Dear Families of Unity,

I hope that the February break was good to you and your loved ones, and that you’ve had a terrific week since.  It felt great to be back in action as a learning community.  One highlight of the week was last night’s Dare to be Bold Step Performance at our middle school.  Thank you to Coach Alley and Unity High’s Queen Steppers for their strong and impressive performance as we conclude Black History Month in 2024!

This coming week, we are holding spring conferences with families at our middle school.  We look forward to convening with all of our families to discuss student progress and how to make the most of the coming months.  See the first update below for additional details.

Lastly, we honor Unity’s social workers as a part of School Social Workers Appreciation Week.  On behalf of our community, I would like to thank Ms. Del Purgatorio, Ms. Brookins, Ms. Saunders, and Ms. Hidalgo for your dedication, advocacy, and support of our students, families, and community.  We are especially blessed to have your talents and expertise supporting our community.  Thank you for being such a tremendous support for all of us.

In this edition of The Unity Scoop, I share our March calendar as well as a host of updates, highlights, and recaps on recent school events.

Best weekend wishes,

Josh

Josh Beauregard

Head of School / Co-founder

Updates as of March 1, 2024:

New – Middle School Trimester-2 Conferences, March 7th-8th: We have our second round of family conferences upcoming on Thursday, 3/7 (in-person evening hours, 5pm-8pm) and Friday, 3/8 (daytime virtual hours on Zoom, 9am-2pm).  Advisors are in the process of reaching out to families to schedule appointments.  A Jupiter message with a link to appointment options has also been disseminated.  Our goal is that all students have at least one adult family representative attending conferences. If you have any questions or need additional support, call Unity’s main office at 718-455-5046.

New – March 2024 Schoolwide Calendar: For your family’s convenience, here is a complete school-wide calendar of events for the month of February – 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.

New – Help Shape Your Child’s Experience in School by Taking Part in our Next Middle School Family Ambassadors Meeting, Thursday, March 21st, 6pm!: The next Family Ambassadors of Unity meeting is scheduled for this Thursday, March 21st, at 6pm on Zoom.  Contact Mr. Beckford with questions – all families or middle school students are encouraged to attend!

Updated – 2024 Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) Lottery – APPLICATIONS ARE DUE TODAY!:  All students ages 14–24 are invited to apply to participate in the 2024 Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP), which is now accepting applications for summer 2024 via the general lottery through March 1. If you have any questions, you may reach out to Ms. Behan or call 800-246-4646.

Updated – Unity’s Student-Athletes Continue to Shine in the Winter Season!: There have been a number of recent highlights worth sharing with Unity’s athletic teams this winter season.  Here are a few!

Our middle school basketball teams and faculty had together this past week during our Annual Student vs. Faculty Basketball Game.

For the third year in a row, Unity Middle’s Girls Basketball Team won the PINK Classic Basketball Tournament.  Kylee Alexander was named the Tournament’s MVP.

Middle School Scholar-Athlete of the Month for January: Kamau Hutchinson

Team: Junior Varsity Boys Basketball

Current GPA: 3.5

Description: Kamau has been a core piece to Junior Varsity’s success. He is averaging a double-double with over 10 points and rebounds per game. He has maintained great grades throughout the season, and never misses practice. He is one of the leaders of the team, and an exemplary scholar athlete.  In response to earning Scholar-Athlete of the Month, Kamau offered a very honest response: It feels good!  I have been working my butt off for the last three months!”

Representatives from the New York Rugby Club visited Unity PE classes in January.  They taught our students how to play Rugby and donated equipment to the school.

The Middle School Dance Team recently attended the annual HBCU Night United Game at Barclays Center where the Nets celebrated the rich history and influence of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

Recap – Congratulations to our High School Honor Roll Students for Quarter 2!  Congrats to the honorees – continue to make us proud!  We look forward to celebrating your achievements again at the conclusion of Quarter 3!

• Honor Roll : Quarter GPA of 3.0-3.49
• High Honor Roll : Quarter GPA of 3.5-3.99
• Principal’s List : Quarter GPA of 4.0+

Recap – Unity Celebrates Black History this Month through a Host of Festivities!: Our school community continued in our celebration of Black History this past week.  The photos below feature a number of the impressive performances by our students and guest presenters.  On behalf of our entire community, thank you to all students and staff for your contributions to our festivities!  The celebration will continue during the last week of February, including our High School Step Team, The Unity Queen Steppers, performing at our middle school auditorium on February 29th – see the flier below for details!

Recap – Unity’s Dance Students Perform in Winter Recital!: Unity’s dance students across grades 6-8 performed in front of a full audience of students, families, and staff last night.  Congratulations to our many students who performed and showed off all that they have learned in their class thus far this year.  Thank you to the many families and staff who came out to take in the performance and support the cause.  And, finally, congratulations to Ms. McRae for continuing to take our dance program to new heights!

Recap – Kudos to our P.R.I.D.E. Leaders for the Full Month of January!: Our P.R.I.D.E. Core Values of Progress, Respect for All, Integrity, Discovery, and Empathy represent qualities that we covet as a school community.  They also represent qualities that we believe empower our students to lead fulfilling lives and, therefore, qualities that we have a responsibility to actively teach and positively reinforce.  The students listed below were leaders for the month of January in being recognized by their teachers for demonstrating our Core Values.  On behalf of our school community, we are proud of these students, and look forward to continuing to shout out all of our students when they demonstrate P.R.I.D.E. in our community.

Recap – Alumni Spotlight of the Month – Sanjae Chin, Unity’s Class of 2020: We are thrilled to share with our entire community the accomplishments of our alumni whenever we can.  This month, we proudly provide an update on the postsecondary success of Sanjae Chin, who is now in his fourth year at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York, and preparing to graduate this May!

Accomplishments: Sanjae Chin graduated from Unity in 2020. He is currently a full-time student at Vassar College, majoring in Computer Science.  Sanjae was introduced to computer science at Unity when he took AP Computer Science as a 10th grader.  Sanjae was the Valedictorian of his graduating class at Unity.

Fun Facts: Sanjae has recently taken up weight training and fitness while at Vassar.  Sanjae can now be found in the gym 6-7 days a week when he is not in the computer science lab preparing his work portfolio for job interviews this spring!

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.

Recap – New Students for 2023-24 school year – 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 wish to extend a hearty thank you to the families that attended our Black History celebration on Wednesday afternoon and our dance recital last night.  Both events showcased the talents and voices of our students, staff, and community members.  A special thank you to our families who facilitated workshops on Wednesday – we appreciate your active partnership!  And, of course, kudos to our incredible team of educators for organizing these rich and festive experiences for our students and community!

In this edition of The Unity Scoop, we celebrate our high school honor roll students from Quarter 2, offer highlights from our dance recital and BHM festivities, and honor our PRIDE leaders for the month of January.  We also spotlight one of our alumni and his accomplishments at Unity and in college.  Finally, we provide updates on the recent accomplishments of our student athletes – go Panthers!

I wish you a healthy and restful February break!  We look forward to welcoming students back to school on Monday, February 26th.

