Dear Families of Unity,

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

On behalf of our entire faculty and staff, I wish you a safe and joyous long weekend in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his lasting legacy.

In this edition of The Unity Scoop, we highlight our students in action in their art and science classes this week.  We also honor our newest Students of Month as well as our Student-Athletes of the Month.  Finally, see the details below on Monday’s MLK Jr. Celebration event and Thursday’s Family Ambassadors meeting.

In unity,

Josh

Joshua Beauregard

Executive Director / Co-founder

Updates as of January 18, 2025:

1. New – Highlights of Students and Their Teachers in Action This Week!: Enjoy the wonderful photos below of our students and staff in action this past week in their art and science classes this past week!  In Mr. Berkeley’s 7th grade art class, students applied their knowledge of patterns, symbols, and elements of Greek, African, or Asian ceramics to create decorative planters.  In Ms LaPlaca’s 6th grade science class, students investigated the various stages of the digestive system by simulating the journey of food as it moves through the various organs and undergoes digestion within the body.

2. New – Congrats to Unity Middle’s Students of the Month!:  Kudos to our Middle School Students of the Month from November and December!  We celebrate these students for showing exemplary scholarship and citizenship!

November

3. Updated – January 2025 School-wide Calendar: For your family’s convenience, here is a school-wide calendar of events for the month of January – print it out and throw it on the refrigerator door!  It is possible that events could change and new events could be added.  An up-to-date events calendar can always be accessed on our website.

• BAM honors the life and legacy of Dr. King at this vital Brooklyn tradition. Join us for an inspiring speech by Carlotta Walls LaNier of the Little Rock Nine, a very special solo presentation by Ailey II, vibrant music with The Fire Ensemble led by Troy Anthony, and more. Ring in the New Year with friends, neighbors, artists, and civic leaders in a day of activism, music, and family-friendly activities.
• Tickets are free for this event and will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis beginning at 8am on January 20 in the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House lobby. Please note that providing an RSVP does not guarantee entry.

5. New – Unity’s Family Ambassadors Next Meeting on Thursday, January 23rd, 6pm!: All Unity families are welcome to participate in this Thursday’s Family Ambassadors Meeting (via Zoom).  Ambassadors help play an active leadership role in providing the best possible educational experience to our students!  Ambassadors meet monthly to plan new events and initiatives and play a significant role in accentuating school community experiences.  The Zoom meeting link is here.  See you Thursday on Zoom!

6. Updated – Unity’s Athletic Teams Continue to Reach New Heights!: Our athletic teams picked up where they left off in returning from the December break.  Thank you to the many students, staff, and families who came out to support our teams this week. Go Panthers, and enjoy the photos below of our teams in action!  Finally, see the save-the-date below to see our Student vs. Faculty games at the Barclays Center on February 8th!

Unity’s MS Varsity Hoops team with members of PS 44’s Hoops team.

Unity’s MS Varsity Hoops team with members of Unity HS’s JV Hoops team.

Unity’s mascot, Pablo the Panther, having fun with our guest of honor during this past Thursday’s basketball games, students of PS 44!

7. Recap – Stellar Attendance in December – 98% and Above!: The following lengthy list of students demonstrated a strong and consistent dedication to their education by showing stellar attendance in December.  Kudos to these students – we love seeing you each and every day!  And, of course, we look forward to celebrating additional students at the end of this month!

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

9. Recap – Unity’s Family Ambassadors and Basketball Teams Bring Movie Night to our Community, Friday, January 31st at 5:30pm:  Unity’s Family Ambassadors and basketball teams are joining forces to bring our first Movie Night of the year to Unity.  The event will take place in the auditorium of our middle school campus (432 Monroe Street).  The featured film will be Coach Carter in honor of our basketball team’s upcoming seasons.  Let’s go, Panthers!  There is a modest admission fee of $3 at the door.  Food and beverage concessions will be available for purchase.  All proceeds will go to funding our teams’ success and development this season!  RSVP here to reserve your seat in advance.

10. Recap – 2024-25 School Calendar of Key Events and Vacations for Families: Calendars for the 2024-25 school year can be accessed using the links below.  Note that we have two versions this year – one version for our middle school (grades 6-8) and another version for our high school (grades 9-12).

• Grades 6-8 School Calendar of Key Events and Vacations for Families
• Grades 9-12 School Calendar of Key Events and Vacations for Families

Dear Families of Unity,

I hope that the start of the New Year is treating you well.  We look forward to another full and productive week of learning ahead.  Please review the calendar below for a full schedule of academic and extracurricular events this week.

In this edition of The Unity Scoop, we celebrate our PRIDE leaders and students with stellar attendance in December.  We also feature photos of our student-athletes in action last week as well as honor our Middle School Student-Athlete of the Month.  Lastly, we share information about BAM’s MLK Jr. Day celebration on January 20th and encourage students and families to participate!

Enjoy your Sunday, and best wishes in the week ahead!

In unity,

Josh

Joshua Beauregard

Executive Director / Co-founder

Updates as of January 12, 2025:

1. Updated – January 2025 School-wide Calendar: For your family’s convenience, here is a school-wide calendar of events for the month of January – print it out and throw it on the refrigerator door!  It is possible that events could change and new events could be added.  An up-to-date events calendar can always be accessed on our website.

• BAM honors the life and legacy of Dr. King at this vital Brooklyn tradition. Join us for an inspiring speech by Carlotta Walls LaNier of the Little Rock Nine, a very special solo presentation by Ailey II, vibrant music with The Fire Ensemble led by Troy Anthony, and more. Ring in the New Year with friends, neighbors, artists, and civic leaders in a day of activism, music, and family-friendly activities.
• Tickets are free for this event and will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis beginning at 8am on January 20 in the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House lobby. Please note that providing an RSVP does not guarantee entry.

