Dear Families of Unity,

Let me begin this edition of The Scoop with a hearty note of admiration and gratitude to all of the mothers in our community.  Happy Mother’s Day to you!

This past week was a busy one with middle school state exams and high school Advanced Placement (AP) exams.  Congratulations to our middle school students for completing their state math exams this past week!  And congrats to our high school students who completed their AP exams, including those in Government, Environmental Science, Literature, and US History!

On behalf of our entire community, we are extremely proud of our students for their hard work in preparing for these exams over the past few months.  And we look forward to celebrating the efforts of our high school students who will be completing their remaining AP exams next week.  Again, we are proud of you!

I also want to thank everyone in our school community who contributed to Educator Appreciation Week at Unity.  Our team definitely felt the love and appreciation coming their way.

Below, I re-share with you our May calendar for your convenience.  In addition, we spotlight one of our amazing alumni as well as some recent highlights from our athletics program.

Best wishes in the week ahead!

In unity,

Josh

Josh Beauregard

Head of School / Co-founder

Updates as of May 12, 2024:

Updated – May 2024 School-wide Calendar: For your family’s convenience, here is a complete school-wide calendar of events for the month of May – 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.  For this week, notable dates and events include:

• 5/14 – State Science Exam, grade 8
• 5/15-5/17 – NYSESLAT testing, grades 6-8
• 5/13-5/17 – Advanced Placement exams in Pre-Calculus, Calculus, Language, World History, Computer Science, and Biology, grades 10-12

New – Help Shape Your Child’s Experience in School by Taking Part in our Next Middle School Family Ambassadors Meeting, Thursday, May 23rd, 6pm!: The next Family Ambassadors of Unity meeting is scheduled for Thursday, May 23rd, at 6pm on Zoom.  Contact Mr. Beckford with questions – all families of middle school students are encouraged to attend!

Hello fellow Unity Panthers!

After graduating from Unity, I committed to SUNY Oneonta, where I am presently completing my final full year of study.  I am majoring in Philosophy with a minor in Communications.  My plan is to graduate in December 2024. Upon graduating, I look forward to beginning my career as a flight attendant or a paralegal.

As a member of the Queen Steppers at Unity, I immediately gravitated to the Step Team at SUNY Oneonta.  Over the past three years, I am proud of the impact that I have had on the team.  I was recently selected to be the President of the Divine Leaders Step Team for the upcoming semester, in addition to my current role as a Choreographer. I also work as a Library Assistant, Resident Assistant, Dragon Campus Guide, and Building Manager, and do hair for students on campus as a side job.

If there’s any advice I could impart to current Unity students, it is to make sure to find your people on campus and take FULL advantage of ALL of the opportunities afforded to you!  The roles I’ve mentioned above are just a fraction of what I have done while in college. I can surely say that I am proud to be a Red Dragon and proud of  all the experience that I have had.  And I’m proud to be obtaining my degree in 3.5 years!

Updated – Unity Athletics – The Spring Season is Upon Us!!: There have been a number of recent highlights worth sharing with Unity’s athletic teams this spring season.  Here are a few!

Members of the middle school volleyball teams before a recent match (clearly with the game faces on!)

Middle School Scholar-Athlete of the Month for March: Tonya Richardson

Team: Track

Current GPA: 3.6

Description: Tonya is a role model for her fellow student athletes.. As a student, Tonya is very diligent as she regularly checks in with her teachers and seeks out additional help from her teachers when she needs it.  As an athlete and teammate, Tonya shows high support for her teammates and a high level of sportsmanship. She has even been complimented on her sportsmanship by opposing teams and their coaches!

Quote: In learning that she had earned Scholar-Athlete of the Month, Tonya offered the following response:  “I am really excited and really proud of myself!”

Members of our middle school community recently participated in a Student vs. Faculty flag football game at MetLife Stadium!  The game went down to the wire and ended in a high-scoring tie at 28-28.  Go Panthers!

Student-Athletes from Unity’s middle school and high school have been hard at work over the past two weeks to develop their skills on the basketball court.  Workout sessions take place on Tuesday and Friday afternoons.  See the flier below for details and enjoy the photos below of students in action!

Recap – Stellar Attendance in April – 95% and Above!: The following lengthy list of students demonstrated a strong and consistent dedication to their education by showing stellar attendance to school in the month of April.  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 – Free Admission to NYC’s Finest Museum through Unity Middle’s Partnership with Urban Advantage: Unity Middle students were given vouchers to attend some of the best museums in NYC free of charge.  See the details below and contact Ms. Diaz, our MS Science Department Chairperson, with any questions.

Recap – College Acceptance List for Unity’s Class of 2024!: We are excited to share with our community the full list of colleges to which members of Unity’s Class of 2024 have earned admission.  Congrats to the entire class and their families as they now decide which college they will attend this fall!  Enjoy the photo below of members of Unity’s Class of 2024 visiting SUNY Stony Brook on Thursday and being greeted by members of Unity’s Class of 2023 who now attend Stony Brook. Kudos to our alumni in supporting our seniors as they weigh their options!

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.

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 you enjoyed a terrific spring break with loved ones, and that the return to school this week was seamless.  It felt great to reunite with students, teachers, and staff this last week.  We are now fully immersed in the spring season in which there are a number of major milestones that we will experience together!