Warmest mid-winter wishes to you,

Josh

Josh Beauregard

Head of School / Co-founder

Updates as of February 16, 2024:

New – Congratulations to our High School Honor Roll Students for Quarter 2!  Congrats to the honorees – continue to make us proud!  We look forward to celebrating your achievements again at the conclusion of Quarter 3!

• Honor Roll : Quarter GPA of 3.0-3.49
• High Honor Roll : Quarter GPA of 3.5-3.99
• Principal’s List : Quarter GPA of 4.0+

New – Unity’s Dance Students Perform in Winter Recital!: Unity’s dance students across grades 6-8 performed in front of a full audience of students, families, and staff last night.  Congratulations to our many students who performed and showed off all that they have learned in their class thus far this year.  Thank you to the many families and staff who came out to take in the performance and support the cause.  And, finally, congratulations to Ms. McRae for continuing to take our dance program to new heights!

New – Kudos to our P.R.I.D.E. Leaders for the Full Month of January!: Our P.R.I.D.E. Core Values of Progress, Respect for All, Integrity, Discovery, and Empathy represent qualities that we covet as a school community.  They also represent qualities that we believe empower our students to lead fulfilling lives and, therefore, qualities that we have a responsibility to actively teach and positively reinforce.  The students listed below were leaders for the month of January in being recognized by their teachers for demonstrating our Core Values.  On behalf of our school community, we are proud of these students, and look forward to continuing to shout out all of our students when they demonstrate P.R.I.D.E. in our community.

New – Unity Celebrates Black History this Month through a Host of Festivities!: Our school community continued in our celebration of Black History this past week.  The photos below feature a number of the impressive performances by our students and guest presenters.  On behalf of our entire community, thank you to all students and staff for your contributions to our festivities!  The celebration will continue during the last week of February, including our High School Step Team, The Unity Queen Steppers, performing at our middle school auditorium on February 29th – see the flier below for details!

New – Alumni Spotlight of the Month – Sanjae Chin, Unity’s Class of 2020: We are thrilled to share with our entire community the accomplishments of our alumni whenever we can.  This month, we proudly provide an update on the postsecondary success of Sanjae Chin, who is now in his fourth year at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York, and preparing to graduate this May!

Accomplishments: Sanjae Chin graduated from Unity in 2020. He is currently a full-time student at Vassar College, majoring in Computer Science.  Sanjae was introduced to computer science at Unity when he took AP Computer Science as a 10th grader.  Sanjae was the Valedictorian of his graduating class at Unity.

Fun Facts: Sanjae has recently taken up weight training and fitness while at Vassar.  Sanjae can now be found in the gym 6-7 days a week when he is not in the computer science lab preparing his work portfolio for job interviews this spring!

Updated – Full February 2024 School-wide Calendar: For your family’s convenience, here is a complete school-wide calendar of events for the month of February – 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.

Updated – Unity’s Student-Athletes Continue to Shine in the Winter Season!: There have been a number of recent highlights worth sharing with Unity’s athletic teams this winter season.  Here are a few!

For the third year in a row, Unity Middle’s Girls Basketball Team won the PINK Classic Basketball Tournament.  Kylee Alexander was named the Tournament’s MVP.

Middle School Scholar-Athlete of the Month for January: Kamau Hutchinson

Team: Junior Varsity Boys Basketball

Current GPA: 3.5

Description: Kamau has been a core piece to Junior Varsity’s success. He is averaging a double-double with over 10 points and rebounds per game. He has maintained great grades throughout the season, and never misses practice. He is one of the leaders of the team, and an exemplary scholar athlete.  In response to earning Scholar-Athlete of the Month, Kamau offered a very honest response: It feels good!  I have been working my butt off for the last three months!”

Representatives from the New York Rugby Club visited Unity PE classes in January.  They taught our students how to play Rugby and donated equipment to the school.

The Middle School Dance Team recently attended the annual HBCU Night United Game at Barclays Center where the Nets celebrated the rich history and influence of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

Our Girls Varsity and Boys Junior Varsity Basketball Teams recently participated in a mentoring event with the basketball team of our neighboring elementary school, PS 44.  During the event, our scholar-athletes worked with PS 44’s team to develop foundational basketball skills, discussed the importance of being excellent students and excellent team players, and, of course, had some fun together!

Unity’s Coach Berkeley is featured here facilitating a co-practice with Unity’s basketball team and PS 44’s basketball team.

Recap – Unity High Students Visit Fordham University!: A number of our upperclassmen at Unity High visited Fordham Unity last week.  During the visits, students had an opportunity to tour the campus, visit with administrators, and learn more about the college.  Thank you to Mr. Warner and Ms. Peters for coordinating the trip!

Recap – Recent Highlights Among Unity High’s Debate Team!: Unity High’s Debate Team continues to reach new heights in its second year.  Recent highlights include:

Two of its team members, Vondell Hankies ‘25 and Tamese Pratt ‘24 qualified for New York State Speech & Debate Championship, which takes place at Hofstra University in April.

Coach Conyer’s book, I Wasn’t Supposed to be Here, was recently published.

The team collected major victors of debaters from prominent high school debate teams, including Achievement First and Brooklyn Latin.  A number of team members are vying for the National Championship, which will be held in Chicago this spring!

Recap – 2024 Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) Lottery:  All students ages 14–24 are invited to apply to participate in the 2024 Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP), which is now accepting applications for summer 2024 via the general lottery through March 1. If you have any questions, you may reach out to Ms. Behan or call 800-246-4646.

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.

Recap – New Students for 2023-24 school year – 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 week was good to you and your loved ones.  As a school, we are excited to continue our celebration of Black History this coming week.  See the fliers below to appreciate the abundance of festivities we have scheduled.  Note that families are invited to take part in various events. Contact Mr. Beckford if you would like to join us!

We have plenty to share with you in this week’s edition of The Unity Scoop, including our debate team’s recent achievements, a recent college visit to Fordham University, and updates from our winter athletic teams!

Have a terrific weekend!

Josh

Josh Beauregard

Head of School / Co-founder

Updates as of February 10, 2024:

Updated – Full February 2024 School-wide Calendar: For your family’s convenience, here is a complete school-wide calendar of events for the month of February – 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.

New: Unity High Students Visit Fordham University!: A number of our upperclassmen at Unity High visited Fordham Unity last week.  During the visits, students had an opportunity to tour the campus, visit with administrators, and learn more about the college.  Thank you to Mr. Warner and Ms. Peters for coordinating the trip!

New – Recent Highlights Among Unity High’s Debate Team!: Unity High’s Debate Team continues to reach new heights in its second year.  Recent highlights include:

Two of its team members, Vondell Hankies ‘25 and Tamese Pratt ‘24 qualified for New York State Speech & Debate Championship, which takes place at Hofstra University in April.

Coach Conyer’s book, I Wasn’t Supposed to be Here, was recently published.

The team collected major victors of debaters from prominent high school debate teams, including Achievement First and Brooklyn Latin.  A number of team members are vying for the National Championship, which will be held in Chicago this spring!

