Thank you to all the parents that participated in the special elections held last Monday night. Our newest PA Executive Board members and SLT representatives are: 

Susan Pinckney-Bennett, Recording Secretary
Carmen Daehler, VP of Engagement & Hospitality
Caitlin Barton-Landfield, VP of Special Education
Jamie McShane, Senior Class Representative
Victoria Rodriguez, Junior Class Representative
Lindsay Manley, Sophomore Class Representative
Shira Eisenberg, Freshman Class Representative
Ifat Golan, SLT Freshman Representative
Patricia Dinelli Chesky, SLT IEP/504 Representative

For a complete list of the 2023-2024 PA Executive Board members, please click here.  

Your generosity ensures our talented students continue to experience nationally renowned conservatory arts training and academically rigorous classes even when the NYC DOE budget falls short. 

Academic Approach* is offering Laguardia students a wide range of options to help them prepare for the PSAT, SAT and ACT throughout the year at substantially discounted rates. The course is $400 for LaG students (regularly priced at $1100). Register for the first session by 9/29. 

The PSAT will be given in October. In addition to providing practice for SATs. students with qualifying scores will be eligible for National Merit Scholarships. The test will be digital, and as such, AA is offering a comprehensive training session called "PSAT: from Paper to Pixel". The program provides 3 hours of one-on-one  tutoring to introduce students to the new digital PSAT. To sign up, visit HERE. 

Academic Approach offers complimentary practice tests for both SAT and ACT tests and will assess your students strengths and weaknesses. 

Private one-on-one tutoring services are available for both SAT and ACT at discounted rates for LaGuardia students. 

Classroom college test prep courses re offered starting in the Fall and include 24 hours of class time as well as 3 practice tests. The first test is December 2nd and will be paper and pencil. The SAT test will be digital starting in 2024 (the ACT is still paper and pencil). 

To learn more, please visit HERE.  Register for the first session by 9/29. Please contact the Academic Forum for financial support if necessary (available one time only to Juniors and Seniors). 

*see disclaimer at the bottom of this newsletter

Erica Blum has over 20 years experience as a high school guidance counselor and extensive post-secondary advising experience. Learn about how to best utilize the post-secondary counselor by clicking here. You can also reach out to Erica directly at Eblum2@schools.nyc.gov. 

Dear LaGuardia Community,
We write to you as the first ever Special Education Representatives at LaGuardia! The newly elected PA VP of Special Education is Caitlin Barton-Landfield and the newly elected School Leadership Team (SLT) IEP/504 Representative is Patricia Dinely Chesky. Both of these roles are new parent roles to the LaGuardia school community. 

Please be patient with us as we grow into these new roles and see how we can work effectively to support the parents and students at LaGuardia in Special Education and to work with a solutions based approach with the school Administration for Special Education learning. We look forward to working with the new school Administration. We intend to be partners with the entire school community. Please contact Caitlin at specialeducation@laguardiahspa.org. We will provide contact details for Patricia soon. 

We want to leave you with a thought about the basics of what Special Education means. Today, students are sometimes called neurodiverse, students with learning differences and/or students with learning disabilities. Some of the most creative minds in the world have been in the realm of different thinkers and processors. We want to shift the thinking of Special Education from “other” and rather to incorporate all learners into our amazing creative educational community. 

Please note that for specific questions related to your student's IEP/504, you must work directly with LaGuardia's Special Education department. Click HERE to read a welcome letter from Mrs. Lindsey Stein (Klein), the new IEP Coordinator.

NYC DOE IEP Information
NYC DOE 504 Information

Hello! My name is Carmen and I'm the newly elected VP of Hospitality and Engagement. We're excited to bring back the School Spirit School Days once the permits are in place. This is a monthly (when possible) Studio Merchandise Sales Event for students, faculty and parents held on the 3rd Thursday of each month in the afternoon. We already have a committee in place for this event thanks to Nadia Inwood and her team. 

If you're interested in supporting other subcommittees of engagement that include our Student Clubs, Sports, Teacher Appreciation Lunches and other Student Events, I would love to have you on board. Please email: engagement@laguardiahspa.org. 

Thanks to your generous donations and continued support, 3 teachers' projects were fully funded last week!

• Mr. Swope will now receive a new plotter to allow students to print drawings for theatre projects
• Ms. Healy will now receive grow lights and potted plants to freshen the air in a windowless room
• Ms. Ross will now receive a new laser printer to assist students with their art making

Let's help Ms. Kompanal get her very first DonorsChoose project funded! She is requesting digital scales to help students get accurate measurements when conducting experiments in the chemistry lab. (Be the 1st to donate!)

Please visit our DonorsChoose page to view all 13 project requests and share with your family and friends.  Anyone can contribute and all donations are tax deductible.

Your contributions and/or sharing of these links is greatly appreciated!

