Dear parents, grandparents and education activists,

I hope you have a wonderful holiday season filled with peace, love and many blessings.

I want to let you know that after 15 years, I am retiring from the UFT at the end of December to take a position at 32BJ SEIU. I have loved working with all of you. You are such a wonderful group with so much dedication to your kids and to improving the NYC public school system. I will miss our advocacy work together, but I know that you will continue to do great work with my successor.

I hope to see some of you at our Beautiful Me! workshop on Wednesday, Dec. 14 at 6 p.m. at UFT headquarters, 52 Broadway on the 10th floor. Bring your daughters and enjoy a wonderful workshop that helps girls develop character, confidence and courage. Snacks will be served. RSVP to me at 212-701-9464 or fstreich@uft.org. See the flier »

Also save the date for our Citizen Preparedness Training workshop on Wednesday, Jan. 11. To RSVP, you'll need to register on a New York State website. I'll send you the link to register as soon as it's posted. See the event listing on the UFT website »

You should also save the date for an an advocacy day and rally in Albany on Tuesday, Jan 10 to demand the billions of dollars 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 or Zakiyah Ansari at 917-3090-5742.

Make sure to sign the Lunch 4 Learning campaign petition calling on Mayor de Blasio to fulfill his promise of free lunch for all NYC public school students. The petition is available in English, Spanish, Mandarin and Cantonese.

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

Sincerely,

Francine Streich
UFT Parent-Community Liaison

Upcoming events

• Wednesday, Nov. 30: Public Advocate Letitia James invites you to a public forum about the state of NYC Renewal Schools in year three of the program. The meeting will run from noon to 2 p.m. at the CUNY Graduate Center, 365 5th Ave. in Manhattan. For more information and to register, see the event listing »

• Thursday, Dec. 1: Come to a Citywide Council on Special Education meeting about preparing for the three-year re-evaluation. This meeting will run from 6 to 8 p.m. at PS 48, 4360-78 Broadway in Manhattan. Interpretation services are available for Spanish speakers. Download the flier in English » or in Spanish »

• Saturday, Dec. 17: Mentoring in Medicine, Inc. invites students of all ages, parents, educators, health professionals and community members to a free health and science expo. This year's theme is "Empowerment and Education." The expo will run from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Frederick Douglass Academy, 2581 Adam Clayton Powell Blvd. RSVP online now »

News you can use

• 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. Read the news story »

• Museums with free and suggested admissions: Check out this list of NYC museums with free or suggested-donation admissions »

• The American Museum of Natural History has a website for kids: The American Museum of Natural History has a website called "Ology for Kids" with educational games and activities. Check it out »

• Free career preparation program for young fathers at LaGuardia Community College: If you are a father or soon to be one, between the ages of 18 and 25, and unemployed or underemployed, LaGuardia Community College in Queens invites you to apply for the free CUNY Fatherhood Academy. This program will help you prepare for the high school equivalency exam, explore career options, find jobs and internships, and get parenting support. Find out more »

• Keep student data private: The Gates Foundation has announced that it wants the government to create a federal database tracking student progress from pre-K to college. In order to do this, the foundation and its allied DC-based groups are asking Congress to lift an existing ban on creating a database of this kind. The ban is in place to protect student privacy. If a database of student information were to be hacked, sensitive information about students could be made public. For more information and resources about how to contact your representatives, visit the Parent Coalition for Student Privacy website »

• NYC teachers prepare to protect students from bullying in the wake of Trump win: After hearing the news that Donald Trump was elected president, NYC public school teachers are preparing to protect students from bullying and harassment. UFT President Michael Mulgrew offered encouragement and support. Read the story from the New York Daily News »