The Yellow Sheet

This Yellow Sheet (YS) is pretty long and definitely can be skimmed. There is a lot of information that schools are required to provide to families at the beginning of each school year. We have successfully finished the first week of school!

TUE, SEP 15
Hispanic Heritage Month Begins

THU, SEP 17
Open Lunch Begins (Tentative)

MON, SEP 21
Yom Kippur (Schools Closed)

TUE, SEP 22

• 3:35 - 4:30 Club Fair
  
• PSAT/NMSQT Registration Deadline (4:00 PM)
  

MON, SEP 28

• Clubs Begin
  

MON, OCT 5

Conference Day – Department Meeting (Adjusted Schedule)

MON, OCT 12
Indigenous Peoples' Day / Italian Heritage Day (Schools Closed)

WED, OCT 14

• Concerto Competition Final Round
  

THU, OCT 15

Hispanic Heritage Month Ends

FRI, OCT 16
• 4:00 – 7:00 PM – Faculty Art Show

SAT, OCT 17
• 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM – PSAT/NMSQT Administration (Optional Test – LaGuardia 11th Grade Students Only)

TUE, OCT 20
Open House for Prospective Students

Clubs Do Not Meet

FRI, OCT 30
LaG-o'-Ween

Clubs Do Not Meet

Dear LaGuardia students,

Congratulations on making it through your first two days back. I hope your summer was everything you needed it to be, whether that meant a summer job, rehearsals, summer travel, or a lot of sleep, and I hope you are walking in ready to work hard and make something beautiful this year.

As a principal, I work all summer, and it is truly boring. The building is quiet. The halls are empty. Nobody is singing in the stairwell. Having you back is the best part of this job.

This year I want to give you a challenge. I want us to focus on our community, and I want you to practice being a good member of it, the same way you practice a scale, a monologue, or a line drawing. You don't get good at it once. You get good at it every day.

There is an old proverb from southern Africa: "I am because we are." I think that is exactly right for LaG. Every one of you is here because of the people around you, and the people around you are better because you are here.

So here is what practicing looks like. Be kind, especially when it costs you something. Include the person standing at the edge of the group. Support each other's work, even when it isn't your kind of work. When you see something that isn't right, say so. When you see a piece of trash on the floor, pick it up and throw it in the nearest bin. Respect one another as human beings and as the remarkable artists you already are.

Let's make this a great year. I'm glad you're back.

Sincerely,

Principal Marwah

PINs

By default, a PIN is not set for nycstudents.net accounts. STUDENTS must create their own PIN. Schools do not have, or create, a PIN for you. There is no universal PIN for your school.

To create a PIN:

1. Sign in to the Student Self-Service tool with your NYCPS username and password.
2. Go to the left menu bar, and click on Pin Reset (this applies for creating a new PIN).
3. Enter a PIN.
4. Confirm your PIN by entering it again.
5. Click on Save Changes.
6. That’s it. An email will be sent to your NYCPS account to confirm you created a PIN.

Please note that PINs are optional for your NYCPS account. However, if you do not create a PIN, you will not be able to use the self-service tool to reset your password. If you feel like it would be hard to remember your PIN, or you are the parent of a young student, we recommend resetting your password through NYCSA.

Security Questions

Like a PIN, security questions are, by default, not set up. Students must set them up.

To set up security questions:

1. Sign in to the Student Self-Service tool with your NYCPS username and password.
2. Go to the left menu bar, and click on Security Questions.
3. Select and answer three questions of your choosing. Make sure you choose answers that you will remember.
4. Enter your password.
5. Click on Save Changes.
6. That’s it. An email will be sent to your NYCPS account to confirm you set up security questions.

We appreciate everyone’s cooperation during Morning Entry. We are taking “little steps” towards our daily procedure. Please remember that bringing your school ID and Yondr Pouch to school everyday is an important part of attending LaGuardia.

Student IDs: Incoming Students go to Room 231. Returning Students purchase their replacement online and follow the instructions.

YondrPouches: Incoming Students go to Room 201, Returning Students purchase their replacement online and follow the instructions.

School Issued Locks & All Locker Issues: Incoming Students go to Room 317.

• OMNY Cards - Main Office, Room 230
  
• Working Papers - Main Office, Room 230
• Early Dismissal -Main Office, Room 230
• Locks & School Devices - Room 317

• "Who To Contact" - see who can assist with various questions

Many notifications from families to the Attendance Office require an email from the Parent Email on account in NYCSA.