The upcoming week is an exciting one.  On Wednesday and Thursday, our middle school students will take their state math exams.  We are also administering four Advanced Placement (AP) exams for our high school students throughout the week.  We ask that you support your child at home in preparation of these important assessments by ensuring that they get a good night’s sleep, enjoy a healthy breakfast, receive an abundance of praise and encouragement leading up to the exams, and, of course, arrive at school on time and in good spirits.

In addition to middle school state exams and high school AP exams, we are also celebrating our entire staff this week in honor of National Educator Appreciation Week.  As I am sure you appreciate, our team of dedicated educators is one of the greatest features of our school.  I encourage all of our families to take a moment next week to show your appreciation of the educators you are working most closely with this year.  Such appreciation can be conveyed through a brief phone call or text, or through an email or written note – whichever manner feels most comfortable to you.  You may also share a note of appreciation below under the first update.  In any case, do share your appreciation this coming week – I promise that it will be warmly received!

Finally, we celebrated Principal Appreciation Day on Wednesday of last week.  We have two magnificent principals: Ms. Williams at our middle school and Ms. Yun at our high school.  Thank you, Ms. Williams and Yun, for leading the way at each of our campuses.  Our community wholeheartedly appreciates you!

In this edition of the Unity Scoop, we bring to you an updated May calendar.  In addition, we spotlight all our students with stellar attendance from the month of April as well as offer a convenient space for you to show your appreciation for teachers.  Finally, we highlight a number of recent academic and extracurricular experiences at Unity and beyond.

Best wishes in the week ahead!

In unity,

Josh

Josh Beauregard

Head of School / Co-founder

Updates as of May 5, 2024:

New – Take a Moment to Share a Brief Note Appreciation to a Member of our Team: For your convenience, here is a space to share a note of appreciation with a Unity educator.  Simply share your note via this survey and the note will be shared with the educator next week.  Alternatively, feel free to reach out to the educator directly.  Thanks in advance for your encouragement and appreciation!

Updated – May 2024 School-wide Calendar: For your family’s convenience, here is a complete school-wide calendar of events for the month of May – 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.  For this week, notable dates and events include:

• 5/6-5/10 – Educator Appreciation Week
• 5/8-5/9 – State Math Exams, grades 6-12
• 5/6-5/10 – Advanced Placement exams in Government, Literature, Environmental Science, and U.S. History, grades 10-12

New – Stellar Attendance in April – 95% and Above!: The following lengthy list of students demonstrated a strong and consistent dedication to their education by showing stellar attendance to school in the month of April.  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!

Updated – Unity Athletics – The Spring Season is Upon Us!!: There have been a number of recent highlights worth sharing with Unity’s athletic teams this spring season.  Here are a few!

Members of our middle school community recently participated in a Student vs. Faculty flag football game at MetLife Stadium!  The game went down to the wire and ended in a high-scoring tie at 28-28.  Go Panthers!

Rowlyn Gonzalez, Co-Captain of Unity Middle’s Boys Volleyball team, congratulates members of an opposing team following a recent match.  Go Panthers!

Student-Athletes from Unity’s middle school and high school have been hard at work over the past two weeks to develop their skills on the basketball court.  Workout sessions take place on Tuesday and Friday afternoons.  See the flier below for details and enjoy the photos below of students in action!

Recap – Unity’s Middle School Spring Art Exhibition!: Enjoy the photos below from the exhibition and, again, congratulations to our student artists!

Recap – Free Admission to NYC’s Finest Museum through Unity Middle’s Partnership with Urban Advantage: Unity Middle students were given vouchers to attend some of the best museums in NYC free of charge.  See the details below and contact Ms. Diaz, our MS Science Department Chairperson, with any questions.

Recap – College Acceptance List for Unity’s Class of 2024!: We are excited to share with our community the full list of colleges to which members of Unity’s Class of 2024 have earned admission.  Congrats to the entire class and their families as they now decide which college they will attend this fall!  Enjoy the photo below of members of Unity’s Class of 2024 visiting SUNY Stony Brook on Thursday and being greeted by members of Unity’s Class of 2023 who now attend Stony Brook. Kudos to our alumni in supporting our seniors as they weigh their options!

Recap – Unity Represents Earth Day by Sporting Green: Staff and students showed their support of environmental preservation and protection by wearing green last week.  Kudos to our community for advocating for a cause that is important to us!

Recap – Unity’s High’ Sophomores and Juniors Take PSAT and SAT!: Congratulations to Unity High’s 10th and 11th graders for completing the PSAT and SAT this past week, respectively. The PSAT helps students prepare for the SAT by testing their math, reading, and writing skills. The SAT, which was completed by our 11th graders, is an entrance exam used by most colleges and universities to make admissions decisions.  Kudos to our College & Career Readiness (CCR) team for supporting students with registration and for coordinating and hosting the administration!

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.

Relevant Information from Past Editions of The Scoop:

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

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

Dear Families of Unity,

It was great to connect with many of our middle school families during last night’s Art Exhibition.  Thank you to our families and staff who came out to support the event.  And congratulations to Mr. Berkeley and his talented art students for an impressive exhibition of their recent works!

