2019-2020 School Calendar

Welcome Back! From the Chancellor

Chancellor Carranza welcome students to the 2018-2019 school year.

September 5, 2018

Dear Families,

I hope you had a terrific summer, and that you are as excited about the year ahead as I am. It is a delight to welcome you to the 2018–19 school year.

I was up before my alarm this morning, my mind racing with thoughts about all the incredible things we are going to do together this school year. This is my first full year as your Chancellor, and my focus this year is on the 1.1 million students here in New York City—and my promise to make our public school system the fairest and strongest in the nation.

I know that we can’t achieve that promise on our own—we need one another. My own parents entrusted me to the public school system. They relied on our schools to teach me English, and together with their support I became fully bilingual, and was the first in my family (alongside my twin brother) to attend college. Our families and educators are in this together, and we succeed together. We promise to meet you where you are and get information to you where and when you need it. You play a key role in your children’s education, and we are here to help you make critical decisions about their future.

We understand that you are entrusting your children to us, and we do not take that responsibility lightly. We promise to teach your children in safe, welcoming schools, and hold high expectations for their success. We will challenge your children academically and support them socially and emotionally. We will deliver excellence through equity, so that every student graduates from high school with the ability to write well, think like a scientist, understand history, and learn computer science. We will teach all of our students to think critically, speak passionately about important issues, and work in teams to achieve big things. These are the skills needed to succeed in the 21st century.

Together, we will make 2018–19 a year of high expectations, a year of equity and excellence, a year in which we lift all our students to greater heights.

Thank you for your support. I wish you and your children a wonderful start to the school year.

In unity,

Richard A. Carranza
Chancellor

For more from the Chancellor, click here.  For tips to help you get ready for a great school year, click here.

From the Desk of Chancellor Carmen Fariña

Welcome to the 2016-2017 school year!  Thanks to the hard work of our educators, administrators, students, and families, we are beginning this school year on a celebratory note:

• NYC students have made substantial gains on State exams;
• Graduation, postsecondary enrollment, and college readiness rates have reached record highs;
• City schools are now the safest they have ever been in decades; and 
• Pre-K for All has now provided over 150,000 children with full-day, high-quality early childhood instruction since 2014.

These achievements should put more of our students on the path to success after high school.

Yet, while these are steps in the right direction, we know that we have more work to do. Last fall, Mayor de Blasio and I announced our vision of Equity and Excellence for All, as we believe that every child—from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade—should be on a path to college and a meaningful career. Since then, our educators and administrators have been hard at work implementing the foundation of this new vision, and soon, parents, teachers, and students will see the impact of our work in classrooms across the City this school year.

These are truly exciting times for all of us at the DOE, and I am thrilled that we will be able to share news of our progress right here on this site. So keep an eye out for The Morning Bell, and stay up-to-date about our schools.

On behalf of the DOE, I wish all of our students, educators, parents, and partners a joyful and successful school year.  Click here for the new NYC DOE blog.

Sincerely,


Carmen Fariña
Chancellor, NYC Department of Education

Welcome Back!

The New York City Department of Education (DOE) is the largest school district in the US, serving 1.1 million students in over 1,800 schools.   For New York City students and their families, the 'Back to School Basics' page is a one-stop, back-to-school shop with important information to get ready for a fantastic school year. You can also download a copy of the Achieve NYC Back to School Basics PDF to read and share. Click here!

Welcome Back To School!

Welcome to the 2013-1014 School Year

The New York City Department of Education welcomed more than 1.1 million students and 75,000 teachers at over 1,700 schools back for another amazing year!  At PS4, more than 700 students were excited to meet their new teachers and share stories of their summer vacations.

Check out the slide show below to see a few photos from the first day of school!

Picture slideshow created with Smilebox

Welcome Back!

Welcome to the 2012-2013 school year!  The first two days of the school year were very exciting for the parents, students, teachers and staff of PS4.  From the new Promethean Boards in each classroom to the new uniform colors, PS4 is ready for a productive school year.  "Students seem very eager to come to school", said Mr. Theodore, Staff & Budget Coordinator.  "This was the easiest arrival and dismissal process I've seen in three years".

Blog editors look forward to your comments and will be updating weekly.  This blog will share important updates about events that occur in our school and in the Washington Heights community.  We will also share stories about great things that our students and teachers are doing.  If you would like us to share a story with our readers, feel free to contact us using our Facebook page.

View of main yard during Monday morning arrival.

View of cafeteria during Monday morning's arrival.