Messages for Families

September 26, 2024: A Message from Chancellor David C. Banks

First and foremost, I want to thank you for entrusting your children to New York City Public Schools. I am writing to share the news that after nearly 40 years serving the children and families of this city, I have made the decision to retire at the end of this calendar year.

From my earliest days as a school safety agent through my time as a teacher, assistant principal, principal, founder of the Eagle Academy network, and finally, as Chancellor, I have worked relentlessly to give our city’s children the educational experiences they deserve—from the fundamentals of learning to read to groundbreaking opportunities for career-connected learning.

I’m a product of the New York City Public Schools myself, and I believe deeply in the transformative impact of an excellent public education. Although I am retiring, I know that the critical work we have started will continue and that its impact will be felt for years to come.

I entered this role nearly three years ago guided by four pillars: to reimagine the student experience; to scale, sustain, and restore what works; to prioritize wellness and its links to student success; and to engage families and communities as true partners. I am proud to say that we have made significant progress in all these areas. We launched NYC Reads and NYC Solves, built innovative and immersive college and career pathways, created the Division of Inclusive and Accessible Learning, welcomed over 45,000 of our newest New Yorkers, expanded student mental health supports, invested $1.5 billion in our school communities, and so much more. Through it all, we kept students, families, and communities at the center.

I want to congratulate Deputy Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos, who will be taking the helm as Chancellor beginning in January. Melissa is a New York City Public Schools parent, a lifelong New Yorker, and most importantly, a champion for our students and school communities. I am fully confident that Melissa is the right person for the job, and I believe that under her leadership, the best is yet to come for New York City Public Schools.

It has been the honor of a lifetime to build bright starts and bold futures for our city’s children. I have felt blessed every day to work with the most incredible team—140,000 strong—on behalf of the most incredible kids and families. I will remain your staunch advocate and supporter, and I thank you—our families, parent leaders, and community members—for your partnership and dedication.

June 26, 2024: An End of Year Message to Families from Chancellor David C. Banks

For translations, please visit the NYCPS+You page on our website.

It’s hard to believe we’ve reached the end of another school year! This is always an important time to pause and reflect, and we have made so much progress.

Just this week, we announced NYC Solves, our initiative to reimagine math education, which will reach 93 middle schools in eight districts and 420 high schools this fall. We also announced our newly created Division of Inclusive and Accessible Learning (DIAL), which will support students with disabilities and multilingual learners under the leadership of Deputy Chancellor Christina Foti.

These announcements build on an entire year of progress, starting with NYC Reads. In the 2023-2024 school year, literacy took center stage. We rolled out evidence-based curricula, grounded in the science of reading, to elementary schools in nearly half of our districts and across over 90% of our early childhood portfolio. I’m thrilled that our reading initiative will be active in all elementary schools and early childhood classrooms by this fall.

We also made significant strides in our college and career pathways work. Since the start of this administration, our students have earned $8.2M through paid work experiences at top companies like Northwell Health and Google. This year, through our FutureReadyNYC program, we started preparing over 10,000 students for careers in business, technology, education, and healthcare, and for the first time, every high school senior received letters from both SUNY and CUNY confirming there is a place for them at their universities.

But the accomplishments don’t end there. We also:

• Saw our first enrollment increase in eight years, along with a 12% increase in math proficiency and a 3% increase in ELA, outpacing the rest of the state.
• Completed a total of 487 Safer Access door locking installations.
• Announced nine new schools to open this September, including Motion Picture Tech High School in Queens and Bard High School Early College in Brooklyn.
• Launched our first Climate Action Days and scaled curbside composting to 100% of our K-12 schools.
• Grew Project PIVOT to 257 schools.
• Expanded specialized programming for students with disabilities by over 1,000 seats and created over 800 special education Pre-K seats.
• Shifted over 7,000 infant, toddler, 3K and Pre-K early childhood seats across the five boroughs to meet family need.
• Continued to expand our Hidden Voices series to expose students to the diverse perspectives represented in our city, publishing Hidden Voices on the Global African Diaspora and announcing plans to create Hidden Voices on the Muslim and Jewish American communities.
• Offered seats to over 110,000 students for our Summer Rising program, which begins July 2.
• Welcomed approximately 40,000 migrant students into our schools with open arms.

Reflecting on this school year, I'm immensely grateful to our teachers, school leaders, and staff—your commitment and hard work are unmatched. You’ve played a critical role in these accomplishments, not to mention countless other milestones across our 1,600 schools, from teaching a Kindergartener to read their first sentence to guiding a high schooler toward their diploma.

To our families: Thank you for your partnership and for choosing NYC Public Schools for your children. We thank you for your trust in us.

I'm also grateful to our PTA presidents, School Leadership Teams, Community and Citywide Education Council members, Panel for Educational Policy members, and all our parent and community leaders. Please know how much I appreciate the extra time and effort you have dedicated to serving our school communities.

