Schedules

Open School Week will be celebrated during the week of November 15

will be “Great Public Schools: A Basic Right and our Responsibility.” This is the time to reinforce parent-school

relationships that will lead to the dynamic partnership that is necessary to ensure the educational success of

each student. Schools should provide stimulating programs and conferences, as well as make available

materials and exhibits for children and parents that encourage visitations on all levels.

As of May 2009, an important additional resource for families, ARIS Parent Link, will be available across the

city. It includes individual student information about attendance, transcripts, state test results, and periodic

assessment results. Schools should support parents in accessing this valuable resource, encouraging them to

log on and review their child’s performance information in advance of parent-teacher conferences. Schools

should also consider structuring parent-teacher conferences to review information from APL directly online, if

a computer set-up is possible. APL can provide a common framework for rich parent-teacher conversation.

All school staff must actively collaborate to encourage parent involvement in all school-related activities and to

make schools a welcome environment for all parents. Staff will work with District Family Advocates and

Borough Directors for the Office of Family Engagement and Advocacy to establish procedures for parent

visitation to classrooms, and include those procedures in notices to the home. All notices should be

translated in the home language of parents to ensure greater participation.

The Parent-Teacher Conferences listed in this communication must not serve to limit the number of other

types of Parent-Teacher Conferences. In addition to the listed Parent-Teacher Conferences, the use of grade,

class, guidance, and individual conferences, including Individual Education Program (IEP) conferences for

special education students between parents and school personnel, are excellent practices that must be

encouraged throughout the school year.

Schools should not deviate from the citywide dates for afternoon conferences listed below, in order not to

interfere with other schools’ field trip programs or with other transportation services and calendar

constraints. If individual parents have date and time conflicts, they should be encouraged to schedule a

parent-teacher conference at a mutually agreed upon time. Scheduling additional half days for Parent-

Teacher Conferences will not be permitted in order to ensure maximum use of available instructional time.

One afternoon Parent-Teacher Conference date each semester is scheduled per school level and given

conference day credit toward meeting the 180 day State instructional requirement. For purposes of the

Period Attendance Report (PAR), all days scheduled for afternoon Parent-Teacher Conferences should be

recorded as instructional.

EVENING* AFTERNOON

* Schools may select dates for evening conferences that are different from those listed. The date and time selected must be

conducive to parent participation, attendance should not begin before 5:30 p.m. so as to accommodate most parents’ work

schedules, and the information must be on file. Parents should receive at least four weeks prior notice. When necessary, the

notices should be translated into languages represented in the school population. All afternoon dates should not be

rescheduled. It should also be noted that a two and one half-hour time period is required for evening conferences. Principals

are reminded to request security coverage at least one week before evening conferences. For half day Prekindergarten

Programs at public school sites, see section 6 below.

** District 75 School Programs housed within a non-District 75 school should adhere to that school level's afternoon and

evening Parent-Teacher Conference dates as indicated above. Self-contained District 75 school organizations are to adhere to

the evening and afternoon Parent-Teacher Conference dates listed for District 75 School Programs (see above).

have one of the sets of dates on file prior to the start of the 2009-2010 school year.

Adult and Continuing Education activities will be canceled in the schools where the evening conferences are

held.

Two hours of school time are devoted to afternoon parent-teacher interviews. Students are usually

dismissed from school for this two hour period. Students attending regular classes should be provided bus

transportation in accordance with their dismissal schedules. Student dismissal should be three hours prior

to what would have been the regular dismissal time for the day. Appropriate arrangements are to be made

for changes in transportation, lunch schedules and for informing parents.

The fall term and spring term sessions should be equal in length for all students. In the fall term, elementary

school afternoon date, the A.M. prekindergarten program pupils should attend the morning session, with the

P.M. prekindergarten program pupils not scheduled to attend school on that day. In the spring term,

elementary school afternoon date, the P.M. prekindergarten program pupils should attend the morning

session, with the A.M. prekindergarten program pupils not scheduled to attend school on that day.

On the attached form, principals are to send the following information to Darlene Sanchez

(dsanche2@schools.nyc.gov) at the Office for Family Engagement and Advocacy:

7.1 Number of parents attending fall afternoon conferences.

7.2 Number of parents attending fall evening conferences.

7.3 Number of parents attending spring afternoon conferences.

7.4 Number of parents attending spring evening conferences.

7.5 Number of report cards distributed to parents before the fall parent-teacher conference date.

7.6 Number of report cards distributed to parents before the spring Parent-Teacher Conference date.

7.7 Number of report cards distributed to parents on the date of the fall and spring Parent-Teacher

Conferences.

The Office for Family Engagement and Advocacy should receive the fall term information from Principals by

file.

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Transportation questions, schools should call 718-392-8855.

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Secretaries/attendance staff should contact their liaison in the PAR Unit.

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DOE Translation Unit at 718-752-7373 ext. 4 for over-the-phone interpretation services during afternoon and

evening parent-teacher conferences. These services will be available until 8:30 pm on the evening conference

dates.

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Advocacy at (212) 374-2323.

for Family Engagement and Advocacy or fax: 212-374-0076. The due dates are Friday, December 11, 2009 for the

fall term report, and Friday, May 7, 2010, for the spring term report. For questions, please contact the appropriate

School Support Organization or the Office for Family Engagement and Advocacy at 212-374-2323.

School DBN: Principal:

Reporting Period (Circle one): Fall Spring

Grade Level (Circle one): Elementary Middle High K-8 K-12 Other:

Total Student Enrollment:

Date of Afternoon Conference: / / Date of Evening Conference: / /__ __

Number of parents/caregivers in attendance for afternoon conferences:

Number of parents/caregivers in attendance for evening conferences:

Number of ENGLISH report cards distributed before the conference date:

Number of ENGLISH report cards distributed on the conference date:

Number of TRANSLATED report cards distributed before the conference date:

Number of TRANSLATED report cards distributed on the conference date:

(Translated report cards for all grades are available on the DOE’s Intranet at

http://www.nycboe.net/AdminOrg/Offices/TeachingLearning/ReportCards.aspx)