Dear Families of Unity,

Happy Friday afternoon to you, and congratulations on supporting our students in their first full week of school for 2023-24!

In continuing the strength of this support, there are four things that I kindly ask you to engage in at home and over this coming week:

1. Ask your child about their school day and week, and more generally, how things are going.  If our team can be helpful to your child in ensuring that they are enjoying their school experience, please reach out to help.ms@unityprep.org or help.hs@unityprep.org or your child’s advisor.
2. Take a moment to check Jupiter for the latest information regarding your child’s progress.  If you are unfamiliar with how to log into Jupiter, here is a brief video tutorial.  And if you have questions about your child’s specific information in Jupiter, email your child’s advisor for support.
3. Establish a designated space and routine at home for your child to complete any homework or practice the skills they are learning in school.  Establishing routines early will reap dividends over the school year and cultivate sound study habits that will benefit your child at Unity and beyond.
4. Attend your child’s Back-to-School Night Session this coming week.  These in-person events are an extremely valuable part of our collaboration, as families learn about curricula, academic programming, and what your child will be learning this year.  Details on dates and times are featured below; you should have also received details  of the event via email and text.  The expectation is that 100% of families participate.

Kudos to you in advance for engaging in these four things and for getting off to a strong start to the school year!

In this edition of the Unity Scoop, we congratulate our students for a number of milestones, including: receiving highly competitive internships, trying out for fall athletic teams, and the completion of Star exams (gauging reading and math skills as of the beginning of the school year)!  We also recap a host of information that was included in recent Scoop editions that are still helpful to families and relevant.  Please take a minute to review to ensure that you are fully informed on all things Unity in the coming week.

Enjoy the weekend!

In Unity,

Josh

Josh Beauregard

Head of School / Co-founder

Updates as of September 15, 2023:

1. New – Unity’s Back-to-School Night for Families this Coming Week: During this in-person event, family members will meet their child’s educators and learn about curricula and academic programming. We will also discuss ways in which parents and families can access student information systems and support their students’ academic success in the school year ahead. We look forward to seeing you there – see the middle school and high school flyers below!

Grades 9-12, Wednesday, Sept. 20th, 6pm

Location: 584 Driggs Ave. – Williamsburg

Grades 6-8, Thursday, Sept. 21st, 6pm

Location: 432 Monroe St. – Bed Stuy

2. Updated –  Highlights from the First Few Days of School!: Enjoy the video footage and photos below of our students and staff in action over the first few days of the school year.  The footage features a clip of our staff introductions with Ms. Griffin, Dean of Students, as our energetic host.  Enjoy!

3. New – Two Unity 10th Graders Selected as Fellows at JP Morgan’s Fellowship Initiative!: Congratulations to Ibrahima Barry and Evan Ramos who were selected as Fellows in The Fellowship Initiative (TFI) at JP Morgan this past June.  Both students began participating in the fellowship this summer and will continue as fellows through their graduation from Unity.  As Fellows, Ibrahima and Evan will gain valuable college and career job experience, build their professional network, and learn under the mentorship of current JP Morgan employees.  In addition, both students are also eligible to apply for internships at JP Morgan as well as a $10,000 college scholarship.  Again, congrats to you both – Unity is proud of you!

4. New – Shout-out to our Students for Completing their Fall STAR Assessments in Reading and Math!: Unity students completed their first round of STAR assessments in both reading and math this past week.  These short, computer adaptive tests will allow us to measure student progress and growth in reading and math skills over the course of the school year. Information on the results of these assessments will be made available to families in the next two weeks. 

5. Updated – Become a Unity Student-Athlete by Joining One of our Athletic Teams this Fall!: We are excited to cheer on our Unity athletic teams this fall.  Information on joining one of our fall teams is provided below.  Questions about our middle school athletic program can be directed to Mr. Coleman.  Questions about our high school athletic program can be directed to Coach Egharevba.

Middle School Fall Athletics:

• Congrats to our Students who Tried Out for our Fall Athletic Teams this Week!:  Kudos to our many, many students who tried out for our fall athletic teams this past week.  We are proud of your willingness to try something new, engage in a sport that you are passionate about, and represent Unity as proud student-athletes!  We look forward to being your biggest fans this fall season!  Contact Mr. Coleman with questions regarding MS athletics.

High School Fall Athletics:

• Tryouts for the following sports teams will take place on the following dates:
  • Girls Varsity Volleyball: 9/18
  • Boys Varsity Volleyball: 9/19
  • Step: 9/21
  • Soccer – to be announced
  • Football – to be announced
  • Note: tryouts for winter sports teams will tentatively take place in late September / early October.
• Permission slips will be distributed during the first week of September 11th.  Students must turn in a signed permission slip in order to try out.
• Contact Mr. Egharevba with questions regarding HS athletics.

6. Recap – Attention Middle School Families Who Are Interested in Afterschool Programming!: The partnership with our middle school and St. Nick’s Alliance continues strongly this year.  St. Nick’s offers a rich array of afterschool programming in academic enrichment, leadership development, and extra-curricular activities for our middle school students.  Programming kicks off on Monday, September 18th. After-school applications will be distributed to scholars on the first day of school. The first 50 new students who sign up for after-school will get to attend a field trip to Dorney Park!  Please Contact Luis Rodriguez with questions by email at lrodriguez@stnickallliance.org or phone at 646-676-1309.

7. Recap – September 2023 School-wide Calendar: For your family’s convenience, here is a schoolwide calendar of events for the month of September – 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.

8. Recap – Thank you to our Newest Families for Participating in our Meet & Greet with Unity’s Principals!  In total, we had over 100 new families participate in our Meet & Greet sessions.  Participating families were able to meet our dedicated principals – Ms. Williams of our middle school and Ms. Yun of our high school – along with members of their talented leadership teams.  Families learned more about our school’s leadership, our vision for the upcoming school year, and how caregivers can play an active role in supporting their child’s educational journey.  Here are the video recordings from both sessions:

• Middle School Meet & Greet with Principal Williams
• High School Meet & Greet with Principal Yun

9. Recap – Unity Calendar for the 2023-24 School Year: The table below reflects our key events and vacations calendar for the 2023-24 school year.  In addition, here is the updated PDF version of the table for your convenience.

10. Recap – Alumni Spotlight – Sebastian Lobos, Unity’s Class of 2020: Congratulations to Unity graduate, Sebastian Lobos, who recently earned his Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Florida International University.  He achieved this feat in just three years!

Sebastian Lobos is a member of Unity‘s inaugural cohort – the class of 2020. He graduated from high school with a weighted cumulative GPA of 4.1 and began his post-secondary journey at the University of Miami, majoring in Engineering Management. In 2022, Sebastian transferred to Florida International University where he recently completed his Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science. We are so incredibly proud of him for this accomplishment! He decided on Computer Science because he sees it as an evolving field where he can always learn something new. He is currently working in communications and applying for jobs and certifications in the Computer Science industry.

11. Recap – Updates on School Supply Guidance: Having all of our students equipped with the supplies they need is essential to getting off to a strong start to the school year.  We offer guidance below on school supplies by grade level:

• Grades 6-8
• Grades 9-12

12. Recap – Information and Guidance on Unity’s Dress Codes for the 2022-23 School Year: Unity’s dress codes by grade level are provided below.

• Grades 6-8: Here is a link to all things dress code for all middle school students.
• Grades 9-12: Unity High’s dress code is outlined below:
  1. Tops:
     1. It is encouraged that an official Unity top is worn in the spirit of school pride and in being united in our collective focus on learning. “Official” is defined as a top (T-Shirt or Polos) purchased from an approved vendor.
     2. In cases where students do not take our recommendation, students can wear tops of their choice so long as the top covers their entire torso and shoulders.
     3. Tops must not bear any offensive and/or inappropriate language and/or images and may not be crop tops, tube tops, halter tops or tank tops.
  2. Bottoms:
     1. Student bottoms must be long enough that the hem hits the top of the knee, shin, or ankle.
     2. Bottoms must properly fit and be worn at the waist.  A belt must be worn if bottoms are unable to fit at the waist without sagging.
     3. Bottoms may have rips or tears.
     4. Bottoms may not be leggings, tights, catsuits/bodysuits, basketball shorts or display undergarments.
  3. Shoes:
     1. All shoes must have backs, be closed-toed, and low heeled.
     2. Sandals, flip-flops, and athletic slides ARE NOT permitted (worn with or without socks).
     3. Crocs ARE permitted so long as the backstrap is raised behind the ankle at all times.
     4. For reasons related to safety, the policy for shoes will apply for all dress down days and spirit days.

13. Recap – New Students for Fall 2023 – Unity middle school has a few seats available for rising sixth graders for the 2023-24 school year. Finding the right middle school can be tough, and our current families (you!) are the best advocates. If you know of any interested families, please reach out to Mr. Beckford via email or cell (862-294-0219). For any families that refer a new family, both will be given a free uniform shirt.

Relevant Information from Past Editions of The Scoop:

Free Resources for Unity Families: Unity’s social work team is always looking for resources that may be helpful and of interest to our families.  A host of resources are provided below.  Reach out to Ms. Del Purgatorio, Unity’s Director of Social Work, with questions.