Together, you all build bright starts and bold futures for our students. I hope you enjoy a restful summer. I’m already looking forward to September—the best is yet to come! 

May 31, 2024: Update for Families on Summer Programs and Resources

Overview

This Family Update provides important information about summer school, Summer Meals, summer athletics programming, opportunities and support for high school students, and resources to support families in continuing to build reading skills all year long.

Summer School

Each May and June, New York City Public Schools (NYCPS) teachers assess students’ progress using multiple measures to determine if they are ready for the next grade level. Families of students who have not yet made sufficient progress will be notified via letter in mid-June.

If your student is in grade 3–8 and is not promoted in June, they will be required to attend summer school. If your student did not receive a Summer Rising seat, then they will attend the academic portion only. Detailed instructions on date and time will be on the letter. At the end of summer school, schools will make a final decision about students’ grade levels for next year. Students in grades K–2 and 9–12 may have the opportunity to attend summer school as well.

For more information, please visit schools.nyc.gov/summerschool.

Summer Meals

When school is out, students can still enjoy free breakfast and lunch through NYC Public Schools! Our 2024 Free Summer Meals Program is available all across New York City, and is totally free for anyone 18 years old or younger. From June 27 through August 30, you can find these meals at select NYC public schools, community pool centers, parks, and libraries. You don’t need to sign up in advance or provide identification to receive these meals. Just head to a Summer Meals location and enjoy a meal. For more information, please visit schools.nyc.gov/summermeals.

All dates, times, locations and menus are subject to change. 

• Dates of Operation: Thursday, June 27–Friday, August 30, 2024
• Breakfast Service Hours: 8–9:15 AM
• Lunch Service Hours: 11 AM–1:15 PM
• There is no service Thursday, July 4, 2024 (Independence Day)

Public Schools Athletic League (PSAL) High School Summer Program

Get ready for summer sports! This summer, NYC high school students can enjoy free athletic training, fitness and conditioning, sports-specific skill development, and recreation activities at select high school sites across the five boroughs. The Public Schools Athletic League (PSAL) High School Summer Sports, Fitness, and Recreation program will run daily Monday to Thursday from 3:00– 6:00 p.m., beginning July 10 and ending on August 13. To provide students choice of sports/activities throughout the summer, there will be two sessions: 

• Session 1: Wednesday, July 10 – Thursday, July 25   
• Session 2: Monday, July 29 – Tuesday, August 13 

This program is open to all NYC students entering grades 9–12 in the fall of 2024. Students do not need to attend school at their chosen school site during the regular school year to participate in a PSAL summer program at that site. Students can find program details and register for the summer 2024 program at psal.org/events-and-standings/summer.aspx beginning June 3. 

Space is limited at the individual sites. Please select only one site and one program for a given SESSION. Once registration has been submitted, the parent or guardian listed will be notified via email if the student is approved for the site and program selected. In the event that the chosen site and program are at capacity, students are encouraged to register for another site/program. 

Summer Learning Opportunities

CUNY College Now

For the 2024 summer semester, CUNY College Now will be offering a mix of online, hybrid, and in-person courses open to NYC public high school students entering grades 11 or 12 in September 2024. Participation is free. For more information, visit k16.cuny.edu/collegenow/summer-programs.

Summer Design Institute

High School students looking for a hands-on learning experience (with opportunity to earn a stipend) are invited to apply for NYCPS’ Summer Design Institute at one of our Career and Technical Education (CTE) sites. These six-week programs offer students the opportunity to work on projects alongside industry partners in fields like Computer Science, Engineering, Media Arts, Advertising and Digital Design, Game Design, and Fashion Design. Students who successfully complete their projects are eligible for stipends. CTE and non-CTE students are welcome. Please view the program flyer in English and translation for more information about each school’s programs and application process: bit.ly/4bX54NV

College and Career Advising

High school students can sign up for College and Career Advising Texts at schools.nyc.gov/choosing-the-right-path to receive text messages each week to help them plan and pursue their future. Texts include links to youth employment opportunities, scholarship information, access to workshops, and deadline reminders. For additional support, College and Career Advising can also connect students with access to free, one-on-one virtual meetings with expert advisors after school and on weekends. Students graduating in 2024 can use College and Career Advising Texts to connect with their College and Career Bridge Coach, a current college student trained to help recent graduates navigate the transition between high school and the next stages in their college and career pathways. Learn more at schools.nyc.gov/choosing-the-right-path.

Summer Reading

Reading is like any skill: it takes practice! Over the summer, reading together can help your child continue to develop their literacy skills and avoid any learning loss that might occur over their time outside of the classroom.

