What’s a teacher to do when students are focused on their cellphones instead of the day’s lesson?

“It has always been my firm belief that little hands can make a big difference in the world,” says Nicholas Taranto, the media teacher at PS/IS 235 in Flatbush, Brooklyn.

This is the Dec. 16 issue of the Brooklyn parent newsletter.

Hundreds of parents turned out to PS 141 on a Saturday for the special 10th anniversary Brooklyn parent conference, where they attended workshops about parent advocacy, health and self-care, student performances, networking, entertainment and camaraderie.

This is the Nov. 20 issue of the Brooklyn parent newsletter.

UFT members and guests celebrated the African American holiday of Kwanzaa at the union’s Brooklyn borough office on Dec. 19. Kwanzaa — a non-denominational celebration that lasts for a week, from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1 — combines customs from several cultures and enables African Americans to connect with and honor their heritage and culture.

UFT President Michael Mulgrew met with educators at John Dewey HS in Gravesend, Brooklyn, to update them on political and educational news and to learn about the school’s innovative programs.

Since Franklin D. Roosevelt HS in Brooklyn reopened in March for in-person learning, school counselors have been stationed in the lobby so they are more visible to students.

The UFT endorses Jo Anne Simon for the Office of Brooklyn Borough President and Dweynie Esther Paul-Dorsainvil to serve as a judge on Brooklyn’s Surrogate Court.