First Art Studio PA Meeting! 
Monday, 10/2 @ 7:30 PM
Zoom link will be sent closer to the date

Our awesome AP of Fine Arts, Heather O'Connell will be there to discuss her plans for the Fine Art Studio this year. Other agenda items include the Art Studio budget, visiting artist program and more studio items. If you would like to add to the agenda, please reach out to us. All suggestions are welcomed and encouraged!

Volunteers Needed
Visiting Artist Coordinator: Help bring professional artists into our classroom to meet students
Merchandise Coordinator: Help design, order, and maintain inventory of Art Studio merch. 

Thank you to everyone who joined our first Dance PA meeting this past week.  We had a great turnout and it was wonderful to connect with everyone.  Our next meeting will be held on October 3rd from 5:30-6:30.  This will be our annual “Meet the Teachers” meeting and will be held both in person and on zoom (zoom link will follow).  We encourage those who are available to join us in person; dance merchandise will be available to buy at the meeting at discount prices.  Also, we have created a What’s App group for dance parents of all grade levels.  Please join using the following link: https://chat.whatsapp.com/EnszKpVG5eaIi1Z7EmOUuD

UPCOMING PODS MEETING! 
When: 9/27 @ 7:30 PM immediately following the General PA meeting.
Where: Register for our Zoom meeting HERE.

SENIOR HEADSHOT SIGN-UP Drama seniors will receive FREE headshots courtesy of the Drama Studio PA and Stomping Ground Photo! The shoot date is 10/21. Please go to Stomping Ground Photo to sign up! A sign-up will be available soon for the make-up shoot on 11/07 in the afternoon). 

JOIN THE TEAM AND PITCH IN! Want to get involved in the Drama Studio? We have several vital volunteer positions, such as Drama Studio Secretary and Freshman Class Parent Volunteer. Learn more at our first PODS meeting on 9/27. It’s a great way to meet new people and help give back to the LaG community. Join us!

GET CONNECTED Please create an account HERE to receive communication from the Drama Studio. When you create an account, you will automatically receive emails based on your student's grade and studio.

Music Studio Meeting This Thursday!
When: Thursday, Sept 28th, 7:30pm
Where: Zoom
Meeting ID: 859 5628 4132
Passcode: 830959

We'd love to connect with you, and the easiest way for that to happen is for you to create an account in Membership ToolKit. When you create an account, you are automatically signed up for communications based on your student's year and studio. This will also ensure that you will receive our weekly Music Monday newsletter, which you don't want to miss because it's full of information. Also, be sure to complete your volunteer preferences so we can contact you when opportunities arise. Please visit our website for more information and past Music Monday issues.

Hello POTS(Parents of Tech-theater Students)! You can find great info (and probably answers to many of your Tech studio questions) on the Tech page click here. Minutes from our POTS meeting on 9/21, including Zoom Link, click here. We are actively looking for volunteers to round out our Tech board. Positions include: 

• Merchandise Chair of Inventory. To manage inventory and place orders. We have a great merchandise team in place to help sell, sort and design. 
• Grant Writing for technical equipment and production items
• Volunteer Chair to help create spreadsheets to organize volunteers for in-school events
• Fundraising, a brainstorming committee to come up with ideas to help Tech with much needed funds

-Rosalie, Carmen, Annie, Cynthia & Rina

Bard Sequence Performing Arts & DOE Arts Hub Offers students the opportunity to earn college credits while enhancing their creativity and refining their musical talents in orchestra and jazz ensemble. Apply by 9/29/23. 

Ithaca College Brass Day LaGuardia alum and Professor at Ithaca College, Chris Coletti, invites students and educators to a free day of master classes, faculty showcases, workshops on brass related topics, presentations and student performances. Event takes place 9/30.

MOMA Teen Film Committee A group of 13 film enthusiasts who organize film screenings for NYC teens. The TFC will plan screenings, moderate post-screening discussions, and cultivate a community of teens connected to MoMA who love film through social media and other platforms. Apply by 10/1/23.

Mark Morris Dance Group invites students ages 15-21 to apply for their Arts Immersion Fellowship to develop careers skills in the arts including management, marketing, choreography, producing and more. Apply by 10/2/23.

Art College Night at The Whitney Teens are invited to Art College Night at the Whitney Museum. Meet representatives from colleges with studio art, art history, and art education programs. Learn about scholarship opportunities, college essay writing tips, and much more. Plus, receive a live professional headshot for your Linkedin profile.10/6/24 @ 4-6 pm.

For more outside student opportunities, click HERE.

2023-2024 Bell Schedule

LaG Faculty & Staff Directory

School Year 2023-24 Calendar

NYC Schools Account (NYCSA): track your child's progress

DOE Student Accounts: access all student learning platforms

Parent University

Multilingual Learners

Office of Language Access

For questions about, and/or to submit content for consideration in the Sunday Night News, please email: snn@laguardiahspa.org. 

DISCLAIMER: The LaGuardia High School Parents Association Inc (LAGHSPA) and its officers and elected members do not endorse third-party content shared in our communications, nor do they profit from third-party promotions featured in our communications.

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