Dear parents, grandparents and education activists,

I hope you are having a happy and healthy holiday season.

The "Lunch 4 Learning" campaign will hold a press conference at City Hall on Thursday, Dec. 14 at 1 p.m. to deliver at least 8,000 postcards to Mayor de Blasio asking him to fund free lunch for all students. If you have postcards to add, please return them to me soon. We'd also love for you to join us at the press conference. If you're coming, email me at fstreich@uft.org to RSVP.

Registration for our Beautiful Me! workshop on Dec. 14 is now closed. However, plenty of space is available in our workshop about how boys learn differently on Tuesday, Dec. 13 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at JHS 52 Inwood, 650 Academy St. To RSVP, email me at fstreich@uft.org. See the flier »

Save the date for an advocacy day and rally in Albany on Tuesday, Jan. 10 to demand the $3.9 billion still owed to public schools under the Campaign for Fiscal Equity decision. This is an event sponsored by the Alliance for Quality Education. Transportation and lunch will be provided. For more information and to register, contact Maria Bautista at maria@aqeny.org.

The UFT parent special education committee is busy planning its next professional development for DOE parent coordinators in February. If you want to get involved, contact Betty Zohar at bzohar@uft.org.

Sincerely,

Francine Streich
UFT Parent-Community Liaison

Upcoming events

• Friday, Dec. 9 and Saturday, Dec. 10: There will be three information sessions this weekend about middle school programs at the American Museum of Natural History. The museum offers three extracurricular programs to middle school students during the school year. It will hold information sessions about these programs on Friday from 4:30 to 6 p.m., Saturday from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and again on Saturday from 2 to 3:30 p.m. The sessions will be held at the museum, which is located at the intersection of Central Park West and 79th St. Find out more and register »

• Wednesday, Dec. 14: United Cerebral Palsy invites parents and caregivers of children with disabilities to a free webinar about the importance of advocacy that will focus on advocacy work for the rights of people with disabilities in New York State. The webinar will start at noon. You can attend by phone or watch it as a video presentation. For more information, see the flier »

• Thursday, Dec. 15: Cross-System Solutions for Families and Youth invites you to a Manhattan meeting about organizing for children's mental health from 10 a.m. to noon at 330 5th Ave. on the 9th floor. These meetings are for families, community members, service providers and youth who want to improve child welfare, juvenile justice, substance abuse treatment and other mental health systems and services. The meetings are held monthly in each borough. For more information, contact DeJon Buie at dbuie@health.nyc.gov. Download the schedules for all boroughs »

• Saturday, Dec. 17: The New York City Council will host a resource day for immigrant families from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Pathways to Graduation, 198 Forsyth St. There will be a "Know Your Rights" workshop, legal consultations and more. See the flier in English, Spanish and Chinese »

• Wednesday, Jan. 18: There will be a meeting of the Panel for Educational Policy at 6 p.m. at the Taft Educational Complex, 240 E. 172nd St. in the Bronx. To read the regulations the panel will be voting on at the meeting, visit the DOE website »

Political action

• Free lunch for all op-ed in the Daily News: UFT President Michael Mulgrew and other labor leaders published an op-ed in the New York Daily News about the campaign for universal free lunch and how far behind other school systems New York City is in fulfilling this basic need. Read the article »

• School-choice activist is Trump’s choice for U.S. education secretary: President-elect Donald Trump on Nov. 23 chose school-choice activist, philanthropist and Republican mega-donor Betsy DeVos to lead the U.S. Education Department. The choice is a sign that Trump plans to pursue his campaign pledge to enact sweeping school choice, including spending $20 billion on block grants to expand charter and private school options for low-income children — almost as much as the country now invests in schools serving poor kids and special education programs combined. Add your name to this open letter »

• NYSUT calls for greater investment in English language learners: NYSUT is calling on Albany lawmakers to create a new state aid category for English language learner students and fund it with at least $200 million in this year's budget to better support the state's growing population of English language learners. Read the story »

Opportunities

• Apply for a $5,000 grant for your community garden: The Fund for Public Health in New York City is accepting grant applications from community gardens. Applications will be accepted until Jan. 13, 2017. Download the request for proposals »

• Free ballet classes for middle school students: Goddard Riverside Community Program invites middle school students to join free ballet classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at 154 W. 93rd St. Boys and girls are welcome. This is a great way to prepare for auditions for performing arts high schools. See the flier »

• Free technology career development program for young adults: Adults between the ages of 18 and 25 who have a GED or high school diploma are invited to apply for the Technology Service Corps, a free 22-week career development program based in Brooklyn and Harlem. Learn more and apply »

• Apply to become a credentialed alcohol and substance abuse counselor: If you work in the health care field, you are invited to apply for a 350-hour training program to become a credentialed alcohol and substance abuse counselor. The training program is offered by the Resource Training Center out of Brooklyn and Staten Island. Learn more and apply »

• Course on managing psychiatric emergencies in children: New York University invites healthcare providers and counselors of children to a course this March about how to manage psychiatric emergencies in children and adolescents. This course is offered for a $150 fee. Find out more and register »

Resources

• If you have trouble heating your home, help is available: HEAP, the Home Energy Assistance Program, provides assistance to low-income New Yorkers to cover the cost of heating their homes in the winter. Find out more »

• Reducing recidivism for justice-involved youth: The U.S. Department of Education has released new resources and guidelines for young people involved in the juvenile justice system and the adults who support them. Find out more »

• NYC resources for community organizations: The Citizens Committee for New York City published a resource list for community groups that includes information on funding and grants, free workshops and more. Download the resource guide »