Our Summer Reading Guide—available online at schools.nyc.gov/LiteracyResources—is a great first step on your family’s next reading adventure. It contains tips for reading at home, recommended titles for students in all grade levels, resources where you can find books, and more. In addition to the guide, our Literacy Resources webpage also features at-home activities and other recommended reading lists that will help foster a lifelong love of reading and learning.

This summer, we also encourage you to use our Citywide Digital Library, Sora. Sora is the quickest and easiest way for NYC students to access thousands of e-books and audiobooks in multiple languages. You can log in to Sora using your NYC Public School credentials at soraapp.com/library/nycschools.

April 5, 2024: Letter to Families on the Solar Eclipse

American Sign Language (video)

We are writing to inform you that on Monday, April 8, the New York City area will experience a partial solar eclipse beginning around 2:00 p.m. A solar eclipse happens when the moon passes between the sun and earth. This casts a shadow that may make the sky dark for the eclipse's duration, as the sun will become approximately 90% covered in NYC during the peak coverage time, around 3:25 p.m. 

While this may overlap with school dismissal times, please know that there will be no changes to dismissal, and after-school programming will remain in effect. Please also be prepared for increased traffic throughout the area and consider using public transit instead of driving during this time.  

If you and your family are planning to view the eclipse, please make sure to do so safely by using proper, specialized eye protection. Regular sunglasses and other filters are not a safe replacement for solar eclipse glasses. Glasses are available at the Brooklyn Public Library, Queens Public Library, and New York Public Library while supplies last. It is recommended to call in advance to ensure supplies are available. Please take precautions, whether inside or out, as looking at the sun without protection can cause loss of the ability to see colors, loss of vision, or even permanent blindness. 

For more information on solar eclipse eye safety, please visit the New York City Department of Health guidance: nyc.gov/site/doh/about/press/pr2024/solar-eclipse-safety-precautions.page. 

February 2024: Summer Rising Is Back for Students in Grades K–8

American Sign Language (video)

Overview

New York City Public Schools (NYCPS) is looking forward to partnering with the Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) once again for Summer Rising 2024. Summer Rising connects elementary and middle school students to fun, culturally relevant, and hands-on experiences that strengthen their academic, social, and emotional skills. Summer Rising is free, and open to any NYC student currently in kindergarten through grade 8.

Grades K–5:

• The program will run from July 2, 2024 to August 16, 2024, and will run Monday through Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Grades 6–8:

• The program will run from July 2, 2024 to August 8, 2024, and will run Monday through Thursday, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Students will be provided with free breakfast and lunch. Programming will include academics led by NYCPS staff and enrichment activities held by DYCD Community Based Organizations (CBOs).

New MySchools Summer Rising Application

The application will open in early March, and close in late March. This year, for the first time, families can apply for Summer Rising online using MySchools, our online directory and application system.

To apply, log in or create a MySchools account at MySchools.nyc using your email address, your child’s 9-digit student ID number, and a MySchools account creation code, which you can get by contacting your child's school. If you have applied using MySchools before, your child will already be added to your account. For general support call 311.

Families can list as many programs as they would like on their application; we recommend families list as many programs as possible to increase the likelihood of being placed in a program of their choice.

This process is not first-come, first-served; all applications will be considered at the same time after the window ends. If families wish, they can make changes to their application at any point within the application window.

Offers will be released in mid-April. Log back into MySchools to view your results.

If you have any questions or need support with the application, please contact your school or email summer@schools.nyc.gov.

Students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and 504 Plans

Students attending 12-month/Extended School Year (ESY) special class or autism programs - Nest or Horizon Programs will receive the program and services recommended on their IEP at an Extended School year (ESY), District 75, or autism programs - Nest or Horizon Summer Program site. Families who wish to participate in IEP program and extended-day CBO-led enrichment through Summer Rising should use the application portal. Summer Rising for grades K–5 runs Monday–Friday until 6:00 p.m., and for grades 6–8 runs until 4:00 p.m. Monday–Thursday. These families will have priority for seats in Summer Rising and will choose from the CBO program(s) operating in connection with their IEP program.

If a family does not want extended day enrichment for their child, and their child will only be participating in Nest or Horizon programming (until 12:00 p.m.), D75 (until 2:30 p.m.), or ESY programming (until 2:00 p.m.), the family should contact their child’s school instead of using the application portal.

Students who require accommodations, such as a paraprofessional or nurse, to participate in Summer Rising will receive them based on their individual needs.

Connect With NYC Schools

To stay up to date with all NYC Public Schools and Summer Rising news, bookmark schools.nyc.gov, and follow us @nycschools and @doechancellor on Twitter/X. You can also find us on Facebook and Instagram at our official @nycschools accounts.

January 2024: A Reminder to Families About P-EBT Benefits

The following resources are available to you for additional support:

Do P-EBT food benefits expire?

For more information on the program

Past Messages

Read the past letters and messages for families.