New – Unity Celebrates Black History this Month through a Host of Festivities!: Unity students on our middle school and high school campuses are in the midst of celebrating Black History Month with an array of events.  See the fliers below for more information on all festivities this coming week, including various workshops coordinated by local community members at Unity Middle on Wednesday!

Middle School Festivities:

Unity High Festivities:

Updated – Save the Date!  Unity’s Middle School Dance Recital is on February 15th, 5:30pm!: Please support the middle school scholars by attending our Winter Dance Recital on Thursday, February 15th in our middle school auditorium (432 Monroe Street). See the flier below for updated details!

Updated (Note the New Meeting Date) – Help Shape Your Child’s Experience in School by Taking Part in our Next Middle School Family Ambassadors Meeting, Thursday, February 15th, 6pm!: The next Family Ambassadors of Unity meeting is scheduled for this Thursday, February 8th, at 6pm on Zoom.  Contact Mr. Beckford with questions – all families or middle school students are encouraged to attend!

New – 2024 Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) Lottery:  All students ages 14–24 are invited to apply to participate in the 2024 Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP), which is now accepting applications for summer 2024 via the general lottery through March 1. If you have any questions, you may reach out to Ms. Behan or call 800-246-4646.

Updated – Unity’s Student-Athletes Continue to Shine in the Winter Season!: There have been a number of recent highlights worth sharing with Unity’s athletic teams this winter season.  Here are a few!

On Thursday, the Unity Prep Girls Varsity Team and Boys JV Team participated in a mentoring event with the basketball team of our neighboring elementary school, PS 44.  During the event, our scholar-athletes worked with PS 44’s team to develop foundational basketball skills, discussed the importance of being excellent students and excellent team players, and, of course, had some fun together!

Unity’s Coach Berkeley is featured here facilitating a co-practice with Unity’s basketball team and PS 44’s basketball team.

Unity High’s 2023-24 Step Team (The Unity Queen Steppers)

Unity High’s 2023-24 Girls Varsity Basketball Team

Unity High’s 2023-24 Girls Varsity Volleyball Team

Unity High’s 2023-24 Cheerleading Team

Unity High’s 2023-24 Boys Varsity Basketball Team

Unity High’s 2023-24 Debate Team

The nonprofit, New York Road Runners (NYRR), recently donated new sneakers to members of our Fall Cross Country season. We thank you for your support and partnership, NYRR!

Recap – Stellar Attendance in January – 95% and Above!: The following lengthy list of students demonstrated a strong and consistent dedication to their education by showing stellar attendance in January.  Kudos to these students – we love seeing you each and every day!  And, of course, we look forward to celebrating additional students at the end of this month!

Recap Unity Family Ambassador Spotlight of the Month!: We are thrilled to resume an exciting feature to the Unity Scoop, a monthly profile of our amazing Unity Family Ambassadors. The Unity Family Ambassadors are a group of caregivers who meet monthly and serve as thought partners for many of our school’s initiatives. If you are interested in learning more about or joining the Unity Family Ambassadors, please reach out to Mr. Beckford.

Casandra Lewis (Mother of Jassaun Thompson, Unity 8th grader)

This month, we are thrilled to profile Casandra Lewis, the mother of Unity 8th grade scholar, Jassaun Thompson. 

Occupation:
Ms. Lewis works as a Therapist.

Favorite Restaurant in Brooklyn?
Crabhouse (in Coney Island)

Your favorite self-care activity?
Sleep and meditation

Why did you choose to send your child to Unity?
It was a new opportunity for my family. 

What is the best advice you could provide for an incoming caregiver?
Stay in communication with staff and educators.

What is your favorite aspect of Unity?
My favorite aspect is the sense of community.

What inspired you to ‘give back’ to our community by joining the Unity Family Ambassadors this year?
Today’s society, and our children. 
 

Recap – Unity Wear Red in Support of Heart Health Awareness!: This past Thursday, Unity staff and students wore red in showing their support for the heart health awareness and the fight against heart disease.  Kudos to all who took part!  Learn more about this annual event as well as heart disease and how to reduce risks here.

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.

Recap – New Students for 2023-24 school year – 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,

Congratulations to our middle school students and educators for a strong and successful administration of math mock exams this past week.  Moreover, congratulations to our high school students and staff for recently completing the first semester of the school year.  As always, thank you, families, for your showing of support and encouragement at home.

In this edition of The Unity Scoop, we bring to you our full February calendar.  For the coming week, we invite our middle school families to participate in this month’s Family Ambassador meeting this Thursday.  In addition to the calendar, we spotlight our students with stellar attendance in the month of January.  We also highlight one of our dedicated family ambassadors.

As you review the calendar, note that we, as a community, are honoring Black History through a host of meaningful festivities and events over the coming few weeks.  As a school, we take pride in honoring, celebrating, and learning about Black History every day of every month.  We are especially excited to pay special tribute to Black History in February through a host of events and festivities within our school community and beyond.

Best wishes in the week ahead.

In unity,

Josh

Josh Beauregard

Head of School / Co-founder

Updates as of February 4, 2024:

1. Updated – Full February 2024 School-wide Calendar: For your family’s convenience, here is a complete school-wide calendar of events for the month of February – 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.

2. New – Stellar Attendance in January – 95% and Above!: The following lengthy list of students demonstrated a strong and consistent dedication to their education by showing stellar attendance in January.  Kudos to these students – we love seeing you each and every day!  And, of course, we look forward to celebrating additional students at the end of this month!

3. New – Unity Family Ambassador Spotlight of the Month!: We are thrilled to resume an exciting feature to the Unity Scoop, a monthly profile of our amazing Unity Family Ambassadors. The Unity Family Ambassadors are a group of caregivers who meet monthly and serve as thought partners for many of our school’s initiatives. If you are interested in learning more about or joining the Unity Family Ambassadors, please reach out to Mr. Beckford.

Casandra Lewis (Mother of Jassaun Thompson, Unity 8th grader)

This month, we are thrilled to profile Casandra Lewis, the mother of Unity 8th grade scholar, Jassaun Thompson. 

Occupation:
Ms. Lewis works as a Therapist.

Favorite Restaurant in Brooklyn?
Crabhouse (in Coney Island)

Your favorite self-care activity?
Sleep and meditation

Why did you choose to send your child to Unity?
It was a new opportunity for my family. 

What is the best advice you could provide for an incoming caregiver?
Stay in communication with staff and educators.

What is your favorite aspect of Unity?
My favorite aspect is the sense of community.

What inspired you to ‘give back’ to our community by joining the Unity Family Ambassadors this year?
Today’s society, and our children. 
4. Updated – Help Shape Your Child’s Experience in School by Taking Part in our Next Middle School Family Ambassadors Meeting, Thursday, February 8th, 6pm!: The next Family Ambassadors of Unity meeting is scheduled for this Thursday, February 8th, at 6pm on Zoom.  Contact Mr. Beckford with questions – all families or middle school students are encouraged to attend!

5. Updated – Unity Wear Red in Support of Heart Health Awareness!: This past Thursday, Unity staff and students wore red in showing their support for the heart health awareness and the fight against heart disease.  Kudos to all who took part!  Learn more about this annual event as well as heart disease and how to reduce risks here.