3. New – Stellar Attendance in December – 98% and Above!: The following lengthy list of students demonstrated a strong and consistent dedication to their education by showing stellar attendance in December.  Kudos to these students – we love seeing you each and every day!  And, of course, we look forward to celebrating additional students at the end of this month!

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

5. New – Unity’s Athletic Teams Start the New Year Out Strongly!: Our athletic teams picked up where they left off in returning from the December break.  Thank you to the many students, staff, and families who came out to support our teams this week. Go Panthers, and enjoy the photos below of our teams in action!  We also include our winter season team photos for our middle school teams.  Finally, congratulations to Jordan Jones – who is MS Student-Athlete of the Month for December and Unity alumni Malik Dale ‘20, who was named Player of the Week in his conference at Brooklyn College!

Jordan Jones, 8th grade

Current GPA: 3.7

Quote from Jordan’s coach, Coach Beckford: “Jordan is a coach’s dream. He follows instructions the first time they are given, puts in a ton of effort, and comes to the gymnasium with a positive attitude every day. He continues to improve his skills by consistently dedicating hours to basketball training and conditioning.”

Quote from Jordan on learning of his accomplishment: “I feel really good because I’ve never achieved anything like this before in my entire life.”

Unity Alumni, Malike Dale ‘20, was named CUNYAC Men’s Basketball Players of the Week for his recent achievements on the basketball court.  Malik is in his senior year at Brooklyn College and majoring in Business Management.

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

7. Recap – Unity’s Family Ambassadors and Basketball Teams Bring Movie Night to our Community, Friday, January 31st at 5:30pm:  Unity’s Family Ambassadors and basketball teams are joining forces to bring our first Movie Night of the year to Unity.  The event will take place in the auditorium of our middle school campus (432 Monroe Street).  The featured film will be Coach Carter in honor of our basketball team’s upcoming seasons.  Let’s go, Panthers!  There is a modest admission fee of $3 at the door.  Food and beverage concessions will be available for purchase.  All proceeds will go to funding our teams’ success and development this season!  RSVP here to reserve your seat in advance.

8. Recap – 2024-25 School Calendar of Key Events and Vacations for Families: Calendars for the 2024-25 school year can be accessed using the links below.  Note that we have two versions this year – one version for our middle school (grades 6-8) and another version for our high school (grades 9-12).

• Grades 6-8 School Calendar of Key Events and Vacations for Families
• Grades 9-12 School Calendar of Key Events and Vacations for Families

Dear Families of Unity,

Happy New Year! I hope this message finds you well, and I extend my warmest wishes to all of our families for a happy and successful 2025.

It felt great to reconnect with students today following the break. January marks the midpoint of the school year, as well as the end of the first semester for our high school students.  Over the next two weeks, leading up to Semester 1 final exams later this month, we are encouraging all high school students to finish the semester strong.  This means being in school on time every day, staying on top of all assignments, and seeking out extra help when they need it.

On our middle school campus, students will complete mock exams in ELA and math later this month. These assessments are designed to gauge readiness for the spring state exams and to evaluate mastery of key skills and concepts.  The results will help us refine lesson plans and assignments to better meet students’ needs in the months ahead.

Beyond academics, January also marks the heart of the winter athletics season.  Unity’s student-athletes continue to bring pride, joy, and a sense of connection for our community.  There are several exciting  events coming up this week – please see the calendar below for details.  Families are warmly invited to attend and cheer on our teams.  Athletics play a vital role in our school community, and we are proud of the teamwork, perseverance, and growth our students experience alongside their teammates throughout the season.

Thank you for your continued support, and enjoy your weekend!

In unity,
Josh
Joshua Beauregard
Executive Director / Co-founder

Updates as of January 3, 2025:

1. New – January 2025 School-wide Calendar: For your family’s convenience, here is a school-wide calendar of events for the month of January – print it out and throw it on the refrigerator door!  It is possible that events could change and new events could be added.  An up-to-date events calendar can always be accessed on our website.

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

3. Recap – Congrats to Unity High’s Students of the Month!:  Kudos to our Students of the Month from November!  We celebrate these students for showing exemplary scholarship and citizenship!

4. Recap – Congratulations to our Quarter I Honor Roll Students in Grades 9-12!: The following students earned Honor Roll status in the first quarter of the school year.  Kudos to these students for their consistent hard work and dedication to their studies.  I look forward to celebrating your efforts again at the end of Quarter 2!

5. Recap – Thank you, Families, for Taking Part in Last Night’s Family Ambassadors Meeting!: We are grateful to our families who participated in our Family Ambassadors meeting on Zoom last night.  The meeting was productive, energizing, and, of course, fun!  Here are the slides from the meeting.  Contact Mr. Beckford with questions.  Unity’s Family Ambassadors will meet again on Thursday, January 23rd, at 6pm – all families are encouraged to attend.

6. Recap – Unity Family Ambassador Spotlight of the Month!: We are thrilled to resume an exciting feature to the Unity Scoop, a monthly profile of our amazing Unity Family Ambassadors. This month, we are thrilled to profile Ms. Tiffany Rivers, the mother of Unity 6th grade scholar, Carter Lewis.  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. Tiffany Rivers (Mother of Carter Lewis, Unity 6th Grader)

Profession:

Supportive Housing Manager

Favorite Restaurant in Brooklyn?

Peaches

Your favorite self-care activity?

Pedicure

Why did you choose to send your child to Unity?