• Introducing 988, The New Mental Health Hotline: The Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, which launched last week, is a new way for anyone experiencing a mental health crisis to quickly reach out for help. Anyone in the US can now call or text 9-8-8 to be connected to a trained mental health professional at one of more than 200 local crisis call centers around the country. Learn more here.
• INCLUDEnyc Presents: How to Talk to Your Children about Sexuality: This webinar will help parents and guardians of children with disabilities become more comfortable discussing sexuality and relationships, and cover some of the most effective ways to talk about this sensitive topic. Learn more and register here.
• Free Summer Meals for Students – begins Tuesday, June 28th: NYC’s Summer Meals program offers free breakfast and lunch throughout NYC for anyone age 18 and under. No registration, documentation, or ID is required.  Visit here for details on time, locations, menus and other helpful information.
• Free Book Giveaway for Kids and Teens: As part of our largest summer program ever, The New York Public Library is giving away 500,000 books for kids and teens to take home and keep. Drop by one of our neighborhood branches to choose yours—plus, explore free events, our summer writing contest for kids, the opportunity for teens to contribute to a new magazine, and more with Summer at the Library.  Visit here for more information.
• DOE’s Beyond Access Series Presents Self-Regulation Techniques: This workshop will provide parents, caregivers and students strategies for reducing stress and improving the ability to self-regulate, with simple routines and activities that reduce anxiety and reactivity and promote calm and happy students and families. Spanish and Mandarin interpretation available. Learn more and register here.
• DOE’s Beyond Access Series Presents How to Access Supports for Students with Behavioral Challenges: This workshop covers the educational rights of students who face behavioral challenges in school, including different kinds of behavioral supports and interventions , along with the opportunity to share advocacy tips. Learn more and register here.
• The Child Mind Institute offers great (free & remote) caregiver workshops on a seasonal basis!  Take a moment to visit their site and appreciate their offerings.
• The recent events in Ukraine may be a source of stress and anxiety for some children.  Below are four resources that may be helpful for families:
  • Helping Kids Cope with Frightening News from Child Mind Institute
  • How to Talk to Kids About War from verywellfamily.com
  • How to Navigate Difficult Conversations with Children from The Relation Station
  • How to Talk to Children about War: An Age-by-Age Guide from Today.com
• Below are flyers for lists of low-cost dental providers in each borough:
  • Bronx PDF 
  • Manhattan PDF
  • Queens PDF
  • Brooklyn PDF
  • Staten Island PDF
• Free Child Nutrition Webinar Series: Register for the “An Alarming Rise in Excess Weight and Diabetes in Children: Strategies and Solutions” webinar on Monday, March 7th.  The webinar is presented by French-American Aid for Children as part of the new Child Nutrition Webinar series. Parents and educators will learn about practical nutrition tips and accessible information to encourage children to adopt good eating habits in school—and at home—through an interactive dialogue between Dr. Juliana Cohen, nutrition epidemiologist and associate professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and Dr. Ileana Vargas-Rodriguez, a pediatric endocrinologist at the Children’s Hospital of New York. A Q&A session will follow the webinar.  Check out previous recordings of past webinars, including:
  • Engaging Children in their own Nutritional Journey
  • Smart Summer Shopping and Cooking
  • Nutrition’s Powerful Impact on Children’s Physical and Mental Health

Dear Families of Unity,

It was an honor to welcome our students back to school this week!  On behalf of our entire team, we are excited to engage in a full week of school this coming week and are committed to getting off to a strong start in the 2023-24 school year!

In this edition of the Unity Scoop, we offer a number of photos and some video footage of students and staff in action over the first two days of school.  Do take a moment to look over the photos and footage, and appreciate all that your children are experiencing on the first few days of school.  And, of course, please take some time over the weekend to have conversations with your kids about how they are feeling about school, what went well over the first two days and what they hope for in the coming week.  I encourage you to reach out to your child’s advisor(s) if there is information shared that you feel could be helpful to us in best serving your child.  Our collaboration with you is invaluable, particularly at the outset of the school year.

In addition to the photos and video footage, we recap a host of information that was included in last week’s Scoop edition.  Please take a minute to review to ensure that you are fully informed on all things Unity going into the coming week.

Have a fantastic week!

In Unity,

Josh

Josh Beauregard

Head of School / Co-founder

Updates as of September 8, 2023:

1. New – Highlights from the First Two Days of School!: Enjoy the video footage and photos below of our students and staff in action over the first few days of the school year.  The footage features a clip of our staff introductions with Ms. Griffin, Dean of Students, as our energetic host.  Enjoy!

2. New – STAR Assessments in Reading and Math Are Being Administered: Unity students are now in the process of taking their first round of STAR assessments in both reading and math this week  These short, these computer adaptive tests will allow us to measure student progress and growth in reading and math skills over the course of the school year.

3. Recap – September 2023 School-wide Calendar: For your family’s convenience, here is a schoolwide calendar of events for the month of September – 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.

SAVE-THE-DATE!

• HIGH SCHOOL BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT FOR ALL FAMILIES (IN PERSON)!, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20TH, 6PM
• MIDDLE SCHOOL BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT FOR ALL FAMILIES (IN PERSON)!, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 21ST, 6PM

4. Recap – Thank you to our Newest Families for Participating in our Meet & Greet with Unity’s Principals!  In total, we had over 100 new families participate in our Meet & Greet sessions.  Participating families were able to meet our dedicated principals – Ms. Williams of our middle school and Ms. Yun of our high school – along with members of their talented leadership teams.  Families learned more about our school’s leadership, our vision for the upcoming school year, and how caregivers can play an active role in supporting their child’s educational journey.  Here are the video recordings from both sessions:

• Middle School Meet & Greet with Principal Williams
• High School Meet & Greet with Principal Yun

5. Recap – Unity Calendar for the 2023-24 School Year: The table below reflects our key events and vacations calendar for the 2023-24 school year.  In addition, here is the updated PDF version of the table for your convenience.

6. Recap – Become a Unity Student-Athlete by Joining One of our Athletic Teams this Fall!: We are excited to cheer on our Unity athletic teams this fall.  Information on joining one of our fall teams is provided below.  Questions about our middle school athletic program can be directed to Mr. Coleman.  Questions about our high school athletic program can be directed to Coach Egharevba.

Middle School Fall Athletics:

• Tryouts for the following sports teams will take place the week of September 11th:
  • Cross Country
  • Volleyball
  • Flag Football
  • Soccer
  • Step
• Permission slips will be distributed on Wednesday, September 6th – Friday, September 8th.  Students must turn in a signed permission slip in order to try out.

High School Fall Athletics:

• Tryouts for the following sports teams will take place on the following dates:
  • Girls Varsity Volleyball: 9/18
  • Boys Varsity Volleyball: 9/19
  • Step: 9/21
  • Soccer – to be announced
  • Football – to be announced
  • Note: tryouts for winter sports teams will tentatively take place in late September / early October.
• Permission slips will be distributed during the first week of September 11th.  Students must turn in a signed permission slip in order to try out.

7. Recap – Alumni Spotlight – Sebastian Lobos, Unity’s Class of 2020: Congratulations to Unity graduate, Sebastian Lobos, who recently earned his Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Florida International University.  He achieved this feat in just three years!

Sebastian Lobos is a member of Unity‘s inaugural cohort – the class of 2020. He graduated from high school with a weighted cumulative GPA of 4.1 and began his post-secondary journey at the University of Miami, majoring in Engineering Management. In 2022, Sebastian transferred to Florida International University where he recently completed his Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science. We are so incredibly proud of him for this accomplishment! He decided on Computer Science because he sees it as an evolving field where he can always learn something new. He is currently working in communications and applying for jobs and certifications in the Computer Science industry.

8. Recap – Updates on School Supply Guidance: Having all of our students equipped with the supplies they need is essential to getting off to a strong start to the school year.  We offer guidance below on school supplies by grade level:

• Grades 6-8
• Grades 9-12

9. Recap – Attention Middle School Families Who Are Interested in Afterschool Programming!: The partnership with our middle school and St. Nick’s Alliance continues strongly this year.  St. Nick’s offers a rich array of afterschool programming in academic enrichment, leadership development, and extra-curricular activities for our middle school students.  Programming kicks off on Monday, September 18th. After-school applications will be distributed to scholars on the first day of school. The first 50 new students who sign up for after-school will get to attend a field trip to Dorney Park!  Please Contact Luis Rodriguez with questions by email at lrodriguez@stnickallliance.org or phone at 646-676-1309.

10. Recap – AP scores from the 2022-23 school year are now available!: Students who completed their AP exams in May can sign into their College Board accounts and use this website to obtain their scores.  In addition, students can also see notes on the scoring here.  Course selections for the 2023-24 school year, including AP courses, will be finalized in late August.

11. Recap – Information and Guidance on Unity’s Dress Codes for the 2022-23 School Year: Unity’s dress codes by grade level are provided below.

• Grades 6-8: Here is a link to all things dress code for all middle school students.
• Grades 9-12: Unity High’s dress code is outlined below:
  1. Tops:
     1. It is encouraged that an official Unity top is worn in the spirit of school pride and in being united in our collective focus on learning. “Official” is defined as a top (T-Shirt or Polos) purchased from an approved vendor.
     2. In cases where students do not take our recommendation, students can wear tops of their choice so long as the top covers their entire torso and shoulders.
     3. Tops must not bear any offensive and/or inappropriate language and/or images and may not be crop tops, tube tops, halter tops or tank tops.
  2. Bottoms:
     1. Student bottoms must be long enough that the hem hits the top of the knee, shin, or ankle.
     2. Bottoms must properly fit and be worn at the waist.  A belt must be worn if bottoms are unable to fit at the waist without sagging.
     3. Bottoms may have rips or tears.
     4. Bottoms may not be leggings, tights, catsuits/bodysuits, basketball shorts or display undergarments.
  3. Shoes:
     1. All shoes must have backs, be closed-toed, and low heeled.
     2. Sandals, flip-flops, and athletic slides ARE NOT permitted (worn with or without socks).
     3. Crocs ARE permitted so long as the backstrap is raised behind the ankle at all times.
     4. For reasons related to safety, the policy for shoes will apply for all dress down days and spirit days.

12. Recap – New Students for Fall 2023 – Unity middle school has a few seats available for rising sixth graders for the 2023-24 school year. Finding the right middle school can be tough, and our current families (you!) are the best advocates. If you know of any interested families, please reach out to Mr. Beckford via email or cell (862-294-0219). For any families that refer a new family, both will be given a free uniform shirt.

Relevant Information from Past Editions of The Scoop:

Free Resources for Unity Families: Unity’s social work team is always looking for resources that may be helpful and of interest to our families.  A host of resources are provided below.  Reach out to Ms. Del Purgatorio, Unity’s Director of Social Work, with questions.

