NEW- Connect & Share Panel Discussion: Building an Equitable Classroom Community: August 26, 4:30PM
Join us for an educator-led panel discussion and hear from your colleagues about what’s working in their own classrooms and schools. Connect with peers from across BPS, get new ideas, and earn PD hours as well. RSVP here; other sessions are coming in September and October.

NEW- Boston Teachers Union Intent to Retire Fair: August 27, 9:00AM – 1:00PM
The Retirement Board will be present at the Boston Teachers Union hall to help members planning to retire before October 31, 2021 file their intent to retire package. See more information and sign up here.

Back to School Fair! September 23 – 25
Join us for the 8th annual BTU Back to School Fair, where we’ll be distributing over 40,000 free books for BPS families. Sign up to volunteer sorting books here! Book distribution dates are TBA. You can register for book distribution here. All attendees must wear masks and gloves. The fair will be scaled down this year without the usual activities, food and resource fair due to COVID-19.

Donate to & Share Unafraid Scholarship Fundraiser
Hundreds of immigrants from all over the world graduate from the Boston Public Schools each year, but many face a huge obstacle: if they’re undocumented, they don’t qualify for federal financial aid. Since its inception in 2017, the Unafraid Scholarship has awarded $230,000 to 80 deserving BPS graduates. Help us support this year’s 49 applicants by donating and sharing the fundraisers on social media!

NEW- Homework Helper Program Hiring
The BTU is looking to hire three BTU members to provide Homework Help for students grades K1 – 8. There are three vacancies available; Copley Wednesday 4 – 6, Chinatown Monday 4 – 6 and West End Thursday 4 – 6. If you are interested or would like additional information, please contact Brenda Chaney.

NEW- Join or Support BTU Against Breast Cancer
The BTU just joined the American Cancer Society “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer” event happening this October! Join the team or support the BTU Walkers with a donation here.

NEW- Support Mather Educators Raising Money for Field Trips
Please consider donating to the GoFundMe of two Mather educators, Hong and Mike, who are raising money to put toward field trips!

NEW- BTU Sick Leave Donation Program: Enrollment Closing October 1
If you currently meet the eligibility requirements to become a  member of the BTU sick leave donation program and would like to join, please Navigate to ess.boston.gov > select the “BPS Sick Bank Donation” tile  > read and acknowledge the terms and conditions > click submit. You will receive a confirmation notice if you are enrolled, and 1 sick day will be deducted from your accrued balance.

NEW- BPS Support Resources
For staff members in need of support regarding any recent events, from the earthquake in Haiti to the turmoil in Afghanistan, The Office of Recruitment, Cultivation & Diversity Programs is available to host sessions for colleagues who desire a space to process. You can contact them at diversityprograms@bostonpublicschools.org.

Boston City Council Endorsements
We are happy to announce that our full list of endorsed candidates for the Boston City Council is now available on our website.

NEW- Join BTU Electoral Action Team
If you would like to be a point person for our BEAT (BTU Electoral Action Team), please email Political Director Johnny McInnis or call 617-433-0488.

NEW- Volunteer to Canvass for City Council Candidates
The BTU’s fight for a better contract will require us to have strong allies in City Hall. See here for a full list of BTU-endorsed candidates, and here for information on canvassing for the most competitive elections. Email Roberto Jimenez to let him know you’ve signed up, or to ask any questions.

AFT/BTU Teacher Leader Program – Stipended Fellowship Opportunity
Take your activism to the next level in our year-long AFT/BTU policy fellowship program.  In this program, you meet policy makers, learn how to conduct research, and use it to take action on policies that matter to you, your students, our schools and our community. This fellowship has a $1500 stipend meets on 8 Saturdays across the year beginning in October with specific dates TBD. Apply now! (Open to ALL BTU members including paraprofessionals, nurses, related service providers, and ABAs)

First Book Promotion
For a limited time, First Book members working in Boston and the surrounding areas can use promo code BTUBOOKTRUCK2021 to order $25 worth of brand new books and resources from the First Book Marketplace for free.

NEW- Enter to Win a Free Course from Teachers as Scholars
We are happy to renew our partnership with Teachers as Scholars, which provides BTU members an opportunity to learn from leading scholars in their fields. This year we are able to offer BTU members up to 30 full scholarships. If you are interested in attending a course, please review the lineup of courses, and then enter the drawing.  Winners will be selected at random in September.  Important note: Many of the seminars take place during the school day. Should you enroll in one of these courses, you will need to make appropriate arrangements to be available to attend.

Serve as a CURATE Panelist!
CURATE (Curriculum Ratings by Teachers) convenes panels of MA teachers to evaluate and rate instructional materials to support district and school decision-making. Panelists will receive a stipend for their participation. Learn more about CURATE and apply now!Teachers of color are highly encouraged to apply.

New Season of Teachers on Teaching Podcast
Check out the latest episodes of our Teachers on Teaching Podcast where we hear from Kennedy Omolo of CASH and Lea Serena of the Mather about their experiences in this unprecedented year, and how they draw upon their core motivations for teaching to make it through. Episodes on our website, or subscribe and play on iTunes.

Join the 2021-2022 INSPIRE Math Coaching & Leadership Fellowship!
The INSPIRE-Math Fellowship is a partnership between the MIT Teaching Systems Lab and the Boston Public Schools focuses on creating and fostering more equitable mathematics practices in classrooms. They offer a transformative learning experience for coaches and math instructional leaders by embedding digital simulations into learning cycles for professional learning. The application can be found on their website. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until August 30, 2021.