Dear parents, grandparents and education activists,

Come to our UFT Queens parent workshop on Wednesday, March 16 from 5:45 to 8 p.m. at the UFT Queens borough office, 97-77 Queens Blvd. We will talk about teaching tolerance and respect to children. Light refreshments will be served, and child care will be provided. RSVP by March 7 to Karen Hernandez at 1-718-275-4400. See the flier »

I also want to remind you to sign up for UFT text messaging by texting the word "parent" to the number 30644 and answering the questions that follow. We'll alert you about school cancellations due to weather, political campaigns and breaking news, and we'll even send a text message that links to a copy of your newsletter you can easily read on your mobile phone.

As we approach state budget deadline of April 1, it's critical that we lobby our state Senate and Assembly representatives to allocate more than the $2 billion the state still owes to New York City public schools as part of the 2006 settlement of the Campaign for Fiscal Equity funding lawsuit.

Sign the petition calling on Albany to fully fund city schools »

Take a moment to call your state legislators and ask them to make sure our schools get the funds they so desperately need. 

Look up your state Assembly member »

Look up your state senator »

Enjoy the events, resources and news below.

Sincerely,

Rose Walker-Yates
UFT Parent-Community Liaison

Upcoming events

• Saturday, March 12: Riverbank State Park will hold a free college fair from 12 to 4 p.m. at Riverbank State Park, 145th St. and Riverside Drive in Manhattan. Middle and high school students are welcome to attend to learn about admissions, the SAT exam and financial aid and to hear from representatives of over 60 colleges. See the flier »

• Wednesday, March 16: The New York City Office of Library Services will hold an information session for aspiring librarians from 5 to 7 p.m. in the 7th floor conference room at 333 7th Ave. in Manhattan. Register online now »

• Wednesday, March 23: Come to a parent workshop about Common Core foundational skills in reading for grades K–5 from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at PS 721Q, 57-12 95th St. in Queens. Spanish interpretation will be available, and a light breakfast will be served. See the flier in English and Spanish »

• Thursday, March 31: Parents of adolescents with disabilities are invited to a workshop about teaching students with special needs appropriate behaviors in various environments from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. at PS 721Q, 57-12 94th St. in Queens. Refreshments will be served, and Spanish interpretation will be available. See the flier in English and Spanish »

News and resources

• Free financial counseling near you: The New York City Department of Consumer Affairs invties you to visit one of 7 Financial Empowerment Centers in Queens to get help with handling debt collectors, improving your credit, creating a budget, opening a bank account and more. Counseling is free, confidential and available in multiple languages. To make an appointment, call 311. See the flier in English and Spanish »

• Tax preparation services: Food Bank for New York City offers free tax preparation services for low-income New Yorkers at its financial service center at 65-85 Myrtle Ave. in Queens and at over 16 other tax preparation sites. For more information, see the website »

• Reminder to school leadership team members: If you are the parent representative on your school leadership team, make sure your team meets to review the midpoint benchmarks in your comprehensive educational plan. Any updates or revisions to the plan must be made to the iPlan portal by Tuesday, March 15. If your team needs support, feel free to contact your school or district improvement liaison. Look up your school/district improvement liaison using the DOE portal »

• Learn about career and technical education programs: New York public schools offer career and technical education programs for high school students — hands-on, skills-based learning in fields like health science, mechanics, culinary arts and cosmetology. These offer real work experience and produce graduates ready for the work force. Find out more »

• Kid-friendly museum exhibits: Check out a list of 10 must-see museum exhibits in New York City that kids are sure to love. See the list on Kid101.com »

• Support for people in crisis via text messaging: Crisis Text Line offers free emotional support for people in crisis 24/7 via text messaging. To find out how to get support, or to learn about how you can volunteer, visit the website »

• Get notified about emergency events and NYC services: Notify NYC, New York City's official emergency information service, keeps New Yorkers up-to-date about crises and services in the case of emergencies. To start receiving notifications, enroll online now »

• Information about college for immigrant parents: The New York Immigration Coalition has published a guide for immigrant parents about how to find resources on higher education for your kids. The guide is available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, Bengali and Hatian-Creole. Download the resource for free »

• Free e-books for low-income children: Adults working in libraries, schools, preschools, community after-school programs and other programs that serve low-income children can register children for the Open eBooks app, which offers thousands of best-selling books to low-income children to read for free. Find out more »

• Directory of NYC resources: On NYC.gov, find a directory of public resources on everything from culture and education to how to start a business. See the directory »

• Mayor de Blasio announces free municipal wireless internet: In February, Mayor de Blasio announced the launch of LinkNYC kiosks which provide wireless internet, domestic phone calls, USB charging ports, a tablet for web browsing and emergency services — all for free. With over 7,500 kiosks being installed throughout the five boroughs, this will be the largest WiFi network in the world. Read the story on NYC.gov »

Jobs and internships

• Summer internships and seasonal jobs: New York City Council Member Fernando Cabrera's blog has assembled a list of summer internships and seasonal jobs that are accepting applications. Find out more »

• Job openings for NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene: The city's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is launching a huge mental health initiative called ThriveNYC and has job openings in community engagement, nursing, research and more. Explore the job listings online »

• Summer judicial internship program for high school students: 10th- and 11th-graders are invited to apply for the Sonia and Celina Sotamayor judicial internship program. The internship runs from July 5 to 29 and includes workshops and mentorship with a state or federal judge. The application deadline is Friday, March 18. For more information and to download an application, see the website »