Please add to your Email Contacts List:

Attendance Office: lagattendance@nycdoe.onmicrosoft.com

The expectation is that students attend classes unless there is an emergency. Medical and other appointments should be scheduled when classes are not in session.

While each process is outlined below, the process changes slightly based on when the school is notified of the Early Release request:

School Notified Prior to 8:00 AM:

Students may be released unaccompanied by an adult.

School Notified After 8:00 AM:

Parent must come to school for student to be released

Read the entire Early Dismissal procedure located in our Attendance Page

Use the school's Web Store, using the STORE button at the top, right corner of our Home Page. Here you can purchase:

• Student ID Replacement
  
• YondrPouch Replacement
  
• School Lock Replacement
  
• PSAT Registration
  
• LaGSwag (Ships direct; perfect for gift-giving)
  

Our credit card processor adds a 2.75% convenience fee to each order.

Breakfast and lunch are free for all NYCDOE students. Please also complete the Family Income Inquiry Form in Operoo, regardless of your financial status, to help LaGuardia receive fee waivers and other financial assistance to families in need.

LaGuardia opens for students 30 minutes prior to the beginning of the first class of the day, or on Regents Day, 30 minutes prior to the start time of the test (eg. Regents Exams, SAT/PSAT Day.)

Last friday, all students reviewed the major sections of our Student Handbook during periods 2, 3, 8, and 9. For students who were absent or unable to review the presentation in class, you can access the Student Handbook through the button below.

Please review the handbook to ensure you are aware of all expectations and available supports.

Written by Dr. Stricklin

The Opening of School finds all staff members' emails extremely filled with questions & concerns. Dr. Ballas has been receiving between 100-200 emails a day.

Please be patient for her reply. Even on her worst response time days, she surpasses Dr. Stricklin's best response time.

Thank you.

We have been working hard to fulfill as many student requests as possible. Due to programming and budgetary restrictions, you may be scheduled for a class that differs from your first choice.

To request an academic course change, please submit the designated request form using your nycstudents.net account. Course change requests will be processed exclusively through this form.

Requests sent via email or phone call—whether from students, parents/guardians, guidance counselors, teachers, or Assistant Principals—will not be fielded.

This form will officially close on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, at 4:00 PM.

Please be advised of the following policies before submitting:

• Period Requirement: All students must have 9 or 10 scheduled periods during the day, including lunch.

• Course Eligibility: PGS21 Weight Training is restricted to students in 11th or 12th grade.

• Core Requirements: All students in 9th, 10th, or 11th grade must take at least one math course and one science course.

• Prerequisites: Certain courses (such as MCS21X) require prerequisite classes. To request these, you must upload a transcript verifying you have earned passing grades in the required prior coursework.

• Studio Changes: Any request involving a studio class change must go through the Studio Assistant Principal.

• Teacher Preference: Requests for specific teachers will not be accepted.

• Form Assistance: If your requested change cannot be processed using the form, please contact your guidance counselor.

If you have additional questions regarding academic course changes, please contact your guidance counselor. For questions regarding studio course changes, please reach out directly to your Studio Assistant Principal.

LaGuardia Program Office

New Students have 14 days from First Day of School

NYC Public Schools provide our students with OMNY tap-to-go passes for subway and city buses. LaGuardia distributed OMNY cards on the first day of school. This will allow eligible students to get to and from school and school-related activities for free—and ride for free on weekends and all year, too! (The cards work through August if still enrolled in NYCPS.)

Getting help with Student OMNY Cards

Students who still need their OMNY Cards -- or need assistance -- should go to Room 230, Main Office.

About Student OMNY Cards

Student OMNY Cards are:

• Distributed exclusively by your school. You can’t get a Student OMNY Card from the MTA.
• Good for 4 free rides each day. You can tap a Student OMNY Card whenever you want to take up to 4 free trips every day of the week, any time of the day.
  • This includes a free transfer between the subway and local, limited, and Select Bus Service buses, or a free transfer between buses.
• Valid all year long. Your Student OMNY Card doesn’t expire until the next school year.

