A stroke of genius
Follow along as the 2nd-grade students in Jacqueline Velten and Melissa Hamm’s integrated co-teaching class at PS 54 on Staten Island travel to the Staten Island Museum to experience “Art Now: Watercolor Fun,” one of 20 class trips the museum offers...
Invitational Golf Outing
About 100 attendees turned out for a round of golf to raise money for the UFT Disaster Relief Fund on Oct. 26 for the union's annual Invitational Golf Outing.
Kudos to Amy Craine, District 31 Pre-K Centers, Staten Island
UFT members at the six sites that make up District 31 Pre-K Centers on Staten Island are no longer staying silent in the face of mistreatment from their principal, thanks to Chapter Leader Amy Craine.
Staten Island Parent Conference 2025
Parents, caretakers, educators and community members gathered at the UFT’s Staten Island borough office on Nov. 8 for the UFT Staten Island parent committee’s annual conference. Attendees took the day to bond with other caregivers and gained valuable information and resources during workshops on topics like keeping students safe online and parent-teacher association governance.
Labor Parade 2025
More than 1,000 UFT members turned out in a powerful display of union pride as they marched up Fifth Avenue on Sept. 6 for New York City’s annual Labor Parade. Members paraded in solidarity with thousands of other unionists across the city, on foot, by float or atop a double-decker bus.
Feeding others to feed the soul
Retired teacher Luann Martin gives back to her community by volunteering with the Feeding with TLC soup kitchen operated by Trinity Lutheran Church on Staten Island.
Noteworthy Graduate: James J. McBratney, Restaurant owner
James J. McBratney, a product of Staten Island public schools, is a successful business owner and financial adviser best known on Staten Island as the proprietor of Jimmy Max Restaurant, a community staple he dropped out of college to open in 1989.
Talking while walking
At PS 13 on Staten Island, UFT members and the principal began holding initial planning conferences "on the move." That seemingly minor change has delivered outsized benefits in teacher morale — and possibly even student achievement.
Staten Island Back-to-School BBQ
More than 1,000 families received backpacks and other school supplies at the union's fourth annual back-to-school supplies giveaway and barbecue on Aug. 7 at PS 21 on Staten Island.
Creating a safe Nest for students
Third-year special education teacher Britni Maddocks takes a strengths-based approach to assessing her students’ needs in her NEST classroom at PS 59 on Staten Island to help build students’ confidence and assure them that the classroom is a safe...