The Unity Scoop – November 22

Dear Unity Families,

I hope the full week was good to you and your loved ones.

We look forward to meeting with all of our families during fall conferences on Monday and Tuesday — see the details below!

In this edition of the Unity Scoop, we honor our latest Core Value leaders. We also spotlight a dance recital, field trips to two of New York City’s cultural institutions, and our student-athlete all-stars. In addition, we highlight two community service events supporting our broader community this holiday season.

Have a terrific weekend!

Josh

Josh Beauregard
Executive Director / Co-founder
Updates as of November 22, 2025:

1. Updated – Fall Family Conferences Are This Coming Week: 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

These meetings are a powerful moment for families and educators to come together, celebrate progress, and chart next steps. Our goal is bold and worthy of our community: that 100% of our students are represented by a family member.

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

2. New – Latinx Dance Performance Showcase at Unity Middle!: This week, our middle school dancers shined in an informal showcase featuring both original student choreography and pieces learned in class. It was a joyful celebration of creativity, culture, and collaboration. Enjoy the accompanying video clip below that captures the energy and spirit of our talented young performers!

3. New – Unity High Students Visit BAM and MOMA!: Unity High students had the opportunity this week to explore two of New York City’s cultural gems.

At the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), students experienced the Next Wave program, which highlights innovative works by groundbreaking artists across dance, music, theater, performance, and visual art.

Meanwhile, at the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), students enjoyed a guided tour of the museum’s permanent collection and explored several current exhibitions, including New Photography 2025. It was an inspiring day that expanded students’ understanding of modern and contemporary art.

4.  New – Unity Student-Athletes Shine at Conference All-Star Games!: This week, we highlight a number of our All-Stars from this fall’s athletic season, including members of our soccer teams and flag football teams!  Enjoy the interview and photos of our student athletes below.

5. New – Your Feedback Empowers Us – Please Take a Moment to Share Your Experiences With Us By Completing our Fall Family Perception Survey: Our purpose as a school is to best serve you and your child. To do that well, we rely on honest feedback from our families. Please take a few minutes to complete one of the surveys below as we kick off the school year. The survey includes questions about communication, engagement, support, school climate, and safety. Responses are anonymous, and your collective feedback will guide our decisions in the months ahead.

As a small thank-you, all families who complete the survey by the December 2^nd deadline will be entered into a raffle for a $100 Amazon gift card.

Thank you in advance for your valuable feedback and for helping us continue to improve.

• Each family has a unique link to complete the survey. Invites were distributed via email yesterday evening.
• Note: in the event that you have children attending both our middle school and high school, please complete the high school survey.

6. New – Kudos to our P.R.I.D.E. Leaders as of the Month of October: Our P.R.I.D.E. Core Values of Progress, Respect for All, Integrity, Discovery, and Empathy represent qualities that we covet as a school community.  They also represent qualities that we believe empower our students to lead fulfilling lives and, therefore, qualities that we have a responsibility to actively teach and positively reinforce.

The students listed below are our leaders from the month of October, being recognized by their teachers for demonstrating our Core Values.  On behalf of our school community, we are proud of these students, and look forward to continuing to shout out all of our students when they demonstrate P.R.I.D.E. in our community.

7. New – Community Thanksgiving Meals Available This Monday, November 24th: We are grateful to share an opportunity from Assembly Member Zinerman’s office to support families this Thanksgiving season. This Monday, November 24th, a Thanksgiving Luncheon for 100 guests will take place from 1–3pm, and 100 to-go meals will also be available for pickup between 10am–12pm.

Given the impact of citywide budget cuts, many families across our community may be experiencing food insecurity. We encourage any Unity family who would benefit from a warm holiday meal to take part. Please see the flyer below for full details.

We thank Assembly Member Zinerman and her team for their continued partnership and support of our community.

8. New – Unity High’ NHS Practical Care Drive!: Unity High’s National Honor Society is leading a Practical Care Drive to support the Bowery Mission. All donated items will be used to assemble practical care kits for neighbors in need. See details below on how you can contribute and make a meaningful impact.

9. Recap – 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!

10. Recap – 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

11. Recap – 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.

12. Recap – 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!

13. Recap – 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.

14. Recap – 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!

15. Recap – 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!

16. Recap – 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.

17. 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.

18. 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.

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!