• Introducing 988, The New Mental Health Hotline: The Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, which launched last week, is a new way for anyone experiencing a mental health crisis to quickly reach out for help. Anyone in the US can now call or text 9-8-8 to be connected to a trained mental health professional at one of more than 200 local crisis call centers around the country. Learn more here.
• INCLUDEnyc Presents: How to Talk to Your Children about Sexuality: This webinar will help parents and guardians of children with disabilities become more comfortable discussing sexuality and relationships, and cover some of the most effective ways to talk about this sensitive topic. Learn more and register here.
• Free Summer Meals for Students – begins Tuesday, June 28th: NYC’s Summer Meals program offers free breakfast and lunch throughout NYC for anyone age 18 and under. No registration, documentation, or ID is required.  Visit here for details on time, locations, menus and other helpful information.
• Free Book Giveaway for Kids and Teens: As part of our largest summer program ever, The New York Public Library is giving away 500,000 books for kids and teens to take home and keep. Drop by one of our neighborhood branches to choose yours—plus, explore free events, our summer writing contest for kids, the opportunity for teens to contribute to a new magazine, and more with Summer at the Library.  Visit here for more information.
• DOE’s Beyond Access Series Presents Self-Regulation Techniques: This workshop will provide parents, caregivers and students strategies for reducing stress and improving the ability to self-regulate, with simple routines and activities that reduce anxiety and reactivity and promote calm and happy students and families. Spanish and Mandarin interpretation available. Learn more and register here.
• DOE’s Beyond Access Series Presents How to Access Supports for Students with Behavioral Challenges: This workshop covers the educational rights of students who face behavioral challenges in school, including different kinds of behavioral supports and interventions , along with the opportunity to share advocacy tips. Learn more and register here.
• The Child Mind Institute offers great (free & remote) caregiver workshops on a seasonal basis!  Take a moment to visit their site and appreciate their offerings.
• The recent events in Ukraine may be a source of stress and anxiety for some children.  Below are four resources that may be helpful for families:
  • Helping Kids Cope with Frightening News from Child Mind Institute
  • How to Talk to Kids About War from verywellfamily.com
  • How to Navigate Difficult Conversations with Children from The Relation Station
  • How to Talk to Children about War: An Age-by-Age Guide from Today.com
• Below are flyers for lists of low-cost dental providers in each borough:
  • Bronx PDF 
  • Manhattan PDF
  • Queens PDF
  • Brooklyn PDF
  • Staten Island PDF
• Free Child Nutrition Webinar Series: Register for the “An Alarming Rise in Excess Weight and Diabetes in Children: Strategies and Solutions” webinar on Monday, March 7th.  The webinar is presented by French-American Aid for Children as part of the new Child Nutrition Webinar series. Parents and educators will learn about practical nutrition tips and accessible information to encourage children to adopt good eating habits in school—and at home—through an interactive dialogue between Dr. Juliana Cohen, nutrition epidemiologist and associate professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and Dr. Ileana Vargas-Rodriguez, a pediatric endocrinologist at the Children’s Hospital of New York. A Q&A session will follow the webinar.  Check out previous recordings of past webinars, including:
  • Engaging Children in their own Nutritional Journey
  • Smart Summer Shopping and Cooking
  • Nutrition’s Powerful Impact on Children’s Physical and Mental Health

Dear Families of Unity,

I hope that the past week has been good to you and your loved ones.

We are excited to welcome our students back to school this coming week!  The schedule for classes and student orientations are provided below.

Last week’s edition of The Unity Scoop included a wealth of information to help you get off to a strong start to the school year, including: upcoming key dates, details on fall athletics and after-school programming, supply lists, and more!  In this week’s edition, we recap these details.  In addition, we are sharing the schoolwide September calendar with you.  Note one change in the dates of our Back-to-School Nights.  See the first update below.

Wishing you and yours a festive holiday weekend.  Again, we look forward to kicking off the school year officially this coming week!

In Unity,

Josh

Josh Beauregard

Head of School / Co-founder

Updates as of August 25, 2023:

1. New – September 2023 School-wide Calendar: For your family’s convenience, here is a schoolwide calendar of events for the month of September – 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.

SAVE-THE-DATE!  NOTE THE CHANGE IN DATES.

• HIGH SCHOOL BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT FOR ALL FAMILIES (IN PERSON)!, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20TH, 6PM
• MIDDLE SCHOOL BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT FOR ALL FAMILIES (IN PERSON)!, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 21ST, 6PM

2. Recap – Thank you to our Newest Families for Participating in Last Night’s Meet & Greet with Unity’s Principals!  In total, we had over 100 new families participate in last night’s sessions.  Participating families were able to meet our dedicated principals – Ms. Williams of our middle school and Ms. Yun of our high school – along with members of their talented leadership teams.  Families learned more about our school’s leadership, our vision for the upcoming school year, and how caregivers can play an active role in supporting their child’s educational journey.  Here are the video recordings from both sessions:

• Middle School Meet & Greet with Principal Williams
• High School Meet & Greet with Principal Yun

3. Recap – Schedule for the First Week of School: The schedule for the first week of school is designed to best support a positive and strong start to the year.  By having different sessions for our new and returning students, we are able to customize their experiences to best serve their needs as we transition back to school, ensuring a strong start for our community.

4. Recap –  Unity Calendar for the 2023-24 School Year: Save-the-Dates for Back-to-School Night!: The table below reflects our key events and vacations calendar for the 2023-24 school year.  In addition, here is the updated PDF version of the table for your convenience.

5. Recap – Become a Unity Student-Athlete by Joining One of our Athletic Teams this Fall!: We are excited to cheer on our Unity athletic teams this fall.  Information on joining one of our fall teams is provided below.  Questions about our middle school athletic program can be directed to Mr. Coleman.  Questions about our high school athletic program can be directed to Coach Egharevba.

Middle School Fall Athletics:

• Tryouts for the following sports teams will take place the week of September 11th:
  • Cross Country
  • Volleyball
  • Flag Football
  • Soccer
  • Step
• Permission slips will be distributed on Wednesday, September 6th – Friday, September 8th.  Students must turn in a signed permission slip in order to try out.

High School Fall Athletics:

• Tryouts for the following sports teams will take place on the following dates:
  • Girls Varsity Volleyball: 9/18
  • Boys Varsity Volleyball: 9/19
  • Step: 9/21
  • Soccer – to be announced
  • Football – to be announced
  • Note: tryouts for winter sports teams will tentatively take place in late September / early October.
• Permission slips will be distributed during the first week of September 11th.  Students must turn in a signed permission slip in order to try out.

6. Recap – Alumni Spotlight – Sebastian Lobos, Unity’s Class of 2020: Congratulations to Unity graduate, Sebastian Lobos, who recently earned his Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Florida International University.  He achieved this feat in just three years!

Sebastian Lobos is a member of Unity’s inaugural cohort – the class of 2020. He graduated from high school with a weighted cumulative GPA of 4.1 and began his post-secondary journey at the University of Miami, majoring in Engineering Management. In 2022, Sebastian transferred to Florida International University where he recently completed his Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science. We are so incredibly proud of him for this accomplishment! He decided on Computer Science because he sees it as an evolving field where he can always learn something new. He is currently working in communications and applying for jobs and certifications in the Computer Science industry.

7. Recap – Updates on School Supply Guidance: Having all of our students equipped with the supplies they need is essential to getting off to a strong start to the school year.  We offer guidance below on school supplies by grade level:

• Grades 6-8
• Grades 9-12

8. Recap –  Student Class Schedules:  All students – grades 6-12 – will receive their class schedules on their first day of school.

9. Recap – Attention Middle School Families Who Are Interested in Afterschool Programming!: The partnership with our middle school and St. Nick’s Alliance continues strongly this year.  St. Nick’s offers a rich array of afterschool programming in academic enrichment, leadership development, and extra-curricular activities for our middle school students.  Programming kicks off on Monday, September 18th. After-school applications will be distributed to scholars on the first day of school. The first 50 new students who sign up for after-school will get to attend a field trip to Dorney Park!  Please Contact Luis Rodriguez with questions by email at lrodriguez@stnickallliance.org or phone at 646-676-1309.

10. Recap – Summer Assignment Reminder for Grades 6-8: Here is a note from Ms. Shebroe, Assistant Principal of Teaching & Learning at Unity’s middle school, regarding summer assignments.

With summer comes fun, relaxation, and rejuvenation. While this time off is well deserved, we want to help support our scholars to keep their math and ELA skills sharp and prevent the “summer slide.” With this in mind, we want to remind you to check in with your child about their summer work for their math and ELA classes. These assignments include prerequisite knowledge that will build on what they already know from the prior grade and support their success in the next grade. Additionally, for math, each topic has a recommended tutorial video, which can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/UMPSmathsummer23

Students should spend approximately 30 minutes to one hour each week working on each assignment. It is recommended that students spread out the work over the course of the summer in order to keep their skills sharp and avoid cramming at the last minute.

Assignments are due on the first day of school, Wednesday, September 6th. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Ms. Shebroe at lshebroe@unityprep.org.

Math assignments: https://tinyurl.com/UMPSmathsummer23

ELA assignments: 6th, 7th and 8th Grade ELA Assignments

11. Recap – AP scores from the 2022-23 school year are now available!: Students who completed their AP exams in May can sign into their College Board accounts and use this website to obtain their scores.  In addition, students can also see notes on the scoring here.  Course selections for the 2023-24 school year, including AP courses, will be finalized in late August.

12. Recap – Information and Guidance on Unity’s Dress Codes for the 2022-23 School Year: Unity’s dress codes by grade level are provided below.