If you’ve used Student MetroCards in the past, you should know that Student OMNY Cards give you more free rides with fewer limits. Student OMNY cards can be used:

• All day (not just certain hours)
• Every day of the year (not just school days)
• Every day of the week (even on weekends and over the summer)
• All year long (your OMNY card is valid for the entire school year and the summer)

Your Student OMNY Card is for you—and only you! Don’t share it and risk having your pass confiscated. Remember to always tap for your rides. Your tap tells the MTA how many people ride from every station and helps improve service.

The first day students may leave the building for Open Lunch will be Thursday, the 17th. This will allow for processing all forms and updating the scan machines. This is the tentative start date. The actual program may begin 1-2 earlier or later.

Open Lunch Expectations

• Students are expected to submit a copy of their signed Open Lunch Consent Form.

• Students are expected to re-enter LaGuardia at least 5 minutes before the start of the following class period - remember to account for potential delays in re-entering the building.

• Students are expected to arrive at their following class period on time.

• Students are expected to swipe their ID card on the CAASS machine when exiting and returning to the building.

• Students are expected to remain in the general neighborhood. Staying within a few blocks of LaGuardia will ensure a safe return to the building.

• Students are expected to exercise sound judgment while off-campus, behaving respectfully in the neighborhood and representing LaGuardia positively.

• Students understand that Open Lunch is a privilege that can be revoked if they do not follow the guidelines.

Once a student has left the building, LaGuardia staff cannot supervise the student's safety. If students have difficulty meeting Open Lunch expectations, they put themselves in unsafe situations. If a student does not meet the expectations of Open Lunch, Open Lunch is an unsafe option, and it will no longer be available to the student.

At the beginning of the day, students are let into the building beginning at 7:35 AM. After morning entry, all outside doors are locked. Anyone needing to enter the building should use the “Door Bell” to the right of the Main Doors. Then School Safety will “buzz” people in the second door with an arrow on it.

Each student and staff member brings to our public school community the richness of our city’s cultural diversity and the desire for respect.

It is the policy of the Department to maintain a safe and supportive learning environment that is free from harassment, intimidation and/or bullying and from discrimination on account of actual or perceived race, color, citizenship/immigration status, religion, creed, national origin, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation or weight. The policy prohibits such behavior by students against other students and by staff against students.

Respect: esteem for or sense of worth or excellence of a person; proper acceptance or courtesy; regard for the dignity of another’s character; acknowledgment; the condition of being esteemed or honored; to show regard or consideration for another.

Such discrimination, harassment, intimidation and/or bullying is prohibited in school, during school hours, before or after school, while on school property, at school sponsored events, or while traveling on vehicles funded by the Department of Education.

It is also prohibited on other than school property when such behavior disrupts or would foreseeably disrupt the educational process or endangers or would foreseeably endanger the health, safety, morality or welfare of the school community.

Families and students may receive printed copies of s of Chancellor’s Regulations A-831 (Student-to-Student Sexual Harassment) and A-832 (Student-to-Student Discrimination, Harassment, Intimidation, and/or Bullying) if they do not have a way to access to the electronic versions. The hard copies of A-831 and A-832

This Frequently Asked Questions is a resource for students and parents about how to report incidents, the investigation process, and supports and interventions to prevent and address student-to-student sexual harassment and student-to-student gender-based harassment, bullying, intimidation, and/or discrimination.

Optional PSAT/NMSQT Administration for 11th Graders Only

Students in the 11th Grade can take the optional digital PSAT/NMSQT on 10.17.2026 at LaGuardia.

If you would like your child to take this optional test, please have them submit the PSAT/NMSQT Registration Form including the $10.00 + convenience fee, by September 22, 2026, at 4:00 PM.

At LaGuardia Arts, we believe in creating as many opportunities as possible for our students to own their future. That’s why we offer the optional PSAT/NMSQT® (Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test) to our 11th Grade students. Whether your child is thinking about attending a two- or four-year college, is going straight into the workforce, or isn’t sure what they want to do after high school, the PSAT/NMSQT can help make their path clearer.

Results from the PSAT/NMSQT provide insights into your child’s academic strengths, along with areas they can work on while still in high school.

Taking the PSAT/NMSQT can also help your child to:

• Enter the National Merit® Scholarship Program if they meet program requirements specified in the PSAT/NMSQT Student Guide.
  
• See where they are and set a target for where they want to be.
  
• Practice and prepare for the SAT®.
  
• Find out what AP® courses they’re ready to take.
  
• Plan and pay for college.
  
• Connect to their future career.
  

