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Staten Island Parent Newsletter - November 2019

News Stories
Two women working with kids on project
Erica Berger

Carolina Mendez (seated, center) and her children work on an art project with the help of instructor Melanie Sepulveda, a teacher at IS 27.

Dear parents, grandparents, guardians and education activists,

We had a wonderful 10th anniversary Staten Island parent conference on Nov. 2. I want to thank everyone who joined us for making the event such a success, and I hope to see you at more UFT events soon. See more photos from the Staten Island parent conference »

Have a very happy Thanksgiving!

Sincerely,

Marie Rodriguez
UFT Parent-Community Liaison
mrodriguez@uft.org

Upcoming events

  • Saturday, Nov. 23: Public Health Solutions' NYC Smoke-Free will host Vape Escape: An Escape Room Experience from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for teens, with a parent session from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., at Camelot Youth Clubhouse, 1268 Forest Ave. Learn more and register »
  • Tuesday, Nov. 26: There will be a free Disability Ally Training from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at The New York Foundling, 119 Tompkins Ave. Learn how to better understand and work with people with disabilities. To register, email aisha.khan@NYFoundling.org.
  • Thursday, Dec. 12: Thrive NYC will host a mental health first-aid training from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at The New York Foundling, 119 Tompkins Ave. This free course will help you identify signs of anxiety, depression and other mental illnesses and teach you how to respond. Register online »

Take action

  • Census grants and organizing: Help get out the word about the 2020 Census! The Census will "determine how hundreds of billions of federal dollars are distributed for basic services, including for hospitals, schools, roads, affordable housing, nutrition programs and more," according to City Council Speaker Corey Johnson. That's why there's a massive effort underway to make every New Yorker count.

    The New York City Complete Count Fund is allocating $19 million in grants for community efforts to educate and mobilize around the 2020 Census. Find out more »

    The city is also looking for volunteer Census ambassadors to do community outreach and improve the city's response rate. Find out more »
  • Tell the DOE not to share your contact information: The UFT worked with parent activists to win parents the right to protect their children's privacy. Now, if you don't want charter schools to have your mailing address, name, child's name and child's grade level, you can withhold this information. In December, schools will send home a paper opt-out form you can fill out and return to your child's school. You also can opt out by filling out an online form. You'll need your child's student ID number. If you don't have your child's student ID number, you can call your child's school to get it. Fill out the online opt-out form »
  • Help the effort to have a full-time counselor in every elementary school: Most public elementary schools in the city have a school counselor only part time or don't have a counselor at all. If you want to be part of a UFT campaign to get a full-time school counselor in every elementary school to assist with bullying, anxiety, concerns about school work or other issues, please fill out the UFT’s short survey and sign up for the campaign. Take the survey »
  • Get a free anti-bullying workshop from the UFT: The UFT BRAVE Campaign offers many anti-bullying resources to parents, students and educators. Those resources include free anti-bullying workshops for PTAs, students or staff. Request a BRAVE workshop now »

Opportunities

  • Apply for scholarship money from the UFT: The UFT invites students to apply for the Armando Blasse Scholarship, spearheaded by the UFT African Heritage Committee. High school students are eligible to earn a $1,000 college scholarship. Elementary and middle school students can win funding for their schools. Applications must include a letter of recommendation, an essay and, for high school students, a report card. The deadline is Friday, Jan. 10. Download the application »
  • Apply for a job with the U.S. Census Bureau: The U.S. Census Bureau is looking for employees to assist with the 2020 Census count, including Census takers making $25 per hour. These are temporary jobs with flexible hours. Learn more and apply »
  • College help for undocumented students: The New York State Dream Act allows undocumented and immigrant students to apply for state-funded financial aid and in-state tuition at SUNY and CUNY schools. To learn about eligibility and how to apply, see the flier in English and Spanish »
  • Summer law internship for high school students: The Thurgood Marshall Summer Law Internship Program is accepting applications from public high school students until Friday, Jan. 3, for its paid summer law internships. Learn more and apply »
Related Topics: Parent News