Dear parents, grandparents, guardians and education activists,

I hope it's been an engaging and empowering school year for you, your child and your community! It's been a very busy year for the UFT, and we're excited to share with you all the new ways we've been working on to keep you informed about the resources that are available to you.

I'm excited to announce that this school year, I started as the UFT director of community and parent engagement. In this new role, I'll be working with parents and guardians all over the city. I look forward to introducing you to the new UFT Bronx parent liaison in the coming weeks.

In the meantime, I want to share with you some of the changes that are under way. We made some updates to the parent section on the UFT website, including changes to our page about BRAVE, the UFT anti-bullying initiative. Did you know that you can get a free BRAVE workshop for your parent-teacher association? We have presentations for parents, staff and students. To book one for your school, fill out our new request form.

I'm looking forward to continuing to work closely with you in my new role!

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

In unity,

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

Upcoming events

• Saturday, Oct. 26: There will be a family-friendly haunted funhouse from noon to 4 p.m. at Holy Family School on 2169 Blackrock Ave. The $5 admission includes a haunted house, candy bag, crafts and other activities. See the flier »

• Saturday, Oct. 26: Come to a free domestic violence awareness event from noon to 3 p.m. at 4035 White Plains Road. There will be panel discussions, workshop sessions, refreshments and more. See the flier »

• Saturday, Oct. 26: La Casa de la Herencia Cultural Puertorriqueña will host an event titled Cena de Monte Adentro commemorating the legacy of Luisa Capetilla, a Puerto Rican labor leader. The $40 ticket includes dinner, dancing and live music. This event will be at 6 p.m. at 215 E. 99th St. in Manhattan. See the flier »

• Tuesday, Oct. 29: IncludeNYC invites high school students with disabilities and their families to this year's College is Possible event from 5 to 8 p.m. at John Jay College, 524 W. 59th St. in Manhattan. Go on a college tour, listen to a panel of experts and speak one-on-one with college representatives about resources for students with disabilities. Register online » and share the flier in English and Spanish »

• Tuesday, Oct. 29: Planned Parenthood will host a free workshop for grandparents raising grandchildren from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Bronx Borough President's Office, 851 Grand Concourse, room 915. Learn about parenting resources, tips and mentorship opportunities for youth. Refreshments will be served. RSVP online »

• Saturday, Nov. 9: There's still time to register for the 10th annual UFT Bronx parent conference from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the UFT's Bronx borough office at 2500 Halsey St. This will be a free, fun-filled day of informative workshops, networking, exhibitors and giveaways. Register online »

News you can use

• Middle and high school applications are open: If your child is starting middle or high school next year, it's time to start exploring the options. Applications are open until Dec. 2. To learn more and get started, visit the DOE's middle school enrollment website » or high school enrollment website »

• Get free homework help from the UFT: Dial-A-Teacher, the UFT's award-winning homework helpline, is open for the school year. Call 212-777-3380 on Monday through Thursday from 4 to 7 p.m. to get free help in reading, writing, math and science from a teacher. Dial-A-Teacher offers help in Armenian, Bengali, Chinese (Mandarin, Cantonese and Fukanese), English, French, Haitian-creole, Korean, Russian, Spanish and Tagalog. Visit the Dial-A-Teacher website »

• $5 tickets for performances at Lincoln Center: Lincoln Center has a program called Family-Linc that offers $5 tickets for family friendly performances at Lincoln Center to families that otherwise might not have access to dance, music and opera performances. To learn more and enroll, see the brochure in English and Spanish »

• Latin American art at Lehman College: Lehman College Art Gallery at 250 Bedford Park Blvd. will feature an exhibition titled Progressive Transition: The New York Latin American Art Triennial from Oct. 19 to Jan. 25. The gallery also hosts free concerts, Sunday family programs, guided tours and more. Visit the website »