• Grades 6-8: Here is a link to all things dress code for all middle school students.
• Grades 9-12: Unity High’s dress code is outlined below:
  1. Tops:
     1. It is encouraged that an official Unity top is worn in the spirit of school pride and in being united in our collective focus on learning. “Official” is defined as a top (T-Shirt or Polos) purchased from an approved vendor.
     2. In cases where students do not take our recommendation, students can wear tops of their choice so long as the top covers their entire torso and shoulders.
     3. Tops must not bear any offensive and/or inappropriate language and/or images and may not be crop tops, tube tops, halter tops or tank tops.
  2. Bottoms:
     1. Student bottoms must be long enough that the hem hits the top of the knee, shin, or ankle.
     2. Bottoms must properly fit and be worn at the waist.  A belt must be worn if bottoms are unable to fit at the waist without sagging.
     3. Bottoms may have rips or tears.
     4. Bottoms may not be leggings, tights, catsuits/bodysuits, basketball shorts or display undergarments.
  3. Shoes:
     1. All shoes must have backs, be closed-toed, and low heeled.
     2. Sandals, flip-flops, and athletic slides ARE NOT permitted (worn with or without socks).
     3. Crocs ARE permitted so long as the backstrap is raised behind the ankle at all times.
     4. For reasons related to safety, the policy for shoes will apply for all dress down days and spirit days.

13. Recap – New Students for Fall 2023 – Unity middle school has a few seats available for rising sixth graders for the 2023-24 school year. Finding the right middle school can be tough, and our current families (you!) are the best advocates. If you know of any interested families, please reach out to Mr. Beckford via email or cell (862-294-0219). For any families that refer a new family, both will be given a free uniform shirt.

Relevant Information from Past Editions of The Scoop:

Free Resources for Unity Families: Unity’s social work team is always looking for resources that may be helpful and of interest to our families.  A host of resources are provided below.  Reach out to Ms. Del Purgatorio, Unity’s Director of Social Work, with questions.

• Introducing 988, The New Mental Health Hotline: The Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, which launched last week, is a new way for anyone experiencing a mental health crisis to quickly reach out for help. Anyone in the US can now call or text 9-8-8 to be connected to a trained mental health professional at one of more than 200 local crisis call centers around the country. Learn more here.
• INCLUDEnyc Presents: How to Talk to Your Children about Sexuality: This webinar will help parents and guardians of children with disabilities become more comfortable discussing sexuality and relationships, and cover some of the most effective ways to talk about this sensitive topic. Learn more and register here.
• Free Summer Meals for Students – begins Tuesday, June 28th: NYC’s Summer Meals program offers free breakfast and lunch throughout NYC for anyone age 18 and under. No registration, documentation, or ID is required.  Visit here for details on time, locations, menus and other helpful information.
• Free Book Giveaway for Kids and Teens: As part of our largest summer program ever, The New York Public Library is giving away 500,000 books for kids and teens to take home and keep. Drop by one of our neighborhood branches to choose yours—plus, explore free events, our summer writing contest for kids, the opportunity for teens to contribute to a new magazine, and more with Summer at the Library.  Visit here for more information.
• DOE’s Beyond Access Series Presents Self-Regulation Techniques: This workshop will provide parents, caregivers and students strategies for reducing stress and improving the ability to self-regulate, with simple routines and activities that reduce anxiety and reactivity and promote calm and happy students and families. Spanish and Mandarin interpretation available. Learn more and register here.
• DOE’s Beyond Access Series Presents How to Access Supports for Students with Behavioral Challenges: This workshop covers the educational rights of students who face behavioral challenges in school, including different kinds of behavioral supports and interventions , along with the opportunity to share advocacy tips. Learn more and register here.
• The Child Mind Institute offers great (free & remote) caregiver workshops on a seasonal basis!  Take a moment to visit their site and appreciate their offerings.
• The recent events in Ukraine may be a source of stress and anxiety for some children.  Below are four resources that may be helpful for families:
  • Helping Kids Cope with Frightening News from Child Mind Institute
  • How to Talk to Kids About War from verywellfamily.com
  • How to Navigate Difficult Conversations with Children from The Relation Station
  • How to Talk to Children about War: An Age-by-Age Guide from Today.com
• Below are flyers for lists of low-cost dental providers in each borough:
  • Bronx PDF 
  • Manhattan PDF
  • Queens PDF
  • Brooklyn PDF
  • Staten Island PDF
• Free Child Nutrition Webinar Series: Register for the “An Alarming Rise in Excess Weight and Diabetes in Children: Strategies and Solutions” webinar on Monday, March 7th.  The webinar is presented by French-American Aid for Children as part of the new Child Nutrition Webinar series. Parents and educators will learn about practical nutrition tips and accessible information to encourage children to adopt good eating habits in school—and at home—through an interactive dialogue between Dr. Juliana Cohen, nutrition epidemiologist and associate professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and Dr. Ileana Vargas-Rodriguez, a pediatric endocrinologist at the Children’s Hospital of New York. A Q&A session will follow the webinar.  Check out previous recordings of past webinars, including:
  • Engaging Children in their own Nutritional Journey
  • Smart Summer Shopping and Cooking
  • Nutrition’s Powerful Impact on Children’s Physical and Mental Health

Dear Families of Unity,

The past week has been an exciting and eventful one!

On Monday and Tuesday, we welcomed our full team back from the summer break to plan and prepare for the 2023-24 school year.  Our team will continue in their planning and collaboration this coming week before welcoming our students back to school during the first week of September!

On Thursday, our school leaders hosted virtual Meet & Greet events for our newest middle and high school families.  I want to thank our team for hosting the event and our families who participated.  By attending the session, we hope that new families are fully supported and even more excited about joining our community!

For new families who were unable to attend the event, our Family Engagement Coordinators will be reaching out to you directly.  I am also sharing important information from the sessions below, including video recordings from both sessions and key dates for the first week of school.

In this edition of The Unity Scoop, we provide a wealth of information to help you get off to a strong start to the school year, including: upcoming key dates, details on fall athletics and after-school programming, supply lists, and more!

Best weekend wishes to you and loved ones!

In Unity,

Josh

Josh Beauregard

Head of School / Co-founder

Updates as of August 25, 2023:

1. New – Thank you to our Newest Families for Participating in Last Night’s Meet & Greet with Unity’s Principals!  In total, we had over 100 new families participate in last night’s sessions.  Participating families were able to meet our dedicated principals – Ms. Williams of our middle school and Ms. Yun of our high school – along with members of their talented leadership teams.  Families learned more about our school’s leadership, our vision for the upcoming school year, and how caregivers can play an active role in supporting their child’s educational journey.  Here are the video recordings from both sessions:

• Middle School Meet & Greet with Principal Williams
• High School Meet & Greet with Principal Yun

2. New – Schedule for the First Week of School: The schedule for the first week of school is designed to best support a positive and strong start to the year.  By having different sessions for our new and returning students, we are able to customize their experiences to best serve their needs as we transition back to school, ensuring a strong start for our community.

3. Updated – Unity Calendar for the 2023-24 School Year: Save-the-Dates for Back-to-School Night!: The table below reflects our key events and vacations calendar for the 2023-24 school year.  In addition, here is the updated PDF version of the table for your convenience.

Expect a monthly calendar for the month of September in the next edition of The Scoop.  In the meantime, please reserve in your calendar our Back-to-School Nights!

SAVE-THE-DATE!

• MIDDLE SCHOOL BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT FOR ALL FAMILIES (IN PERSON)!, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20TH, 6PM
• HIGH SCHOOL BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT FOR ALL FAMILIES (IN PERSON)!, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 21ST, 6PM

4. New – Become a Unity Student-Athlete by Joining One of our Athletic Teams this Fall!: We are excited to cheer on our Unity athletic teams this fall.  Information on joining one of our fall teams is provided below.  Questions about our middle school athletic program can be directed to Mr. Coleman.  Questions about our high school athletic program can be directed to Coach Egharevba.

Middle School Fall Athletics:

• Tryouts for the following sports teams will take place the week of September 11th:
  • Cross Country
  • Volleyball
  • Flag Football
  • Soccer
  • Step
• Permission slips will be distributed on Wednesday, September 6th – Friday, September 8th.  Students must turn in a signed permission slip in order to try out.

High School Fall Athletics:

• Tryouts for the following sports teams will take place on the following dates:
  • Girls Varsity Volleyball: 9/18
  • Boys Varsity Volleyball: 9/19
  • Step: 9/21
  • Soccer – to be announced
  • Football – to be announced
  • Note: tryouts for winter sports teams will tentatively take place in late September / early October.
• Permission slips will be distributed during the first week of September 11th.  Students must turn in a signed permission slip in order to try out.

5. New – Alumni Spotlight – Sebastian Lobos, Unity’s Class of 2020: Congratulations to Unity graduate, Sebastian Lobos, who recently earned his Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Florida International University.  He achieved this feat in just three years!

Sebastian Lobos is a member of Unity’s inaugural cohort – the class of 2020. He graduated from high school with a weighted cumulative GPA of 4.1 and began his post-secondary journey at the University of Miami, majoring in Engineering Management. In 2022, Sebastian transferred to Florida International University where he recently completed his Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science. We are so incredibly proud of him for this accomplishment! He decided on Computer Science because he sees it as an evolving field where he can always learn something new. He is currently working in communications and applying for jobs and certifications in the Computer Science industry.

6. Updated – Updates on School Supply Guidance: Having all of our students equipped with the supplies they need is essential to getting off to a strong start to the school year.  We offer guidance below on school supplies by grade level:

• Grades 6-8
• Grades 9-12

7. New – Student Class Schedules:  All students – grades 6-12 – will receive their class schedules on their first day of school.

8. Updated – Attention Middle School Families Who Are Interested in Afterschool Programming!: The partnership with our middle school and St. Nick’s Alliance continues strongly this year.  St. Nick’s offers a rich array of afterschool programming in academic enrichment, leadership development, and extra-curricular activities for our middle school students.  Programming kicks off on Monday, September 18th. After-school applications will be distributed to scholars on the first day of school. The first 50 new students who sign up for after-school will get to attend a field trip to Dorney Park!  Please Contact Luis Rodriguez with questions by email at lrodriguez@stnickallliance.org or phone at 646-676-1309.