6. Updated – Unity’s Student-Athletes Continue to Shine in the Winter Season!: There have been a number of recent highlights worth sharing with Unity’s athletic teams this winter season.  Here are a few!

Unity’s Queen Steppers and Royals took 1st and 2nd place in their competition in Bentwood, NY last weekend.  Congrats to both teams and congrats to Coach Olivier, Coach West, and Coach Martino ‘20!

We congratulate Unity High’s most recent Student-Athletes of the Month!

Members of Unity High’s Weight Lifting Club get pumped at the Metropolitan Recreation Center!

The nonprofit, New York Road Runners (NYRR), recently donated new sneakers to members of our Fall Cross Country season. We thank you for your support and partnership, NYRR!

Our Hoops teams are fully in season and representing Unity with pride!

7. Recap – Alumni Spotlight of the Month – Nayeli Pena, Unity’s Class of 2020: We are thrilled to share with our entire community the accomplishments of our alumni whenever we can.  This month, we proudly provide an update on the postsecondary success of Nayeli Pena, who recently earned certifications in Google Analytics, Meta Cert Digital Marketing and Adobe Professional and is now working as a Media Designer at York College’s Learning Center.  Kudos to Nayeli in her recent achievements!

Who: Nayeli Pena is a proud member of Unity’s first graduating class in 2020. She completed college courses at SUNY Oneonta and before returning home to seek employment. Nayeli loves art, music, graphic design, and all things beauty. Nayeli frequently returns to Unity for alumni events and helps out her middle and high school community whenever she can.

Accomplishments: Nayeli recently completed a Digital Marketing course from an organization called Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow where she earned certifications in Google Analytics, Meta Cert Digital Marketing and Adobe Professional. The program led to an internship at York College as a graphic designer. She is now an official employee at York College as a Media Designer for their Learning Center! Nayeli loves the supportive and fun work environment so far and looks forward to other opportunities that may come her way.

8. Recap – Unity High’s Advanced Placement (AP) Art & Design Students Visit the Whitney Museum: Unity High’s AP Art & Design students recently took the opportunity to deepen their study of American art, as well as gain inspiration by visiting the Whitney Museum.  Thank you to Ms. Glickman for organizing the trip and making it possible!

9. Recap – Save the Date!  Unity’s Middle School Dance Recital is on February 15th, 5:30pm!: Please support the middle school scholars by attending our Winter Dance Recital on Thursday, February 15th in our middle school auditorium (432 Monroe Street). See the flier below for additional details!

10. 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.

11. Recap – New Students for 2023-24 school year – 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,

Congratulations to our students and our team for a strong and successful administration of the middle school English Language Arts (ELA) mock exams and high school Semester I final exams this past week.  And thank you, families, for your support at home.

This coming week, Unity middle school students will complete mock exams in mathematics on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings.  Moreover, our high school students will complete their Star assessments to gauge academic growth in reading and math thus far this year.

As I messaged last week, families of our students at both sites can support their children in excelling on these exams by taking the following four actions:

1. Ensure that your child eats a healthy breakfast and arrives at school on time with their full set of supplies and materials.
2. Ask your child about how things are going in their classes and their exams, and provide encouragement such that they feel confident and supported.
3. Help your child prepare for school by ensuring that they have a quiet, designated space and time to study each night.  Of course, feel free to pull up a chair and help them study!  Studying together can be a fun experience for all.
4. Be proactive in your communication with your child’s teachers about any questions or concerns.

Note that the actions above are helpful on any given day or week, not just during weeks in which we have assessments.  We are grateful to you for your continued collaboration in supporting your child at home with their studies at home.

One last important note/reminder: we do have school tomorrow, Monday, 1/29, even though NYCDOE public schools do not.  We look forward to a full week of school!

In this edition of The Scoop, we share with meeting notes from last week’s Family Ambassador meeting and an initial glimpse of our February calendar, including major events this week.  In addition, we spotlight one of our alumni and her recent achievements.  Finally, we provide updates on the number updates on our students’ latest accomplishments in their classes, on their athletic teams, and beyond!

Best wishes in the week ahead.

In unity,

Josh

Josh Beauregard

Head of School / Co-founder

Updates as of January 28, 2024:

1. New – Thank you, Families, for Taking Part in Last Thursday’s Family Ambassadors Meeting!: We are grateful to our families who participated in our Family Ambassadors meeting on Zoom last week.  The meeting was productive, energizing, and, of course, fun!  Here are the slides from the meeting.  Contact Mr. Beckford with questions.  Unity’s Family Ambassadors will meet again on Thursday, February 8th, at 6pm – all families are encouraged to attend.

2. New – February 2024 School-wide Calendar: For your family’s convenience, here is the coming week’s school-wide calendar of events as we conclude January and embark on February.  A full calendar of events for the month of February will be disseminated in the next edition of the Scoop.  An up-to-date events calendar can always be accessed on our website.

3. New – Unity Wears Red in Support of Heart Health Awareness!: This coming Thursday, February 2nd, Unity staff and students are encouraged to wear red in showing their support for the heart health awareness and the fight against heart disease.  Learn more about this annual event as well as heart disease and how to reduce risks here.  Unity families are encouraged to take part too!

4. New – Alumni Spotlight of the Month – Nayeli Pena, Unity’s Class of 2020: We are thrilled to share with our entire community the accomplishments of our alumni whenever we can.  This month, we proudly provide an update on the postsecondary success of Nayeli Pena, who recently earned certifications in Google Analytics, Meta Cert Digital Marketing and Adobe Professional and is now working as a Media Designer at York College’s Learning Center.  Kudos to Nayeli in her recent achievements!

Who: Nayeli Pena is a proud member of Unity’s first graduating class in 2020. She completed college courses at SUNY Oneonta and before returning home to seek employment. Nayeli loves art, music, graphic design, and all things beauty. Nayeli frequently returns to Unity for alumni events and helps out her middle and high school community whenever she can.

Accomplishments: Nayeli recently completed a Digital Marketing course from an organization called Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow where she earned certifications in Google Analytics, Meta Cert Digital Marketing and Adobe Professional. The program led to an internship at York College as a graphic designer. She is now an official employee at York College as a Media Designer for their Learning Center! Nayeli loves the supportive and fun work environment so far and looks forward to other opportunities that may come her way.

5. Updated – Unity’s Student-Athletes Continue to Shine in the Winter Season!: There have been a number of recent highlights worth sharing with Unity’s athletic teams this winter season.  Here are a few!

Unity’s Queen Steppers and Royals took 1st and 2nd place in their competition in Bentwood, NY last weekend.  Congrats to both teams and congrats to Coach Olivier, Coach West, and Coach Martino ‘20!

We congratulate Unity High’s most recent Student-Athletes of the Month!

