  By the end of January and continuing since then, our attendance returned to nearly 90 percent. After more than two years of upheaval and trauma caused by the pandemic, our families, students, and staff deserve so much credit for persevering and enabling us to end this school year on such a high note!  
  
  
  All of the initiatives that we announced in recent months are the result of input from our families and will be developed in partnership with them. Those include our improved literacy instruction and dyslexia interventions, violence interruption programming to improve safety, expanded access to gifted and talented programs, and a variety of new efforts to enable our high school students to gain skills valued in the workforce.     
   
  We are relying on our families because I have learned throughout my lifelong career as a New York City educator that the best ideas and most successful initiatives arise from conversations with families. You know the needs of your children and the strengths and weaknesses of your schools better than anyone. I have been preaching to everyone throughout our school system that they need to seriously engage with families and respond effectively to their concerns. No more imposing big changes without first seeking meaningful feedback from our families. 
  
  
  For those reasons, we are streamlining our school system and opening up clearer channels of communication with our leaders. That includes empowering our local district superintendents and school principals so that families can more directly and easily communicate with those in charge. In recent weeks, families across the city have had opportunities to meet at town halls with finalists for the 45 New York City public school superintendent positions to ensure that the most qualified and effective individuals fill those vital roles. Thanks to your feedback, I am confident that you will be excited about the leader of your district starting July 1; you can learn more at schools.nyc.gov/about-us/leadership/district-leadership.    
  
  
  I hope you’ll agree that we’re listening, we hear you, and together we’re building a new future for New York City schools! As you enjoy the summer, I hope that you and your children will take advantage of all the amazing cultural and recreational opportunities the city has to offer.  
  
  
  

  Have a safe and fun summer. The best is yet to come as we advance toward the 2022-23 school year!      
  
  
  Soaring high, 
  
  
  

  David C. Banks 
  New York City Schools Chancellor    

  Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts

• June 27, 2022: Last Day of School

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

  June 27, 2022 Last Day of School

  
  
  

  Hello,

   

  June 27, 2022, is the last day of school for the year for all students grades 9 through 12.

   

  New DOE guidance has indicated that schools do not need to run a full day of instruction.  Please see below for our student schedule for that day.

   

  This email is intended to assist with families planning/scheduling that day; this email is not intended to address questions related to that day, such as what should be done if a student does not attend.  Think of this as a “Save the Date/Time” email with more information to follow.

   

  • Freshman 9:30am-11:30am
  • Sophomores 9:30am-11:30am
  • Juniors 10:30am-12:30pm
  • Seniors 10:30am-12:30pm (Diploma Distribution)

   

  Thank you.

  
  
  

  Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts

• Bell Schedule & Programming Update

   

   

   

   

   

   

  Dear LaGuardia Community,

   

  We are happy to share our bell schedule for the 2022-2023 school year and  want to thank our teachers for the time and care they put into reviewing our schedule options. In the spirit of collaboration, many options were explored and the schedule below creates flexibility for students, faculty/staff and families. 

   

  2022-2023 Bell Schedule

   

  For School Year 2022-2023, the LaGuardia Bell Schedule will be:  

   

  Period	Start	End	Passing	Length
  1	8:00 AM	8:49 AM	0:04	0:49*
  2	8:53 AM	9:40 AM	0:04	0:47
  3	9:44 AM	10:35 AM	0:04	0:51**
  4	10:39 AM	11:26 AM	0:04	0:47
  5	11:30 AM	12:17 PM	0:04	0:47
  6	12:21 PM	1:08 PM	0:04	0:47
  7	1:12 PM	1:59 PM	0:04	0:47
  8	2:03 PM	2:50 PM	0:04	0:47
  9	2:54 PM	3:41 PM	0:04	0:47
  10	3:45 PM	4:32 PM		0:47

  * Period 1 has 2 extra minutes to accommodate morning arrival

  ** Period 3 has 4 extra minutes to accommodate morning announcements

   

  In the spirit of ensuring maximum instructional time for students, the bell schedule for students will no longer be shortened on Mondays to accommodate the Faculty Conference.

   

  While we recognize that the overall 10-period day is slightly longer than in previous years, additional programming supports will ensure that this bell schedule allows greater flexibility to accommodate the variety of requests we have had from students and families.

   

   

  2022-2023 Additional Programming Supports

   

  As we shared previously, for SY 2022-203 we have some additional programming supports to meet the needs of our community. LaGuardia students will continue to have access to 10 periods of instruction per day.  Parents may complete the Opt-out request, link embedded,  in advance of September so we may address any programming concerns. 

