Dear parents, grandparents and education activists,

We had a wonderful Manhattan parent conference on Oct. 15. Some 500 parents and education activists joined us. Thank you to everyone who made the conference such a success. See more photos from the conference »

Join the UFT and the Lunch for Learning campaign on the steps of City Hall on Wednesday, Nov. 16 at 4 p.m. to ask Mayor de Blasio to keep his promise of free lunch for all public school students regardless of income. Children are welcome. See the flier »

You can also show your support by signing the petition »

And of course, don't forget to vote on Nov. 8. Find your polling place »

I want to remind you to sign up for UFT text messages by texting the word "PARENT" to 30644. We'll send you updates about things like school closings and delays. We'll also send you a copy of this newsletter that you can easily read on your mobile phone. You can also sign up for text messaging using this online form »

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

Sincerely,

Francine Streich
UFT Parent-Community Liaison

Upcoming events

• Saturday, Oct. 29: Middle school students and parents should check out the career and technical education high school fair from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at George Westinghouse High School, 105 Johnson St. in Brooklyn. Learn about high school programs in finance, construction, health care and more. For more details, see the career and technical education website »

• Thursday, Nov. 3: The Center for Law and Social Justice of Medgar Evers College invites parents to a free workshop about parents' rights in the Administration for Children's Services/Child Welfare System from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at 1534 Bedford Ave. in Brooklyn on the 2nd floor. Refreshments will be served, and child care is available to those who preregister. This is part of a series of free workshops about parents' rights. For more information and to RSVP, email letsbereal07@gmail.com or call 917-756-6417.

• Thursday, Nov. 3: AHRC of New York City, which advocates for people with developmental disabilities, will offer a free workshop about digital advocacy for disability rights from 6 to 8 p.m. at 83 Maiden Lane in Lower Manhattan. For more information and to register, see the event listing »

• Monday, Nov. 14: If your child has a disability and is graduating from elementary school this year, come to an informational event with the Citywide Council on Special Education and learn about your enrollment and services options from district representatives and representatives from the Department of Education Office of Special Education. This event will run from 6 to 8 p.m. at PS/IS 384, 242 Cooper St. in Brooklyn. To RSVP, call 718-391-8354. See the flier in English » or in Spanish »

• Tuesday, Nov. 22: The New School invites parents to a presentation about how NYC children are faring and how city agencies can best support them from 10 a.m. to noon at Tishman Auditorium at 63 5th Ave. in Manhattan. For more information and to register, see the event listing »

• Wednesday, Nov. 30: The Center for New York City Affairs will make a presentation about how to better integrate NYC elementary schools from 9 to 11 a.m. at the New School's Theresa Lang Community and Student Center at 55 W. 13th St. For more information and to register, see the event listing »

• Friday, Dec. 2: The Department of Education invites NYC schools to its 6th Annual Inclusive Education Student Summit from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the CUNY Graduate Center, 365 5th Ave. in Manhattan. Participating schools will designate two to five students with and without disabilities to serve as Inclusion Ambassadors and bring what they learn about inclusion and accessibility at the summit back to their schools. For more information, see the event listing »

Political action

• Sign the petition asking the next president to support educational justice: The Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools has written a powerful letter to the next president and U.S. secretary of education calling on them to increase funding for public schools, hold charter schools accountable and more. Read the letter and sign the petition »

• Thank the NAACP for their stance on charter schools: The NAACP created a resolution calling for a moratorium on charter schools and better accountability. The NAACP's is a powerful voice standing up for educational opportunity for all public schoolchildren. Send an email to thank the NAACP »

• Report says too much state money is going to hedge funds: A new report from the New York State Department of Financial Services faults State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli for paying excessive fees to hedge funds that manage state pension funds. Read the report »

News you can use

• DOE announces new elementary school admissions events: Starting this November, there will be informational events about elementary school admissions in every district. These "It's Elementary!" events used to be offered in each borough and are now district-specific. They'll also offer on-site application help and information about Gifted and Talented programs. Read more and find the event near you »

• Resources for immigrants: There are many public services that all New Yorkers, regardless of immigration status, are entitled to. The Mayor's Office has released a resource guide to these services for immigrants living in New York City. Download it in English », Spanish » or Chinese »

• UFT Dial-A-Teacher workshops for parent-teacher associations: The UFT's Dial-A-Teacher program, which runs a homework helpline for NYC students, also offers workshops to parent-teacher associations on test-taking tips, practicing math at home and more. To have representatives from the UFT's Dial-A-Teacher program visit your parent-teacher association and give a free workshop, simply fill out the request form and return it to Anthony Harmon at UFT headquarters, 52 Broadway, New York, NY 10004. Download the workshop request form »