8th Grade Information

Senior Bulletin #1

Dear Parents/Guardians of the Class of 2026:

It’s hard to believe it was three years ago that your child began the intermediate school experience at I.S. 72. This June, we will have approximately 550 students graduate and go on to high school. Our graduation ceremony is scheduled for Thursday, June 25, 2026  at 9:00 a.m. and will be held at Wagner College, 1 Campus Rd, Staten Island, NY 10301, in the gymnasium. 

There are certain expenses incurred by the graduating class that cannot be covered by the school.  It is customary that these expenses are the responsibility of the graduates and their families. We are therefore informing you that senior dues this year will be $110.00 per graduate.  Listed below you will find the items covered by senior dues:

• Rental of Wagner College facilities 
• Diploma and diploma case
• Graduation cap and gown (to be kept by the graduate). Graduation caps MAY NOT be decorated.
• The Class of 2026 yearbook (hardcover edition with color pages)
• Senior class t-shirt (worn on the senior trip & Bye Bye Bulldogs yearbook signing)
• Senior digital video download (emailed to 8th grade families after graduation)
• 2 guest tickets per student to attend the graduation ceremony (the graduate does not need a ticket) 

We ask that all payments for senior dues are made via Operoo. If you have any issues with Operoo, please contact our Parent Coordinator, Ms. Leone, for assistance (RLeone2@schools.nyc.gov).  Payments will be accepted from January 10,  2026 through May 18, 2026.  If you have any questions regarding the dues, or may be experiencing a hardship with payment, please feel free to email DMovsesian@schools.nyc.gov for guidance.

As senior events are a privilege and not a right, please be aware that any 8th grade student who does not abide by the Department Of Education Discipline Code may be excluded from the graduation ceremony and/or other senior activities (such as the senior trip and senior dance) so long as the parents/guardians have been notified in advance. This notice will serve that purpose. The senior dance and senior trip are by invitation only, and there will be a separate cost for both. These events are intended to celebrate those students who have worked hard and maintain our core values of being #BulldogSTRONG in the I.S.72 community on a daily basis. Invitations for the senior dance and/or senior trip will not be issued until senior dues are paid. Invitations will be sent via Operoo.

Due to the large number of graduates, extra ticket requests should be emailed ASAP to Ms. Movsesian 

(DMovsesian@schools.nyc.gov). If you are granted an extra ticket it will be confirmed via email and packaged with your tickets come distribution in June. Tickets will be granted on a first come, first served basis. If you are bringing a child or baby that can fit on your lap, a ticket will not be required for the child. No strollers are allowed into the gymnasium for the ceremony. We are only able to accommodate one extra ticket per request for a total of three tickets maximum. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.   

Important dates to know:

Laurie’s Leaders Ceremony- 9 a.m. February 25, 2026

Spring Musical : Beauty & The Beast  Jr.  6p.m.                           March 24, 2026

Spring Musical : Beauty & The Beast Jr.  6p.m. March 26, 2026

NYC ELA Gr. 8 Exam - Day 1         April 16, 2026

NYC ELA Gr. 8 Exam - Day 2         April 17, 2026

NYC Math Exam - Day 1                       April 30, 2026

NYC Math Exam - Day 2                       May 1, 2026

Arista Ceremony May 8, 2026 (9:00am)

8th Grade Science Exam                       May 12, 2026

NYSESLAT (specific students)  Day 1, Day 2, Day 3 May 13- 15, 2026

7th Grade Spring Performing Arts Showcase                       May 20, 2026- 6:00p.m.

8th Grade Spring Performing Arts Showcase & Arts Show                       May 28, 2026- 6:00p.m.

Chancellor’s Conference Day - School Closed June 4, 2026

No School (clerical day)                     June 5, 2026

8th Grade Dance (invitation only) 5-8 p.m. (Hilton Garden Inn) June 10, 2026

Senior Trip to Dorney Park (invitation only) 8:10-5:30p.m.   June 15, 2026

8th Grade Awards Night (invitation only)                                                         June 16, 2025

Algebra I Regents (honors classes) 9:15 a.m.                       June 17, 2026

Earth & Space Sciences Regents  ( honors classes) 11:00 a.m. June 18, 2026

Juneteenth- School Closed June 19, 2026

Spanish Proficiency Exam (specific students) 9:15 a.m.         June 22, 2065

U.S. History Regents (honors classes) 9:15 a.m.                       June 23, 2026

Bye Bye Bulldogs- yearbook distribution & signing (pd. 7 & 8)               June 24, 2026

Graduation Ceremony 9 a.m. (Wagner College)         June 25, 2026

Last Day of School- diploma and report card distribution         June 26, 2025

Throughout our years together your cooperation, support, and understanding have been appreciated.  We feel confident that our final year together will be with the same spirit of unity.  If you have any questions regarding the information in this bulletin, please contact the 8th grade Assistant Principal (Ms. Movsesian) at DMovsesian@schools.nyc.gov .

Sincerely, 

Danielle Movsesian

Danielle Movsesian

8th Grade Assistant Principal 

Attention All Seniors!

It has become a tradition at I.S. 72 for 8th grade students to design the senior t-shirt.  We are looking for talented artists, graphic designers, and budding fashion designers. We need your help to design a shirt that is a testament to who we are as the Graduating Class of 2026.  Our theme and class slogan this year is: 

“Class of 2026 - The Climb to Success”

If you are interested in submitting a design for our shirt, please read the directions below. All designs must be submitted by March 13, 2026 to dmovsesian@schools.nyc.gov. Please email your completed design, either by attaching a picture of it or by scanning it.  If you would like to submit a paper copy, please give it to Ms. Movsesian. If your design is chosen, we will require the original artwork. 

Directions: Create a t-shirt design to represent the graduating Class of 2026.  You may create the design on your computer or by hand (drawing).   

Requirements:

• The design must be on regular sized computer paper (8½ x 11). Two separate designs are required, one for the front of the shirt and one for the back. Please label each submitted design.
• The design must be clear and should take up the entire sheet of paper.
• There should be no more than two colors on your shirt design (for example, if we were doing a gray or white shirt we would use orange and blue as the design colors).
• Think about the graduating class of 2026 and what items and/or symbols are representative of this school year, the students, and graduation.  
• Your design must include the following:  
  • The Police Officer Rocco Laurie Intermediate School Class of 2026 (on front of shirt)
  • Class slogan:  “The Climb to Success” (somewhere on the shirt)
  • School mascot (bulldog)
  • #BulldogSTRONG (somewhere on the shirt)
  • RESPECT, LOYALTY, SERVICE

If you have any questions please email Ms. Movsesian at dmovsesian@schools.nyc.gov  or Ms.Treglia at jtregli@schools.nyc.gov.  Following this memo are a few examples from past years.

We look forward to seeing all the wonderful designs!

#BulldogSTRONG,  

Ms. Movsesian, 8th Grade Assistant Principal

EXAMPLES OF THE FRONT OF T-SHIRT

EXAMPLES OF THE BACK OF T-SHIRT