Congratulations to our Student-Athlete of the Month from December, Liliana Diaz-Garcia, of our talented MS Dance team.  According to Coach McCrae, “Liliana is a scholar-athlete that has been showing up and giving 120% of herself with learning new material and executing it. She demonstrates high energy and focus in practice and a willingness to help others or herself improve. Liliana works hard in her academics and takes pride in being a scholar athlete. She demonstrates her love and passion for hard work and dedication in how she carries herself and how she motivates others.”  In response to being celebrated, Lilana showed both gratitude and pride:”It feels really good to be awarded the Scholar Athlete of the Month for December. I am proud of myself.”  Congratulations Liliana, and go Panthers!

Unity Middle’s 2023-24 Boys Varsity Basketball Team

Unity Middle’s 2023-24 Girls Basketball Team

6. Recap – Congrats to our Middle School’s Students of the Month!:  Kudos to our Students of the Month from December for showing exemplary scholarship, citizenship, and growth – we are proud of you!

• 6th Grade:
  • Taylor Mathias – Citizenship
  • Liza Martynanko – Scholarship
• 7th Grade:
  • Dylan Phillips -Citizenship
  • Amara James-Bird -Scholarship
• 8th Grade:
  • Joshua Corbin – Citizenship
  • Jahlysa Edwards -Scholarship

7. Recap – Information from Last Week’s Middle School Grade Level Family Meetings: Thank you to all families who participated in last night’s Grade Level Family Meetings for Trimester 2.  The slides, which include an abundance of important information for all families, are provided below.  Click on the image to access all of the information and updates that were provided, including: academic updates, upcoming events, and end-of-year trip information.

8. Recap – Unity High’s Advanced Placement (AP) Art & Design Students Visit the Whitney Museum: Unity High’s AP Art & Design students recently took the opportunity to deepen their study of American art, as well as gain inspiration by visiting the Whitney Museum.  Thank you to Ms. Glickman for organizing the trip and making it possible!

9. Recap – Kudos to our P.R.I.D.E. Leaders for the Full Month of December!: Our P.R.I.D.E. Core Values of Progress, Respect for All, Integrity, Discovery, and Empathy represent qualities that we covet as a school community.  They also represent qualities that we believe empower our students to lead fulfilling lives and, therefore, qualities that we have a responsibility to actively teach and positively reinforce.  The students listed here were leaders for the month of December in being recognized by their teachers for demonstrating our Core Values.  On behalf of our school community, we are proud of these students, and look forward to continuing to shout out all of our students when they demonstrate P.R.I.D.E. in our community.

10. Recap – Save the Date!  Unity’s Middle School Dance Recital is on February 15th, 5:30pm!: Please support the middle school scholars by attending our Winter Dance Recital on Thursday, February 15th in our middle school auditorium (432 Monroe Street). See the flier below for additional details!

11. Recap – College & Career Readiness in Full Force at Unity High!: It continues to be an exciting and busy time in the world of college & career readiness for Unity High students and staff.  Recent events include:

• Seniors Tour their Prospective College Campuses!: As our seniors continue to receive acceptance letters from colleges for which they have applied, they are now weighing their options as they begin to make decisions.  To inform their decisions, many of our seniors are now visiting/revisiting college campuses with their families and our staff to inform their decisions.  This past week, two Unity seniors, Ziaire Pettis and Jaheem August Jr., visited the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Poughkeepsie with Mr. Warner, Unity’s CCR Manager.  The CIA is one of premier culinary arts colleges in the country.  Both Zaire and Jaheem took part in our culinary arts club as underclassmen.  Enjoy the photos below from their visit!

• Unity Students Begin Studying for the SAT!: Kudos to Unity High’s 10th and 11th grade students who begin preparing for the SAT this week.  Students are preparing under the guidance of Testive, an organization that specializes in supporting students prepare for major exams like the SAT.  Participating students will be meeting weekly after school on Wednesdays until the test this spring

• Attention all 12th Grade Families – Support with Financial Aid!: All senior families are invited to attend our FAFSA workshop on Saturday, January 20th at UPHS.  We will be hosting support office hours from 9:30am-12:30pm on that day and students should attend with their caregiver.  Please plan to bring a copy of your 2022 tax returns (your 1040) and any additional benefit letters you have.  Members of Unity’s College and Career Readiness team will be on hand to support you with completing your FAFSA and TAP, which are both necessary to get money for college!  Contact Ms. Behan (ebehan@unityprep.org) with questions.

12. Recap – Attention Families – We Need Your Help in Upgrading our Library!: Our middle school is looking for family volunteers to upgrade our library on Tuesday, Thursday, or Friday mornings from 10am -12pm.  See the details below and contact Ms. Terry via email if you are able to help out.  Many thanks in advance!

13. 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.

14. Recap – New Students for 2023-24 school year – 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 month of January continues to treat you and your loved ones well.

As we approach the weekend and prepare for the coming week, I want to commend our entire community – staff, students, and families – for our ongoing efforts to make the most of the 2023-24 school year.  This coming week, we have the opportunity to honor our efforts as students complete their second interim assessments (IAs).

As the January calendar below reflects, our middle school students will take their English Language Arts (ELA) mock exams on Tuesday and Wednesday of next week. Exams will be administered in the morning with our regular arrival and dismissal times in effect. In addition, our high school students will complete their Semester I final exams Tuesday through Friday.  Each high school student has a unique schedule over these four days – schedules were shared with students today during advisory and will be shared via email with students and families Monday morning.  Monday is a regular day of school for all students.

Families of students at both sites can support your children in excelling on these exams by taking the following four actions:

1. Ensure that your child eats a healthy breakfast and arrives to school on time with their full set of supplies and materials.
2. Ask your child about how things are going in their classes and their exams, and provide encouragement such that they feel confident and supported.
3. Help your child prepare for school by ensuring that they have a quiet, designated space and time to study each night.  Of course, feel free to pull up a chair and help them study!  Studying together can be a fun experience for all.
4. Be proactive in your communication with your child’s teachers about any questions or concerns.

Note that the actions above are helpful on any given day or week, not just during IAs.  We are grateful to you for your continued collaboration in supporting your child at home with their studies at home.

Enjoy the weekend and best wishes in the coming week!

In unity,

Josh

Josh Beauregard

Head of School / Co-founder

Updates as of January 19, 2024:

1. New – Congrats to our Middle School’s Students of the Month!:  Kudos to our Students of the Month from December for showing exemplary scholarship, citizenship, and growth – we are proud of you!

• 6th Grade:
  • Taylor Mathias – Citizenship
  • Liza Martynanko – Scholarship
• 7th Grade:
  • Dylan Phillips -Citizenship
  • Amara James-Bird -Scholarship
• 8th Grade:
  • Joshua Corbin – Citizenship
  • Jahlysa Edwards -Scholarship

2. New – Information from Last Night’s Middle School Grade Level Family Meetings: Thank you to all families who participated in last night’s Grade Level Family Meetings for Trimester 2.  The slides, which include an abundance of important information for all families, are provided below.  Click on the image to access all of the information and updates that were provided, including: academic updates, upcoming events, and end-of-year trip information.

3. New – Unity High’s Advanced Placement (AP) Art & Design Students Visit the Whitney Museum: Unity High’s AP Art & Design students recently took the opportunity to deepen their study of American art, as well as gain inspiration by visiting the Whitney Museum.  Thank you to Ms. Glickman for organizing the trip and making it possible!