9. Recap – August Hours of Operation: Here is information on our hours of operation by site through August.  The main office of both sites will be open based on the following schedules:

• 432 Monroe Street (grades 6-8): 718-455-5046
  • August 21st – August 31st
    • 8:30am – 3:00pm, M-F
• 584 Driggs Avenue (grades 9-12): 718-682-3725
  • August 21st – August 31st
    • 8:30am – 4:30pm, M-F

10. Recap – Summer Assignment Reminder for Grades 6-8: Here is a note from Ms. Shebroe, Assistant Principal of Teaching & Learning at Unity’s middle school, regarding summer assignments.

With summer comes fun, relaxation, and rejuvenation. While this time off is well deserved, we want to help support our scholars to keep their math and ELA skills sharp and prevent the “summer slide.” With this in mind, we want to remind you to check in with your child about their summer work for their math and ELA classes. These assignments include prerequisite knowledge that will build on what they already know from the prior grade and support their success in the next grade. Additionally, for math, each topic has a recommended tutorial video, which can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/UMPSmathsummer23

Students should spend approximately 30 minutes to one hour each week working on each assignment. It is recommended that students spread out the work over the course of the summer in order to keep their skills sharp and avoid cramming at the last minute.

Assignments are due on the first day of school, Wednesday, September 6th. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Ms. Shebroe at lshebroe@unityprep.org.

Math assignments: https://tinyurl.com/UMPSmathsummer23

ELA assignments: 6th, 7th and 8th Grade ELA Assignments

11. Recap – AP scores from the 2022-23 school year are now available!: Students who completed their AP exams in May can sign into their College Board accounts and use this website to obtain their scores.  In addition, students can also see notes on the scoring here.  Course selections for the 2023-24 school year, including AP courses, will be finalized in late August.

12. Recap – Information and Guidance on Unity’s Dress Codes for the 2022-23 School Year: Unity’s dress codes by grade level are provided below.

• Grades 6-8: Here is a link to all things dress code for all middle school students.
• Grades 9-12: Unity High’s dress code is outlined below:
  1. Tops:
     1. It is encouraged that an official Unity top is worn in the spirit of school pride and in being united in our collective focus on learning. “Official” is defined as a top (T-Shirt or Polos) purchased from an approved vendor.
     2. In cases where students do not take our recommendation, students can wear tops of their choice so long as the top covers their entire torso and shoulders.
     3. Tops must not bear any offensive and/or inappropriate language and/or images and may not be crop tops, tube tops, halter tops or tank tops.
  2. Bottoms:
     1. Student bottoms must be long enough that the hem hits the top of the knee, shin, or ankle.
     2. Bottoms must properly fit and be worn at the waist.  A belt must be worn if bottoms are unable to fit at the waist without sagging.
     3. Bottoms may have rips or tears.
     4. Bottoms may not be leggings, tights, catsuits/bodysuits, basketball shorts or display undergarments.
  3. Shoes:
     1. All shoes must have backs, be closed-toed, and low heeled.
     2. Sandals, flip-flops, and athletic slides ARE NOT permitted (worn with or without socks).
     3. Crocs ARE permitted so long as the backstrap is raised behind the ankle at all times.
     4. For reasons related to safety, the policy for shoes will apply for all dress down days and spirit days.

13. Recap – Interested in Free Bussing Services to and from School for your Middle School Child?  Complete this Middle School Bus Request Form:  Unity offers bussing services to a limited number of students in grades 6-8 (priority will be given to our youngest students).  If you are interested in learning more about this service, complete this request form.  Mr. Beckford will be in contact with interested families by August 29th.

14. Recap – New Students for Fall 2023 – Unity middle school has a few seats available for rising sixth graders for the 2023-24 school year. Finding the right middle school can be tough, and our current families (you!) are the best advocates. If you know of any interested families, please reach out to Mr. Beckford via email or cell (862-294-0219). For any families that refer a new family, both will be given a free uniform shirt.

Relevant Information from Past Editions of The Scoop:

Free Resources for Unity Families: Unity’s social work team is always looking for resources that may be helpful and of interest to our families.  A host of resources are provided below.  Reach out to Ms. Del Purgatorio, Unity’s Director of Social Work, with questions.

• Introducing 988, The New Mental Health Hotline: The Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, which launched last week, is a new way for anyone experiencing a mental health crisis to quickly reach out for help. Anyone in the US can now call or text 9-8-8 to be connected to a trained mental health professional at one of more than 200 local crisis call centers around the country. Learn more here.
• INCLUDEnyc Presents: How to Talk to Your Children about Sexuality: This webinar will help parents and guardians of children with disabilities become more comfortable discussing sexuality and relationships, and cover some of the most effective ways to talk about this sensitive topic. Learn more and register here.
• Free Summer Meals for Students – begins Tuesday, June 28th: NYC’s Summer Meals program offers free breakfast and lunch throughout NYC for anyone age 18 and under. No registration, documentation, or ID is required.  Visit here for details on time, locations, menus and other helpful information.
• Free Book Giveaway for Kids and Teens: As part of our largest summer program ever, The New York Public Library is giving away 500,000 books for kids and teens to take home and keep. Drop by one of our neighborhood branches to choose yours—plus, explore free events, our summer writing contest for kids, the opportunity for teens to contribute to a new magazine, and more with Summer at the Library.  Visit here for more information.
• DOE’s Beyond Access Series Presents Self-Regulation Techniques: This workshop will provide parents, caregivers and students strategies for reducing stress and improving the ability to self-regulate, with simple routines and activities that reduce anxiety and reactivity and promote calm and happy students and families. Spanish and Mandarin interpretation available. Learn more and register here.
• DOE’s Beyond Access Series Presents How to Access Supports for Students with Behavioral Challenges: This workshop covers the educational rights of students who face behavioral challenges in school, including different kinds of behavioral supports and interventions , along with the opportunity to share advocacy tips. Learn more and register here.
• The Child Mind Institute offers great (free & remote) caregiver workshops on a seasonal basis!  Take a moment to visit their site and appreciate their offerings.
• The recent events in Ukraine may be a source of stress and anxiety for some children.  Below are four resources that may be helpful for families:
  • Helping Kids Cope with Frightening News from Child Mind Institute
  • How to Talk to Kids About War from verywellfamily.com
  • How to Navigate Difficult Conversations with Children from The Relation Station
  • How to Talk to Children about War: An Age-by-Age Guide from Today.com
• Below are flyers for lists of low-cost dental providers in each borough:
  • Bronx PDF 
  • Manhattan PDF
  • Queens PDF
  • Brooklyn PDF
  • Staten Island PDF
• Free Child Nutrition Webinar Series: Register for the “An Alarming Rise in Excess Weight and Diabetes in Children: Strategies and Solutions” webinar on Monday, March 7th.  The webinar is presented by French-American Aid for Children as part of the new Child Nutrition Webinar series. Parents and educators will learn about practical nutrition tips and accessible information to encourage children to adopt good eating habits in school—and at home—through an interactive dialogue between Dr. Juliana Cohen, nutrition epidemiologist and associate professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and Dr. Ileana Vargas-Rodriguez, a pediatric endocrinologist at the Children’s Hospital of New York. A Q&A session will follow the webinar.  Check out previous recordings of past webinars, including:
  • Engaging Children in their own Nutritional Journey
  • Smart Summer Shopping and Cooking
  • Nutrition’s Powerful Impact on Children’s Physical and Mental Health

Dear Families of Unity,

I hope that the second half of summer is treating you and your loved ones well.

I want to congratulate our students who recently completed Summer Academy at our middle school.  I also want to congratulate our high school students who completed their August Regents exams this past week!

We are excited to virtually “meet and greet” with our newest students and families this coming Thursday evening.  Details on the session are provided below.

Have a delightful weekend!

In Unity,

Josh

Josh Beauregard

Head of School / Co-founder

Updates as of August 18, 2023:

1. New – Attention All New Families to Unity: Join Us for Unity’s Principal Meet & Greet, Thursday, August 24, 6pm via Zoom: As we prepare to embark on the 2023-2024 academic year, we are thrilled to extend a warm welcome to our students and families new to Unity this coming year.

During this virtual event, families new to Unity will have the chance to meet our dedicated principals – Ms. Williams of our middle school and Ms. Yun of our high school –  along with members of their talented leadership teams.  This is a fantastic opportunity to learn more about our school’s leadership, our vision for the upcoming school year, and how you can play an active role in supporting your child’s educational journey as they start the school year with us.  Please RSVP here:

• New students and families in grades 6-8
• New students and families in grades 9-12

2. Updated – Updated Unity Calendar for the 2023-24 School Year: In response to the NYCDOE’s changes to their calendar in June, we have made three changes to Unity’s calendar that we believe are in the best interests of our community.   Specifically, April 29th, April 30th, and June 17th are now days in which school will not be in session.

The table below reflects our key events and vacations calendar for the 2023-24 school year.  In addition, here is the updated PDF version of the table for your convenience.  Note the first day of school is Wednesday, September 6, 2023.

For 9th grade students only, they will participate in an orientation prior to the first day of school, on Tuesday, September 5th. More information about the first week in September for all high school students in grades 9-12 is available here.

3. Updated – August Hours of Operation: Here is information on our hours of operation by site through August.  The main office of both sites will be open based on the following schedules:

• 432 Monroe Street (grades 6-8): 718-455-5046
  • August 21st – August 31st
    • 8:30am – 3:00pm, M-F
• 584 Driggs Avenue (grades 9-12): 718-682-3725
  • August 21st – August 31st
    • 8:30am – 4:30pm, M-F

​​​​​​​

4. Updated – Guidance on School Supplies: Guidance on school supplies will be provided by August 25th.

5. Recap – Summer Assignment Reminder for Grades 6-8: Here is a note from Ms. Shebroe, Assistant Principal of Teaching & Learning at Unity’s middle school, regarding summer assignments.

With summer comes fun, relaxation, and rejuvenation. While this time off is well deserved, we want to help support our scholars to keep their math and ELA skills sharp and prevent the “summer slide.” With this in mind, we want to remind you to check in with your child about their summer work for their math and ELA classes. These assignments include prerequisite knowledge that will build on what they already know from the prior grade and support their success in the next grade. Additionally, for math, each topic has a recommended tutorial video, which can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/UMPSmathsummer23

Students should spend approximately 30 minutes to one hour each week working on each assignment. It is recommended that students spread out the work over the course of the summer in order to keep their skills sharp and avoid cramming at the last minute.