Mr. Beckford was a phenomenal advocate for the school. The website spoke volumes of cultivating academics, sports and community.

What is the best advice you could provide for an incoming caregiver?

Communicate with staff consistently! Please remember that middle school is the stepping stone of independence so work alongside the teachers and staff to see your scholar through their middle school years.

What is your favorite aspect of Unity?

Mr. Beckford!!!!!!!!!!! Principal Terry!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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

My voice/concerns/suggestions need to be heard!

7. Recap – Unity Engages in Winter Spirit Week with Gusto!  Students and staff celebrated our Winter Spirit Week this past week.  Spirit was on full display with ugly holiday sweaters, wacky pajamas, and all of the plaid one could ever want in life.  See the photos below to fully appreciate the festivities – gotta love those ugly (and beautiful) sweaters!

8. Recap – Unity’s Basketball Teams Get Off to a Hot Start this Season!: Our Hoops teams were in full swing this past week.  Congrats to all teams at the start of their seasons.  Go Panthers, and enjoy the photos below of our teams in action!

9. Recap – Unity Continues in its Community Service with a Practical Care Drive and Toy Drive this Month!: Thank you to all families who participated in Community Service Drives over the past few weeks – your generosity brought joy to families in need this holiday season!

10. Recap – Unity’s Family Ambassadors and Basketball Teams Bring Movie Night to our Community, Friday, January 31st at 5:30pm:  Unity’s Family Ambassadors and basketball teams are joining forces to bring our first Movie Night of the year to Unity.  The event will take place in the auditorium of our middle school campus (432 Monroe Street).  The featured film will be Coach Carter in honor of our basketball team’s upcoming seasons.  Let’s go, Panthers!  There is a modest admission fee of $3 at the door.  Food and beverage concessions will be available for purchase.  All proceeds will go to funding our teams’ success and development this season!  RSVP here to reserve your seat in advance.

11. Recap – 2024-25 School Calendar of Key Events and Vacations for Families: Calendars for the 2024-25 school year can be accessed using the links below.  Note that we have two versions this year – one version for our middle school (grades 6-8) and another version for our high school (grades 9-12).

• Grades 6-8 School Calendar of Key Events and Vacations for Families
• Grades 9-12 School Calendar of Key Events and Vacations for Families

Dear Families of Unity,

The festivities and holiday spirit continued this week with our annual Love Your Neighbor Day of Service and Holiday Hoopla event!  Indeed, there is much to celebrate as we head into the December break and reflect back on the first four months of the school year.  On behalf of our entire faculty and staff, we thank you for your continued partnership both at home and school.  We look forward to continuing our collaboration in the New Year!

Have a wonderful holiday and we look forward to reconvening with students on Friday, January 3rd!

Warmest wishes,
Josh

Joshua Beauregard

Executive Director / Co-founder

Updates as of December 20, 2024:

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

2. New – Congrats to Unity High’s Students of the Month!:  Kudos to our Students of the Month from November!  We celebrate these students for showing exemplary scholarship and citizenship!

3. New – Congratulations to our Quarter I Honor Roll Students in Grades 9-12!: The following students earned Honor Roll status in the first quarter of the school year.  Kudos to these students for their consistent hard work and dedication to their studies.  I look forward to celebrating your efforts again at the end of Quarter 2!

4. 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 night.  The meeting was productive, energizing, and, of course, fun!  Here are the slides from the meeting.  Contact Mr. Beckford with questions.  Unity’s Family Ambassadors will meet again on Thursday, January 23rd, at 6pm – all families are encouraged to attend.

5. 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. This month, we are thrilled to profile Ms. Tiffany Rivers, the mother of Unity 6th grade scholar, Carter Lewis.  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. Tiffany Rivers (Mother of Carter Lewis, Unity 6th Grader)

Profession:

Supportive Housing Manager

Favorite Restaurant in Brooklyn?

Peaches

Your favorite self-care activity?

Pedicure

Why did you choose to send your child to Unity?

Mr. Beckford was a phenomenal advocate for the school. The website spoke volumes of cultivating academics, sports and community.

What is the best advice you could provide for an incoming caregiver?

Communicate with staff consistently! Please remember that middle school is the stepping stone of independence so work alongside the teachers and staff to see your scholar through their middle school years.

What is your favorite aspect of Unity?

Mr. Beckford!!!!!!!!!!! Principal Terry!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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

My voice/concerns/suggestions need to be heard!

6. New – Unity Engages in Winter Spirit Week with Gusto!  Students and staff celebrated our Winter Spirit Week this past week.  Spirit was on full display with ugly holiday sweaters, wacky pajamas, and all of the plaid one could ever want in life.  See the photos below to fully appreciate the festivities – gotta love those ugly (and beautiful) sweaters!

7. Updated – Unity’s Basketball Teams Get Off to a Hot Start this Season!: Our Hoops teams were in full swing this past week.  Congrats to all teams at the start of their seasons.  Go Panthers, and enjoy the photos below of our teams in action!

8. Updated – Unity Continues in its Community Service with a Practical Care Drive and Toy Drive this Month!: Thank you to all families who participated in Community Service Drives over the past few weeks – your generosity brought joy to families in need this holiday season!

9. Updated – Unity’s Family Ambassadors and Basketball Teams Bring Movie Night to our Community, Friday, January 31st at 5:30pm:  Unity’s Family Ambassadors and basketball teams are joining forces to bring our first Movie Night of the year to Unity.  The event will take place in the auditorium of our middle school campus (432 Monroe Street).  The featured film will be Coach Carter in honor of our basketball team’s upcoming seasons.  Let’s go, Panthers!  There is a modest admission fee of $3 at the door.  Food and beverage concessions will be available for purchase.  All proceeds will go to funding our teams’ success and development this season!  RSVP here to reserve your seat in advance.