This fall the PSAT/NMSQT will be administered in the digital format—followed by the SAT in spring 2026—that will provide an overall easier testing experience for students. Your child can take the optional PSAT/NMSQT on 10.17.2026 @8:00AM using their device at LaGuardia. Watch this video to see what students can expect from the digital PSAT/ NMSQT.

If you would like for your child to take this optional test, please have them submit $10.00 on-line by 9.22.2026.

Pay for PSAT/NMSQT here (our school STORE.)

In the past, NYCPS pays for Sophomores to take the PSAT and Juniors take the SAT. The generally happens in the Spring and is given during a school day.

The PSAT/NMSQT is for Juniors.

The Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) is the qualifying test for the National Merit® Scholarship Program, an academic competition for recognition and scholarships conducted by National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC). For more information, visit www.nationalmerit.org.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), a Federal law, requires that LaGuardia HS, with certain exceptions, obtain your written consent prior to the disclosure of personally identifiable information from your child’s education records. However, LaGuardia HS may disclose appropriately designated “directory information” without written consent, unless you have advised the LaGuardia HS to the contrary in accordance with LaGuardia HS procedures. The primary purpose of directory information is to allow LaGuardia HS to include information from your child’s education records in certain school publications, Morning Announcements, social media, and laguardiahs.org. Examples include:

• Programs for public studio performances;

• The Senior yearbook;

• Graduation programs; and

• Morning Announcements, The Yellow Sheet,

• Non-classroom events/exhibits, such as Gallery Shows, Performances, Fiorello Friday

Directory information, which is information that is generally not considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if released, can also be disclosed to outside organizations without a parent’s prior written consent. Outside organizations include, but are not limited to, companies that manufacture class rings or publish yearbooks.

During the 2026-2027 school year, we anticipate sharing directory information to third party vendors specifically for vendors the school uses.

• Senior Portraits company (name, studio, nycstudents.net email)
• Graduation Photographer (name, studio, nycstudents.net email, address)
• Maia Learning College Planning Software (name, studio, class of, nycstudents.net email.
• Ticketing services (name, nycstudents.net email)

In addition, information may be shared with the LaGuardia HS Parents Association (name, studio, year of graduation, nycstudents.net email, in addition to parent name, parent email) for school and studio related PA activities and Alumni & Friends for Alumni Database. (name, studio, year of graduation, address, and nycstudents.net email).

Directory Information may include:

· Student's name

· Studio

· Electronic mail address

· Grade level

· Participation in officially recognized activities and sports

· Student Recognition and awards received

· Photograph

If you do not want LaGuardia HS to disclose any or all of the types of information designated below as directory information from your child’s education records without your prior written consent, you must notify the LaGuardia HS in writing by September 30, 2026. A physical letter with parent/guardian signature should be addressed and sent to Dr. Stricklin

Students who are 18 or older must complete this form themselves.

If you opt out now and change your mind later, you may opt back in by submitting a signed, written letter. If you do not opt out now and want to do so later, you may submit this form at any time..

The New York City Department of Education (DOE) must collect information about your student’s gender by law. We must also maintain your student’s legal name in the Automate the Schools (ATS) system to accurately identify their records. The name we record in ATS appears on your student’s permanent DOE records and connects to other student information systems.

Parents may request a change in ATS to any of the following:

• The student’s gender marker, and/or
  
• The student’s chosen name, when there is no documentation of legal name change (for example, if you do not have a court order, amended birth certificate, or government ID reflecting the name change)
  
• Current and former students who are emancipated minors or 18 years of age or older must also use this form to change their gender marker and/or chosen name.
  

Updating Your Student’s Gender Marker

Gender does not appear on student- and school-facing permanent records. To update your student’s gender in the limited places where gender is recorded, select the option that best describes your student’s gender. The option you select does not have to match your student’s birth certificate or other documentation.

DOE schools do not include gender on student- and school-facing permanent records. You may update your student’s gender in the limited places where gender is recorded by submitting a signed Name and Gender Change Request Form to your school at any time. You can also use this form to request changes to your student’s chosen name if you provide one. Students who are emancipated minors or 18 years of age or older should sign and submit this form to request these changes.

If your student changes their legal name through a court order, amended birth certificate, or government ID, submit that documentation to their school to update their legal name on their permanent records. DOE schools maintain a safe and supportive learning environment for students of all gender identities. For additional resources for supporting transgender and gender expansive students, see schools.nyc.gov/lgbt.