Policies

School Uniform Policy 2023 - 2024

School Uniform Policy - English

School Uniform Policy - Spanish

CR - A-665 - Uniform Policy - English

CR - A-665 - Uniform Policy - Spanish

June 6th 2023

Dear P.S. 97Q School Community,

P.S. 97Q, The Forest Park School has established a school uniform policy effective 2023-2024 school year in accordance with Chancellor Regulation A-665. All students (Pre-K to 5th Grade) are required to wear the school uniform. We are asking for your support in this equitable journey. School uniforms create a safer community, a greater sense of school belonging, improved student behavior, and improved academic performance, as well as reducing school clothing costs for families.

At P.S. 97Q, the school uniform policy is:

  • Light blue button down or polo top. Long sleeve or short sleeve.
  • Dark blue/navy pants, shorts, dress or skirt. If any student should want to wear a skirt, they may do so with spandex shorts/leggings underneath.
  • Closed footwear. Sneakers are recommended, especially on Gym days.

Not school approved:

  • Jeans, yoga pants, tights/leggings or miniskirts. No Hoodies, caps or bandanas. Religious headwear is allowed.
  • Spaghetti straps/tank tops or short shorts.
  • Flip flops, high heels or Crocs (for safety reasons).


School uniforms must be worn daily. School spirit days will be the exception and will be announced in advance.

Please note: If a child comes to school wearing clothing that is deemed inappropriate, a parent/guardian will be contacted to make alternate arrangements. If a child continues to come to school without uniform, interventions will take place to support the family to comply with the uniform policy before a consequence is
enforced. If parents/guardians need financial assistance with purchasing the school uniform, please speak to the Parent Coordinator Ms. Ali or contact the school at 718-849-4870.

Uniform Store Options/Locations: Parents/Guardians can purchase school uniforms from any vendor. School Uniforms can be purchased at the following locations: Amazon, Kid City and/or Cookie's.

Sincerely,
P.S. 97Q School Leadership Team (SLT)

 

Links to School Uniform Deals

Attendance Brochure 2023 - 2024

Attendance Plan 2023 - 2024

Attendance Plan - English

Attendance Plan - Spanish - coming soon

 

Attendance Plan 2023 - 2024

In order for us to maintain our attendance rates, we, the school staff, parents, and students have  developed a mutual trust and open communication.

  • We welcome our parents.
  • Our students feel safe and respected.
  • When a student is absent two consecutive days, a personal phone call will be made.
  • We will share our Attendance Policy in a clear manner and in different languages.
  • All parents and students will be aware of interventions for excessive absences.

 We will work together with students and parents to identify barriers and offer support.

  • Once a 407 is generated, ten consecutive days absent or twenty days absent, a meeting will be scheduled with the parent and the student.
  • Barriers will be identified.
  • Support will be offered to overcome these barriers.

 Together we will improve student attendance by:

  • Reducing lateness.
  • Decreasing the number of students with ten or more days absent.
  • Increasing parental awareness about the importance of school attendance and  on-time arrival.
  • Rewarding students who achieve perfect attendance every two months.
  • Create Success Mentor Program

Our Attendance Team, including an Administrator, Guidance Counselor, Parent Coordinator, School Secretary and the Attendance School Aide will meet on a weekly basis to review student attendance.  Parents of  students with a 407 will be required to meet with members of the team, but not necessarily the full team, to discuss their child’s attendance and how it will impact their future. 

Our Attendance Team will review absences and lateness, identify patterns and address them  accordingly.  Parents will be informed of their child’s attendance, including lateness, on a regular basis.

Notifications

 A tiered series of notifications for students who are missing an increasing number of school days and also have excessive lateness will be adopted. The Attendance Team will communicate using a variety of tools. Meetings with parent and student will be scheduled, phone calls will be made, and letters will be sent home. This communication will start once students have been absent three, five, seven or ten days.

Phone Call

  • Parents will receive a phone call when their child has been absent two days.
  • Parents will receive a phone call and a letter when their child has been absent five days.
  • Parents will receive a phone call, a certified letter and will be expected to attend a meeting with administration when their child has been absent seven days.
  • Parents can expect a home visit when their child has been absent ten days.

Prevention Activity

  • To promote good attendance, we will host a welcome back event for parents when the importance of good attendance will be addressed. We will stress the importance of attendance being a criterion for promotion and specialty middle schools and high schools.
  • The importance of good attendance will be addressed in our monthly meeting and shared on our website.
  • Our school nurse will facilitate a workshop on being germ free and the importance of being in school. We will also host a workshop with a CBO, Empire BlueCross BlueShield, and Health Plus on “Living with Asthma” as many of our students have asthma and we know it is a big contributor of student absences.     

Evaluation and Assessment

To evaluate the absenteeism and lateness, the Attendance Team will gather and review the following information for students with chronic absences (20 or more days) and act accordingly:

  • Total number of days absent for each student.
  • Number of parental notifications sent out.
  • Number of parental meetings held to discuss student attendance.
  • Number of phone calls made to inform parents about their son or daughter’s attendance.

