To take a break from sorting and packing, UFT volunteer Anna Howard reads "The Underwear Book" to other volunteers.

Dear parents, grandparents, guardians and education activists,

Happy New Year! I hope you had a restful, joyful winter break with your loved ones.

Parent, student and UFT member volunteers gathered at the UFT Bronx borough office over the holiday recess sorting books to be delivered to homeless shelters and community centers across the city. It was a great way to spread some joy for the holiday season. Thank you to those who volunteered!

I'm looking forward to working with you more this spring semester.

Check out the upcoming events and news you can use below.

In unity,

Nicholas Cruz
UFT Director of Community and Parent Outreach
ncruz@uft.org

Upcoming events

• Sunday, Jan. 12: Lehman College Art Gallery will host a free Sunday family program for children between the ages of 3 and 12 and their caregivers from 1 to 4 p.m. The gallery is in the Fine Arts Building at 250 Bedford Park Blvd. West. There will be a family tour of "Progressive Transition: The NY Latin American Triennial" and families will be invited to create their own 3D paper sculptures and add objects made from clay and recycled materials. Visit the gallery's website »

• Monday, Feb. 10: There will be a meet and greet with UFT President Michael Mulgrew for parent leaders at 6 p.m. at UFT headquarters, 52 Broadway in Manhattan. Come have dinner, network with other parent education activists and learn about UFT campaigns. Register now »

• Saturday, April 4: The UFT will host its fifth annual Men in Education Symposium from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at UFT headquarters, 52 Broadway in Manhattan. There will be workshops about mentoring, fatherhood and empowerment. For a flier and to register, see the event listing »

News you can use

• Free and low-cost events in Bronx parks: The NYC Parks Departments hosts dozens of free and low-cost events for families every week. There are exercise classes, guided hikes, art classes and more. To find an event near you, visit the online calendar »

• Questions and answers about turning 5 with a disability: Advocates for Children held a live question-and -answer session on Facebook about accessibility issues for children turning 5. Watch the video »

• Help the effort to have a full-time counselor in every elementary school: Most public elementary schools in the city have a school counselor only part time or don't have a counselor at all. If you want to be part of a UFT campaign to get a full-time school counselor in every elementary school to assist with bullying, anxiety, concerns about school work or other issues, please fill out the UFT’s short survey and sign up for the campaign. Take the survey »

• Get a free anti-bullying workshop from the UFT: The UFT BRAVE Campaign offers a wealth of anti-bullying resources to parents, students and educators. Those resources include free anti-bullying workshops for PTAs, students or staff. Request a BRAVE workshop now »