In this edition of The Unity Scoop, we share our May calendar (yes, May is right around the corner!), highlight our student artists and student-athletes in action, and congratulate our P.R.I.D.E. Leaders from the month of March!

Have a delightful spring break, and do visit a museum or two free of charge – see the voucher details below!

We look forward to reuniting on May 1st!

In unity,

Josh

Josh Beauregard

Head of School / Co-founder

Updates as of April 19, 2024:

New – May 2024 School-wide Calendar: For your family’s convenience, here is a complete school-wide calendar of events for the month of April – 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.  For this week, notable dates and events include:

Updated – Unity’s Middle School Spring Art Exhibition!: Enjoy the photos below from the exhibition and, again, congratulations to our student artists!

New – Kudos to our P.R.I.D.E. Leaders from March!: 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 from the month of March 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 – Free Admission to NYC’s Finest Museum through Unity Middle’s Partnership with Urban Advantage: Unity Middle students were given vouchers to attend some of the best museums in NYC free of charge.  See the details below and contact Ms. Diaz, our MS Science Department Chairperson, with any questions.

Updated – Unity Athletics – The Spring Season is Upon Us!!: There have been a number of recent highlights worth sharing with Unity’s athletic teams this spring season.  Here are a few!

Rowlyn Gonzalez, Co-Captain of Unity Middle’s Boys Volleyball team, congratulates members of an opposing team following a recent match.  Go Panthers!

Student-Athletes from Unity’s middle school and high school have been hard at work over the past two weeks to develop their skills on the basketball court.  Workout sessions take place on Tuesday and Friday afternoons.  See the flier below for details and enjoy the photos below of students in action!

Recap – College Acceptance List for Unity’s Class of 2024!: We are excited to share with our community the full list of colleges to which members of Unity’s Class of 2024 have earned admission.  Congrats to the entire class and their families as they now decide which college they will attend this fall!  Enjoy the photo below of members of Unity’s Class of 2024 visiting SUNY Stony Brook on Thursday and being greeted by members of Unity’s Class of 2023 who now attend Stony Brook. Kudos to our alumni in supporting our seniors as they weigh their options!

Recap – Unity Represents Earth Day by Sporting Green: Staff and students showed their support of environmental preservation and protection by wearing green last week.  Kudos to our community for advocating for a cause that is important to us!

Recap – Unity’s High’ Sophomores and Juniors Take PSAT and SAT!: Congratulations to Unity High’s 10th and 11th graders for completing the PSAT and SAT this past week, respectively. The PSAT helps students prepare for the SAT by testing their math, reading, and writing skills. The SAT, which was completed by our 11th graders, is an entrance exam used by most colleges and universities to make admissions decisions.  Kudos to our College & Career Readiness (CCR) team for supporting students with registration and for coordinating and hosting the administration!

Recap – Alumni Spotlight of the Month – Aniya Childers, 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 Aniyah Childers, who is now in her fourth year at Penn State University!  See Aniya note to our entire community below.  Congratulations on your coming graduation, Aniya!

Greetings Unity Community!

My name is Aniya Childers, and I am a member of Unity’s Class of 2020.  Since graduating from Unity, I have spent the last four years in college and will be graduating soon! Upon earning my undergraduate degree, my plan is to pursue my graduate studies and earn an advanced degree in Health Policy and Management.

I am currently exploring internships, graduate school opportunities, and learning more about the field of health policy and administration. College has been intriguing, eye-opening, and has given me a fresh perspective on life. I’ve spoken at career-focused conferences and attended numerous career fairs, both of which have provided me with tremendous opportunities that continue to fuel my career aspirations.

A path in college is the way to go and can provide you with an array of possibilities!  My recommendation to current Unity students – keep going – you can do it – keep striving to be your best!

Recap – Community Event – BSECDC Community Birthday Party, Saturday, April 20th, 12pm!: The Bedford Stuyvesant Early Childhood Development Center (BSECDC) is pleased to extend an invitation to families in the community for the upcoming BSECDC Community Birthday Party.  The celebration will take place on Saturday, April 20th from 12-2pm at 5 Quincy Street, Brooklyn NY 11238, and is open to all local families with children ages 2 to 4 who are celebrating a birthday this quarter.  Activities will include family games, story time with BSECDC teaching team, music and dancing by BaBas’ Kitchen.  RSVP by scanning the QR code on the flier and hurry, we can only accommodate thirty families to join the festivities.

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.

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 entire community for reaching a number of major milestones this past week, including ELA state exams at our middle school and family conferences along with PSAT / SAT exams at our high school.  In addition, we experienced a once-in-generation solar eclipse.  Indeed, it was a momentous week!  Enjoy the photos below of our students and teachers in complete awe as they took in the experience together.

In this edition of The Unity Scoop, we celebrate our seniors and their college acceptances for the fall of 2024.  In addition, we highlight one of our talented alumni and spotlight a number of upcoming events, including this Thursday’s Middle School Art Exhibition.  See the flier below for details – we hope to see you there!

Have a terrific weekend!