Student's Recognition

Attendance:

 Students will be recognized for perfect attendance every month and in June for the entire school year at the Student’s Award Recognition. Students will receive perfect attendance certificate.

The class with the highest number of students with 100% attendance for our lower grades

(Pre-K – Grade 2) and our upper grades (Grades 3 – 5) for the selected time frame will earn an ice cream party.  Totals will be calculated and at the end of the year the class with the most students on the grade level with 100% attendance will receive an ice cream party celebration.  The class with the most students out of the school enrollment who have 100% attendance will receive an ice cream party or a pizza party celebration. 

Students with 100% attendance for the year will be rewarded with a certificate, and a medal, at an assembly.  Also, they will participate in a celebratory Breakfast with the Principal! 

On Time Arrival:

Classes having the most students with 100% on time arrival during the selected time frame on each of our grade levels will be rewarded at our assemblies with an ice cream party. 

Learning is a progressive activity; each day’s lessons build upon those of the previous day(s).

 A group of students together with words at the top - Every day counts 

 

 

 

 

 

Absenteeism

Your child's attendance is critical to their academic, social, and physical success.

We strongly encourage you to have your children in school each and every day and on time unless they are sick.

Daily attendance in school is a legal obligation and an educational responsibility.  When children are absent they are required to bring in a doctor's note or  written letter from the parent explaining the absence.  Extended absences require documentation, such as doctor's note. Even in an emergency situation children will not be excused or given permission for extended absences to visit other countries.  ​
 
Absences impact negatively to your child's education: 
  • Students miss out on important learning material. 
  • Excessive unexcused absences in some cases may be considered educational neglect (schools are state mandated to report cases of educational neglect) 
  • Excessive absences impact school funding. 
  • Children are expected to attend half days of school.

Our students are recognized for perfect attendance and are given Attendance Certificate monthly

In addition, we do not encourage you to take them home before the end of the school day. Also, we strongly suggest not going on vacation during school time. Losing instruction time will impact their learning.

Here is the School Calendar 2023 - 2024 for all the holidays and recess break for the school year. Use the school calendar to book vacations and doctor's appointments.

Attending school, participating in class, and demonstrating understanding are all essential components of student learning and building mastery. School communities must make every effort to ensure that Every Student attends school Every Day

 

 A big red apple and written at the bottom Attendance Matter 

Arrival and Dismissal 2023 - 2024

Arrival and Dismissal Schedule 2023 - 2024

 

Arrival Procedures:

PLEASE ARRIVE ON TIME

Grade

Arrival Time

Arrival Location 

Pre-K

 8:00 A.M. Exit 8 - 85 Drive, Second Entrance

Kindergarten

(K/1-320)

 8:00 A.M. Exit 8A -85 Drive, Second Entrance

Grade One

 8:00 A.M. Main Entrance

Grade Two

(2/3 - 309)

 8:00 A.M.

Main Entrance

Grade Three

 8:00 A.M. Exit 3 & 4 85 Drive, First Entrance

Grade four

 8:00 A.M. Exit 5 & 6 - 85 Street

Grade Five

 8:00 A.M. Exit 5 & 6 - 85 Street

Students having Breakfast

 7:30 A.M. Main Entrance

*** Please note these times are subject to change if necessary ***

Dismissal Procedures:

PLEASE ARRIVE ON TIME

Grade

Dismissal Time

Dismissal Location

Pre-K

 2:10 P.M. Main Entrance

Kindergarten

(K/!-320)

 2:15 P.M.

Exit 8A - 85 Drive, Second Entrance

Grade one 

 2:15 P.M.

Main Entrance - (right side)

Grade Two

(2/3 - 309)

 2:20 P.M. Main Entrance  -  (left  side)

Grade Three

 2:20 P.M. Exit 3 & 4 - 85 Drive, First Entrance

Grade Four

(4/5 - 408)

(4/5 - 409)

 2:15 P.M. Exit 5 & 6   85 Street

Grade Five

 2:20 P.M.

Exit 5 & 6, 85 Street

*** Please note these times are subject to change if necessary ***

 

Late Policy 2023 - 2024

Late Policy English

Late Policy Spanish

 

September 7th 2023

Dear Parents and Guardians:

Our school day starts at 8:00 a.m. and we encourage all to arrive at that time.  Our doors will open at 8:00 a.m. and all students are expected to arrive on time. To eliminate the rush and crowd at the main entrance, all doors will remain open until 8:05 a.m.  

Students arriving after 8:05 a.m. will enter through the main entrance and are considered late. They will receive a late pass with the clock in time to record their arrival time. They will give the late pass to their teacher to record the late attendance. These late passes will be kept as records for further reference if the need should arise. 

We ask you for your support in sending your child to school on time and in helping us maintain a safe environment for school community members.

Thank you for your support.

 Sincerely,

Mr. Yassine Aggoub

Principal

 

Building Response Team (BRT)

The Building Response Team is a team made up of staff members who has protocol in place for any incident that may occur.

