The UFT thanks our veterans

Dear parents, grandparents, guardians and education activists,

On this Veterans Day, we want to extend a heartfelt "thank you" to the many caregivers who, like Shamel, serve their country in the military and their public school communities by advocating for their children. Happy Veterans Day!

UFT services for public school families

The landscape of education may look very different this school year, but the UFT continues to provide resources for students and their parents and guardians.

• Thursday virtual parent and family workshops: On Thursdays from 5 to 6 p.m., we hold online workshops for parents and caregivers about topics of interest to public school families. Our next workshop will be on Nov. 19. Presenters from the Brooklyn Public Library will give their Brainy Babies workshop in Spanish. Keep an eye on your inbox later this week for your invitation and registration instructions.

• Free homework help from Dial-A-Teacher: K-12 students and their parents or caregivers are invited to call 212-777-3380 Mondays through Thursdays between 4 and 7 p.m. to get free homework help from a licensed teacher. Many of the teachers are bilingual, so Dial-A-Teacher can assist students and families in 10 languages, including Armenian, Bengali, Chinese, English, French, Haitian-Creole, Korean, Russian, Spanish and Tagalog.

• The UFT BRAVE campaign against bullying: Short for Building Respect, Acceptance and Voice through Education, the UFT BRAVE campaign provides educators and families with the tools to confront and stop bullying. Among other resources, the BRAVE campaign offers hotline where students can get live support from mental health professionals. Help is available by calling 212-709-3222 Mondays through Fridays from 2:30 to 9:30 p.m. Students can also get help by texting BRAVE to 43961 during the same hours. You can read more about the BRAVE campaign on the UFT website.

As always, thank you for being part of the UFT’s extended family. When public school parents, guardians and educators work together, great things happen.

In unity,

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