Welcome Message to Families from principal Aggoub
September 7th 2023
Dear Parents/Guardians:
Welcome to P.S. 97, The Forest Park School. Whether you are a new parent to our school or a returning parent,
we invite you to be an active member of our school community.
As we embark on a new school year, we welcome your collaboration to enrich every child’s learning
experience. Cultural relevance and equity will be infused in every aspect of our work as we meet the
academic, social, and emotional needs of every student.
Every parent/guardian, regardless of language spoken, is encouraged to attend the many workshops, events and
learning that we hold throughout the school year. We welcome parents/guardians from different cultures and
backgrounds to serve on different school level teams such as School Leadership Team (SLT), Parent Teacher
Association (PTA) and Parent Advisory Council (PAC). Parent involvement does lead to student achievement.
I am excited to lead the P.S. 97 school community with a dedicated and passionate group of educators. The
entire staff is looking forward to working with you and your children as we launch another successful school
year. With your support and involvement, we are confident that every child will make progress to meet and
exceed our expectations.
In Unity,
Yassine Aggoub
Principal
Welcome Back to 2023 - 24 School Year!
School Year 2023 - 24 - Information & Resources
Chancellor David C. Banks - State of our Schools - Released date September 20th, 2023
Back to School Checklist - English
Back to School Checklist - Spanish
Dear Colleagues,
I’m thrilled to welcome you to the 2023-24 school year! I hope you will take a couple of minutes to view this message on video and enjoy some wonderful images of our students in action!
Whether you are an educator, a staff member in our schools or offices, or a parent of a New York City public school student, what you do each day makes a difference in the lives of our children and their families. Thank you for your hard work over the summer to set our kids up for a year of strong academics, enriching sports and arts programs, healthy school meals, and so much more.
And thank you for sharing my mission: to offer every child a bright start...and a clear pathway to a bold future. Whether that is higher education or a career, together we will prepare our students for their next steps after high school.
For me, nothing compares to September and the first exhilarating week of classes—when I get to visit schools throughout the five boroughs, meet families, and welcome students and teachers back. When I get to see the hope and promise in children's faces and feel that familiar nervous energy that charges the air with electricity. When I get to watch students tap into their curiosity and creativity, and experience awesome “aha” moments as they challenge themselves academically. When I get to see children’s brilliance and unique abilities, knowing that their families and teachers will inspire them to reach even greater heights with each passing day.
September is just the start but let us ride its energy, use it as the wind in our sails, and commit to making this a truly exceptional school year. You can help families get a great start by referring them to schools.nyc.gov/bts2023 for important information and updates about academic policies, health and safety protocols, and more. Additionally, they can download a printable Back to School checklist at schools.nyc.gov/btschecklist.
Thank you for your partnership. Thank you for choosing a New York City public school for your own children. I’m very excited about all the great things we’ll accomplish together this year!
Soaring high,
David C. Banks
Chancellor
ESL Adult Classes for our parents
Eight Classes: All are virtual at 6:00 p.m.
Link to join:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84536694960?pwd=WtIg91wvwJtN502jgJDmrbRptZVn00.1
Meeting ID: 845 3669 4960
Passcode: CITE
School Uniform Policy - English
School Uniform Policy - Spanish
P.S. 97Q SCHOOL UNIFORM POLICY
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/jeggings 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.
Ensuring that all New York City Students become confident readers.
Literacy is the ability to read, write, speak and listen effectively. These skills enable students to express themselves clearly, listen to others, gain knowledge and build an understanding of the world around us. While each school selects its own literacy curriculum, there are common features in every New York City Public School classroom. These include books that help student apply new reading skills in context and units of study that teachers use for reading and writing instruction.
Schools have a focused, intentional sequence of lessons for both reading and writing for the school year so that the instruction is planned thoughtfully. Lessons include:
Teachers model good questioning and encourage students to ask questions about what they read and learn. Students receive instruction on specific strategies to help them read difficult text, and practice using those strategies on a variety of reading passages, both fiction and nonfiction. These texts are selected to meaningfully reflect the rich cultural and ethnic diversity in our schools. There are also opportunities for daily independent reading and writing guided by the classroom teacher, and school libraries offer opportunities for further inquiry and research projects. Finally, examples of student work applying what they have learned to their research, analysis, and writing are displayed in classrooms and hallways so everyone can learn from each other's efforts.
Some of the additional features you can expect to see in your child’s school are the following:
Dear Parents please download our website mobile application for instant updates.
This application is very convenience to parents because of the minute to minute updates and direct access to
our website on their mobile device.
Follow these simple instructions to install the website application on your mobile device for FREE: - watch eChalk video
• First search on the apple app store or google play store according to your mobile device – eChalk Notify.
• Download eChalk Notify on your mobile device.
• Then, it will ask you to - Add a subscription with an alert code for your school or district.
• Enter the alert code - 82YW3C and click connect.
• Next, you will see welcome to PS97Q, click on it and you are all set to visit the website and get instant alerts on
your mobile device.
