Dear parents, grandparents, and education activists,

It's been great to work with all of you this school year. This is our last newsletter before summer vacation. We hope you enjoy beautiful days and cool evenings this July and August!

Save the date for next fall's UFT Brooklyn parent conference on Saturday, Oct. 22. Come and enjoy workshops, exhibitors, giveaways, food and the time to network with other Brooklyn parents. Registration will open in September. See the flier »

Remember to sign up for UFT text messaging by texting the word "parent" to the number 30644 and answering the questions that follow. We'll alert you about political campaigns, breaking news and school cancellations due to weather. And, we'll even send you a text message that links to this newsletter so you can easily read it on your mobile phone.

Check out the events, news and resources below.

Sincerely,

Betty Zohar
UFT Parent-Community Liaison

Upcoming events

• Saturday, June 18: The Brooklyn Botanical Garden invites children with disabilities and their families to a special preview of the new Discovery Garden, an accessible exhibit, at no charge. The opening will run from 9 to 10 a.m. Use the entrance at 455 Flatbush Ave. Sign language interpretaters will be available, and the exhibit is accessible to wheelchair users. Visitors will be asked to provide feedback about how to make the space as accessible as possible. RSVP online now »

• Saturday, June 18: Come to a free Father's Day event at 11 a.m. at 352-358 Classon Ave. in Brooklyn and get information about breast feeding, child safety and care, day care and more. Lunch will be served, and there will be raffles and giveaways. See the flier »

• Saturday, June 18: Enjoy free sports activities in Central Park from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Bandshell Area. There will be rock climbing, kayaking, yoga, obstacle races and more. For more information, see the event listing »

• Saturday, June 18: Attend a free workshop for men about how to communicate, discipline and bond with children from 1 to 3 p.m. at 176 St. Nicholas Ave. in Bushwick, Brooklyn. All who identify as male and work with young children in some capacity are invited to attend and reflect on the challenges of working with children. To ask questions or RSVP, email howortb@gmail.com.

• Saturday, June 25: Urban Assembly Unison School and Teens for Food Justice invite Brooklyn families for a health and wellness block party from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at UA Unison School, 170 Gates Ave. in Brooklyn. There will be performances, dancing, a bouncy house, free lunch, a farmer's market and raffles. If you have any questions, call 718-399-1061. See the flier »

• Sunday, June 26: The Museum of Modern Art invites people with disabilities and their families to a free educational session for people with developmental disabilities about architecture and modern art at the museum, which is located at 11 W. 53rd St. The first session, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., is open to children below the age of 18, and the second session, from 2 to 4 p.m., is open to adults. For more information, see the website »

Summer camps and programs

• Free soccer clinic in Brooklyn: The Federation of Italian-American Organizations is offering free soccer classes to children under the age of 6 every Sunday at 10 a.m. during June and July at Calvert Vaux Park at the intersection of Shore Parkway and Bay 46th St. For more information, contact Sara Gambino at 718-259-2828.

• High school students can learn to code for free: CodeNow is accepting applications from high school students for its free computer programming workshop on July 23 and 24 and Aug. 6. High school students will learn the programming language, Ruby, and create games and apps. Students will work with software engineers and in small groups. Lunch, snacks and more giveaways will be provided. Apply by Friday, June 24. For more information and to apply, see the website »

• Sports and Arts in Schools Foundation summer camp in Brooklyn: The Sports and Arts in Schools Foundation and the Department of Youth and Community Development invite Brooklyn students to a free summer camp at Park Slope Collegiate, 237 7th Ave. in Brooklyn, from July 5 to Aug. 11, Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Camp activities include arts, dance, sports, field trips and more. You can contact camp coordinators at 718-832-4300 or jcolston@sasfny.org. Download the application in English » or in Spanish »

• Essay contest for a free week of sleepaway camp: The YMCA invites children between the ages of 7 and 15 to enter a contest for a free week of sleepaway camp in Huguenot, NY. Students can enter the contest by writing an essay, filling out the application form and returning both to Manhattan North Management, 107 E. 126th St. The application deadline is June 20. For more information, download the application form »

• Summer camps for kids with special needs: Check out this list from MommyPoppins.com of summer camps for children with disabilities »

• Sports classes for kids in NYC parks this summer: The City Parks Foundation offers free sports classes in soccer, track and field, golf, tennis and more. Register online now »

• 8 free museums to take your child to this summer: Check out this list of free NYC museums to visit with your famly »

News

• Brooklyn middle school parents win battle over co-location: City officals have withdrawn a controversial charter school proposal that threatened IS 285 Meyer Levin School with a charter school co-location. Read the story on the UFT website »

• Sinergia is hiring: Sinergia, a community service organization based in New York City, is seeking a program director to work with parents with developmental disabilities. For more information, see the job listing »

• Enroll in a diabetes study and get free treatment: If you are over the age of 30, have had diabetes for less than 10 years and take metformin or are willing to begin taking metformin, you are eligible to join a study at SUNY Downstate Medical Center. Participants will receive free diabetes medications, glucose testing supplies, doctor visits and laboratory tests. To enroll, contact Necole Brown at 718-270-4639 or necole.brown01@downstate.edu, or contact Debra Josephson at 718-270-4693 or debra.josephson@downstate.edu.

• Interactive online tool to look at education spending: The New York Federal Reserve has created an interactive infographic that allows users to look at data on education spending in New York City by geographic area, by student and more. Check it out »

• Anti-bullying resources for parents: BullyBust, an organization that works to prevent bullying and create safe school climates for all children, has resources for parents. See the website »