In unity,

Josh

Josh Beauregard

Head of School / Co-founder

Updates as of April 14, 2024:

New – College Acceptance List for Unity’s Class of 2024!: We are excited to share with our community the full list of colleges to which members of Unity’s Class of 2024 have earned admission.  Congrats to the entire class and their families as they now decide which college they will attend this fall!  Enjoy the photo below of members of Unity’s Class of 2024 visiting SUNY Stony Brook on Thursday and being greeted by members of Unity’s Class of 2023 who now attend Stony Brook. Kudos to our alumni in supporting our seniors as they weigh their options!

New – Unity Represents Earth Day by Sporting Green: Staff and students showed their support of environmental preservation and protection by wearing green last week.  Kudos to our community for advocating for a cause that is important to us!

New – Unity’s High’ Sophomores and Juniors Take PSAT and SAT!: Congratulations to Unity High’s 10th and 11th graders for completing the PSAT and SAT this past week, respectively. The PSAT helps students prepare for the SAT by testing their math, reading, and writing skills. The SAT, which was completed by our 11th graders, is an entrance exam used by most colleges and universities to make admissions decisions.  Kudos to our College & Career Readiness (CCR) team for supporting students with registration and for coordinating and hosting the administration!

New – Alumni Spotlight of the Month – Aniya Childers, 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 Aniyah Childers, who is now in her fourth year at Penn State University!  See Aniya note to our entire community below.  Congratulations on your coming graduation, Aniya!

Greetings Unity Community!

My name is Aniya Childers, and I am a member of Unity’s Class of 2020.  Since graduating from Unity, I have spent the last four years in college and will be graduating soon! Upon earning my undergraduate degree, my plan is to pursue my graduate studies and earn an advanced degree in Health Policy and Management.

I am currently exploring internships, graduate school opportunities, and learning more about the field of health policy and administration. College has been intriguing, eye-opening, and has given me a fresh perspective on life. I’ve spoken at career-focused conferences and attended numerous career fairs, both of which have provided me with tremendous opportunities that continue to fuel my career aspirations.

A path in college is the way to go and can provide you with an array of possibilities!  My recommendation to current Unity students – keep going – you can do it – keep striving to be your best!

Updated – April 2024 School-wide Calendar: For your family’s convenience, here is a complete school-wide calendar of events for the month of April – 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.  For this week, notable dates and events include:

• 4/15-4/19 – Spirit Week all grade levels, 6-12
• 4/18 (Thursday) – MS Art Exhibition, 6pm

Updated – Unity’s Middle School Spring Art Exhibition, Thursday, April 18th, 5 & 6pm!: Under the guidance of their Art & Design Teacher, Mr. Berkeley, Unity’s middle school art students will proudly exhibit their latest artwork on Thursday, April 18th.  All art students are required to participate, and we welcome all of our students and families to attend and celebrate our young artists and their latest creations!   See the flier below for details and note the address – we are excited for our students to show off their latest works in a real exhibition space within the local community!

Recap – Unity High Students Participate in Unity’s Annual College Fair!: Unity High hosted representatives from over 20 colleges last week during its annual college fair.  Thank you to our College & Career Readiness team for organizing the experience for our students and their families!

Recap – Receptions for Unity’s 2024-25 Admitted Families!: The Unity community welcomed all students and their families who were admitted to Unity for the 2024-25 school via our lotteries conducted earlier this week.  Thank you to all who participated!

New – Stellar Attendance in March – 95% and Above!: The following lengthy list of students demonstrated a strong and consistent dedication to their education by showing stellar attendance to school in the month of March.  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 Athletics – The Spring Season is Upon Us!!: There have been a number of recent highlights worth sharing with Unity’s athletic teams this spring season.  Here are a few!

Middle School Scholar-Athlete of the Month for March: Agneizska Thompson

Team: Track

Current GPA: 3.7

Description: Agneiszka has shown to be a prime example of what it means to be a student athlete at Unity. Whether she is excelling in her classes or crushing it on the track field, Agneiszka is a role model for many of her peers.

Quote: In learning that she had earned Scholar-Athlete of the Month, Agneizska offered the following response: “I am really happy and proud of myself.  I can’t wait to tell my mom!”

Unity Middle’s volleyball teams present members of Community Partnership Charter School’s volleyball team with a Unity Pride Sportsmanship Award following their matches.  Presenting one member of the opposing team with this award at the end of each game is a ritual of our athletics program.  Go Panthers!

Recap – Community Event – BSECDC Community Birthday Party, Saturday, April 20th, 12pm!: The Bedford Stuyvesant Early Childhood Development Center (BSECDC) is pleased to extend an invitation to families in the community for the upcoming BSECDC Community Birthday Party.  The celebration will take place on Saturday, April 20th from 12-2pm at 5 Quincy Street, Brooklyn NY 11238, and is open to all local families with children ages 2 to 4 who are celebrating a birthday this quarter.  Activities will include family games, story time with BSECDC teaching team, music and dancing by BaBas’ Kitchen.  RSVP by scanning the QR code on the flier and hurry, we can only accommodate thirty families to join the festivities.

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.

