Dear parents, grandparents and education activists,

I want to thank those of you who joined us on Nov. 21 for the UFT Queens parent conference. More than 400 parents and community activists turned out for an amazing day of networking, informative workshops and raffle prizes.

See more photos from the conference »

We are showcasing all the wonderful schools and educators in New York City public schools.

Read four great stories »

We're always looking for stories about wonderful things happening in our public schools. If you know of an outstanding school or educator that we should celebrate, tell the UFT about it using our online form »

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

Sincerely,

Rose Walker-Yates
UFT Parent-Community Liaison

Upcoming events

• Saturday, Dec. 5: There will be free parent workshops, children's activities, school-supply giveaways and refreshments at PS 270, 233-15 Merrick Blvd. in Queens from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. this Saturday. Preregister by contacting Mrs. Camille at 1-718-341-5408 or cec29@schools.nyc.gov. For more details, see the flier »

• 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 »

• Sunday, Dec. 6: Come to a winter solstice celebration and tree lighting at the Queens Botanical Garden in Flushing from 12:30 to 5 p.m. Enjoy musical performances, photos with Santa, a garden tour and more. See the event listing »

• 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 »

• Saturday, Jan. 30: Come to a free UFT men in education symposium featuring workshops on mentoring, fatherhood and more. This event will run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at UFT headquarters, 52 Broadway. Breakfast and lunch will be served. RSVP online now »

Take Action

• A historic chance to fix federal education law: The House of Representatives on Dec. 2 passed the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015, a bill that to fix the problems created by the No Child Left Behind Act, which turned our classrooms into test-prep factories. The U.S. Senate will vote on the bill next week. Email your Senators now to say vote “YES” »

News you can use

• Advocate for art education in your child's school: The Center for Arts Education has created a tool kit for parents who want to advocate for more and better arts education in their child's school. Read and download the tool kit online »

• DOE's 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 New York City 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 »

• 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 »