4. New – Kudos to our P.R.I.D.E. Leaders for the Full Month of December!: Our P.R.I.D.E. Core Values of Progress, Respect for All, Integrity, Discovery, and Empathy represent qualities that we covet as a school community.  They also represent qualities that we believe empower our students to lead fulfilling lives and, therefore, qualities that we have a responsibility to actively teach and positively reinforce.  The students listed here were leaders for the month of December in being recognized by their teachers for demonstrating our Core Values.  On behalf of our school community, we are proud of these students, and look forward to continuing to shout out all of our students when they demonstrate P.R.I.D.E. in our community.

5. New – Save the Date!  Unity’s Middle School Dance Recital is on February 15th, 5:30pm!: Please support the middle school scholars by attending our Winter Dance Recital on Thursday, February 15th in our middle school auditorium (432 Monroe Street). See the flier below for additional details!

6. Updated – College & Career Readiness in Full Force at Unity High!: It continues to be an exciting and busy time in the world of college & career readiness for Unity High students and staff.  Recent events include:

• Seniors Tour their Prospective College Campuses!: As our seniors continue to receive acceptance letters from colleges for which they have applied, they are now weighing their options as they begin to make decisions.  To inform their decisions, many of our seniors are now visiting/revisiting college campuses with their families and our staff to inform their decisions.  This past week, two Unity seniors, Ziaire Pettis and Jaheem August Jr., visited the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Poughkeepsie with Mr. Warner, Unity’s CCR Manager.  The CIA is one of premier culinary arts colleges in the country.  Both Zaire and Jaheem took part in our culinary arts club as underclassmen.  Enjoy the photos below from their visit!

• Unity Students Begin Studying for the SAT!: Kudos to Unity High’s 10th and 11th grade students who begin preparing for the SAT this week.  Students are preparing under the guidance of Testive, an organization that specializes in supporting students prepare for major exams like the SAT.  Participating students will be meeting weekly after school on Wednesdays until the test this spring

• Attention all 12th Grade Families – Support with Financial Aid!: All senior families are invited to attend our FAFSA workshop on Saturday, January 20th at UPHS.  We will be hosting support office hours from 9:30am-12:30pm on that day and students should attend with their caregiver.  Please plan to bring a copy of your 2022 tax returns (your 1040) and any additional benefit letters you have.  Members of Unity’s College and Career Readiness team will be on hand to support you with completing your FAFSA and TAP, which are both necessary to get money for college!  Contact Ms. Behan (ebehan@unityprep.org) with questions.

7. Updated – Unity’s Student-Athletes Continue to Shine in the Winter Season!: There have been a number of recent highlights worth sharing with Unity’s athletic teams this winter season.  Here are a few!

We congratulate Unity High’s most recent Student-Athletes of the Month!

Congratulations to our Student-Athlete of the Month from December, Liliana Diaz-Garcia, of our talented MS Dance team.  According to Coach McCrae, “Liliana is a scholar-athlete that has been showing up and giving 120% of herself with learning new material and executing it. She demonstrates high energy and focus in practice and a willingness to help others or herself improve. Liliana works hard in her academics and takes pride in being a scholar athlete. She demonstrates her love and passion for hard work and dedication in how she carries herself and how she motivates others.”  In response to being celebrated, Lilana showed both gratitude and pride:”It feels really good to be awarded the Scholar Athlete of the Month for December. I am proud of myself.”  Congratulations Liliana, and go Panthers!

8. Recap – Unity High Hosts a “Send-off” Alumni Event in Honor of our Alumni as they Return to College for Semester 2!: Unity proudly welcomed its alumni back to our building earlier this month to reconnect, network, celebrate, and support one another as they gear up to return to their respective college campus for the second semester of their academic year.  Alumni from all four of our graduating classes were represented.  A shout-out to Ms. Hack, Unity’s Alumni Success Manager, for organizing the event!

9. New –Unity’s Queen Steppers are in Action this Weekend and Welcome your Support!: Unity High’s nationally ranked Step Team will be competing at Xplosive’s 2nd annual Go Hard or Go Home competition in Brentwood, NY along with our middle school step team, The Unity Royals. Come out and show your support!

10. Recap – Attention Families – We Need Your Help in Upgrading our Library!: Our middle school is looking for family volunteers to upgrade our library on Tuesday, Thursday, or Friday mornings from 10am -12pm.  See the details below and contact Ms. Terry via email if you are able to help out.  Many thanks in advance!

11. Updated – Revised January 2024 School-wide Calendar: For your family’s convenience, here is an updated school-wide calendar of events for the month of January – 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.

12. 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.

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,

I hope that the week was good to you and your loved ones.  On behalf of our entire faculty and staff, I wish you a safe and joyous long weekend in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his lasting legacy.  See the updates below for two events this week in which we encourage our families to take part – Unity High’s step team competition on Saturday and The Brooklyn Academy of Music’s MLK Jr. celebration on Monday morning.

In unity,

Josh

Josh Beauregard

Head of School / Co-founder

Updates as of January 12, 2024:

1. New – Attention: Families of Unity Middle – Trimester 2 Family Virtual Meeting is Next Thursday, January 18th, at 6pm: All families are strongly encouraged to participate in next Thursday’s meeting so that you are fully informed on current events and initiatives.  Details are provided in the flier below.

2. New – Unity High Hosts a “Send-off” Alumni Event in Honor of our Alumni as they Return to College for Semester 2!: Unity proudly welcomed its alumni back to our building this past week to reconnect, network, celebrate, and support one another as they gear up to return to their respective college campus for the second semester of their academic year.  Alumni from all four of our graduating classes were represented.  A shout-out to Ms. Hack, Unity’s Alumni Success Manager, for organizing the event!

3. New – Unity’s Queen Steppers are in Action this Weekend (Saturday) and Welcome your Support!: Unity High’s nationally ranked Step Team is competing at YouthStep’s 17th Annual Brooklyn Borough Championship tomorrow (Saturday, 1/12) at Prospect Heights High School (883 Classon Ave). Doors open at 2pm with the competition starting at 3pm. The competition is free to supporters as the kickoff for the Unity Queen Steppers season.

Note that the Unity’s middle school step team, The Unity Royals, will join their sister team at Xplosive’s 2nd annual Go Hard or Go Home competition in Brentwood, NY next Saturday Jan. 20th.

4. New – Attention Families – We Need Your Help in Upgrading our Library!: Our middle school is looking for family volunteers to upgrade our library on Tuesday, Thursday, or Friday mornings from 10am -12pm.  See the details below and contact Ms. Terry via email if you are able to help out.  Many thanks in advance!