The team meet every month for training and updates. All team members have a radio with them at all times.

 

BRT Members

Building Response Team (BRT) Members 2022 - 2023

Mr. Aggoub
Ms. Kalogridis
Ms. O’Connor
Ms. Abramowitz
Ms. Ali
Ms. Rivera
Ms. Vasiu
Ms. Krigsman
Ms. Ellis
Ms. Kurtz
Mr. Kessler
Ms. Mullins
Ms. Bass
Ms. Batt
Ms. Shiner
Ms. Hernandez
Ms. Rodriguez

General Response Protocol (GRP)

The General Response Protocol (GRP) has been designed to provide the direction that schools will take when an emergency incident occurs.

Schools train and drill all staff and students in the General Response Protocol, which describes what to do in an Evacuation, Shelter-In,  or Lockdown. The training is tailored for different  grade levels so that students aren't upset by the information.

Schools also sends home a copy of the General Response Protocol, to help you talk to your children about emergency readiness in school.

The General Response Protocol gives schools instructions to follow when an emergency happens. It uses common language to identify the steps to take until first responders arrive.

 

GRP letter to parents:

GRP Parent Letter - English

GRP Parent Letter - Spanish - coming soon.September 2023


September 2023

Dear Parents and Guardians,


I am writing to provide you with information about the Department of Education’s Emergency Readiness Initiatives that
are in place in all NYC Public Schools.


Every school currently has procedures for emergencies. In 2000, New York State Education Law Section 2801 was
enacted requiring schools to develop safety plans regarding emergency response. In July 2001, the law was amended to
require that plans include information for evacuation and sheltering. In accordance with this, “schools need to conduct
drills and other exercises to test components of the emergency response plan.”


School staff members are trained in various procedures that are outlined in the School Safety Plan and we currently
conduct a variety of drills throughout the year to prepare our staff and students. Section 807 of the New York State
Education Law requires all schools to conduct a minimum of 12 fire drills each year. Section 917 of the State Education
Law states that schools are required to provide and maintain automated external defibrillator (AED) equipment, and drills
are conducted during the year to assess the use of AED units in an emergency. In accordance with Section 3623 of the
State Education Law, drills are also conducted at schools that focus on safety on a school bus.


In addition to conducting these types of drills, our school has a Building Response Team that is trained to activate and
respond to different incidents that may occur at our school. Under the new General Response Protocol (GRP), every
school will be conducting specific drills designed to help prepare all school communities for three different types of
response to emergencies that may occur: evacuation, shelter-in, and lockdown. Opportunities for parent engagement are
available at our school to ensure that families are involved in our school-based emergency readiness program. Parent
versions of the School Safety Plan are available upon request in the main office, and information explaining the GRP is
included with this letter. Many other important resources for families are also available by visiting;


https://www.schools.nyc.gov/school-life/safe-schools.


Emergency readiness training in schools takes place in September and continues for staff and students throughout the
school year. Student training is grade-appropriate and designed to ensure that students understand the importance of these
drills without causing unnecessary alarm. Please review the General Response Protocols have been given to all students
and discuss these procedures with your child.


All families are reminded to update the Emergency Contact Cards that are on file in our main office. This includes
providing and updating information indicating phone numbers, and the names of adults to whom the school may release
children in an emergency. Families are also encouraged to register with Notify NYC (https://a858-
nycnotify.nyc.gov/notifynyc/) to receive information about emergency events, and call 311 for additional information
about a school during an emergency.


Sincerely,
Yassine Aggoub
Principal

 

 

Cell Phone Policy 2023 -2024

Cell Phone Policy - English

Cell Phone Policy - Spanish 

Dear Parents and Guardians:

After consultation with the School Safety Team, School Leadership Team, and the Cabinet Team, we have agreed on the Cell Phone Policy as outlined below.

  1. Phones should NOT be seen or heard in school. This includes timers, alarms and any other noises. If a student’s device is seen or heard it will be confiscated.
  2. If a device is confiscated, the school will contact the child’s parent/guardian. The device will be returned ONLY to the child’s parent/guardian who will have to come to the main office to sign for its return.
  3. Use of electronic devices outside of school on the immediate perimeter will be allowed with the exception of crossing streets due to safety reasons.
  4. Phones are NOT permitted on school field trips.
  5. P.S. 97Q, The Forest Park School and the DOE are not responsible for lost or damaged electronic devices. These items are brought to school at your own risk.
  6. Students will not be permitted to use electronic devices during lunch, recess, or any other period during the day.
  7. Electronic devices may not be turned on or used during fire drills or other emergency preparedness exercises.
  8. Electronic devices may not be used in bathrooms.

We remind students that these devices often invite the attention of individuals with the desire to steal them when displayed in public places to and from school. Students must be aware of their surroundings and keep these devices in their bags.

Please review this information and be sure that you are familiar with these guidelines.

Thank you for your kind support.
Respectfully,

Yassine Aggoub
Principal

Chancellor Regulations