Students at PS 106 in Far Rockaway went home on April 3 with new backpacks filled with a book and school supplies, and teachers received a set of books for their classrooms. The backpacks were donated by the UFT and the books by First Book, a nonprofit organization that supplies books to children in need. The gifts are especially welcome during this year of turmoil for students and staff in a school that faced a high-profile midyear removal of its principal, who was charged with showing up late or not showing up at all. The school also is still recovering from the devastation of Hurricane Sandy. Students and staff received another morale boost in March when Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña met with staff and sent supplies and books. PS 106 Chapter Leader Robert Trager said the children were delighted to receive the gifts and couldn’t wait to dig into the backpacks and start reading “Dinosaurs Before Dark” by Mary Osborne. UFT District 27 Representative Marilyn Manley said there were screams of delight as the backpacks were distributed to each of the 225 students during lunch periods. above: Trager watches 4th-graders dig through their new backpacks.