The Unity Scoop – November 16

Dear Unity Families,

I hope that the weekend is treating you and your loved ones well and congratulations on rounding out a short but bustling work week!

We’re looking forward to a full five days of learning next week before meeting with you during Fall Family Conferences and heading into a well-deserved and joyful holiday break.

A friendly reminder: if you haven’t yet scheduled your conference, please do so as soon as possible. Conferences are a meaningful opportunity to connect with your child’s teachers, share insights, and partner together to support your child’s success—both at school and at home. We can’t wait to make the most of these conversations with you!

This week, we celebrate our October Students of the Month and those with perfect attendance! We’re also launching new initiatives like our in-school food pantry, free eye exams, and the UnityConnect Referral Program for families. Plus, check out highlights from Spirit Week, a Unity High dance field trip, and updates from our Family Ambassadors Meeting. Don’t miss Principal Terry’s Family Chat on Tuesday and upcoming December festivities at Unity High!

Best wishes in the week ahead.

Warmly,

Josh

Josh Beauregard
Executive Director / Co-founder
Updates as of November 16, 2025:

1. New – Congrats to Unity’s Students of the Month!:  Kudos to our Students of the Month from October!  We celebrate these students for showing exemplary scholarship and citizenship!

2. New – Unity’s In-School Food Pantry Is Here for You!

Our in-school food pantry is open and available to all Unity families—across every grade level. Families are welcome to stop by to pick up groceries, snacks, and essential items—no questions asked.  Together, we’re making sure every member of our Unity community has what they need.

• Location: Unity Middle School, 432 Monroe Street
• Hours: See details below
• Contact: Mr. Beckford with any questions

3. New – Free Eye Exams for Unity Middle Students – November 21st!: Unity Middle School students will have the opportunity to receive free eye exams on Thursday, November 21st! This is a wonderful chance to ensure every scholar can see—and learn—their very best.

Please see the details below, including a QR code for registration and contact information for any questions. Don’t miss this valuable service for our students!

4. New – High School Fall Spirit Week Brought the Festivities!: Unity High celebrated its Fall Spirit Week and Annual Hallowsfest Extravaganza this past week and the energy was incredible! See the photos below of our students and staff showing their spirit on Twin Day and Red Flags and White Lies.

5. New – Unity High Dance Students Shine at Streb, Inc!: Our dance students recently visited Streb, Inc. for an unforgettable experience – a private show and demonstration followed by a PopAction class led by Streb’s own artists!

They even had the incredible opportunity to meet Elizabeth Streb herself — a true legend in the world of movement and performance. Our students represented Unity beautifully and had an amazing time learning, performing, and connecting through the art of dance.  Thank you to Ms. Fontenot for making the trip possible!

6. New – UnityConnect Referral Program is Here!: Help our small and mighty Unity family grow — and earn rewards while you do!  When you refer a new family who applies for the 2026–27 school year, you’ll earn Unity Connector Rewards like Unity swag, gift cards, and special recognition at Unity events.

Your voice matters — share your Unity experience with friends, neighbors, and families from your child’s former school community. Together, we’ll help more students belong, believe, and become!

Learn more about the program with our UnityConnect one-pager here and submit your referrals here.

7. New – Thank you, Families, for Taking Part in our Recent Family Ambassadors Meeting!: We’re so grateful to all of the families who joined us for our recent Family Ambassadors Meeting. As always, the gathering was productive, energizing, and filled with great conversation and community spirit!

You can find the meeting agenda and slides linked here. We look forward to seeing everyone at our next meeting on Thursday, December 4th!

8. New – Join Middle School Principal Terry for Our Next Family Chat, Tuesday, November 18th at 10am (432 Monroe St.):! We’re excited to invite all Unity families to our next in-person Family Chat with Middle School Principal Terry — a relaxed opportunity to connect, share updates, and hear directly from you.  Discussion items during the chat include:

• How to support scholars as they prepare for IA Exams
• Our academic goals for the year
• Student culture and community building
• Health and wellness initiatives at Unity
• Supporting families during times of uncertainty
• Upcoming events and ways to get involved

We hope you’ll join Principal Terry and the Unity team for good conversation, light refreshments, and community connection!

9. New – Unity High Gets Ready for a Festive December!: The holiday spirit is in the air at Unity High! Here’s a sneak peek at some of the exciting festivities and celebrations we have planned for our community this December. Stay tuned for more details in the weeks ahead — it’s going to be a joyful finish to the year!

10. New – Unity’s School Safety Plan — We Welcome Your Feedback!: Unity’s draft District-Wide School Safety Plan for the 2025–26 school year is now available for review. We invite all Unity families to take a look and share feedback on this important document, which helps guide how we keep our community safe and prepared.  You can view the plan here. If you have any comments or suggestions, please email Chris Doscher at cdoscher@unityprep.org by December 14, 2025.

11. Recap – Celebrating Unity’s Newest National Junior Honor Society and National Honor Society Members!: Unity’s chapters of the NJHS and NHS are growing, and this week we proudly welcomed our newest members at our Induction Ceremony. It was a wonderful evening honoring students for their scholarship, service, leadership, and character. Congratulations to all inductees and heartfelt thanks to the families and supporters who joined us for this special celebration!