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 thanking all community members for contributing to two outstanding events this week with our Dinner Receptions for admitted students for the 2024-25 school year.  This includes our school leaders and a number of our staff and faculty.  It also includes members of  our National Junior Honor Society and National Honor Society, as well as middle school and high school step teams!  And I want to thank the prospective families who attended.  It was an energizing night for our community and we are excited to welcome you into our community in the coming months!

This coming week is a big one for our community.  Namely, our middle school students will complete the state English Language Arts (ELA) exam on Thursday (4/11) and Friday (4/12).  Our entire community has worked hard over the past year to develop the essential reading and writing skills assessed on this exam.  We are excited for our students to show off the growing skills they have developed this year under the direction of our team!  In addition, our high school students in grades 10 and 11 will take PSAT and SAT exams on Friday (4/12).   Many have worked hard over the past two months preparing for the SAT during after-school prep classes – we are excited for these students to experience the pay-off of their efforts this Friday!

We ask that you support your child at home in preparation for these exams by ensuring that they get a good night’s sleep, enjoy a healthy breakfast, receive an abundance of praise and encouragement leading up to the exams, and, of course, arrive at school on time and in good spirits.

In this edition of The Unity Scoop, I underline notable events in the coming week.  I also highlight recents events, including our college fair at Unity High and our recent Admissions Receptions.  Finally, I spotlight our Students with Stellar Attendance for the month of March and well as the recent accomplishments of our student-athletes!

Best wishes to you in the exciting  week ahead – enjoy the once-in-a-generation eclipse tomorrow afternoon!

In unity,

Josh

Josh Beauregard

Head of School / Co-founder

Updates as of April 7, 2024:

Updated – April 2024 School-wide Calendar: For your family’s convenience, here is a complete school-wide calendar of events for the month of April – 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.  For this week, notable dates and events include:

• 4/10 (Wednesday) – no school
• 4/11 (Thursday) – ELA state exam for students in grades 6-8
• 4/12 (Friday) – ELA state exam for students in grades 6-8
• 4/12 (Friday) – SAT / PSAT day for students in grades 10-11

New – Unity High Students Participate in Unity’s Annual College Fair!: Unity High hosted representatives from over 20 colleges last week during its annual college fair.  Thank you to our College & Career Readiness team for organizing the experience for our students and their families!

New – Receptions for Unity’s 2024-25 Admitted Families!: The Unity community welcomed all students and their families who were admitted to Unity for the 2024-25 school via our lotteries conducted earlier this week.  Thank you to all who participated!

New – NYC Public Schools Solar Eclipse Guidance: As you know, on Monday, April 8th, the New York City area will experience a partial solar eclipse beginning around 2:00pm.   A solar eclipse happens when the moon passes between the sun and earth. This casts a shadow that may make the sky dark for the eclipse’s duration, as the sun will become approximately 90% covered in NYC during the peak coverage time, around 3:25pm. While this may overlap with school dismissal times, please know that there will be no changes to dismissal, and after-school programming will remain in effect. Please also be prepared for increased traffic throughout the area and consider using public transit instead of driving during this time.  Please find solar eclipse safety guidance from the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) here.

New – Stellar Attendance in March – 95% and Above!: The following lengthy list of students demonstrated a strong and consistent dedication to their education by showing stellar attendance to school in the month of March.  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!

New – Unity’s Middle School Spring Art Exhibition, Thursday, April 18th, 5 & 6pm!: Under the guidance of their Art & Design Teacher, Mr. Berkeley, Unity’s middle school art students will proudly exhibit their latest artwork on Thursday, April 18th.  All art students are required to participate, and we welcome all of our students and families to attend and celebrate our young artists and their latest creations!   See the flier below for details and note the address – we are excited for our students to show off their latest works in a real exhibition space within the local community!

New – Unity Athletics – The Spring Season is Upon Us!!: There have been a number of recent highlights worth sharing with Unity’s athletic teams this spring season.  Here are a few!

Middle School Scholar-Athlete of the Month for March: Agneizska Thompson

Team: Track

Current GPA: 3.7

Description: Agneiszka has shown to be a prime example of what it means to be a student athlete at Unity. Whether she is excelling in her classes or crushing it on the track field, Agneiszka is a role model for many of her peers.

Quote: In learning that she had earned Scholar-Athlete of the Month, Agneizska offered the following response: “I am really happy and proud of myself.  I can’t wait to tell my mom!”

Unity Middle’s volleyball teams present members of Community Partnership Charter School’s volleyball team with a Unity Pride Sportsmanship Award following their matches.  Presenting one member of the opposing team with this award at the end of each game is a ritual of our athletics program.  Go Panthers!

New – Community Event – BSECDC Community Birthday Party, Saturday, April 20th, 12pm!: The Bedford Stuyvesant Early Childhood Development Center (BSECDC) is pleased to extend an invitation to families in the community for the upcoming BSECDC Community Birthday Party.  The celebration will take place on Saturday, April 20th from 12-2pm at 5 Quincy Street, Brooklyn NY 11238, and is open to all local families with children ages 2 to 4 who are celebrating a birthday this quarter.  Activities will include family games, story time with BSECDC teaching team, music and dancing by BaBas’ Kitchen.  RSVP by scanning the QR code on the flier and hurry, we can only accommodate thirty families to join the festivities.