   

  *Opt-Out Request

   

  All students will be scheduled for a ten period day unless they request otherwise. Any family who would like for their student to NOT be scheduled for period 10, please complete the Request to Opt-Out of Period 10.  We are looking forward to planning ahead with you and learning about these requests now, while programs are being created, to ensure a smooth opening in September. We are excited to share this new opportunity to be responsive to our families. 

   

   

  *Arts and Academic Classes

   

  Singleton arts classes (classes only offered once a day) that are part of a studio requirement will not be offered during period 10. For example, the four-period long junior dance block will be offered during periods 6-9 rather than 7-10 to ensure that no junior dance student is required to stay later than 3:41pm to complete their arts requirement.

   

  While academic classes required for graduation may be offered during period 10, they would only be offered during period 10 if they are offered at least one other period of the day. For example, if the required math course Regents Geometry is offered during period 10, it will also be offered during multiple other class periods to ensure that while it is available during period 10, no student is required to stay later than 3:41pm to complete a graduation requirement.

   

  *Arts and Academic Supports

   

  Open Studio, the arts studio support period where students can come to their arts studio space to practice their art, receive feedback, and meet with teachers, will be offered during periods throughout the day. This ensures that students who wish to access Open Studio during the day can do so and will not have to wait for the end of period 10 to access support after 4:32pm. 

   

  Extra Support and Centers, the academic department period where students can come to their academic teachers to review and practice content and skills, will be offered during periods throughout the day. This ensures that students who wish to access Extra Support and Centers during the school day can do so and will not have to wait for the end of period 10 to attend support after 4:32pm. 

   

  Open Studio and Extra Support Centers not only support students’ academic growth, they are social environments where students get to know their classmates and teachers, and develop materials such as portfolios and essays for applications to colleges and conservatories.

   

  Confirmation of Course Preferences

   

  As is the practice at LaGuardia every year, at the end of June students will receive in their laguardiahs.org email a confirmation of their preferred courses they discussed with their guidance counselor. Students will then have a chance to submit revisions, as we understand that preferences may have changed. The next programming related update will have more details. Thank you to our guidance counselors for the individualized conversation and supports to each and every one of our students. 

   

  Our goal is always to create as much access to students and to maximize opportunities through scheduling. Again we are pleased that we are able to plan for so much of next school year as we wrap up the current school year. Please feel free to reach out to any administrators or guidance counselors to discuss programming. 

  Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts

• Safe Summer Travel Letter

   

   

   

   

   

   

  Read the letter on DOE Website, including translations.

   

   

   

   

  May 31, 2022 

   

  Dear Families: 

   

  The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (Health Department) reminds you to keep your family safe and healthy if you travel abroad this summer. Getting sick during your trip can prevent you from enjoying your travel. Some illnesses occur upon your return and can prevent you from working and your children from going to school. Here are some ways you can protect your family’s health during your trip: 

   

   

  •See your health care provider at least 4 to 6 weeks before travel. Ask about any medications or vaccinations you may need before you go. For example, if you are going to a country where malaria, typhoid fever, or hepatitis A is present, your provider can prescribe medication or give you a vaccine to reduce your risk of getting sick. Infants ages 6 to 11 months should receive an early, extra dose of measles-containing vaccine before international travel.

   

   

  •Make sure you and your children are up to date with your routine and COVID-19 vaccines, including recommended booster doses.

   

  •Protect yourself and your children against tick, mosquito, and other bug bites. Use recommended insect repellent and wear long-sleeved shirts, long pants, closed-toe shoes, and hats.

   

  •Practice these food safety tips, depending on the country you visit:

   

   

   

  oDrink bottled water or disinfect water by boiling for at least one minute to get rid of germs.

   

   

   

   

   

  oAvoid eating raw fruits or vegetables that cannot be peeled.

   

   

   

   

   

  oMake sure your meat is fully cooked and served hot.

   

   

   

  •Be safe around animals. Do not pet or feed wild or domestic animals.

   

  •Wash your hands often with soap and water. Carry hand sanitizer to use when soap and water are not available.

   

  •Check the COVID-19 restrictions and recommendations of the places you plan to visit, which may include testing or vaccination requirements to enter and other precautions upon arrival. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends wearing a mask while on airplanes and other public transportation, and consider wearing a mask in other public places depending on the local level of risk. For country-level COVID alert levels, see here.

   

  The Health Department works with the CDC and Massachusetts General Hospital to offer the Heading Home Healthy program. Visit www.headinghomehealthy.org for country-specific health care advice for safe travel.  

   

  Sincerely, 

   

  Celia Quinn, MD, MPH  

  Deputy Commissioner 

  Division of Disease Control 

   

   

  Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts