Dear parents, grandparents and education activists,

Many of us were shocked and saddened by the outcome of the presidential election. We have a long and arduous fight against injustice and bullying in the coming years.

One place to begin our work is by learning how schools can teach children of color to be proud of their heritage and teach all students to fight for justice. The UFT Brooklyn parent outreach committee invites you to a committee meeting and workshop about culturally responsive education. 

• Date: Monday, Dec. 12
• Time: 5:30 p.m.
• Location: UFT Brooklyn borough office at 335 Adams St., 24th floor. Directions »

Dinner will be served at 5:30 p.m. and the meeting will start at 6 p.m. As always, children are welcome. RSVP by emailing bzohar@uft.org or calling 718-722-6937. See the flier »

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

Sincerely,

Betty Zohar
UFT Parent-Community Liaison

Upcoming events

• Wednesday, Nov. 16: Join the UFT and the Lunch for Learning campaign for a demonstration demanding free lunch for all public school students on the steps of City Hall at 4 p.m. Children are welcome. See the flier »
  
  And regardless of whether you can make it to City Hall, you can also show your support by signing the petition »

• Wednesday, Nov. 16: Come to an information session about Community and Citywide Education Councils from 6 to 8 p.m. at Brooklyn Borough Hall, 209 Joralemon St. Learn how you can shape the policies of NYC schools. See the flier »

• Thursday, Nov. 17: Mozilla invites aspiring web developers to a free webinar about how to leverage the web for youth leadership at 10 a.m. Find out more »

• Tuesday, Nov. 22: The City Council's Education Committee will hold a hearing to consider four resolutions calling on the Department of Education to mandate school uniforms, recognize Diwali as an official holiday and more. The hearing will begin at 1 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall. All are invited to submit testimony in person or by emailing jatwell@council.nyc.gov. You can read the resolutions online. They are: Res. 451-2014, Res. 568-2015, Res. 845-2015 and Res. 890-2015.

Opportunities

• Enroll in free adult education classes: The Department of Education offers classes to adults for free in subjects like English for Speakers of Other Languages, High School Equivalency preparation, career and technical education and more. Classes are offered throughout the five boroughs during the day and evening. To find out more and enroll, visit the website »

• Free library hotspot program for families without internet: If you don't have internet access at home and your child is a student, you're eligible to "check out" internet service from your local library. The hotspot you bring home will be free and available until July 5, 2017. For more information, download the flier in Spanish and English »

• High school internships at the Brooklyn District Attorney's office: Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez invites high school juniors and seniors who are interested in criminal justice to apply for a week-long internship this winter or spring. Applications are due by Dec. 9. Find out more »

News you can use

• "It's Elementary" events for families starting elementary school: Starting this month, there will be informational events in every district about elementary school admissions. These "It's Elementary!" events used to be offered in each borough and are now district-specific. They'll also offer on-site application help and information about Gifted and Talented programs. Download fliers in English, Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, French, Haitian-Creole, Korean, Russian, Spanish and Urdu. Or, learn more on the elementary school admissions website »

• Tell Gov. Cuomo to pay public schools the money we're owed: We’ve been waiting for 10 years for New York State to pay $1.6 billion to schools as a result of the Campaign for Fiscal Equity settlement. Tell the governor that you vote and you want our schools fully funded. Call his office at 518-474-8390 and tweet to him at @NYGovCuomo.

• Download a fact sheet about school leadership teams: School leadership teams are an important tool through which parents can make their voices heard. Learn more about school leadership teams, how they should function and how you can get involved by downloading a fact sheet »

• New DOE special education website: The Department of Education has revamped its special education website. The changes should make it easier for families to find the information they need quickly. Visit the new website now »

• Bilingual children and family mental health services in Brooklyn: The Coalition for Hispanic Family Services offers mental health services for children between the ages of 3 and 19, and their families. These mental health services are available in both English and Spanish on weekdays, after work, and during the day on weekends. The clinic accepts Medicaid and charges fees on a sliding scale. For a referral, contact Trinidad Urbina at 718-497-6090, ext. 361. See the website »