Recap – Unity Families and Students Take Part in Sip & Paint Event: Students and their families had an opportunity to come together, appreciate one another, and “zen-out” as they created masterpieces on rainy Saturday afternoon last weekend.  Thank you to all Unity families and students who came out for the event.  And thank you to Ms. Griffin for organizing and hosting the event!

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.

Machelle Smith, Proud Mother of Unity 6th Grader, Taylor Smith-Monroe

Profession: Client Relations Director

Favorite Restaurant in Brooklyn: Grand & Peaches

Favorite Self-care Activity: massage, meditation, spa time

Why did you choose to send your child to Unity? I chose Unity Preparatory due to a great community to enrich Taylor in her academic needs, community participation and athletics performance.

What is your favorite aspect of Unity? The leadership at Unity is phenomenal, and they always place the best interest of the children first.

What is the best advice you can provide for current and future Unity family members?  Your support to your scholar and the school during this transition into middle school is so vital. Get involved and be a part of their school community, you will not regret it!

Shout out to Ms. Shebroe for spearheading and facilitating last week’s Pi Day event. Families and scholars had a great time playing math games and building community.

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.

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 weekend has been a festive one for you and your loved ones.

Congratulations to our high school students who completed their third round of interim assessments this week.  On behalf of our high school faculty and staff, we applaud our students for putting forth their best effort on these assessments and showing off all that they have learned this year.

In this edition of The Unity Scoop, we highlight a number of students who have been leaders in our classrooms and throughout our community.  We also celebrate a number of family members for engaging in our school in a myriad of ways, including family enrichment events, open house events, and general partnership in making Unity the best school possible for their children.  Finally, we provide our full school calendar for the month of April as well as gear up for our admissions lottery, which is scheduled for tomorrow!  Please spread the word if you know of families seeking a terrific middle/high school for their children in the 2024-25 school year and beyond.  Families may apply here!

Best wishes in the week ahead!

In unity,

Josh

Josh Beauregard

Head of School / Co-founder

Updates as of March 31, 2024:

New – We Continue in our Celebration of our Weekly Test Prep Heroes!: As we prepare for students to shine on this year’s state exams (and do so in engaging ways), our middle school community is celebrating the efforts of select students each week.  See the slides below for last week’s Test Prep Superheroes.  We look forward to celebrating students again this week for their efforts!

New – April 2024 School-wide Calendar: For your family’s convenience, here is a complete school-wide calendar of events for the month of April – 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’s Admissions Lottery for the 2023-24 School Year will be Held on April 1st at 9am: We are excited to hold our admissions lottery on April 1st, which is tomorrow!  If you know of families with children who are entering middle school or high school for next school year, please encourage them to apply online TODAY at www.unityprep.org in order to have a spot in our lottery. For any questions or to set up a school tour, please call Mr. Beckford at the middle school at 862-294-0219 or Mr. Doscher at the high school at 347-746-1575.  Finally, we would like to thank Ms. Connell, the mother of 6th grader, Trinitee Connell, as well as Trinity for representing Unity during last Tuesday evening’s Open House for prospective families!  In addition, thank you to middle school students, Noah, Liliana, Matthew, London, and Steven for helping to host Brooklyn Charter School’s 5th graders during the visit to Unity last week.  You were terrific hosts and our guests were very impressed by your leadership and graciousness!

New – Unity Families and Students Take Part in Sip & Paint Event: Students and their families had an opportunity to come together, appreciate one another, and “zen-out” as they created masterpieces on rainy Saturday afternoon last weekend.  Thank you to all Unity families and students who came out for the event.  And thank you to Ms. Griffin for organizing and hosting the event!

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.

Machelle Smith, Proud Mother of Unity 6th Grader, Taylor Smith-Monroe

Profession: Client Relations Director

Favorite Restaurant in Brooklyn: Grand & Peaches

Favorite Self-care Activity: massage, meditation, spa time

Why did you choose to send your child to Unity? I chose Unity Preparatory due to a great community to enrich Taylor in her academic needs, community participation and athletics performance.

What is your favorite aspect of Unity? The leadership at Unity is phenomenal, and they always place the best interest of the children first.

What is the best advice you can provide for current and future Unity family members?  Your support to your scholar and the school during this transition into middle school is so vital. Get involved and be a part of their school community, you will not regret it!

Shout out to Ms. Shebroe for spearheading and facilitating last week’s Pi Day event. Families and scholars had a great time playing math games and building community.

Recap – Congratulations to our Middle School Honor Roll Students for Trimester 2!  Congrats to our students in grades 6-8 who earned Honor Roll status in the second trimester of the school year!  Your consistent hard work, organization, and eagerness to learn things and develop new skills is paying off.  Be proud of your accomplishments and stay the course!

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 week.  The meeting was productive, energizing, and, of course, fun!  Here are the slides from the meeting.  One of the major topics discussed last night was a recap of our preparation for state exams in April and May.  See the slide below for detail.  In addition, here are four ways in which family members may offer support at home:

• Ensure students are present and arriving at school on time.
• Provide a protected time and space for homework, reading, and studying.
• Continue to encourage students to try their best each and every day.
• Ensure that students are getting adequate sleep each night and eating a healthy breakfast before school.

