The Unity Scoop – November 25

Dear Unity Families,

Thank you for participating in conferences last night and today. We deeply value the opportunity to connect with you and discuss your child’s progress and experiences at Unity. Your partnership and support are essential to their growth and success, and we are grateful for your time and engagement.  Thank you for being such an integral part of the Unity community!

On behalf of Unity’s staff and faculty, I wish all of our families a delightful Thanksgiving holiday.  We are immensely grateful to you for supporting your children at home to be their best at school every day.  We look forward to our continued collaboration over the coming months and school year.

In this edition of The Unity Scoop, we highlight recent family conferences, share our first week of the December calendar, and celebrate our November i-Ready Challenge winners. We’re also excited to introduce a new opportunity to help others through our Winter Coat Drive.

Take a moment to appreciate the abundance of opportunities for lending a hand to others in need for our community this holiday season. It’s truly heartwarming and speaks to the deep care we show for one another.

The next edition of The Scoop will be disseminated on December 5th.

Josh

Josh Beauregard
Executive Director / Co-founder
Updates as of November 25, 2025:

1. Updated – Thank You for a Successful Fall Family Conference!: Thank you to all of our families who participated in our first round of Fall Family Conferences! Your engagement and partnership meant so much to us. These meetings were a powerful opportunity to come together, celebrate student progress, and chart next steps.

Thank you for showing up for your children and for continuing to lift up their growth alongside us.

2. New – December 2025 Schoolwide Calendar: For your family’s convenience, here is a schoolwide calendar of events for the first week of December.  A full calendar for the month will be available in the next edition.

3. Updated – Congratulations to Our November i-Ready Challenge Winners!: We are excited to recognize the winners of our November 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 November will be recognized on our 7th-grade hallway bulletin board—stop by to see our hardworking learners being celebrated!

Congratulations to all students highlighted below—we look forward to recognizing our December winners in just a few weeks!

Congratulations to our Top Students for Reading Practice

6th Grade: Rabies Islam, 229 minutes

8th Grade: Chelsea Grant, 197 minutes

Congratulations to our Top Students for Math Practice

6th Grade: K’Lynn-Monae Holdon, 188 minutes

7th Grade: Taylor Tibbs, 262 minutes

4. New – Unity’s Winter Coat Drive: December 1–18!; We’re collecting new and gently used coats to support students and families in our community as the weather turns colder. If you’re able, please consider donating — every contribution helps keep someone warm this winter. See the flier below for additional details, and thank you in advance for your generosity!

5. Recap – 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!

6. Recap – 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.

7. Recap – 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.

8. Recap – 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.

9. Recap – 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.

10. Recap – 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.

11. 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

12. 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.

13. 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!

14. 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.

15. 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.

16. 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.

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

18. 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

19. 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!

20. 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!