General Information

MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY 8:00AM TO 2:20PM 

Arrival & Dismissal Policies: 

Arrival:  

• Early Arrival starts at (TBD) through exit 2 (main entrance). (K-8 only) 

• School begins each day at 8:00 A.M.

• Students who arrive after 8:15 a.m. will be marked late. 

• For safety reasons, students are no longer allowed to wait in the vestibule. Thank you for understanding.  

Breakfast: "grab and go"; all students pick up their breakfast upon arrival and are to eat in their designated areas.

Dismissal:  

• ALL STUDENTS WILL BE DISMISSED by 2:20 P.M. 

• Parent Dismissal Changes: It is very important that the dismissal routine is kept constant. Any change to the dismissal routine must be given to the classroom teacher or office staff in writing or via fax at least one hour before regular dismissal (2:00 p.m). In addition, the school must be notified if you will be late to pick up a child.

• Children will only be dismissed to people listed on the blue card, after we have spoken with a parent.  Students will only be dismissed to individuals named on the emergency contact card (Blue Card), 18 years or over.

Walkers Dismissal Procedures:

• Pre-K & K  will be exiting through the main entrance (center of the building)

• 1 - 2  will be exiting at the West End of the school building (closer to baseball fields)

• 3 - 8 will be exiting from the  East end of the building (closer to Queens College)

Bus Procedures

As buses arrive in the morning:

• Students will exit the bus and head to their class’s assigned arrival entrance. Students will use their assigned entrance and head directly to their classroom, being sure to follow social distancing guidelines. 

As buses prepare for dismissal:

• Buses will be announced one at a time over the loudspeaker. Students will exit down Staircase B (main), accompanied by school personnel (TBD). While adhering to social distancing guidelines school personnel will ensure students safely board the bus. The same procedure will be followed for each bus as the buses arrive in the designated pickup area.

• Students with Metro cards will be directed to go to their public bus stops and board the buses. Please let your child’s teacher know how your child will go home.

• Important - Grades Pre-K to 4 students who are not picked on time will be sent to wait in the cafeteria. When a parent arrives late for pick-up, students will be brought to them. Parents are not to enter the school building. 

Safety:  For everyone’s safety, do not drop-off students on the island sidewalk by the bus lane in front of the school. Everyone will use the designated Crosswalks to access the building. 

Students should not play in front of the school.  

Parents please DO NOT double park your cars during drop off and pick up times. Your car will be ticketed. 

To not interfere with busing and dismissal prep procedures, early pick-ups are not to be done after 1:45pm. 

The Office of Pupil Transportation (OPT) determines eligibility for yellow school bus service. If you are new to our school, it may take a few weeks for transportation accommodations to be finalized. Students in grades 7 and 8 receive metrocards for public transportation access. If you have further concerns regarding your child’s transportation to and from school, please call the:

     Office of Pupil Transportation (OPT) at (718) 784-3313 or (718) 392-8855.

If you are new to our school, it may take a few weeks for transportation accommodations to be finalized.

• Transportation Overview (opens in a new tab) 

• Check Transportation Eligibility  (opens in a new tab) 

• Sometimes buses are delayed because of traffic congestion or mechanical failure. Check the bus delays (opens in a new tab) page to see if your child's route has been affected. 

• MetroCard Eligibility (opens in a new tab)

• Contact Ms. Jackson (opens in a new tab) if you have questions regarding Busing in PS / IS 499

• Current Bus Stops (opens in a new tab) 

The Department of Education posts updates on these situations on their official website. 

Click here for the NYC DOE Website (Opens in a New Tab)

During inclement weather conditions, please watch the news and listen to the radio for all updated on school closings.

In order to maintain a positive learning environment, it is expected that 499 students dress in a professional manner. We expect 499 students to be dressed appropriately to ensure safety and to keep the focus on teaching and learning. We would like all parents and guardians to remind students of proper dress protocols on campus.

Prohibited forms of dress at 499 include, but are not limited to:

1. Hats or caps (with the exception of headwear worn for religious observance).

2. Clothing that contains references to drugs, alcohol, sex, violence, racism, or gang affiliation.

3. Clothing that does not provide coverage of torso (bottoms cannot be more than 4 inches above the knee), undergarments, and private body parts, including see-through garments of any kind.

4. Flip-flops.

5. Sunglasses while indoors.

If a student comes to school wearing clothing prohibited by the Dress Code, then the student’s parents will be notified, the student may be subject to the interventions and disciplinary responses set forth in the Discipline Code, and the student will be expected to make appropriate adjustments to his/her clothing to conform with the Dress Code (e.g., turning the shirt inside out, borrowing temporary clothing until the end of the school day, etc.).

In the interest of everyone's safety and to comply with Department of Education requirements, all visitors will show photo identification, sign in at the security desk, and then report to the Main Office, Room 112

Visitors can sign in from 9:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M.

Please be informed that we are not sharing a mandated supply list with our families for the upcoming school year. We recommend that parents/guardians purchase some of the following basic school supplies for their child: loose leaf paper, pencils/pens, notebooks, post-its, markers, glue, etc. This is just the recommended list and none of these supplies are mandated.