Contact Mr. Beckford with questions.  Unity’s Family Ambassadors will meet again on Thursday, April 18th, at 6pm – all families are encouraged to attend.

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.

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 thank the families who participated in our Family Ambassadors meeting last night.  Your feedback and insights on our fall family survey results were valuable and will inform our actions moving forward.  Separately, I want to thank all families who participated in Thursday’s Trimester 2 Awards Ceremony at our middle school.  Your support and encouragement means a lot to our entire community and we are grateful!

This coming week, our high school students will engage in their third quarter interim assessments.  I am thankful for our teachers and administration, as they have worked diligently to prepare our students for these exams.  And congrats in advance to our students for putting forth their best effort on these assessments in showing off all that they have learned this year.

Finally, I am pleased to report that we reached a major milestone this past week as a school: 100% of our senior class has been accepted to college for the fall of 2024!  Congratulations to all seniors and their families!  And kudos to our high school staff and College & Career Readiness team for their support of our senior class in reaching this impressive milestone!

In this edition of The Unity Scoop, we highlight our students and teachers in action in classes this past week.  We also celebrate our middle school students for their academic achievements in Trimester 2.  Finally, we gear up for our admissions lottery, which is scheduled for April 1st.  Please spread the word if you know of families seeking a terrific middle/high school for their children in the 2024-25 school year.  Families may apply here!

Enjoy the weekend and best wishes in the week ahead!

Best regards,

Josh

Josh Beauregard

Head of School / Co-founder

Updates as of March 23, 2024:

New – Students and Teachers in Action this Week: We love celebrating the hard work of our students as they engage in their learning each and every day.  This week, we spotlight our students and team in action across grades 6-8!

Preparation for state exams is fully underway in both ELA and Math. Shout out to both teams for their commitment to providing targeted support to scholars and for their responsiveness to data.  Featured above is Ms. Pierre working alongside a group of 6th grade students from 8th period ELA class.

Shout out to Ms. Shebroe for spearheading and facilitating last week’s Pi Day event. Families and scholars had a great time playing math games and building community.

New – Two Updates from Unity High’s College & Career Readiness (CCR) Team!: Our CCR team has been hard at work supporting our 12th graders with college applications and acceptances.  They have also been supporting our underclassmen as they get ready to engage in the college search process in the coming year or two.  Two events on the horizon here include:

• Unity High’s Annual College Fair: All 10th and 11th grade students and families are invited to our Annual College Fair.  The fair will take place on Thursday, March 28th from 3-6 PM in the Unity High gym.  Over 20 colleges will be in attendance and they are excited to meet you all!
• Spring Administrations of the SAT and PSAT: On Friday, April 12th, all juniors will be taking the SAT and all sophomores will be taking the PSAT at Unity High.  More information to come, but save the date for these important exams for your student’s post-secondary journey.

New – Unity’s Admissions Lottery for the 2023-24 School Year will be Held on April 1st at 6pm – If you know any students entering middle school or high school for next school year, please make sure they apply online at www.unityprep.org by April 1^st in order to have a spot in our lottery. For any questions or to set up a school tour, please call Mr. Beckford at the middle school at 862-294-0219 or Mr. Doscher at the high school at 347-746-1575.

New – Congratulations to our Middle School Honor Roll Students for Trimester 2!  Congrats to our students in grades 6-8 who earned Honor Roll status in the second trimester of the school year!  Your consistent hard work, organization, and eagerness to learn things and develop new skills is paying off.  Be proud of your accomplishments and stay the course!

New – 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 week.  The meeting was productive, energizing, and, of course, fun!  Here are the slides from the meeting.  One of the major topics discussed last night was a recap of our preparation for state exams in April and May.  See the slide below for detail.  In addition, here are four ways in which family members may offer support at home:

• Ensure students are present and arriving at school on time.
• Provide a protected time and space for homework, reading, and studying.
• Continue to encourage students to try their best each and every day.
• Ensure that students are getting adequate sleep each night and eating a healthy breakfast before school.

Contact Mr. Beckford with questions.  Unity’s Family Ambassadors will meet again on Thursday, April 18th, at 6pm – all families are encouraged to attend.

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

Recap – Kudos to our P.R.I.D.E. Leaders for the Full Month of February!: 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 from the month of February 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 – Malik Dale, 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 Malik Dale, who is now in his third year at Brooklyn College!

Malik Dale graduated from Unity in 2020. He is currently a full-time student at Brooklyn College, majoring in Business Administration with a minor in Marketing.

Malik is an accomplished student-athlete at Brooklyn College and a member of the Men’s Basketball Team.  Malk scored his 1,000th point in college this past season.  He was also named as a First Team All-Star in his conference.

The Boy’s Varsity Basketball Team at Unity has had the privilege of Malk practicing with the team on a few occasions this season.  We thank Malik for giving back to Unity and for continuing to be an active part of our community.  We are proud of you, Malik!

Recap – 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!

Middle School Scholar-Athlete of the Month for January: Dylan Phillips

Team: Junior Varsity Boys Basketball

Current GPA: 4.0

Accomplishments: Dylan is appreciated for being a “glue guy” according to his coaches. His positive attitude, kind nature, and charisma makes him a joy to work with and a tremendous teammate. He is a unique leader in the way he is able to navigate different social circles and keep his team together and locked in.  He is  appreciated for encouraging his teammates to excel on the basketball court, in the classroom, and in life.