10. Recap – Alumni Spotlight of the Month – Alicia Griffith, Unity’s Class of 2021: 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 Alicia Griffith, proud graduate of SUNY Oneonta!

11. Recap – Unity High Honor Roll Students for Quarter I Enjoy Virtual Skydiving at iFly!: Students earning Honor Roll status in Quarter I experienced skydiving and learned about the science of wind tunnels this past week in celebration of their achievements.  Congratulations to these students and their families and enjoy the photos below!

12. Recap – Unity National Junior Honor Society (NJHS)  Explore the Spyspace Museum!: Members of NJHS (7th & 8th graders) explored one of the city’s most interactive museums on Friday to exercise their mind and test their skills across the world of intelligence, special operations, AI, and STEM.  Enjoy the photos below!

13. Recap – December 2024 Schoolwide Calendar: For your family’s convenience, here is an updated school-wide calendar of events for the month of December – 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.  The calendar for January will be shared on January 3rd.

14. Recap – Refer a New Student to Unity Today!: Unity has a few seats available in grades 6, 7, 9, 10, and 11 for the 2024-25 school year. 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 referring and enrolling families will be given a $100 Amazon gift card for school supplies.

15. Recap – 2024-25 School Calendar of Key Events and Vacations for Families: Calendars for the 2024-25 school year can be accessed using the links below.  Note that we have two versions this year – one version for our middle school (grades 6-8) and another version for our high school (grades 9-12).

• Grades 6-8 School Calendar of Key Events and Vacations for Families
• Grades 9-12 School Calendar of Key Events and Vacations for Families

Dear Families of Unity,

I hope that this past week was good to you and your loved ones.  I want to begin this brief introductory note by congratulating our middle school students and community on their completion of the second round of iReady assessments on Wednesday.  We look forward to celebrating our students’ growth from the start of the year and their efforts over the past three months!

As we approach the final school week of the 2024 calendar year, I highlight for you our students and teachers in action both at school and beyond.  It continues to be an exciting month of educational field trips and community service as students explore the many resources of New York City, and contribute to fellow community members in need of support.

Please take a moment to take in the many photos and updates below and learn about the ways in which you, as caregiver, may partner with us.  Specifically, we have two community drives happening this week in addition to our Love Your Neighbor Day this Friday.  We also have our monthly Family Ambassadors meeting on Thursday – we welcome your participation!

Warmest weekend wishes to you and your loved ones.

In unity,
Josh

Josh Beauregard

Executive Director / Co-founder

Updates as of December 15, 2024:

1. New – Highlights of Students and Their Teachers in Action This Week!: Enjoy the wonderful photos below of our students and staff in action this past week in their health class and math tutoring block!

8th grade students in Ms. McRae’s Health class collaborating on social media initiatives in true WeWork fashion.

Mr. Williams works with a number of his 7th grade math students during their daily tutoring block.

2. New – Unity High Honor Roll Students for Quarter I Enjoy Virtual Skydiving at iFly!: Students earning Honor Roll status in Quarter I experienced skydiving and learned about the science of wind tunnels this past week in celebration of their achievements.  Congratulations to these students and their families and enjoy the photos below!

3. New – Unity National Junior Honor Society (NJHS)  Explore the Spyspace Museum!: Members of NJHS (7th & 8th graders) explored one of the city’s most interactive museums on Friday to exercise their mind and test their skills across the world of intelligence, special operations, AI, and STEM.  Enjoy the photos below!

4. New – Unity’s Winter Spirit Week is Here!  We are excited to embark on our Winter Spirit Week on both campuses this coming week, December 16-20.  Spirit Week is about bringing our best selves to school, as well as showing off our collective school spirit.  We have a number of fun initiatives planned for the week, including themed dress days, activities centered on our Core Values, and other extracurricular events that bring out the best of our community – see the fliers below for details!

Grades 6-8:

Grades 9-12:

5. New – Alumni Spotlight of the Month – Alicia Griffith, Unity’s Class of 2021: 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 Alicia Griffith, proud graduate of SUNY Oneonta!

7. Updated – December 2024 Schoolwide Calendar: For your family’s convenience, here is an updated school-wide calendar of events for the month of December – print it out and throw it on the refrigerator door! It is possible that events could change and new events could be added.  An up-to-date events calendar can always be accessed on our website.

8. Updated – Unity High’s Girls Basketball Team Earn Win Over Uncommon Prep Charter in their First Game of the Season!: Congratulations to our many student-athletes who will be representing Unity this winter season.  We are excited for all that you will learn and accomplish alongside your teammates.  See our updated school calendar for the game schedule this week.  Go Panthers!

Congratulations to Unity High’s Varsity Girls Basketball team on their 22-16 victory over Uncommon Charter High School on Thursday afternoon.  Go Panthers!

Kailey Harriott, 8th grade

– Quote from Kailey on learning of his accomplishment: “I love this! I feel really good of it and I think I deserve it.”

– Quote from Kailey’s coach, Coach Sarah: “Kailey Harriott shows incredible dedication to her academics and team. She consistently strives for excellence, pushing herself even when things are unplanned. As a new member of the Rising Royals, Kailey stepped up as a leader, offering help to her teammates and always seeking to improve. She’s not afraid to ask for guidance when needed, and her commitment to learning and growth is evident. Kailey treats herself, her team, and her coach with respect and kindness at all times and definitely deserves to be Student-Athlete of the Month.”