Assignments are due on the first day of school, Wednesday, September 6th. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Ms. Shebroe at lshebroe@unityprep.org.

Math assignments: https://tinyurl.com/UMPSmathsummer23

ELA assignments: 6th, 7th and 8th Grade ELA Assignments

6. Recap – Kudos to Unity’s Summer Campers!: Unity Middle hosted over 80 students during the last two weeks in July with summer offerings in basketball, dance, grappling, and track.  Congratulations to our students who engaged in these camps and developed new skills and talents along the way!

7. Recap – AP scores from the 2022-23 school year are now available!: Students who completed their AP exams in May can sign into their College Board accounts and use this website to obtain their scores.  In addition, students can also see notes on the scoring here.  Course selections for the 2023-24 school year, including AP courses, will be finalized in late August.

8. Recap – Information and Guidance on Unity’s Dress Codes for the 2022-23 School Year: Unity’s dress codes by grade level are provided below.

• Grades 6-8: Here is a link to all things dress code for all middle school students.
• Grades 9-12: Unity High’s dress code is outlined below:
  1. Tops:
     1. It is encouraged that an official Unity top is worn in the spirit of school pride and in being united in our collective focus on learning. “Official” is defined as a top (T-Shirt or Polos) purchased from an approved vendor.
     2. In cases where students do not take our recommendation, students can wear tops of their choice so long as the top covers their entire torso and shoulders.
     3. Tops must not bear any offensive and/or inappropriate language and/or images and may not be crop tops, tube tops, halter tops or tank tops.
  2. Bottoms:
     1. Student bottoms must be long enough that the hem hits the top of the knee, shin, or ankle.
     2. Bottoms must properly fit and be worn at the waist.  A belt must be worn if bottoms are unable to fit at the waist without sagging.
     3. Bottoms may have rips or tears.
     4. Bottoms may not be leggings, tights, catsuits/bodysuits, basketball shorts or display undergarments.
  3. Shoes:
     1. All shoes must have backs, be closed-toed, and low heeled.
     2. Sandals, flip-flops, and athletic slides ARE NOT permitted (worn with or without socks).
     3. Crocs ARE permitted so long as the backstrap is raised behind the ankle at all times.
     4. For reasons related to safety, the policy for shoes will apply for all dress down days and spirit days.

9. Recap – Interested in Free Bussing Services to and from School for your Middle School Child?  Complete this Middle School Bus Request Form:  Unity offers bussing services to a limited number of students in grades 6-8 (priority will be given to our youngest students).  If you are interested in learning more about this service, complete this request form.  Mr. Beckford will be in contact with interested families by August 25th.

10. Updated – New Students for Fall 2023 – Unity middle school has a few seats available for rising sixth graders for the 2023-24 school year. Finding the right middle school can be tough, and our current families (you!) are the best advocates. If you know of any interested families, please reach out to Mr. Beckford via email or cell (862-294-0219). For any families that refer a new family, both will be given a free uniform shirt.

Relevant Information from Past Editions of The Scoop:

Free Resources for Unity Families: Unity’s social work team is always looking for resources that may be helpful and of interest to our families.  A host of resources are provided below.  Reach out to Ms. Del Purgatorio, Unity’s Director of Social Work, with questions.

• Introducing 988, The New Mental Health Hotline: The Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, which launched last week, is a new way for anyone experiencing a mental health crisis to quickly reach out for help. Anyone in the US can now call or text 9-8-8 to be connected to a trained mental health professional at one of more than 200 local crisis call centers around the country. Learn more here.
• INCLUDEnyc Presents: How to Talk to Your Children about Sexuality: This webinar will help parents and guardians of children with disabilities become more comfortable discussing sexuality and relationships, and cover some of the most effective ways to talk about this sensitive topic. Learn more and register here.
• Free Summer Meals for Students – begins Tuesday, June 28th: NYC’s Summer Meals program offers free breakfast and lunch throughout NYC for anyone age 18 and under. No registration, documentation, or ID is required.  Visit here for details on time, locations, menus and other helpful information.
• Free Book Giveaway for Kids and Teens: As part of our largest summer program ever, The New York Public Library is giving away 500,000 books for kids and teens to take home and keep. Drop by one of our neighborhood branches to choose yours—plus, explore free events, our summer writing contest for kids, the opportunity for teens to contribute to a new magazine, and more with Summer at the Library.  Visit here for more information.
• DOE’s Beyond Access Series Presents Self-Regulation Techniques: This workshop will provide parents, caregivers and students strategies for reducing stress and improving the ability to self-regulate, with simple routines and activities that reduce anxiety and reactivity and promote calm and happy students and families. Spanish and Mandarin interpretation available. Learn more and register here.
• DOE’s Beyond Access Series Presents How to Access Supports for Students with Behavioral Challenges: This workshop covers the educational rights of students who face behavioral challenges in school, including different kinds of behavioral supports and interventions , along with the opportunity to share advocacy tips. Learn more and register here.
• The Child Mind Institute offers great (free & remote) caregiver workshops on a seasonal basis!  Take a moment to visit their site and appreciate their offerings.
• The recent events in Ukraine may be a source of stress and anxiety for some children.  Below are four resources that may be helpful for families:
  • Helping Kids Cope with Frightening News from Child Mind Institute
  • How to Talk to Kids About War from verywellfamily.com
  • How to Navigate Difficult Conversations with Children from The Relation Station
  • How to Talk to Children about War: An Age-by-Age Guide from Today.com
• Below are flyers for lists of low-cost dental providers in each borough:
  • Bronx PDF 
  • Manhattan PDF
  • Queens PDF
  • Brooklyn PDF
  • Staten Island PDF
• Free Child Nutrition Webinar Series: Register for the “An Alarming Rise in Excess Weight and Diabetes in Children: Strategies and Solutions” webinar on Monday, March 7th.  The webinar is presented by French-American Aid for Children as part of the new Child Nutrition Webinar series. Parents and educators will learn about practical nutrition tips and accessible information to encourage children to adopt good eating habits in school—and at home—through an interactive dialogue between Dr. Juliana Cohen, nutrition epidemiologist and associate professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and Dr. Ileana Vargas-Rodriguez, a pediatric endocrinologist at the Children’s Hospital of New York. A Q&A session will follow the webinar.  Check out previous recordings of past webinars, including:
  • Engaging Children in their own Nutritional Journey
  • Smart Summer Shopping and Cooking
  • Nutrition’s Powerful Impact on Children’s Physical and Mental Health

Dear Families of Unity,

On behalf of the entire faculty and staff, I hope that the first half of summer has treated you and your loved ones well.

The month of July represents a sacred time each year to spend time with loved ones, engage in meaningful personal adventures, and recharge the mind and body. It provides time for our educators to appreciate and reflect on the past school year as well as plan forward for the coming year and all that we want to achieve in collaboration with you.

In addition, July also represents an opportunity to provide invaluable service to our students beyond the regular school year, through customized small-group interventions during Summer Academy.  Finally, it represents an opportunity to expose our younger students to new passions or deepen their interests and skills through our summer enrichment programming.  This past month, over 80 of our middle school students engaged in a number of free enrichment offerings, including basketball, dance, grappling, and track!

Our school leaders recently returned to school from a much deserved vacation to resume planning and preparation for the coming school year.  As we near our eleventh year as a school, we are excited to put our best foot forward in building on our prior successes in making the 2023-24 school year our strongest year yet!

In this edition of The Unity Scoop, I bring to you a number of updates, initiatives, and resources both at Unity and beyond.  We also highlight our students as they engage in summer fun and enrichment along with revisiting our graduation ceremonies from June.

The next edition of the Scoop will be disseminated on August 18th.

Best summer wishes,

Josh

Josh Beauregard

Head of School / Co-founder

Updates as of August 4, 2023:

1. New – Updated Unity Calendar for the 2023-24 School Year: In response to the NYCDOE’s changes to their calendar in June, we have made three changes to Unity’s calendar that we believe are in the best interests of our community.   Specifically, April 29th, April 30th, and June 17th are now days in which school will not be in session.

The table below reflects our key events and vacations calendar for the 2023-24 school year.  In addition, here is the updated PDF version of the table for your convenience.  Note the first day of school is Wednesday, September 6, 2023.  In addition, virtual sessions to greet our newest families will take place during the week of August 21st.  Exact dates and times for these sessions will be communicated to new families this coming week. 

2. New – Summer Assignment Reminder for Grades 6-8: Here is a note from Ms. Shebroe, Assistant Principal of Teaching & Learning at Unity’s middle school, regarding summer assignments.

With summer comes fun, relaxation, and rejuvenation. While this time off is well deserved, we want to help support our scholars to keep their math and ELA skills sharp and prevent the “summer slide.” With this in mind, we want to remind you to check in with your child about their summer work for their math and ELA classes. These assignments include prerequisite knowledge that will build on what they already know from the prior grade and support their success in the next grade. Additionally, for math, each topic has a recommended tutorial video, which can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/UMPSmathsummer23

Students should spend approximately 30 minutes to one hour each week working on each assignment. It is recommended that students spread out the work over the course of the summer in order to keep their skills sharp and avoid cramming at the last minute.

Assignments are due on the first day of school, Wednesday, September 6th. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Ms. Shebroe at lshebroe@unityprep.org.

Math assignments: https://tinyurl.com/UMPSmathsummer23

ELA assignments: 6th, 7th and 8th Grade ELA Assignments

3. New – Regents Test Prep Sessions for Unity High Students this Coming Week!: Unity High is offering test prep sessions to support students taking Regents exams in August. The sessions will take place over five days from August 9th to August 15th. Each student that has been extended an invitation should have received a schedule that includes both their test prep courses and times, as well as their August Regents testing schedule. Participants have also received pre-work emails with assignments to begin practicing before the program begins. August regents exams will be administered August 16th and August 17th. If families or students have any questions or need support, they should reach out to Unity High’s Assistant Principals of Teaching & Learning, Ms. Herrand (kherrand@unityprep.org) or Ms. Abawi (mabawi@unityprep.org).