5. New – College & Career Readiness in Full Force at Unity High!: It continues to be an exciting and busy time in the world of college & career readiness for Unity High students and staff.  Recent events include:

• Unity Students Begin Studying for the SAT!: Kudos to Unity High’s 10th and 11th grade students who begin preparing for the SAT this week.  Students are preparing under the guidance of Testive, an organization that specializes in supporting students prepare for major exams like the SAT.  Participating students will be meeting weekly after school on Wednesdays until the test this spring

• Attention all 12th Grade Families – Support with Financial Aid!: All senior families are invited to attend our FAFSA workshop on Saturday, January 20th at UPHS.  We will be hosting support office hours from 9:30am-12:30pm on that day and students should attend with their caregiver.  Please plan to bring a copy of your 2022 tax returns (your 1040) and any additional benefit letters you have.  Members of Unity’s College and Career Readiness team will be on hand to support you with completing your FAFSA and TAP, which are both necessary to get money for college!  Contact Ms. Behan (ebehan@unityprep.org) with questions.

6. Updated – Unity’s Student-Athletes Continue to Shine in the Winter Season!: There have been a number of recent highlights worth sharing with Unity’s athletic teams this winter season.  Here are a few!

Congratulations to our Student-Athlete of the Month from December, Liliana Diaz-Garcia, of our talented MS Dance team.  According to Coach McCrae, “Liliana is a scholar-athlete that has been showing up and giving 120% of herself with learning new material and executing it. She demonstrates high energy and focus in practice and a willingness to help others or herself improve. Liliana works hard in her academics and takes pride in being a scholar athlete. She demonstrates her love and passion for hard work and dedication in how she carries herself and how she motivates others.”  In response to being celebrated, Lilana showed both gratitude and pride: “It feels really good to be awarded the Scholar Athlete of the Month for December. I am proud of myself.”  Congratulations Liliana, and go Panthers!

Unity Middle’s 2023-24 Boys Varsity Basketball Team

Unity Middle’s 2023-24 Girls Basketball Team

7. Recap – Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) Event: Students are Encouraged to Take Part in New York’s Largest Public Celebration in Honor of Dr. King, Monday, January 15th, 10:30am: See the details for this celebration below.  To promote participation in this event either in person or virtually:

• Any Unity student who attends the event in person will earn 10 Unity Pride Points for demonstrating our Core Value, Discovery.
• Any student who participates in the event virtually will earn 3 Pride Points for Discovery.
• To claim your Points, simply take a selfie of you engaging in the event either at BAM or via livestream and upload it here.  Finally, the students submitting the best selfie from the event will win a $25 gift card to Amazon!

Sing Harlem Choir performs onstage during the 2023 Annual Brooklyn Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Photo: Elena Olivo

• This year’s keynote speaker is poet, lawyer, and Freedom Reads founder Reginald Dwayne Betts.
• There will also be musical performances by singer-songwriter Madison McFerrin and the award-winning choir Sing Harlem, led by Amaya Knoelle Higginson.
• Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso will serve as the master of ceremonies.
• The event will take place at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, January 15 in the Howard Gilman Opera House (Peter Jay Sharp Building, 30 Lafayette Ave.).
• It’s free with tickets distributed on a first-come, first-seated basis starting at 8 a.m. in the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House lobby.
• Those who can’t make it in-person can watch a live stream via BAM.org.

Tickets for the in-person event are free, and will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis beginning at 8am on Monday, January 15th in the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House lobby.  Please note that an RSVP does not guarantee entry.  The link to the livestream will be made available on BAM.org on Monday, January 16th.  The livestream will not be made available after the program.

8. Recap – More Photos and Video Footage of our Annual Love Your Neighbor Community Service Day!: In the spirit of giving, our entire middle school community engaged in a morning of community service.  Students and staff volunteered their time and talents to over a dozen different service projects.  Such projects included partnering with a number of local nonprofit organizations, including The Campaign Against Hunger, Bedford Stuyvesant Early Childhood Center, CHiPS Soup Kitchen & Women’s Shelter, and Hope Gardens Senior Center.  Enjoy the new photos below!

9. Updated – Revised January 2024 School-wide Calendar: For your family’s convenience, here is an updated school-wide calendar of events for the month of January – 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.

10. Recap – Stellar Attendance in December – 95% and Above!: The following lengthy list of students demonstrated a strong and consistent dedication to their education by showing stellar attendance in December.  Kudos to these students – we love seeing you each and every day!  And, of course, we look forward to celebrating additional students at the end of this month!

11. 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.

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 want to begin by conveying my best wishes to all of our families in the New Year – Happy 2024!

It felt great to reconnect with students and staff this week following the break. With the month of January comes the midpoint of the school year and the end of the first semester at our high school.  In the coming two weeks and leading up to Semester 1 final exams later this month, we are encouraging all of our high school students to be their best selves as they finish the semester out strongly.  This means being in school on time every day, staying on top of all assignments, and seeking out extra help when they need it.

At our middle school, we are now midway through the second trimester of the school year.  Later this month, students will complete mock exams in ELA and math to gauge readiness for the spring state exams and identify levels of mastery on important skills and concepts.  This information will be used to modify upcoming lesson plans and assignments.

In addition to our academic priorities, January also marks the heart of the winter season with athletics.  Unity’s student-athletes continue to provide a strong sense of pride, joy, and connection for our community.  We have a number of events this coming week – see the calendar below for details.  We welcome our families to attend all of our games.  Unity’s athletic program is a major component of our school, and we are proud of the learning students experience alongside their teammates over the course of a season.

In this edition of The Unity Scoop, we honor the generosity of our school in engaging in a number of community service initiatives before the winter break.  We also celebrate our students with stellar attendance from the month of December.  Finally, we promote a community event at The Brooklyn Academy of Music happening next weekend in tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his legacy.

Well wishes in the week ahead!

In unity,

Josh

Josh Beauregard

Head of School / Co-founder

Updates as of January 7, 2024:

1. Updated – More Photos and Video Footage of our Annual Love Your Neighbor Community Service Day!: In the spirit of giving, our entire middle school community engaged in a morning of community service.  Students and staff volunteered their time and talents to over a dozen different service projects.  Such projects included partnering with a number of local nonprofit organizations, including The Campaign Against Hunger, Bedford Stuyvesant Early Childhood Center, CHiPS Soup Kitchen & Women’s Shelter, and Hope Gardens Senior Center.  Enjoy the new photos below!

2. Updated – Revised January 2024 School-wide Calendar: For your family’s convenience, here is an updated school-wide calendar of events for the month of January – 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.

3. New – Stellar Attendance in December – 95% and Above!: The following lengthy list of students demonstrated a strong and consistent dedication to their education by showing stellar attendance in December.  Kudos to these students – we love seeing you each and every day!  And, of course, we look forward to celebrating additional students at the end of this month!

4. New – Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) Event: Students are Encouraged to Take Part in New York’s Largest Public Celebration in Honor of Dr. King, Monday, January 15th, 10:30am: See the details for this celebration below.  To promote participation in this event either in person or virtually:

• Any Unity student who attends the event in person will earn 10 Unity Pride Points for demonstrating our Core Value, Discovery.
• Any student who participates in the event virtually will earn 3 Pride Points for Discovery.
• To claim your Points, simply take a selfie of you engaging in the event either at BAM or via livestream and upload it here.  Finally, the students submitting the best selfie from the event will win a $25 gift card to Amazon!