9. Updated – Unity Continues in its Community Service with a Practical Care Drive and Toy Drive this Month!: Coming off our schoolwide Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk and Canned Food Drive, we are now engaging in a Practical Care Drive and Toy Drive.  Between 12/2 and 12/20, we encourage all Unity families to donate practical items (see teh flier below) and packaged toys, which will then be shared with kids in the local community over the holidays.  All donations will go directly toward providing nourishment to community members in greatest need. Unity students who participate in the drive will earn Panther Pride Points for demonstrating our Pride Value of Empathy.

10. Recap – Unity Middle Students Engage in a Day of Field Trips and Festivities!: Unity Middle students engaged in a number of trips on Friday, including visiting the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Museum of Natural History, and Jewish History Museum.  Enjoy the photos below of students taking in some of NYC’s finest cultural institutions!

11. Recap – Unity’s Middle School Art Students Shine in our Winter Art Exhibition!: Under the guidance of their Art & Design Teacher, Mr. Berkeley, Unity’s young artists proudly exhibited their latest art work this past Thursday evening.  The exhibition was attended by a number of Unity’s faculty, families, and students.  Enjoy the photos of the event below!

11. Recap – Kudos to our P.R.I.D.E. Leaders Through the Full Month of November!: Our P.R.I.D.E. Core Values of Progress, Respect for All, Integrity, Discovery, and Empathy represent qualities that we covet as a school community.  They also represent qualities that we believe empower our students to lead fulfilling lives and, therefore, qualities that we have a responsibility to actively teach and positively reinforce.  The students listed below are our leaders through the month of November 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.

12. Recap – Movie Night Has Been Postponed to January: To ensure a stronger promotion and healthy turn-out, we have rescheduled to after the New Year.  A new date will be shared in next week’s edition of the Scoop.

Unity’s Family Ambassadors and basketball teams are joining forces to bring our first Movie Night of the year to Unity.  The event will take place in the auditorium of our middle school campus (432 Monroe Street).  The featured film will be Coach Carter in honor of our basketball team’s upcoming seasons.  Let’s go, Panthers!  There is a modest admission fee of $3 at the door.  Food and beverage concessions will be available for purchase.  All proceeds will go to funding our teams’ success and development this season!  RSVP here to reserve your seat in advance.

13. Recap – Thank You for Your Generosity on Giving Tuesday!: As a public charter school and non-profit organization that serves the Brooklyn community, we thank all families who contributed to making our after-school clubs programming possible through their donations.  Overall, over $5,000 was raised on Giving Tuesday!

14. Recap – Urban Advantage Family Science Days – Free Admission to some of the City’s Premiere Museums and Institutions for Unity Students in Grades 6-8!: Through Unity’s partnership with Urban Advantage (UA), middle school families may visit the following museums for free!  See the instructions below for how to obtain a family voucher.  Visit here for additional information.  Contact your child’s science teacher with questions.

Visit any of these Institutions with your family free of charge!

15. Recap – Refer a New Student to Unity Today!: Unity has a few seats available in grades 6, 7, 9, 10, and 11 for the 2024-25 school year. 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 referring and enrolling families will be given a $100 Amazon gift card for school supplies.

16. Recap – 2024-25 School Calendar of Key Events and Vacations for Families: Calendars for the 2024-25 school year can be accessed using the links below.  Note that we have two versions this year – one version for our middle school (grades 6-8) and another version for our high school (grades 9-12).

• Grades 6-8 School Calendar of Key Events and Vacations for Families
• Grades 9-12 School Calendar of Key Events and Vacations for Families

Dear Families of Unity,

Season’s greetings to you!  I hope that you and your loved ones enjoyed a delightful Thanksgiving holiday!  And I hope that the start of the new month has been good to you.

Congratulations to our middle school students who exhibited their artwork during last week’s art exhibition.  And thank you to all of our families who came out to support the event and appreciate our students’ talent and creativity.

We have two weeks of school until our winter break.  This stretch of the year tends to be both busy and festive, as we continue to engage fully in classes and extracurricular activities while also embracing an abundance of festivities that highlight our students and enrich our community.

In this edition of The Unity Scoop, we spotlight our students on trips to a number of NYC’s finest cultural institutions to enrich what they are now studying in their courses.  We also share some lovely photos from this week’s student art exhibition.  Finally, we celebrate our most recent student-athletes of the month and our PRIDE leaders through November!

Best wishes to your families in the coming week.

In unity,
Josh

Josh Beauregard

Executive Director / Co-founder

Updates as of December 8, 2024:

1. New – Unity Middle Students Engage in a Day of Field Trips and Festivities!: Unity Middle students engaged in a number of trips on Friday, including visiting the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Museum of Natural History, and Jewish History Museum.  Enjoy the photos below of students taking in some of NYC’s finest cultural institutions!

2. New – Unity’s Middle School Art Students Shine in our Winter Art Exhibition!: Under the guidance of their Art & Design Teacher, Mr. Berkeley, Unity’s young artists proudly exhibited their latest art work this past Thursday evening.  The exhibition was attended by a number of Unity’s faculty, families, and students.  Enjoy the photos of the event below!

3. Updated – December 2024 Schoolwide Calendar: For your family’s convenience, here is an updated school-wide calendar of events for the month of December – 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.

4. New – The Winter Athletics Season Has Just Begun!: Congratulations to our many student-athletes who will be representing Unity this winter season.  We are excited for all that you will learn and accomplish alongside your teammates.  Winter schedules will be shared in next week’s edition of the Scoop. And congrats to our newest Student-Athletes of the Month.  Go Panthers!

