Dear parents, grandparents and education activists,

It's hard to believe it's almost May already and there is still so much going on.

The UFT will host our Be BRAVE Against Bullying Conference from 4 to 7:30 p.m. on Friday, May 6 at UFT headquarters, 52 Broadway on the second floor. This is a great chance to learn about organizations that know how to stop bullying and speak with anti-bullying advocates, vendors and allies. We will also feature our student video awards ceremony highlighting student efforts to create welcoming and inclusive school environments. I hope you can join us!

RSVP online now »

At our last parent leadership meeting, we had a presentation from the Coalition for Educational Justice about an initiative they're lobbying City Council for called the Parent Engagement Innovation Fund. This fund would improve parent engagement in schools by expanding the parent-teacher home visit program, which is currently a pilot program in five middle schools, starting academic parent-teacher teams and more.

Read the parent engagement proposal from the Coalition for Educational Justice »

If you want to see this parent engagement plan implemented, you can call your City Council representative and let him or her know. Look up your City Council member »

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, contact me at fstreich@uft.org.

Save the date for next fall's UFT Manhattan Parent Conference on Saturday, Oct. 15. Our conference committee met this week to start planning it. If you want to get involved with planning the conference, let me know.

We'll be having a First Book giveaway on Saturday, May 14 at the Tito Puente Complex at 109th St. between 2nd and 3rd Avenues. We need help unloading and setting up books at the school on Friday, May 13 at 3 p.m. Let me know if you can help.

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. And, once a critical mass of Manhattan parents have signed up, 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,

Francine Streich
UFT Parent-Community Liaison

Upcoming events

• Saturday, April 23: High school students are invited to a Black College Expo from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., with an after show from 3 to 5 p.m, at 94-20 Guy R. Brewer Blvd. in Jamaica, Queens. Learn about college admissions, scholarship opportunities and more. Tickets are $8. For more details and to register, see the website »

• Saturday, April 23: There will be a Harlem School of the Arts open house and Founder's Day celebration from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 645 Saint Nicholas Ave. at 141st St. Drop in to meet the faculty and see student performances. RSVP online now »

• Sunday, April 24: The New York City stop of the National College Fair will run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in Manhattan. High school students will be able to meet one-on-one with college representatives and talk to counselors about choosing a major, financial aid, scholarships and more. Preregistration is required. RSVP online now » or see the flier in English and Spanish »

• Saturday, April 30: Come to a free Brooklyn college expo from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at St. John's Recreation Center, 1251 Prospect Place between Schenectady and Troy Aves. Learn about scholarships and admissions for CUNY, SUNY and more colleges and universities. See the flier »

• Thursday, May 5: You're invited to the second annual "HERspanic" achievement celebration, a night of music, dancing, food and entertainment to celebrate the accomplishments of Latinas. This event will run from 6 to 11 p.m. at 240 E. 123rd St. in Manhattan. Tickets start at $50. Register online now »

• 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. 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 »

• Wednesday, May 18: There will be a Panel for Educational Policy meeting at Long Island City High School, 14-30 Broadway in Long Island City, at 6 p.m. The meeting will include a vote on an amendment to the proposed fiscal years 2015-19 five-year capital plan. You can read the proposed capital plan online »

• Saturday, May 21: Families of children with autism are invited to a free family play day with workshops about autism from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Staten Island Mental Health Society, 669 Castleton Ave. in Staten Island. There will be two workshops: "learning the early signs of autism" and "the importance of play." There will also be breakfast, passes to the Staten Island Museum and activities for children. Register by calling 718-226-6670 or emailing siuh_ecdc@northwell.edu. See the flier in English and Spanish »

News, opportunities and resources

• 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 will be 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 »

• Grant writing tips for parent organizers: Last month, the UFT's Carlyn Mueller led a grant writing workshop for Manhattan parents. I wrote up a summary for those of you who missed it. Read the summary online »

• Investing in better diversity at specialized high schools: The Independent Democratic Conference and Assembly lawmakers are devoting $2 million in the city budget this year to improving racial and ethnic diversity in specialized high schools. Find out more »

• Transportation guidelines are available online: Busing and subway fares for public school students are determined based on the child's grade level and distance of the home from the school. If you're wondering what type of transportation support your child is entitled to, check out this chart from the Department of Education »

• New York Communities for Change is hiring: New York Communities for Change, an organization that fights for affordable housing, better funding for schools and more, has four open positions. See the job listings online »

• New York Appleseed is hiring: New York Appleseed, the New York branch of the Appleseed network of social justice centers, is hiring a School Diversity Project Director. See the job listing »

• NYC pension fund will stop investing in hedge funds: Among other unethical practices, like using tax loopholes to avoid contributing to public services, hedge funds also charge high fees for high-risk investments. Public pension funds in California and Illinois have stopped investing in hedge funds, and now New York's biggest public employee pension fund will do the same. Read the article from New York Market Watch »

• Read the DOE stategic technology plan: In order to better integrate the latest technology with our city's schools, the Department of Education has developed a five-year plan. It's available to read in 10 languages on the DOE website »

Free and low-cost summer programs

• 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 »

• Basketball camp for $275/week if you register before April 30: Breakaway Hoops is accepting registration for children between the ages of 7 and 17 to attend its basketball day camps at City College and Yeshiva University. Camp runs from June 20 to Aug. 26. For more information and a coupon for a $25 discount, see the flier »

• 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 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 »

• Free summer science program for high school girls: New York University is accepting applications for GenCyber CS4CS, a free, three-week, full-day summer program for high school women. The program will focus on cyber security and computer science. Applications are due by April 27. For more information and to apply, visit the website »