Earth Month Highlight: Eunice Newton Foote, The Nearly-Forgotten "Mother of Climate Science"
April 22 is Earth Day! In celebration, we’re highlighting our profile of Eunice Newton Foote a groundbreaking amateur scientist, inventor, and women's rights activist who today is widely considered to be the first person to discover the greenhouse effect, though her work was overlooked for many years.
Learn more about Eunice Foote's story, and how it was uncovered, on Hidden Voices
Opportunities for Students (April 2025)
Spring is here, and opportunities for students are sprouting all over! See what learning and earning opportunities are available for NYC public school students this month and beyond, including scholarships, grants, free classes and access to cultural institutions, and even paid internships, and register/apply for them today!
Vote in the 2025 Community and Citywide Education Council Elections!
Starting Friday, April 25 until Tuesday, May 13, vote for the candidates seeking positions on your district Community Education Council or one of the City's four Citywide Education Councils.
Reminder: NY State ELA Exams Begin April 22
Beginning Tuesday, April 22, elementary and middle school students across New York State (grades 3–8) will take the State's annual English Language Arts (ELA) test. Learn more about this year's ELA test, and consider having your child click through our official Question Sampler for a preview of this year's testing format and question types!
The Gifted and Talented Application for Grades 1–4 Opens April 21!
Interested in applying to a Gifted & Talented (G&T) program? If your child is entering grades 1, 2, 3, or 4 in fall 2025 and is eligible for G&T programs, you can submit their application by Friday, May 9, 2025.
Make the Most of Spring at NYC Public Libraries
Celebrating Climate Action Day and Earth Month this April
We Listened; Now What?
Earlier this school year, Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos embarked on a month-long, five borough Listening Tour to speak with more than 1,000 students, parents, educators, and community members about what was important to them about education and schools here in New York City. Check out what we heard during the Listening Tour, and learn more about NYCPS Cares, our new suite of signature initiatives that we’re launching in response to the feedback we’ve received!
The Month Ahead (April 2025)
Take a look at what's happening in NYC Public Schools in April! Highlights this month include the release of our kindergarten, kindergarten G&T, and middle school offers for fall 2025, the closing of the 2025 NYC School Survey, Climate Action Day, Spring Recess, and our monthlong celebrations of Earth Month and Arab American Heritage Month!
Arab American Heritage Month Highlight: Dr. Joanne Chory
In celebration of Arab American Heritage Month in April, we’re highlighting our profile of Dr. Joanne Chory, a Lebanese American plant geneticist whose early work revolutionized botany and who dedicated her life to the global fight against climate change.
What We're Reading
April is National Poetry Month! These poetry books and novels in verse for students of all ages are a great way to celebrate the importance of poetry and poets in our culture. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do!
Early Readers (3K–Grade 2)
- The Ghostly Carousel: Delightfully Frightful Poems, by Calef Brown
- How to Write a Poem, by Kwame Alexander and Deanna Nikaido; illustrated by Melissa Sweet
- Poetree, by Shauna LaVoy Reynolds; illustrated by Shahrzad Maydani
- Runny Babbit: A Billy Sook, by Shel Silverstein
Elementary (Grades 3–5)
- The Color of My Words, by Lynn Joseph
- Exquisite: The Poetry and Life of Gwendolyn Brooks, by Suzanne Slade; illustrated by Cozbi A. Cabrera
- Rhyme Schemer, by K.A. Holt
- Words with Wings, by Nikki Grimes
Middle School (Grades 6–8)
- A Maze Me, by Naomi Shihab Nye
- Land of the Cranes, by Aida Salazar
- Turtle Under Ice, by Juleah del Rosario
- When Clouds Touch Us, by Thanhhà Lại
Upper Grades (Grades 9–12)
- The Black Flamingo, by Dean Atta
- Forever is Now, by Mariama J. Lockington
- When We Make It, by Elisabet Velasquez
- Wings in the Wild, by Margarita Engle
You can find these books and many more great reads on Sora, our Citywide Digital Library, which provides free access to thousands of digital e-books and audiobooks for our students. You can also find even more great recommendations in the Poetry, Spoken Word, & Novels in Verse Collection available on Sora!
Missed our previous book recommendations?
Check them out in the "What We're Reading" Archive!
SPOTLIGHT ON OUR SCHOOLS
April 9 was Climate Action Day in NYC Public Schools! Students participated in lessons and activities that promoted sustainability, encouraged community building, and celebrated this month’s theme of “Health, Wellness, and Greenspace.” Check out what our schools were up to, and get inspired to take climate action in your own way this Earth Month.
April is National Autism Acceptance Month!
As we celebrate Autism Acceptance throughout the month, we're working together to ensure NYC Public Schools are welcoming and inclusive for all students. Check out this video about how NYC Public Schools supports Autistic learners across the five boroughs through our Nest and Horizon programs. You can learn more about these resources by visiting our Specialized Programs webpage.
Make Your Own Self-Watering Plastic Bottle Planter
Join in on the fun and learning happening during our next Climate Action Day on April 9! Learn how to make your very own greenspace at home, with this step-by-step guide to create a self-watering planter out of recycled water bottles—an easy, low-maintenance home garden that helps conserve water by keeping the soil moist all on it's own!
A MySchools.nyc Tutorial: Learn the Basics
Throughout any stage of New York City Public Schools (NYCPS) application processes for 3-K, Pre-K, Kindergarten, middle school, high school, and Gifted and Talented (G&T) for grades 1, 2, 3, and 4, you can use MySchools.nyc—learn how to today!
Prepare for Remote Learning
In the event that weather conditions or other emergencies require the temporary closure of public school buildings, students will participate in remote learning at home. Make sure your family is ready with these tips and answers to frequently asked questions.
Stay Informed with a NYC Schools Account (NYCSA)
With a NYCSA, you can:
- Access your child's school information on the go
- See your student’s grades, test scores and more
- Complete important forms
- Take classes in Parent University
- Get technology support through SupportHub
Ready to Read: Literacy Resources for Families
NYC Reads is reshaping the way that we teach our students to read, but the learning doesn't have to stop at the classroom door! Whether it's a family book club or a phonics-based 20 questions game, you can bring the "science of reading" home by using any of our helpful resources that will help your children continue to develop their literacy skills, like:
- Reading Games
- Phonics, Vocabulary, and Storytelling Practice
- And more!
