Dear LaGuardia Arts Community,
Happy New Year! We hope that everyone is having a safe and healthy start to 2023.
January’s Principal’s Office Hours 1/11 - Math/Science Grading Policy
Back by popular demand, I am hosting monthly, virtual Principal’s Office Hours on the second Wednesday of every month during breakfast, lunch, and dinner times. You can join me at 7:30am, 12pm, or 7pm on Zoom. Use this link to join: https://zoom.us/j/83138114097?pwd=UmViYm5yRXRJampkMzVSU09kdkxqdz09
The next Office Hours will take place on Wednesday, January 11, 2023. The January topic is the grading policy that teachers have been implementing to support math and science achievement and preparation for future opportunities. Assistant Principal of Math and Science Alyssa Collins will be joining me for these Office Hours. Later this week we will send an email that expands on the details of the Math and Science Grading Policy shared in the fall.
We understand that the grading policy was discussed at the Parent Association’s special end-of-December Academic Forum meeting that school staff was not available to attend. We hope the special meeting was informative, and that the Academic Forum and Superintendent Beidleman conveyed the conversation they had with school staff in mid-December.
January School Year Calendar Highlights
Monday, January 16 - Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day - Schools Closed
Monday, January 23 - End of Marking Period 3
Tuesday, January 24 - Friday, January 27 - Regents Week
Friday, January 27 - End of Fall Semester
Monday, January 30 - Professional Development Day for high schools. No students attend.
Tuesday, January 31 - First day of Spring Semester, Marking Period 1
January Regents Week 1/24-1/27
During Regents Week, students only attend scheduled activities. These activities include but are not limited to
- MAP Growth Testing (9th and 10th grade students)
- Arts Commencement/NOCTI Examinations (12th grade students)
- Make-up Regents Examinations
- Make-up Classroom Assessments
- Dance Evaluations, Dance Auditions, Dance Conferences
- Drama Rehearsals
- Fine Arts Senior Show Meetings
- Music Juries & Rehearsals
- Technical Theatre Builds
- Guidance Zoom Workshops (by grade)
As with all logistics at our complex organization, there are many moving pieces we need to consider and await guidance on to finalize a schedule for the entire school. Detailed schedules will be shared mid-month.
January Curricular Performances
In December we celebrated with the spectacular All-School Musical - Chicago: Teen Edition featuring students from every studio, the sensational Winter Semi-Annual Art Show, and the phenomenal Winter Semi-Annual Philharmonic Orchestra and Senior Chorus Concert. We also had an amazing LaGmas featuring members of our Show Choir, Wind Symphony, Chamber Winds, and Jazz Orchestra, as well as the ingenious light board from Chicago transformed for holiday cheers. These events would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of our students, staff, alumni, and families.
January is a bustling month of continued performances featuring students from the Vocal Music, Instrumental Music, Dance, and Technical Theatre studios:
- Friday, January 6 (6:30pm) - Winter Gospel Choir Concert
- Tuesday, January 10 (6pm) - Winter Musicale #1
- Concert Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra, Mixed Chorus, Operetta Workshop, Treble Chorus
- Thursday, January 12 (6pm) - Winter Musicale #2
- String Orchestra, Concert Band, Cantare, Elementary Chorus
- Friday, January 20 (4pm & 7pm) & Saturday, January 21 (2pm) - Winter Dance Showcase
- Wednesday, January 25 (6:30pm) - New Music Showcase
- Thursday, January 26 (6:30pm) - Symphonic Band & Wind Symphony Concert
We encourage community members to purchase tickets online in-advance at (https://www.tix.com/ticket-sales/laguardiahs/699). The ‘day of the performance’ tickets are available in-person one hour prior to start time. Students may also purchase tickets in-person using cash at our Main Lobby Box Office during lunch periods on Wednesdays.
Please remember that as per NYCDOE policy, all adults must continue to show ID and proof of COVID vaccination to enter DOE buildings.
January Traveling Performances
At LaGuardia, it is vital that our students experience sharing their artistic gifts to bring together communities for important causes.
The LaGuardia Dance Ensemble will be performing at Dancing Beyond 2023, the annual benefit for The American Cancer Society and Dance Against Cancer, hosted by Earl Mosley’s Diversity of Dance (EMDOD). This 10th anniversary event features world premieres by EMDOD Commissioned Choreographers Alexander Anderson, Danielle Diniz, Tsai-Hsi Hung, and Jie-Hung Connie Shiau, alongside schools, arts organizations, and international companies. The performances take place January 12-15 at Manhattan Movement Arts Center https://www.diversityofdance.org/shop.
The LaGuardia Senior Chorus will be performing at We Are Here: Songs from the Holocaust, to commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The concert, presented by The Museum of Jewish Heritage, features songs written in the ghettos and camps of Nazi-occupied Europe performed by top cantors alongside pop and Broadway talent. The performance takes place January 26 at Carnegie Hall. https://www.carnegiehall.org/Calendar/2023/01/26/We-Are-Here-Songs-from-the-Holocaust-0730PM
COVID-19 Reporting Continues
The DOE has communicated that community members will no longer receive Schoolwide Notifications or Exposure Notifications of COVID-19 cases.
However, schools are required to continue reporting all cases of COVID-19. Please continue to inform us if a staff or student tests positive for COVID-19 by emailing covid@laguardiahs.org with the date of symptom onset, date last in school, date of positive COVID-19 test, and type of COVID-19 test.
Phoning the School
Based on current feedback from families, we are working with the phone vendor to revise caller options on the prompt.
At any time, during school hours, you may dial “0” to be connected to a staff member who can redirect your call. Please keep the phone lines cleared for families with urgent communications. Please keep in mind that the best way to reach a staff member is via email, listed in our Faculty and Staff Directory.
Weekly Counseling Newsletters
Our Guidance Department is the backbone of our arts and academics program. Students are assigned to a Guidance Counselor based on their studio, who follows them all four years providing academic, social-emotional, and college counseling. Our Guidance Department also includes three Social Workers, a Post-Secondary Specialist, a Substance Abuse Prevention & Intervention Specialist (SAPIS), and an Assistant Principal of Guidance.
The Weekly Counseling Newsletter is a great source of new information and reminders. All newsletters are archived on the school website at www.laguardiahs.org >> MyLaGuardia >> Guidance Supports >> Guidance Department
https://www.laguardiahs.org/guidance_department
Looking forward to seeing many families at this month's events!
Best,
Yeou-Jey Vasconcelos
Principal