Frank McCourt High School

145 West 84th Street

New York, NY 10024
212.362.2015
info@fmhsnyc.org

June 2024

Dear Class of 2028,

Welcome to Frank McCourt High School! Next year is going to be an exciting one for you and all
of us at FMHS. To get ready for all the new experiences and challenges that will come your way
next year, we want you to spend some time learning about our school and thinking about your
own story--one you will begin this summer.

Your job this summer is to prepare the following for the first day of school:

PART 1. Reading a Memoir

FMHS is named after the writer and educator Frank McCourt, whose memoir Angela’s Ashes
has been on our 9th Grade reading list since our school began over 10 years ago. This year, we
know accessing specific texts has been more challenging as we have been social distancing. If
you are able to access Angela’s Ashes, we encourage you to read it! If not, we ask you to select
a memoir of your choice.

As practice for using writing to think, we want you to take at least 2 pages of notes as you read.
Your job is to get to know the person who is telling his/her/their story and to record what the
writer thinks is important.

Use your notes to type a letter of introduction to Ms.Salzberg and Ms. Hickey. Tell them
something important they should know about you, and who you would name a school after if
you could pick. You will submit your letter on the first day of school.

PART 2. Book of your choice.

Read one of the books from the following list. Continue your practice of writing to think by taking
2 additional pages of notes about what you find that’s important in your book.

Use your notes to type a second letter- this time to your advisor. Discuss what you learned
about the meaning of “community” from reading the book you chose, how you would describe
your ideal high school community, and what you want to contribute to Frank McCourt High
School.

If you get stuck this summer or need some help, please feel free to get in touch with us at
Salzbe2@schools.nyc.gov khickey5@schools.nyc.gov

Looking forward to your letters!

Recommendations for Note-taking
Memoir –
● Keep a list of observations Frank makes as he tells his story.
● Answer the question: What do the writer’s observations tell you about his/her/their
character, personality and what is important to him/her/them?
● Type up a set of really important quotes and explain why you think each one is
important. (Make sure to note the page number for each!)

Choice Book –
● Keep a list of examples of what you notice about the community in your book.
● Answer the question: What do the people in the community do to contribute to or change
the community they are in?
● Type up a set of really important quotes and explain why you think each one is
important. (Make sure to note the page number for each!)

Book List
● The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho – A young Spanish shepherd has a recurring dream of great
treasure waiting for him at the Pyramids of Egypt. He decides to pursue his dream and finds
adventure on the way.
● When I Was Puerto Rican by Esmeralda Santiago – a memoir Santiago tells the story of her
childhood in rural Puerto Rico and her teenage years in New York City.
● The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English
Dictionary by Simon Winchester - This surprising, true story recounts the making of the Oxford
English Dictionary in which two exceptionally different people forge a friendship through their love
of language.
● The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan – This novel explores the relationships between four daughters
and their mothers, as they learn about the different dimensions of their lives that had been kept
secret.
● The Chosen by Chaim Potok – This book tells the story of two young boys of different faiths who
form an unlikely friendship as they navigate the struggles of growing up in Brooklyn in the 1940’s.
● Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell -. In this provocative book, Gladwell studies the lives of some of
history’s successful people to challenge the notion of the self-made person, looking instead at the
cultural frameworks in which they were raised that led to their success.
● To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee – a novel. A tough young girl tells an amazing story of
growing up in the rural south as her father, a well-respected lawyer, defends a black man who is
wrongfully accused.
● The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon – a novel. Told from the point
of view of an autistic teenager, this quirky murder mystery offers a glimpse into an existence that
is both unique and remarkable.
● Dark Dude by Oscar Hijuelos – a novel. In love with comic books and avoiding his fate, the main
character in this story leaves NYC, his parents and what he thinks he knows behind for an
adventure that shifts his perspective.