Dear parents, grandparents and education activists,

There will be a UFT First Book event on Saturday, June 4! The UFT, in partnership with First Book, will hand out free children's books to parents and educators as long as supplies last from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Abraham Lincoln High School, 2800 Ocean Parkway in Brooklyn. Download the flier »

To receive your pick of 15 free children's books at the event, you must be registered with First Book. To register, download and print the registration form, fill out only the top section entitled "About You" and bottom section entitled "Signature Confirmation," skipping the middle section, and return it to Betty Zohar.

Download the First Book registration form »

You can return the registration form in one of three ways.

• Scan it onto your computer and email it to bzohar@uft.org.
• Fax it to 718-852-9891.
• Mail it to:
  

  ATTN: Betty Zohar
  UFT Brooklyn borough office
  335 Adams St., 25th floor
  Brooklyn, NY 11201

Our UFT parent special education group has been meeting with representatives from the Department of Education to discuss issues and brainstorm ways to improve support for the parents and caretakers of students with special needs. We're also working on an end-of-year professional development workshop for parent coordinators about special education. If you want to get involved with the UFT special education parent group, email fstreich@uft.org or bzohar@uft.org.

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 school cancellations due to weather, political campaigns and breaking news. We'll even send a text message that links to a copy of your newsletter you can easily read on your mobile phone.

Enjoy the events, resources and news below.

Sincerely,

Betty Zohar
UFT Parent-Community Liaison

Upcoming events

• Thursday, May 12: United Cerebral Palsy Family Connect will hold a workshop about strategies to promote independence and cooperation in children with disabilities from 10 a.m. to noon at 160 Lawrence Ave. in Brooklyn. This is one of many workshops for families of children with disabilities that will be held citywide this month. To register, call 718-436-7979, ext. 704 or email familyconnect@ucpny.org. For more details, see the May calendar in English and Spanish »

• Saturday, May 14: The Department of Education invites seventh-graders and their parents to a high school admissions workshop from 10 a.m. to noon at PS 180, 370 W. 120th St. in Manhattan. Learn how the high school admissions process works for specialized high schools and more. To RSVP, call Karen Butler at 212-678-2782. See the flier in English, Spanish, French and Arabic »

• Saturday, May 21: Come to a "Not in My Hood" anti-violence march and health/resouce fair starting at 3 p.m. at Meyer Levin Junior High School on Ralph Ave. between Tilden Ave. and Beverley Road. The march will end at 5 p.m. at Schenectady and Church avenues., culminating in a health and resource fair from 5 to 8 p.m. Brooklyn families are welcome to attend. If you want to volunteer or otherwise contribute, contact Monique Waterman at 718-826-0807 or mwaterman@eastflatbushvillage.org. See the flier »

News, opportunities and resources

• Children's books that encourage kindness: Check out this list of 13 children's books that encourage kindness toward others. Read the article on Buzzfeed »

• Encourage summer learning and get free books: The Barnes and Noble summer reading program, and other summer reading programs like it, award free books and other prizes to kids for completing summer reading activities. Read the article on About.com »

• Short-term crisis housing for young women: If you know a runaway or homeless young woman between the ages of 16 and 20, please refer her to Inwood House Maya's Place Crisis Residence. Maya's Place offers 30 days of housing, case management, counseling and other services to young women in crisis. For more information, call 718-824-2250.

• Present at a conference on mental health for LGBT people of color: In My Mind, a conference about mental health issues among LGBT people of color, will be held on Oct. 5 and 6 in New York. The conference is seeking presentations and abstracts from mental health practitioners, academics and advocates. Proposals will be accepted until May 31. Submit a proposal online now »

• Auditions for a scholarship program at the Harlem School of the Arts: Harlem School of the Arts' "HSA prep" scholarship program offers students college preparatory training in music, dance, theater and visual arts. Auditions are being held between May 3 and 21 for students between the ages of 12 and 17 who are interested in advanced-level training in the arts along with mentoring, high school and college application support and more. For more details, see the website »

• GEICO is hiring: The insurance company GEICO is accepting applications for many positions and a leadership program for recent college graduates. Visit the website »

Free and low-cost summer programs

• Dual-enrollment and college-readiness programs: High school students are invited to enroll in College Now summer programs. These are dual-enrollment (both college and high school credit) classes and college-readiness classes offered by CUNY. They span many disciplines and are offered in all boroughs. For more information, visit the website »

• Summer programs for students attending renewal schools: The Department of Education invites students attending the 94 schools in the mayor's School Renewal Program to attend summer programs for all grade levels. There are Summer in the City enrichment programs, STEM programs and more for students in grades 2 through 11. To learn more and apply, visit the website »

• Free science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) camp: The DOE is accepting applications until May 20 for its STEM "summer in the city" program for students in grades 2 through 10. The program runs from July 7 to Aug. 11, Monday through Thursday, from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Breakfast, lunch and Metrocards are provided. Apply online now »

• Free summer tutoring for rising fourth-grade students: Everyone Reading will offer free tutoring this summer to children born in 2007 and entering fourth grade next school year. This program most benefits students with dyslexia or who need support with phonics. The program will begin on June 30 and run from July 5 to 29, Mondays through Fridays, from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the Museum of the City of New York on 5th Ave and 103rd St. in Manhattan. The program involves an hour of one-on-one tutoring in reading skills, then two hours of hands-on museum education activities such as photography, map making and model building. To apply, contact Lavinia Mancuso at lmancuso@everyonereading.org or 917-903-2648. See the flier »

• Summer youth police academy: New York City children who are between the ages of 10 and 16 and attending school are welcome to apply for the New York Police Department's summer youth academy. This 6-week program, running from July 5 to Aug. 12, offers educational sessions about law, behavioral science, drug prevention and gang resistance. Students will also enjoy field trips and outdoor volunteer opportunities. There are locations in all boroughs. Lunch and transportation are included. Applications are being accepted until May 20. To learn more and apply, visit the website »