Kailey Harriott, 8th grade

– Quote from Kailey on learning of his accomplishment: “I love this! I feel really good of it and I think I deserve it.”

– Quote from Kailey’s coach, Coach Sarah: “Kailey Harriott shows incredible dedication to her academics and team. She consistently strives for excellence, pushing herself even when things are unplanned. As a new member of the Rising Royals, Kailey stepped up as a leader, offering help to her teammates and always seeking to improve. She’s not afraid to ask for guidance when needed, and her commitment to learning and growth is evident. Kailey treats herself, her team, and her coach with respect and kindness at all times and definitely deserves to be Student-Athlete of the Month.”

5. New – Kudos to our P.R.I.D.E. Leaders Through the Full Month of November!: Our P.R.I.D.E. Core Values of Progress, Respect for All, Integrity, Discovery, and Empathy represent qualities that we covet as a school community.  They also represent qualities that we believe empower our students to lead fulfilling lives and, therefore, qualities that we have a responsibility to actively teach and positively reinforce.  The students listed below are our leaders through the month of November 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.

6. Update – Movie Night Has Been Postponed to January: To ensure a stronger promotion and healthy turn-out, we have rescheduled to after the New Year.  A new date will be shared in next week’s edition of the Scoop.

Unity’s Family Ambassadors and basketball teams are joining forces to bring our first Movie Night of the year to Unity.  The event will take place in the auditorium of our middle school campus (432 Monroe Street).  The featured film will be Coach Carter in honor of our basketball team’s upcoming seasons.  Let’s go, Panthers!  There is a modest admission fee of $3 at the door.  Food and beverage concessions will be available for purchase.  All proceeds will go to funding our teams’ success and development this season!  RSVP here to reserve your seat in advance.

7. Recap – Congrats to Unity’s Students of the Month – Grades 6-12!:  Kudos to our Students of the Month from October!  We celebrate these students for showing exemplary scholarship and citizenship!

8. Recap – Thank You for Your Generosity on Giving Tuesday!: As a public charter school and non-profit organization that serves the Brooklyn community, we thank all families who contributed to making our after-school clubs programming possible through their donations.  Overall, over $5,000 was raised on Giving Tuesday!

9. Recap – Unity Continues in its Community Service with a Toy Drive this Month!: Coming off our schoolwide Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk and Canned Food Drive, we are now engaging in a Toy Drive.  Between 12/2 and 12/19, we encourage all Unity families to donate packaged toys, which will then be shared with kids in the local community over the holidays.  All donations will go directly toward providing nourishment to community members in greatest need. Unity students who participate in the drive will earn Panther Pride Points for demonstrating our Pride Value of Empathy.

10. Recap – Urban Advantage Family Science Days – Free Admission to some of the City’s Premiere Museums and Institutions for Unity Students in Grades 6-8!: Through Unity’s partnership with Urban Advantage (UA), middle school families may visit the following museums for free!  See the instructions below for how to obtain a family voucher.  Visit here for additional information.  Contact your child’s science teacher with questions.

Visit any of these Institutions with your family free of charge!

11. Recap – Refer a New Student to Unity Today!: Unity has a few seats available in grades 6, 7, 9, 10, and 11 for the 2024-25 school year. 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 referring and enrolling families will be given a $100 Amazon gift card for school supplies.

12. Recap – Guidance on Supporting your Child with School at Home: As communicated last week, there are four things that you are encouraged to engage in at home and over the course of this month in getting off to a strong start to the school year.  Congratulations on completing #4 below this week.

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

13. Recap – 2024-25 School Calendar of Key Events and Vacations for Families: Calendars for the 2024-25 school year can be accessed using the links below.  Note that we have two versions this year – one version for our middle school (grades 6-8) and another version for our high school (grades 9-12).

• Grades 6-8 School Calendar of Key Events and Vacations for Families
• Grades 9-12 School Calendar of Key Events and Vacations for Families

Dear Families of Unity,

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

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

In this edition of The Unity Scoop, we recognize our Students of the Month from October.  We invite you to our Movie Night on December 6th and to contribute to our Giving Tuesday campaign.  Finally, we share with you our calendar for the month of December.

The next edition of The Scoop will be disseminated on December 6th.

In unity,
Josh

Josh Beauregard

Executive Director / Co-founder

Updates as of November 26, 2024:

1. New – Congrats to Unity’s Students of the Month – Grades 6-12!:  Kudos to our Students of the Month from October!  We celebrate these students for showing exemplary scholarship and citizenship!

2. New – December 2024 Schoolwide Calendar: For your family’s convenience, here is an updated school-wide calendar of events for the month of December – print it out and throw it on the refrigerator door! It is possible that events could change and new events could be added.  An up-to-date events calendar can always be accessed on our website.

3. New – Help Us Reach our Goal of Receiving 100 Donations from Unity Families on Giving Tuesday, December 3rd!: As a public charter school and non-profit organization that serves the Brooklyn community, we are excited to participate in Giving Tuesday this holiday season.  Our goal is to receive 100 donations from the families we proudly serve.  Please consider making a modest donation today to help us reach our goal. Donations can be made here.  All Giving Tuesday donations from families will go to funding our after-school clubs programming!

4. New – Unity’s Family Ambassadors and Basketball Teams Bring Movie Night to our Community, Friday, December 6th at 5:30pm: Unity’s Family Ambassadors and basketball teams are joining forces to bring our first Movie Night of the year to Unity.  The event will take place in the auditorium of our middle school campus (432 Monroe Street).  The featured film will be Coach Carter in honor of our basketball team’s upcoming seasons.  Let’s go, Panthers!  There is a modest admission fee of $3 at the door.  Food and beverage concessions will be available for purchase.  All proceeds will go to funding our teams’ success and development this season!  RSVP here to reserve your seat in advance.

