GothamSchools — daily independent reporting on NYC public schools

What does a school do when the first day back is a Wednesday, but students have the rest of the week off?

While some parents and students are threatening to boycott the first day of school, one school has found a different way to use the day, though not for instruction.

The Beacon School, a selective high school on the Upper West Side, is using tomorrow as a purely administrative day. According to the school schedule posted online, most students will report to an advisory session for a little over an hour. Freshmen will get their photo IDs and all students can stay for an activities fair and lunch, but it’s not required, making the day more of an official check-in than a school day.

Students and the mayor showed up at PS 111 in Long Island City, Queens last year for the first day of school.

The first day of school is chaotic, stressful, and exciting — all ingredients for an excellent photo opportunity. Amid the tumult of tomorrow, please take a few seconds to capture your students and children at their finest. They and their schools won’t look so polished until next year the next quality review, so send us your photos!  Email your back-to-school photos to tips@gothamschools.org

Think what you want about Mayor Bloomberg’s education policies, but no one can say he isn’t trying when it comes to transportation. Last week’s inaugural Summer Streets was a hit, with thousands of bikers and pedestrians swarming seven safe, car-free miles of roads in Manhattan. Check out coverage of the event on Streetsblog, which like GothamSchools is an initiative of the Open Planning Project.

The celebration reprises this weekend (and next) from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. tomorrow. From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., continue along Park Avenue to 98th Street and enter Central Park’s East Meadow to attend a back-to-school kickoff hosted by the Department of Education’s Office of Family Engagement and Advocacy.