Parents in Queens and on Staten Island joined the UFT’s parent conferences in their boroughs on Nov. 5 to learn how New York City public school educators are helping their kids succeed.

At the 18th annual Better Speech and Hearing Month Celebration on May 30 at Shanker Hall, members of the UFT’s Speech Improvement Chapter and their students were honored for exceptional projects completed in speech therapy this year. The 32 projects displayed the wide variety of therapies that speech language teachers provide.

About 500 people attended the 58th annual Retired Teachers Chapter Luncheon on May 30 at the New York Hilton Midtown, where they recognized 13 fellow retirees with awards for their activism and congratulated a retired Queens teacher who turned 100. The attendees were encouraged to stay involved and “speak into the future” as advocates.

About 300 UFT members from academic high schools gathered at UFT headquarters on May 31 to enjoy “A Night to Remember.” They celebrated 10 Team High School honorees and 26 individual award winners and enjoyed a prom for adults.

Members of the UFT Jewish Heritage Committee gathered with family and friends on April 18 at the UFT Brooklyn borough office to celebrate Passover with a labor-rights-themed seder.

At the Federation of Nurses/UFT’s annual awards dinner on May 9, more than 200 nurses and their guests celebrated 21 honorees for their exemplary dedication to patient care and union service. The Federation of Nurses/UFT has chalked up some hard-fought contract and arbitration wins in recent months, and members took the opportunity to cheer those colleagues who have been instrumental in protecting patient safety and labor rights.

The UFT School Nurses Chapter celebrated its members at the union’s annual School Nurses Appreciation Dinner at UFT headquarters on May 8, National School Nurse Day. “I make it my business to go all out on National School Nurse Day,” said School Nurses Chapter Leader Cynthia Bennett, who organizes the dinner every year. “The nurses are hidden figures in our schools.”

More than 500 family child care providers and their guests filled Shanker Hall at union headquarters for the 11th annual Provider Appreciation Awards Ceremony on May 10. During the ceremony, more than 50 members were honored for providing exemplary service to the young children and families of New York City.

The artwork of 23 UFT members — both active and retired — were on display at the New York City Art Teachers Association/UFT’s Dreams Art Show on May 10 at the Bernie Wohl Center in Manhattan.

The union’s signature education conference of the year was a fun and inspiring day for more than 1,000  UFT members. The event featured a morning town hall on the new phonics-based literacy curricula, a CTLE exhibit fair, workshops, entertainment by hip-hop legend Grandmaster Dee of Whodini fame and a gala luncheon headlined by First Lady Jill Biden.