Sing Harlem Choir performs onstage during the 2023 Annual Brooklyn Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Photo: Elena Olivo

• This year’s keynote speaker is poet, lawyer, and Freedom Reads founder Reginald Dwayne Betts.
• There will also be musical performances by singer-songwriter Madison McFerrin and the award-winning choir Sing Harlem, led by Amaya Knoelle Higginson.
• Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso will serve as the master of ceremonies.
• The event will take place at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, January 15 in the Howard Gilman Opera House (Peter Jay Sharp Building, 30 Lafayette Ave.).
• It’s free with tickets distributed on a first-come, first-seated basis starting at 8 a.m. in the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House lobby.
• Those who can’t make it in-person can watch a live stream via BAM.org.

Tickets for the in-person event are free, and will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis beginning at 8am on Monday, January 15th in the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House lobby.  Please note that an RSVP does not guarantee entry.  The link to the livestream will be made available on BAM.org on Monday, January 16th.  The livestream will not be made available after the program.

5. Recap – Unity’s Student-Athletes Shine in the Winter Season!: There have been many recent highlights for Unity’s athletic teams this winter season.  Here are a few!

Our Middle School Girls Basketball team was presented with their title trophy from last year’s season.  They now have their sights set on a “repeat” this season!

• Lakai Bush – Boys Varsity Basketball
• Arayah Brannon – Girls Volleyball
• Makayla Spencer – Step
• Nataliya Miller – Cheerleading
• Alice Naranjo – Girls Basketball
• Brody Taveras – Boys JV Basketball
• Tamese Pratt – Debate

We congratulate Unity High’s most recent Student-Athletes of the Month!

6. Recap – Unity Family Ambassador Spotlight of the Month!: We are thrilled to resume an exciting feature to the Unity Scoop, a monthly profile of our amazing Unity Family Ambassadors. The Unity Family Ambassadors are a group of caregivers who meet monthly and serve as thought partners for many of our school’s initiatives. If you are interested in learning more about or joining the Unity Family Ambassadors, please reach out to Mr. Beckford.

Ms. Talia Reid (Mother of Malachi Reid, Unity 7th Grader)

This month, we are thrilled to profile Ms. Talia Reid, the mother of Unity 7th grade scholar, Talia Reid.

Some background: 
The Reid family have been members of the Unity community since Malachi Reid entered middle school in 2022. They have extended family who attended Unity, including Ade Adewale, ‘20.  Ms. Reid has been an active Family Ambassador since 2022.

Occupation: 
Ms. Charles works as an Early Childhood Special Education Teacher.

Favorite Restaurant in Brooklyn?
Amarachi Lounge (downtown on Bridge Street)

Your favorite self-care activity?
Exercise!

Why did you choose to send your child to Unity?
Unity was highly recommended by my Aunt Trudy S. I wanted a small school setting that would push my son academically and socially.

What is the best advice you could provide for an incoming caregiver?
Be involved, show up, and show out for your child!!  Unity has great teachers, coaches, and an administrative team that is welcoming and enthusiastic about your child. My son is thriving!

What is your favorite aspect of Unity?
The constant communication-via JupiterEd, email, and phone calls. I always know what is happening at Unity!

What inspired you to ‘give back’ to our community by joining the Unity Family Ambassadors this year?
As a teacher, I know how important it is to be part of my child’s educational experience.  Middle School is tough, and as a student and parent, I wanted to be a part of the community at his school.

7. Recap – Unity Middle School Winter Spirit Week is Here!  Students and staff celebrated our Winter Spirit Week this past week.  Spirit was on full display with ugly holiday sweaters, wacky pajamas, and all of the plaid one could ever want in life.  See the photos below to fully appreciate the festivities!

8. Recap – Thank you, Families, for Taking Part in Last Night’s Family Ambassadors Meeting!: We are grateful to our families who participated in our Family Ambassadors meeting on Zoom last night.  The meeting was productive, energizing, and, of course, fun!  Here are the slides from the meeting.  Contact Mr. Beckford with questions.  Unity’s Family Ambassadors will meet again on Thursday, February 11th, at 6pm – all families are encouraged to attend.

9. Recap – Thank you, Families, for Taking Part in Last Night’s Family Ambassadors Meeting!: We are grateful to our families who participated in our Family Ambassadors meeting on Zoom last night.  The meeting was productive, energizing, and, of course, fun!  Here are the slides from the meeting.  Contact Mr. Beckford with questions.  Unity’s Family Ambassadors will meet again on Thursday, February 11th, at 6pm – all families are encouraged to attend.

10. 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.

11. 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 friends, family, community members, and supporters of Unity,

As we approach the midpoint of our 11th school year and reflect back on the past twelve months and all that we have achieved, there is much to celebrate alongside you.  Notable accomplishments in 2023 include:

• Graduating our fourth class – Unity High’s Class of 2023! This is a class that experienced remote schooling in half of their freshman year and all of their sophomore year.  We are immensely proud of this special class and all of the challenges that they overcame together during the past four years. Overall, the average 4-year graduation rate of our first four classes is 92% (vs. the citywide average of 83% over the same time period).
• Continuing to actively contribute to the success of our alumni!  With our mission centered on empowering students to lead fulfilling lives, the support of our students extends beyond their high school graduation.  Over 60% of our alumni have persisted in their college studies (vs. the citywide average of 39%) under the support of our College & Career Readiness team and Alumni Success Manager.  Moreover, 100% of our graduates who chose not to matriculate in college immediately following graduation had concrete career plans in place through our College & Career Readiness program, such as enrolling in trade union apprenticeship or pursuing employment.
• Expanding and refining our academic curricula to best serve our students’ academic growth and success.  Achievements here include:
  • Our middle school students demonstrated levels of proficiency in mathematics that far exceeded their peers in neighboring schools – by more than 10 percentage points!
  • 52% of graduating students completed at least one AP course, nearly double the citywide rate!
• Earning our second renewal term from the State of New York as a charter school!  The New York State Education Department awarded Unity with a four-year renewal to continue to proudly serve the families of central Brooklyn.  Over the coming four years, we are excited to build on our success as well as improve in areas that are especially impactful to our students’ success at Unity and beyond.
• Acquiring our high school facility and establishing a permanent home in Williamsburg!  Through the support of Build NYC and the New York City Economic Development Corporation, we now have our very own space for our high school to call home.  We are now preparing to embark on a major renovation and expansion of the building so that it is equipped to fully bring out the many talents of our students.  Expect to hear more about our plans and opportunities to support our efforts in the New Year!

As we forge ahead in our quest to become the best open-enrollment public school in Brooklyn, I kindly request that you continue to support our school and mission by making a donation by year end.  Your past generosity has allowed over 900 families to experience the education that they have always wanted for their children.  Making a donation now will directly support us, not only in sustaining our current programs, but in making them even better.  I thank you in advance for your contribution.

I end this note by sharing photos from the past twelve months that feature our students fully immersed in a complete Unity education.  I hope they bring to you the same smile and joy that they bring to me.

Again, many thanks and warmest wishes to you and yours this holiday season!

In Unity,
JB

Joshua Beauregard
Head of School / Co-founder