Quote from Scholar-Athlete:  “I am happy and proud of myself.  I really worked hard for this and I put in a lot of time and effort into it.”

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.

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 weekend has been good to you and your loved ones.  Spring is in the air with the first official day of spring on Tuesday, March 19th!

This coming week, our high school students will be preparing for their third round of interim assessments.  There is a special schedule to accommodate the exams; please feel free to reach out to the main office at the school with specific questions.  In addition, tryouts for our middle school athletic teams will be on Tuesday (3/19) and Thursday (3/21); please contact with Mr. Coleman with questions around tryouts.  Finally, we also continue in our celebration of Women’s History with a number of events and festivities to mark the occasion!

In this edition of The Unity Scoop, we highlight our P.R.I.D.E. leaders from the month of February along with the accomplishments of one of Unity’s alumni and the recent achievements of our current students!

Best wishes in the week ahead!

Best regards,

Josh

Josh Beauregard

Head of School / Co-founder

Updates as of March 17, 2024:

Updated – March 2024 Schoolwide Calendar: For your family’s convenience, here is a complete school-wide calendar of events for the month of March – 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 – Kudos to our P.R.I.D.E. Leaders for the Full Month of February!: 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 from the month of February 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 – Alumni Spotlight of the Month – Malik Dale, 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 Malik Dale, who is now in his third year at Brooklyn College!

Malik Dale graduated from Unity in 2020. He is currently a full-time student at Brooklyn College, majoring in Business Administration with a minor in Marketing.

Malik is an accomplished student-athlete at Brooklyn College and a member of the Men’s Basketball Team.  Malk scored his 1,000th point in college this past season.  He was also named as a First Team All-Star in his conference.

The Boy’s Varsity Basketball Team at Unity has had the privilege of Malk practicing with the team on a few occasions this season.  We thank Malik for giving back to Unity and for continuing to be an active part of our community.  We are proud of you, Malik!

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!

Middle School Scholar-Athlete of the Month for January: Dylan Phillips

Team: Junior Varsity Boys Basketball

Current GPA: 4.0

Accomplishments: Dylan is appreciated for being a “glue guy” according to his coaches. His positive attitude, kind nature, and charisma makes him a joy to work with and a tremendous teammate. He is a unique leader in the way he is able to navigate different social circles and keep his team together and locked in.  He is  appreciated for encouraging his teammates to excel on the basketball court, in the classroom, and in life.

Quote from Scholar-Athlete:  “I am happy and proud of myself.  I really worked hard for this and I put in a lot of time and effort into it.”

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

• 6th Grade:
  • Scholarship: Nyla Telesford
  • Citizenship: Ariyah Mills
• 7th Grade:
  • Scholarship: Arianna Garcia
  • Citizenship: Melody Bramwell
  • Most Improved: Makayla Vasquez
• 8th Grade:
  • Scholarship: Shirley Longmire
  • Citizenship: Amani Prince

Recap – 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!

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. Sawana Lawrence (Mother of Sanah Lawrence, 6th Grader)

Profession:

Eligibility/Hotline Specialist

Favorite Restaurant in Brooklyn?

Atlas Steakhouse

Your favorite self-care activity?

Spa & massage

Why did you choose to send your child to Unity?

Unity was highly recommended by my family.

What is your favorite aspect of Unity?

The staff works hard to keep the students engaged as well as the parents/caregivers.

What inspired you to ‘give back’ to our community by joining the Unity Family Ambassadors this year?

The community has to stick together and it’s another way for me to say thank you.

Recap – New Students for the Fall 2024 – Unity’s lottery for Fall 2024 admissions is coming up soon! . 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).

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 want to thank our middle school families who participated in conferences last night and today.  We greatly value connecting with family members and students to discuss both progress this year and our collaboration moving forward. Ultimately, our goal is for all students to get the most out of their experiences at Unity.  To this end, family conferences play an important role.  Note that conferences with our high school families will take place on April 19th and 20th.

This coming week, our high school students will engage in their third quarter interim assessments.  I am thankful for our teachers and administrators, as they have worked diligently to prepare our students for these exams.  And congrats in advance to our students for putting forth their best effort on these assessments, in showing off all that they have learned this year.

In this edition of The Unity Scoop, I highlight our Students of the Month for February, and spotlight a Unity senior and the impressive year she is having!  We also celebrate our students with stellar attendance for February and Core Value leaders for the month.  Finally, I share with you a letter in support of Unity from our local Assemblymember, Stefani Zinerman.

Enjoy your weekend!
Best regards,

Josh

Josh Beauregard

Head of School / Co-founder

Updates as of March 9, 2024:

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

• 6th Grade:
  • Scholarship: Nyla Telesford
  • Citizenship: Ariyah Mills
• 7th Grade:
  • Scholarship: Arianna Garcia
  • Citizenship: Melody Bramwell
  • Most Improved: Makayla Vasquez
• 8th Grade:
  • Scholarship: Shirley Longmire
  • Citizenship: Amani Prince

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 – 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 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!”

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