12. Recap – Fall Family Conferences Are Just a Week Away: November 24–25!: Our first round of Fall Family Conferences is around the corner, and we can’t wait to connect with you!

Conference Schedule:
• Monday, 11/24 in person from 4-7pm
• Tuesday, 11/25 on Zoom from 3-6pm

Advisors and staff have already begun reaching out to book appointments. These meetings are a powerful moment for families and educators to come together, celebrate progress, and chart next steps. Our ambition is bold and worthy of our community: 100% of our students represented by a family member.

We look forward to partnering with you and lifting up our students’ growth together.

13. Recap – Congratulations to Our October i-Ready Challenge Winners!: We are excited to recognize the winners of our October i-Ready Challenge! Throughout the month, students demonstrated #progress and #integrity as they worked to strengthen their academic skills. All students who completed 80 minutes or more of i-Ready practice in October will be recognized on our 7th-grade hallway bulletin board—stop by to see our hardworking learners being celebrated!

14. Recap – Perfect Attendance in October!: The following lengthy list of students demonstrated a strong and consistent dedication to their education by showing stellar attendance this past month.  Kudos to these students – we love seeing you each and every day!  And, of course, we look forward to celebrating additional students at the end of this month!

15. Recap – November 2025 Schoolwide Calendar: For your family’s convenience, here is a schoolwide calendar of events for the month of November – print it out and throw it on the refrigerator door!  It is possible that events could change and new events could be added.  An up-to-date events calendar can always be accessed on our website.

16. Updated – Unity Prep Soccer Game at Sports Illustrated Stadium — A Fantastic Community Event!: Our Unity community recently came together for an unforgettable soccer game at Sports Illustrated Stadium (also known as Red Bulls Stadium). Families, students, and supporters filled the stands to cheer on our players and celebrate Unity pride in a big way.  Enjoy the photos below capturing the energy, teamwork, and excitement of the day!

17. Recap – Attention Unity Students in Grades 8-11 – Apply Now for a Paid Internship with the Brooklyn Botanic Garden: The Brooklyn Botanic Garden is now recruiting students in grades 8–11 for the 2026 Garden Apprentice Program (GAP) at Brooklyn Botanic Garden. GAP is a great way for teens to get paid to learn about urban agriculture, science, and the environment while working in one of the most exciting public gardens in the world!

More information is available online at bbg.org/gap.  Additional details include:

BBG Garden Apprentices:

            •           Earn a monetary award after apprenticeship (Tier 1: $600, Tier 2: $700, Tier 3: $800).

•           Work their way up the program to become paid staff as a Tier 4.

•           Learn about botany and environmentalism through hands-on lessons.

•           Grow and harvest fruits, vegetables, and herbs in the Children’s Garden.

•           Facilitate lessons to teach children about plants.

•           Explore Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s amazing plant collections.

•           Develop job skills, including teamwork, communication, and leadership.

Apprentices make a nine-month commitment to GAP, from March to November, which includes spring training, summer programming, and a weekly commitment after school or on weekends throughout the academic year.

Visit bbg.org/gap for applications, photos, a detailed program calendar, and answers to frequently asked questions. Applications are due December 5th.

18. Recap – Unity’s Annual Canned Food Drive!: Unity is proud to partner with City Harvest to collect non-perishable food items through November 17th. Every donation—big or small—will help support local families in need and remind us of the power of kindness and community.

Students who contribute will also earn Panther Pride Points for showing Empathy and making a difference in the lives of others.

19. Recap – Urban Advantage Family Science Days: Free Museum Admission for Unity Middle Families!: Through Unity’s partnership with Urban Advantage (UA), students in grades 6–8 and their families can enjoy free admission to some of New York City’s premiere museums and institutions.  Vouchers will be handed out to students in their science classes next week. Each voucher provides free entrance for our Unity scientists plus three guests.

20. Recap – Unity’s 2025-26 Student & Family Handbook is Available Here!:

21. Recap – 2025-26 School Year Calendar of Key Events and Vacations for Families: Calendars for the 2025-26 school year are available below. Note that we have two versions this year – one version for our middle school (grades 6-8) and another version for our high school (grades 9-12).

• Grades 6-8 2025-26 School Calendar of Key Events and Vacations for Families
• Grades 9-12 2025-26 School Calendar of Key Events and Vacations for Families

22. Recap – Help Us Welcome New Panthers to Unity Prep!: Unity has a few limited seats available for the 2025–26 school year – and we’re looking to fill them with amazing families like yours!

Finding the right school can be a big decision, and our current families are our best ambassadors. If you know a family who would thrive in our small, caring, college-prep community, please connect them with Mr. Beckford via email or (862) 294-0219.

As a thank-you, both your family and the new family will receive a $100 Amazon gift card for school supplies when they enroll. Let’s keep building our small and mighty community—one Panther at a time!

23. Recap – Join our New Unity Prep Instagram (IG) Account Today!: We recently launched our new grades 6-12 IG account to bring our entire community together – @unityprepcharterschool.  Don’t miss out – follow us now!