5. New – Unity Continues in its Community Service with a Toy Drive this Month!: Coming off our schoolwide Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk and Canned Food Drive, we are now engaging in a Toy Drive.  Between 12/2 and 12/19, we encourage all Unity families to donate packaged toys, which will then be shared with kids in the local community over the holidays.  All donations will go directly toward providing nourishment to community members in greatest need. Unity students who participate in the drive will earn Panther Pride Points for demonstrating our Pride Value of Empathy.

6. Recap – Thank you, Families, for Taking Part in Last Week’s Family Ambassadors Meeting!: We are grateful to our families who participated in our Family Ambassadors meeting.  As always, the meeting was productive, energizing, and, of course, fun!  The agenda from the meeting is below.  Here are the slides from the meeting.  And see the slide below featuring some upcoming local events of interest.  We look forward to seeing you at our next meeting on December 19th!

7. Recap – The Fall Athletic Season Comes to a Close!: Congratulations to the many accomplishments our student-athletes experienced this fall season. Kudos to our student-athletes who achieved All-Star status in their respective leagues this fall season and congratulations to our Student-Athletes of the Month.  Go Panthers!

Congratulations to Unity 7th grader, Dylan Pilco-Duchimaza, who represented our school and his team in this year’s NYC Soccer All-Star Game.

Congratulations to Unity 8th grader, Alikhai Ramirez, who represented our school and his team in this year’s NYC Flag Football All-Star Game.

Komar Perry, 8th grade

– Quote from Komar on learning of his accomplishment: “I am proud of myself because I am being recognized for doing my work inside of the classroom and outside of school when I am running Cross Country.”

– Quote from Komar’s coach, Coach Nana: “Komar Perry has shown to be a prime example of what a Unity Scholar-Athlete is. He has a 3.8 GPA and takes full advantage of tutoring.  He comes to practice every day and always looks for ways to improve his abilities and puts in the extra work without anyone telling him. Shout out to Komar for being a role model for his peers!”

10. Recap – Attention Unity Students in Grades 8-11 – Apply Now for a Paid Internship with the Brooklyn Botanic Garden: The Brooklyn Botanic Garden is now recruiting students in grades 8–11 for the 2024 Garden Apprentice Program (GAP) at Brooklyn Botanic Garden. GAP is a great way for teens to get paid to learn about urban agriculture, science, and the environment while working in one of the most exciting public gardens in the world!

More information is available online at bbg.org/gap.  Additional details include:

BBG Garden Apprentices:

            •           Earn a monetary award after apprenticeship (Tier 1: $600, Tier 2: $700, Tier 3: $800).

•           Work their way up the program to become paid staff as a Tier 4.

•           Learn about botany and environmentalism through hands-on lessons.

•           Grow and harvest fruits, vegetables, and herbs in the Children’s Garden.

•           Facilitate lessons to teach children about plants.

•           Explore Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s amazing plant collections.

•           Develop job skills, including teamwork, communication, and leadership.

Apprentices make a nine-month commitment to GAP, from March to November, which includes spring training, summer programming, and a weekly commitment after school or on weekends throughout the academic year.

Visit bbg.org/gap for applications, photos, a detailed program calendar, and answers to frequently asked questions. Applications are due December 8th.

11. Recap – Urban Advantage Family Science Days – Free Admission to some of the City’s Premiere Museums and Institutions for Unity Students in Grades 6-8!: Through Unity’s partnership with Urban Advantage (UA), middle school families may visit the following museums for free!  See the instructions below for how to obtain a family voucher.  Visit here for additional information.  Contact your child’s science teacher with questions.

Visit any of these Institutions with your family free of charge!

12. Recap – Refer a New Student to Unity Today!: Unity has a few seats available in grades 6, 7, 9, 10, and 11 for the 2024-25 school year. 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 referring and enrolling families will be given a $100 Amazon gift card for school supplies.

13. Recap – Guidance on Supporting your Child with School at Home: As communicated last week, there are four things that you are encouraged to engage in at home and over the course of this month in getting off to a strong start to the school year.  Congratulations on completing #4 below this week.

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

14. Recap – 2024-25 School Calendar of Key Events and Vacations for Families: Calendars for the 2024-25 school year can be accessed using the links below.  Note that we have two versions this year – one version for our middle school (grades 6-8) and another version for our high school (grades 9-12).

• Grades 6-8 School Calendar of Key Events and Vacations for Families
• Grades 9-12 School Calendar of Key Events and Vacations for Families

Dear Families of Unity,

I hope that the full week was good to you and your loved ones.  Thank you to our families who participated in last night’s Family Ambassadors meeting – the agenda and slides from the meeting are provided below.

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

Have a terrific weekend!

In unity,
Josh

Josh Beauregard

Executive Director / Co-founder

Updates as of November 22, 2024:

1. New – Highlights of Students and their Teachers in Action This Week!: Enjoy the wonderful photos below from this past week.  Mr. Coleman, our Founding Physical Education Teacher and Middle School Athletics Director, transformed our middle school gymnasium into a bowling alley in which students actively learned about rules of the game and the techniques of a master bowler!

2. 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.  As always, the meeting was productive, energizing, and, of course, fun!  The agenda from the meeting is below.  Here are the slides from the meeting.  And see the slide below featuring some upcoming local events of interest.  We look forward to seeing you at our next meeting on December 19th!