4. New – Kudos to Unity’s Summer Campers!: Unity Middle hosted over 80 students during the last two weeks in July with summer offerings in basketball, dance, grappling, and track.  Congratulations to our students who engaged in these camps and developed new skills and talents along the way!

5. New – AP scores from the 2022-23 school year are now available!: Students who completed their AP exams in May can sign into their College Board accounts and use this website to obtain their scores.  In addition, students can also see notes on the scoring here.  Course selections for the 2023-24 school year, including AP courses, will be finalized in late August.

6. New – August Hours of Operation: Here is information on our hours of operation by site through August.  The main office of both sites will be open based on the following schedules:

• 432 Monroe Street (grades 6-8): 718-455-5046
  • August 1st – August 18th
    • 9am – 3:00pm, M-Th
    • 8:30am – 1:30pm, F
  • August 21st – August 31st
    • 8:30am – 3:00pm, M-F
• 584 Driggs Avenue (grades 9-12): 718-682-3725
  • August 1st – August 18th
    • 8:30am – 3:30pm, M-F
  • August 21st – August 31st
    • 8:30am – 4:30pm, M-F

7. New – Guidance on School Supplies: Guidance on school supplies will be provided by August 18th.

8. New – Information and Guidance on Unity’s Dress Codes for the 2022-23 School Year: Unity’s dress codes by grade level are provided below.

• Grades 6-8: Here is a link to all things dress code for all middle school students.
• Grades 9-12: Unity High’s dress code is outlined below:
  1. Tops:
     1. It is encouraged that an official Unity top is worn in the spirit of school pride and in being united in our collective focus on learning. “Official” is defined as a top (T-Shirt or Polos) purchased from an approved vendor.
     2. In cases where students do not take our recommendation, students can wear tops of their choice so long as the top covers their entire torso and shoulders.
     3. Tops must not bear any offensive and/or inappropriate language and/or images and may not be crop tops, tube tops, halter tops or tank tops.
  2. Bottoms:
     1. Student bottoms must be long enough that the hem hits the top of the knee, shin, or ankle.
     2. Bottoms must properly fit and be worn at the waist.  A belt must be worn if bottoms are unable to fit at the waist without sagging.
     3. Bottoms may have rips or tears.
     4. Bottoms may not be leggings, tights, catsuits/bodysuits, basketball shorts or display undergarments.
  3. Shoes:
     1. All shoes must have backs, be closed-toed, and low heeled.
     2. Sandals, flip-flops, and athletic slides ARE NOT permitted (worn with or without socks).
     3. Crocs ARE permitted so long as the backstrap is raised behind the ankle at all times.
     4. For reasons related to safety, the policy for shoes will apply for all dress down days and spirit days.

9. New – Interested in Free Bussing Services to and from School for your Child (Grades 6-8 only)?  Complete this Middle School Bus Request Form:  Unity offers bussing services to a limited number of students in grades 6-8 (priority will be given to our youngest students).  If you are interested in learning more about this service, complete this request form.  Mr. Beckford will be in contact with interested families. ​​​​​​​

10. Updated – New Students for Fall 2023 – Unity middle school has a few seats available for rising sixth graders for the 2023-24 school year. Finding the right middle school can be tough, and our current families (you!) are the best advocates. If you know of any interested families, please reach out to Mr. Beckford via email or cell (862-294-0219). For any families that refer a new family, both will be given a free uniform shirt.

11. Recap – Unity Celebrates our Graduates of the Class of 2023!:  We are so proud of our graduates and extremely excited about their college and career pursuits as Unity graduates.  A special congrats to the graduates featured below for their academic achievements.  Again, we are proud of you!

12. Recap – Unity Celebrates our 8th Grade Graduates!: Congratulations to the families of our newest 8th grade graduates!  Today’s ceremony was a warm and festive event, and I am so excited for our graduates as they continue their academic pursuits in high school.  I thank our families for their contributions to the ceremony.  Congrats to 8th grade valedictorian, Dacota Porter, and our 8th grade salutatorian, Jayden Collins!

13. Recap – Report Cards for all Unity Students for the 2022-23 Spring Term and Year:

• Grades 6-8: Middle School report cards were distributed during Roundtables.  Report cards that were not picked up were mailed in early July 1st in addition to students’ Star assessment reports, summer assignment packets, and any awards students may have received.
• Grades 9-12: Report card links were sent out via email to families by June 27th.

14. Recap – Unity Celebrates the 5th-Year Anniversary for 11 Educators and 10-Year Anniversary for 6 Educators!: This past week, we honored 11 Unity staff members who are celebrating their 5th year at Unity, along with 6 founding Unity staff members who are celebrating their 10th year at Unity.  As a young school, these teammates have contributed mightily to our programming, our curriculum, and most importantly, the learning experiences of our students.  They are pillars within our community and we thank them wholeheartedly to all that they have brought and continue to bring to our school.  Here they are – feel free to send them a note of congrats!

• Platinum Apple Awards – 10 Years at Unity!
  • Josh Beauregard, Head of School
  • Casey Burns, Middle School Co-Principal
  • Tina Del Purgatorio, Director of Social Work
  • Michelle Roy Gaines, Director of Special Projects
  • Eric Gonzalez, Senior Director of College & Career Readiness
  • Grace Yun, High School Principal
• Golden Apple Awards – 5 Years at Unity!
  • Christelle Boadu, Middle School Math Teacher
  • Clarissa Brookins, Middle School Social Worker
  • Melissa Duphiney, Chief Academic Officer
  • Louise Eason, Director of Academic Counseling
  • Sophie Glickman, High School Art Teacher
  • Christopher Harvey, High School Science Teacher
  • Ingrid Jaquez, High School Senior Dean of Students
  • Jacob Lazar, High School ELA Teacher & Associate Instructional Coach
  • Jillian McPherson, Middle School Science Teacher
  • Maria Turner, Middle School History Department Chair
  • Jamal Welch, High School Math Teacher

15. Recap – Unity Middle’s Track Teams Take 1st and 2nd Place at City Track Championship!: Congratulations to members of Unity’s boys track team, who placed 1st overall.  And congratulations to members of the girls team who, overall, placed 2nd.  What an impressive showing – keep training this summer!

16. Recap – Unity 8th Graders Celebrate their Prom in Style!: Our 8th graders recently had fun as they celebrated their last year in middle school together during their prom.  The party took place at Chelsea Piers with iconic NYC views and, of course, great company.  Thank you to our families and staff who organized and chaperoned the event!

17. Recap – Helping Your Child to Continue their Learning This Summer: Ms. Eason, Unity High’s Director of Academic Counselor, offered a presentation – Avoiding Summer Slide – to families last year.  The presentation is still relevant this year and provides valuable links to paid internships, volunteer opportunities and other things your child can do over the summer to promote critical thinking and learning during the months of July and August.  Click on the image below to see her presentation slides.  ​​​​​​​

18. Recap – Unity Middle’s End of Year Awards Ceremony!: Unity’s middle school community took a special moment recently to celebrate the impressive accomplishments of students this year, including Honor Roll, Department Awards, Perfect Attendance, and Citizenship.  Congratulations to all awardees!

Relevant Information from Past Editions of The Scoop:

Free Resources for Unity Families: Unity’s social work team is always looking for resources that may be helpful and of interest to our families.  A host of resources are provided below.  Reach out to Ms. Del Purgatorio, Unity’s Director of Social Work, with questions.

• Introducing 988, The New Mental Health Hotline: The Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, which launched last week, is a new way for anyone experiencing a mental health crisis to quickly reach out for help. Anyone in the US can now call or text 9-8-8 to be connected to a trained mental health professional at one of more than 200 local crisis call centers around the country. Learn more here.
• INCLUDEnyc Presents: How to Talk to Your Children about Sexuality: This webinar will help parents and guardians of children with disabilities become more comfortable discussing sexuality and relationships, and cover some of the most effective ways to talk about this sensitive topic. Learn more and register here.
• Free Summer Meals for Students – begins Tuesday, June 28th: NYC’s Summer Meals program offers free breakfast and lunch throughout NYC for anyone age 18 and under. No registration, documentation, or ID is required.  Visit here for details on time, locations, menus and other helpful information.
• Free Book Giveaway for Kids and Teens: As part of our largest summer program ever, The New York Public Library is giving away 500,000 books for kids and teens to take home and keep. Drop by one of our neighborhood branches to choose yours—plus, explore free events, our summer writing contest for kids, the opportunity for teens to contribute to a new magazine, and more with Summer at the Library.  Visit here for more information.
• DOE’s Beyond Access Series Presents Self-Regulation Techniques: This workshop will provide parents, caregivers and students strategies for reducing stress and improving the ability to self-regulate, with simple routines and activities that reduce anxiety and reactivity and promote calm and happy students and families. Spanish and Mandarin interpretation available. Learn more and register here.
• DOE’s Beyond Access Series Presents How to Access Supports for Students with Behavioral Challenges: This workshop covers the educational rights of students who face behavioral challenges in school, including different kinds of behavioral supports and interventions , along with the opportunity to share advocacy tips. Learn more and register here.
• The Child Mind Institute offers great (free & remote) caregiver workshops on a seasonal basis!  Take a moment to visit their site and appreciate their offerings.
• The recent events in Ukraine may be a source of stress and anxiety for some children.  Below are four resources that may be helpful for families:
  • Helping Kids Cope with Frightening News from Child Mind Institute
  • How to Talk to Kids About War from verywellfamily.com
  • How to Navigate Difficult Conversations with Children from The Relation Station
  • How to Talk to Children about War: An Age-by-Age Guide from Today.com
• Below are flyers for lists of low-cost dental providers in each borough:
  • Bronx PDF 
  • Manhattan PDF
  • Queens PDF
  • Brooklyn PDF
  • Staten Island PDF
• Free Child Nutrition Webinar Series: Register for the “An Alarming Rise in Excess Weight and Diabetes in Children: Strategies and Solutions” webinar on Monday, March 7th.  The webinar is presented by French-American Aid for Children as part of the new Child Nutrition Webinar series. Parents and educators will learn about practical nutrition tips and accessible information to encourage children to adopt good eating habits in school—and at home—through an interactive dialogue between Dr. Juliana Cohen, nutrition epidemiologist and associate professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and Dr. Ileana Vargas-Rodriguez, a pediatric endocrinologist at the Children’s Hospital of New York. A Q&A session will follow the webinar.  Check out previous recordings of past webinars, including:
  • Engaging Children in their own Nutritional Journey
  • Smart Summer Shopping and Cooking
  • Nutrition’s Powerful Impact on Children’s Physical and Mental Health

Dear Families of Unity,

It is with immense enthusiasm that I commend our school community on concluding the 2022-23 school year!  It has been an eventful year and there is much for which we, as a community, can be grateful.

