Making Waves on Climate Action Day
Opportunities for Students (May 2026)
As the last full month of the 2025–26 school year, May is the perfect time for NYC students to lock up their learning and earning opportunities for the upcoming summer season! Check out what's available for City students this month, including scholarships, contests, free workshops, and great local events, and register/apply for them today!
The Month Ahead (May 2026)
With the last full month of the 2025–26 school year upon us, look at what's happening at NYCPS in May 2026! From our month-long heritage celebrations for Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, and Jewish Americans, to Teacher Appreciation Week, parent-teacher conferences, State exams, and more, this month is packed with events.
2026–27 NYCPS Calendar Now Available
The official New York City Public Schools calendar for the 2026–2027 school year is now available! Learn more about next year's calendar, and start making your plans for the upcoming school year TODAY!
To celebrate Jewish American Heritage Month, we're highlighting a story from our Hidden Voices series about Bernice Sandler, the first Chair of the National Advisory Council on Women’s Educational Programs and champion of the groundbreaking Title IX law that transformed student athletics and gender equity in the United States.
Learn more about how Bernice Sandler became known as the "Godmother of Title IX" on Hidden Voices
During Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we're highlighting the stories of individuals who have often been left out of traditional historical records, like Anna May Wong, the first-ever Chinese American movie star, who captivated audiences, earned critical acclaim for her performances, and dared to break free of Hollywood’s early to mid-twentieth century typecasting practices for nonwhite actors.
Learn more about how Wong made Hollywood history on Hidden Voices
Wednesday, May 20 is our final Climate Action Day of the year! This month's theme is water, which encourages schools to plan activities that show how we can conserve water, and how we can adapt to changes in our city, like more rainfall and intense storms. Check out these reading recommendations to learn more about this month's theme!
Early Readers (3-K–Grade 2)
- The Brilliant Deep: Rebuilding the World’s Coral Reefs, by Kate Messner; illustrated by Matthew Forsythe
- Else B. in the Sea, by Jeanne Walker Harvey; illustrated by Melodie Stacey
- Ocean Soup: A Recipe for You, Me, and a Cleaner Sea, by Meeg Pincus; illustrated by Lucy Semple
- Ocean Speaks: How Marie Tharp Revealed the Ocean's Biggest Secret, by Jess Keating; illustrated by Katie Hickey
- The Water Lady: How Darlene Arviso Helps a Thirsty Navajo Nation, by Alice B. McGinty; illustrated by Shonto Begay
Elementary (Grades 3–5)
- Frozen in Time: What Ice Cores Can Tell Us About Climate Change, by Carmella Van Vleet
- The Girl Who Tested the Waters: Ellen Swallow, Environmental Scientist, by Patricia Daniele; illustrated by Junyi Wu
- Gracie Under the Waves, by Linda Sue Park
- Haven Jacobs Saves the Planet, by Barbara Dee
- The New Ocean: The Fate of Life in a Changing Sea, by Bryn Barnard
Middle School (Grades 6–8)
- The Line Tender, by Kate Allen
- Oceans of Plastic: Understanding and Solving a Pollution Problem, by Tracey Gray
- Planet Ocean: Why We All Need a Healthy Ocean, by Patricia Newman; photographs by Annie Crawley
- Safe Harbor, by Padma Venkatraman
- World Without Fish, by Mark Kurlansky; illustrated by Frank Stockton
Upper Grades (Grades 9–12)
- Dry, by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
- Eat Like a Fish: My Adventures Farming the Ocean to Fight Climate Change, by Bren Smith
- Into The Deep: Science Technology, and the Quest to Protect the Ocean, by Christy Peterson
- Poisoned Water: How the Citizens of Flint, Michigan Fought for their Lives and Warned the Nation, by Candy J. Cooper with Marc Aronson
- Whale Quest: Working Together to Save Endangered Species, by Karen Romano Young
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 recommendations in the Climate Action Days Collection on Sora!
Missed our previous book recommendations?
Check them out in the "What We're Reading" Archive!
SPOTLIGHT ON OUR SCHOOLS
Over the past month, we've seen some incredible examples of teamwork from our students!
On Earth Day, Chancellor Samuels stopped by PS 14 in Queens, where students and teachers worked together with NYC Parks staff members to plant six new trees! It was great seeing everyone work together to help beautify the PS 14 campus—thank you, NYC Parks, for partnering with us to make this year's Earth Day a memorable one for PS 14!
And in early May, PS 111 in the Bronx hosted District 11's Fifth Annual Soap Box Derby, where groups of students from schools across the Bronx built soap box cars for bragging rights and a shot at racing glory! At every participating school, students worked together in teams to research and build their soap box cars—what we saw at this year's Derby was the result of hundreds of hours of dedicated engineering work by our students and staff members. It was great fun seeing students' competitive spirits on full display, and we thank everyone who made this year's Soap Box Derby possible!
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
Every School Day Matters
Attendance matters! Learn how missing just two days of school every month can have a negative effect on your child's education, and see what solutions and resources are available to help your child stay in school every day, all year round!
Get Ready for More Learning and Less Scrolling
Beginning this September, NYC Public Schools will be implementing its new Cell Phone and Electronic Device Policy across all K–12 City public schools, including charter programs, in accordance with New York State law. Learn more about this "cell phone ban," and start getting ready for distraction-free schools this fall!
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!
