Dear parents, grandparents and education activists,

I want to thank those of you who joined us on Nov. 14 for the UFT Manhattan parent conference. Close to 500 parents and community activists joined us for an amazing day of networking, informative workshops and raffle prizes.

See more photos from the conference »

We were also treated to inspirational speeches from UFT President Michael Mulgrew, Public Advocate Letitia James, former City Council Education Committee Chair Robert Jackson, Zakiyah Ansari from the Alliance for Quality Education and Richard Gray, the director of community organizing and engagement at the Annenberg Institute for School Reform.

We were thrilled by the singing, dancing and spoken word performances from Wadleigh Secondary School students. Wadleigh is a school that the Bloomberg administration wanted to close, but the community organized and fought to save. The performance was a shining example of the amazing things happening in our city's public schools. Some of you who were at the conference asked for more information about the books of student writing that Wadleigh has put together. Find out more about this wonderful project by downloading an information sheet »

We're always looking for stories of more wonderful things happening in our public schools. If you know of an outstanding school that you think the public and elected officials should know about, tell the UFT about it using our online form »

I've been hearing reports that many schools are not having monthly safety committee meetings. These meetings should be held every month to address safety-related violations and issues as well as to develop a safety plan specific to your school that is updated annually. The Parent Association or Parent Teacher Association should have a representative at these meetings, so if the meetings aren't happening or don't include a parent representative, speak to your school's UFT chapter leader or principal, or contact me. The school safety plan, which this committee develops, should address what to do when students run out of the school or are habitual disrupters. For more information, read a DOE summary of school safety policies and recent changes » and download the Chancellor's regulation on school safety »

Save the date for the next UFT Manhattan parent committee meetings and workshops. Our next meeting will be on Tuesday, Jan. 12 at 9:30 a.m. and Wednesday, Jan. 13 at 6:30 p.m., and the following meeting will be on Tuesday, Feb. 9 at 9:30 a.m. and again at 6:30 p.m. I will let you know when we have chosen workshop topics. As always, refreshments will be served, and children are welcome.

I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Enjoy the upcoming events, resources and news items below.

Sincerely,

Francine Streich
UFT Parent-Community Liaison

Upcoming events

• Monday, Nov. 23: Come to a hearing on the DOE's efforts to help struggling schools at the Council Chambers at City Hall at 1 p.m. to hear and give feedback on the School Renewal Program. For more details, see the event announcement »

• Tuesday, Dec. 1: Don't forget that the deadline to apply for middle schools and high schools is coming up on Dec. 1. For more information, see the middle school enrollment page » and high school enrollment page »

• Saturday, Dec. 5: Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson invites New Yorkers to get free legal help with outstanding warrants from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Mt. Lebanon Baptist Church, 228 Decatur Street. These "begin again" events have cleared over 1,200 warrants so far. No arrests have been made at a "begin again" event — the goal is to help resolve New York Police Department summons that are dated before Nov. 7, 2015. See the flier »

• Saturday, Dec. 12: Learn about education activism at a parent power school training from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 62 Broadway in Manhattan. This training is being offered by the Coalition for Educational Justice. Lunch, child care and Spanish translation will all be available. RSVP by emailing ncapers@nyccej.org or calling 1-212-328-9254. See the flier »

• Tuesday, Dec. 15: The Volunteer Management Group invites you to a holiday open house to learn about nonprofit and philanthropy careers at University Settlement at the Houston Street Center, 273 Bowery in Manhattan. There will be refreshments, training sessions about nonprofit management and more. See the event listing »

Political news

• One step closer in the Fight for $15: Amidst nationwide demonstrations on a "Fight for 15" day of action On Nov. 10, Gov. Cuomo announced plans to raise the minimum wage to $15/hour for all state employees. About 10,000 state workers, including about 1,000 in New York City, will benefit from the increase, which will be implemented gradually over the next six years. Read the article from the Huffington Post »

• Right wing attacks union's funding model: A case before the U.S. Supreme Court this year, brought by 10 teachers represented by the conservative Center for Individual Rights, could pose the gravest threat to unions in the history of the modern U.S. labor movement. Read the story on UFT.org »

• New York school districts seek waivers on evaluation: Three quarters of school districts in the state have applied for waivers from Gov. Cuomo's new teacher evaluation rules which rely heavily on standardized testing. Read the article on WXXI news »

News you can use

• Department of Education Division of Family and Community Engagement: The Department of Education is reorganizing its structure to improve the relationship between families and educators. Read about the new Division of Family and Community Engagement »

• Job openings at IncludeNYC: IncludeNYC, a non-profit that supports children with disabilities and their families, is hiring a communications design specialist, youth program manager, bilingual intake specialist and family and community educator. For more details and to apply, see the job descriptions »

• Nominate a teacher for a Big Apple award: The Department of Education is accepting nominations for Big Apple awards for outstanding teachers in NYC. Nominate a teacher online now »

• Free SAT tests in all NYC high schools: All public high schools in the city will offer free SAT tests to juniors starting in the 2016-17 school year as part of a new College Access for All initiative. Read the press release from the Department of Education »

• Get support with middle school admissions: Picking the right middle school for your child and navigating the admission process can be tricky. SchoolBook has a resource for parents that can remind you about key dates, highlight materials and help you search for schools. Sign up for SchoolBook's resource »

• Dial-A-Teacher workshops for parents: The UFT Dial-A-Teacher program offers homework help for NYC families. Now, it also offers workshops for Parent Associations, Parent-Teacher Associations and other parent organizations about everything from test-taking tips to at-home activities. Find out more »

• Internships at the United Nations for 7th-graders: The Mayor's Office is inviting 7th-graders to apply for the United Nations junior ambassadors program and learn about diplomacy. Applications are due by Monday, Nov. 30. Learn more and apply online »

• The importance of recess: Research shows that play and physical activity are important for childhood development, but too many schools do not make recess a priority. Read the article from the Huffington Post »