Register for the Conference:
2020 Winter + Parent2Parent Conference
Please plan to join us from 8:00 AM to 3:30 PM on Saturday, February 29 for the 6th Annual BTU Winter Conference, open to all interested BTU members and Boston Public School Families. Makeup date due to snow is March 7.
This conference will feature workshops on many interesting topics. Schools are encouraged to attend as teams. Breakfast and registration will begin at 8 AM. Lunch will be served, and childcare will be provided to registered attendees.
There will be a Resource Fair from 12:00 - 2:00 PM with information about childcare, summercamp, employment, housing, healthcare, books and more!
Morning workshops for educators include:
- Contract 101: Do you have questions about our rights under the Contract?
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BTU field reps will share information about the following topics: class size, excessing/program areas, para assignment, and inclusion, as well as address other issues important to you.
- Organizing at your School Site: Learn about how to collectively address issues at your School Site.
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Understand how to tackle workplace problems that are a violation of the Contract, as well as how to organize to make change even when the problem is outside of the contract. We’ll talk about how to turn an issue into a campaign, turn up the heat, and make the changes you want to see.
- Beyond Contract Campaigns
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Hear from leaders of different BTU committees on the successes and challenges from their campaigns and learn how you and others at your school site can get involved in these fights for social justice.
- How to be an Anti-Racist: where do you stand?
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Let’s unpack race and racism. How do these things show up in our union, at our school site and in us? This session creates space for a deeper dive into what challenges and needs we face and what we can do about them, together.
The Parent2Parent part of the conference begins at 11:30 AM with lunch and a Resource Fair, followed by afternoon workshops which are for both parents and educators.
Afternoon workshops for all include:
- Parenting and Education across cultures
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Families and educators will learn to partner with one another across cultures to promote a successful educational experience.
- Demystifying IEPs and Special Education
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This workshop is aimed at helping families understand what special education and the IEP process are all about, and why it is so important that families be involved.
- Parent-teacher partnerships for strengths-based IEPS
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This workshop will provide educators and families with concrete tools to create strengths-based IEPs and partner to best support students.
- Supporting English Language Learners
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Families and Educators will learn strategies to bridge communication between school and home and accelerate language development for English Language Learners/ Newcomers.
- Candid Conversations: Families and Educators Together
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Educators and families will engage in honest conversation to unite them in sharing great ideas, learning from one another, and working together to support kids.
- Engaging Latinx Families
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Explore how schools can engage parents in meaningful and authentic ways to build community and empower Latinx voices.
- Understanding the BPS Budget and what you can do about it
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This workshop will break down the BPS budget process, dig into why some schools win and some schools lose, and build collective power to ensure that every school is fully funded.
- Natural Allies: Hope and Possibility in Teacher-Family Partnerships
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Soo Hong will share lessons learned from her Natural Allies book project in an interactive workshop that helps teachers and parents reimagine how they communicate with each other.