3. Updated – Fall Family Conferences to Take Place this Coming Week, November 25-26th: We are excited to hold our first round of family conferences on:

• Monday, 11/25 (in-person evening hours, 5pm-8pm)
• Tuesday, 11/26 (daytime virtual hours on Zoom, 9am-2pm)

School staff and advisors have begun making outreach to families to schedule appointments. Our goal is that 100% of our students have an adult family representative at conferences. If you have any questions, please reach out to info@unityprep.org.

4. Updated – The Fall Athletic Season Comes to a Close!: Congratulations to the many accomplishments our student-athletes achieved this season. Kudos to our student-athletes who achieved All-Star Status in their respective leagues and congratulations to our Student-Athletes of the Month.  Go Panthers!

Congratulations to Unity 7th grader, Dylan Pilco-Duchimaza, who represented our school and his team in this year’s NYC Soccer All-Star Game.

Congratulations to Unity 8th grader, Alikhai Ramirez, who represented our school and his team in this year’s NYC Flag Football All-Star Game.

Komar Perry, 8th grade

– Quote from Komar on learning of his accomplishment: “I am proud of myself because I am being recognized for doing my work inside of the classroom and outside of school when I am running Cross Country.”

– Quote from Komar’s coach, Coach Nana: “Komar Perry has shown to be a prime example of what a Unity Scholar-Athlete is. He has a 3.8 GPA and takes full advantage of tutoring.  He comes to practice every day and always looks for ways to improve his abilities and puts in the extra work without anyone telling him. Shout out to Komar for being a role model for his peers!”

5. Recap – Perfect Attendance in October – 100%!: The following lengthy list of students demonstrated a strong and consistent dedication to their education by showing stellar attendance in October.  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!

6. Recap – Members of Unity High’s National Honor Society (NHS) Volunteer at this Year’s New York City Marathon!: Kudos to Unity High’s Academic Counselor and NHS Co-Coordinator, Mr. Peters, and members of NHS for their service in support in this year’s New York City Marathon!

7. New – Unity High Partners with the Health Information Project (HIP) to Train Student Leaders in Health Education: Unity High is excited to partner with HIP to train Unity High 11th and 12th grade students to teach health education to 9th grade students. The program covers topics like depression, anxiety, drugs, and obesity. HIP also connects students to health resources at their school and in their communities.  Our trained student leaders recently assisted Mr. Clotter in his health classes. Congratulations to these students on the skills they are developing!

8. Recap – November 2024 Schoolwide Calendar: For your family’s convenience, here is an updated school-wide calendar of events for the month of November – print it out and throw it on the refrigerator door! It is possible that events could change and new events could be added.  An up-to-date events calendar can always be accessed on our website.

9. Recap – Unity Continues in its Community Service with a Canned Food Drive this Month!: Coming off our schoolwide Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk and fundraiser with the American Cancer Society, we are now engaged in a Can Drive in partnership with City Harvest.  Between now and November 22nd, we encourage all Unity families to donate non-perishable food items.  All donations will go directly toward providing nourishment to community members in greatest need. Unity students who participate in the drive will earn Panther Pride Points for demonstrating our Pride Value of Empathy.

10. Recap – Attention Unity Students in Grades 8-11 – Apply Now for a Paid Internship with the Brooklyn Botanic Garden: The Brooklyn Botanic Garden is now recruiting students in grades 8–11 for the 2024 Garden Apprentice Program (GAP) at Brooklyn Botanic Garden. GAP is a great way for teens to get paid to learn about urban agriculture, science, and the environment while working in one of the most exciting public gardens in the world!

More information is available online at bbg.org/gap.  Additional details include:

BBG Garden Apprentices:

            •           Earn a monetary award after apprenticeship (Tier 1: $600, Tier 2: $700, Tier 3: $800).

•           Work their way up the program to become paid staff as a Tier 4.

•           Learn about botany and environmentalism through hands-on lessons.

•           Grow and harvest fruits, vegetables, and herbs in the Children’s Garden.

•           Facilitate lessons to teach children about plants.

•           Explore Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s amazing plant collections.

•           Develop job skills, including teamwork, communication, and leadership.

Apprentices make a nine-month commitment to GAP, from March to November, which includes spring training, summer programming, and a weekly commitment after school or on weekends throughout the academic year.

Visit bbg.org/gap for applications, photos, a detailed program calendar, and answers to frequently asked questions. Applications are due December 8th.

11. Recap – Urban Advantage Family Science Days – Free Admission to some of the City’s Premiere Museums and Institutions for Unity Students in Grades 6-8!: Through Unity’s partnership with Urban Advantage (UA), middle school families may visit the following museums for free!  See the instructions below for how to obtain a family voucher.  Visit here for additional information.  Contact your child’s science teacher with questions.

Visit any of these Institutions with your family free of charge!

12. Recap – Refer a New Student to Unity Today!: Unity has a few seats available in grades 6, 7, 9, 10, and 11 for the 2024-25 school year. 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 referring and enrolling families will be given a $100 Amazon gift card for school supplies.

13. Recap – Guidance on Supporting your Child with School at Home: As communicated last week, there are four things that you are encouraged to engage in at home and over the course of this month in getting off to a strong start to the school year.  Congratulations on completing #4 below this week.

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

14. Recap – 2024-25 School Calendar of Key Events and Vacations for Families: Calendars for the 2024-25 school year can be accessed using the links below.  Note that we have two versions this year – one version for our middle school (grades 6-8) and another version for our high school (grades 9-12).

• Grades 6-8 School Calendar of Key Events and Vacations for Families
• Grades 9-12 School Calendar of Key Events and Vacations for Families