On behalf of Unity’s full faculty and staff, congratulations to the families of our newest graduating class – the Class of 2023!  Yesterday’s ceremony was a wonderfully festive event, and I am so excited for our graduates and their postsecondary plans.  I thank our families for their contributions to the ceremony, including the stunning and heartfelt video clips put forward by family members.

In addition, I would also like to congratulate our 8th graders on their graduation from Unity’s middle school.  Today’s ceremony was warm and festive and we are so excited for our graduating 8th graders as they extend their educational journey to high school this fall!

In this edition of The Unity Scoop we bring to you an abundance of graduation photos, milestones among our staff and team (many of them!), updates on services and resources available to families this summer, and other relevant updates from last week’s edition.

In unity,

Josh

Josh Beauregard

Head of School / Co-founder

Updates as of June 23, 2023:

1. New – Unity Celebrates our Graduates of the Class of 2023!:  We are so proud of our graduates and extremely excited about their college and career pursuits as Unity graduates.  A special congrats to the graduates featured below for their academic achievements.  Again, we are proud of you!

2. New –  Unity Celebrates our 8th Grade Graduates!: Congratulations to the families of our newest 8th grade graduates!  Today’s ceremony was a warm and festive event, and I am so excited for our graduates as they continue their academic pursuits in high school.  I thank our families for their contributions to the ceremony.  Congrats to 8th grade valedictorian, Dacota Porter, and our 8th grade salutatorian, Jayden Collins!

3. New – Report Cards for all Unity Students for the Spring Term and Year:

• Grades 6-8: Middle School report cards were distributed during Roundtables.  Report cards that were not picked up will be mailed out by July 1st in addition to students’ Star assessment reports, summer assignment packets, and any awards students may have received.
• Grades 9-12: Report card links will be sent out via email to families by June 27th.

4. New – Summer Assignment Information: Here are the descriptions for summer assignments for students by grade level:

• Grades 6-8: Summer assignments for all rising 7th-8th grade middle school students were distributed during Roundtable presentations. Digital copies were also sent via email to all incoming 6th graders.  If you are a new family in need of assignments for this summer, please reach out to Mr. Beckford.
• Grades 9-12: Students who are mandated to retake Regents examinations will receive summer prep work directions by the last week of July.  Some summer school classes may have homework. There are no full-grade summer assignments.

5. New – Summer Academy Information: Here is information on Summer Academy by grade level:

• Grades 6-8: The families of students who are required to attend Summer Academy have been contacted via Jupiter.  Please contact Ms.Gibson, the Middle School Summer Academy Director, with any questions.
• Grades 9-12: Letters and schedules will be distributed to all families of students who are required to attend Summer Academy early this coming week. Please contact Ms. Abawi, the High School Summer Academy Director, with any questions.

6. New – July Hours of Operation: Here is information on July office hours by site:

• 432 Monroe Street (grades 6-8): July 10th – July 28th; 9am – 3pm; 718-455-5046
• 584 Driggs Avenue (grades 9-12): July 10th – July 28th; 8am – 4pm; 718-682-3725, ext. 1.

7. New – Unity Celebrates the 5th-Year Anniversary for 11 Educators and 10-Year Anniversary for 6 Educators!: This past week, we honored 11 Unity staff members who are celebrating their 5th year at Unity, along with 6 founding Unity staff members who are celebrating their 10th year at Unity.  As a young school, these teammates have contributed mightily to our programming, our curriculum, and most importantly, the learning experiences of our students.  They are pillars within our community and we thank them wholeheartedly to all that they have brought and continue to bring to our school.  Here they are – feel free to send them a note of congrats!

• Platinum Apple Awards – 10 Years at Unity!
  • Josh Beauregard, Head of School
  • Casey Burns, Middle School Co-Principal
  • Tina Del Purgatorio, Director of Social Work
  • Michelle Roy Gaines, Director of Special Projects
  • Eric Gonzalez, Senior Director of College & Career Readiness
  • Grace Yun, High School Principal
• Golden Apple Awards – 5 Years at Unity!
  • Christelle Boadu, Middle School Math Teacher
  • Clarissa Brookins, Middle School Social Worker
  • Melissa Duphiney, Chief Academic Officer
  • Louise Eason, Director of Academic Counseling
  • Sophie Glickman, High School Art Teacher
  • Christopher Harvey, High School Science Teacher
  • Ingrid Jaquez, High School Senior Dean of Students
  • Jacob Lazar, High School ELA Teacher & Associate Instructional Coach
  • Jillian McPherson, Middle School Science Teacher
  • Maria Turner, Middle School History Department Chair
  • Jamal Welch, High School Math Teacher

8. New – Unity Middle’s Track Teams Take 1st and 2nd Place at City Track Championship!: Congratulations to members of Unity’s boys track team, who placed 1st overall.  And congratulations to members of the girls team who, overall, placed 2nd.  What an impressive showing – keep training this summer!

9. New – Unity 8th Graders Celebrate their Prom in Style!: Our 8th graders recently had fun as they celebrated their last year in middle school together during their prom.  The party took place at Chelsea Piers with iconic NYC views and, of course, great company.  Thank you to our families and staff who organized and chaperoned the event!

10. New – Helping Your Child to Continue their Learning This Summer: Ms. Eason, Unity High’s Director of Academic Counselor, offered a presentation – Avoiding Summer Slide – to families last year.  The presentation is still relevant this year and provides valuable links to paid internships, volunteer opportunities and other things your child can do over the summer to promote critical thinking and learning during the months of July and August.  Click on the image below to see her presentation slides.

11. Recap – Unity Middle’s End of Year Awards Ceremony!: Unity’s middle school community took a special moment recently to celebrate the impressive accomplishments of students this year, including Honor Roll, Department Awards, Perfect Attendance, and Citizenship.  Congratulations to all awardees!

Relevant Information from Past Editions of The Scoop:

Our Community Pledge as a school outlines the actions our staff, families, and students are committed to taking.  By following through on our commitments, we will undoubtedly have an enormously successful school year!

Information and Guidance on Unity’s Dress Codes for the 2022-23 School Year: Unity’s dress codes by grade level are provided below.

• Grades 6-8: Here is a link to all things dress code for all middle school students.
• Grades 9-12: Unity High’s dress code is outlined below:
  1. Tops:
     1. It is strongly encouraged that an official Unity top is worn in the spirit of school pride and in being united in our collective focus on learning. “Official” is defined as a top (T-Shirt or Polos) purchased from an approved vendor.
     2. In cases where students do not take our recommendation, students can wear tops of their choice so long as the top covers their entire torso and shoulders.
     3. Tops must not bear any offensive and/or inappropriate language and/or images and may not be crop tops, tube tops, halter tops or tank tops.
  2. Bottoms:
     1. Student bottoms must be long enough that the hem hits the top of the knee, shin, or ankle.
     2. Bottoms must properly fit and be worn at the waist.  A belt must be worn if bottoms are unable to fit at the waist without sagging.
     3. Bottoms may have rips or tears.
     4. Bottoms may not be leggings, tights, catsuits/bodysuits, basketball shorts or display undergarments.
  3. Shoes:
     1. All shoes must have backs, be closed-toed, and low heeled.
     2. Sandals, flip-flops, and athletic slides ARE NOT permitted (worn with or without socks).
     3. Crocs ARE permitted so long as the backstrap is raised behind the ankle at all times.
     4. For reasons related to safety, the policy for shoes will apply for all dress down days and spirit days.

School Supply Guidance: Having all of our students equipped with the supplies they need is essential to getting off to a strong start to the school year.  We offer guidance below on school supplies by grade level:

• Grades 6-8
• Grades 9-12

COVID-19 Vaccines: Currently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized three COVID-19 vaccines: the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson/Janssen vaccines. The vaccine can prevent COVID-19 symptoms and severe COVID-19 illness. People 5 and older are eligible for the vaccine. Those who are fully vaccinated can more safely gather with friends and enjoy other benefits of vaccination. Many vaccination sites in the city no longer require appointments.

• See a list of sites where you can get a walk-up vaccination today. To find a vaccination site near you, including those that take appointments, use the City’s Vaccine Finder.
• Note, people who are 12 to 17 years old can only receive the Pfizer vaccine.

Mental Health Counseling and Social Work Services at Unity: If you would like to speak to a social worker about your child’s mental health or if you would like your child to receive support from a social worker in school, please reach out to Ms. Del Purgatorio via phone or text (347-688-9107) or email (tdelpurgatorio@unityprep.org).

Unity social workers can also be of assistance in providing information regarding social services (for example: housing, immigration, access to community mental health services & referrals to mental health providers, food security / access to food, public assistance, crisis intervention, etc.).

If your child or family member is experiencing a mental health crisis, NYC Well is available 24 hours a day and can be accessed by phone (1-888-NYC-WELL) or text (text WELL to 65173) or by internet chat via their website: https://nycwell.cityofnewyork.us/en/.

Discounts on Home Internet Services Available: If your household is struggling to afford internet service during the COVID-19 pandemic, you may be eligible for a monthly service discount through the Emergency Broadband Benefit. Please visit this information page or call 833-511-0311 for more information.