The Unity Scoop – April 27
Dear Unity Families,
I hope this message finds you well and that you’re enjoying the spring weekend. It was wonderful to reconnect with our school community this week following spring break.
As we enter the month of May, we find ourselves at an important juncture. This week, we are excited to support our middle school students as they complete their English Language Arts (ELA) state exams and showcase the skills they’ve developed throughout the year. The exam will be administered on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings. We kindly ask that families fully support students at home in the following ways:
• Ensure students are present and arrive at school on time.
• Provide a dedicated time and space for studying and practicing test-taking strategies.
• Continue encouraging and motivating scholars to always do their best.
• Ensure they are getting enough sleep and eating a healthy breakfast before school.
In addition to the ELA exams this week, we have math exams next week, and our high school students will begin their Advanced Placement exams. Please refer to the May calendar below for detailed exam schedules. Outside of academics, we also have several athletic contests on the calendar in the coming weeks, and we encourage families to attend and cheer on our athletes. Go Panthers!
Finally, we will celebrate Principal Appreciation Day this coming Thursday. We are fortunate to have two incredible principals: Ms. Terry at the middle school and Ms. Yun at the high school. A heartfelt thank you to both for their leadership and dedication to our community. We are truly grateful for you!
In this edition of The Unity Scoop, I’m excited to share our May calendar, highlights from last week’s state exam pep rally, meeting notes from this week’s Family Ambassador meeting, and a spotlight on our impressive alumni. Additionally, we’ve included the School Calendar of Key Events and Vacations for the 2025-26 school year.
Best wishes for the big week ahead!
In unity,
Josh
Josh Beauregard
Head of School / Co-founder
Updates as of April 27, 2025:
1. New – May 2025 School-wide Calendar: For your family’s convenience, here is a 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.
2. New – Unity Middle Students and Staff Celebrate their Study Preparation for this Week’s State ELA Exam!: Students and staff celebrated their hard work in preparing for the state ELA exam with a lively pep rally last week! During the rally, students tested their skills in fun ways by participating in friendly ELA test prep trivia games for prizes, including pizza parties and dress down passes! In addition, students were recognized for their effort, growth, and the skills they have developed through their preparation.
The exam will be administered this week, and our community is fired up and ready to go!
3. New – Thank you, Families, for Taking Part in Last Thursday’s Family Ambassadors Meeting!: We are grateful to our families who participated in our Family Ambassadors meeting. 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 meeting agenda below. We look forward to seeing you at our next meeting on May 22nd!
4. New – Alumni Spotlight of the Month – Aniya Hayes, Unity’s Class of 2023: 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 Aniya Hayes ‘23, who is enrolled at St. Francis College.
Aniya Hayes graduated from Unity in 2023 and has since been attending St. Francis College in Brooklyn, NY.
For her outstanding academic achievement, Aniya earned a Scholarship for Academic Excellence from NYS in 2023.
Aniya is majoring in Psychology and has engaged in many student activities on campus. In addition, she is the co-founder of a mentorship program for women of color called “Defining Her”, a member of SFC Terrier TV, and she is also the Social Media Manager of SFC Radio.
Aniya has only three semesters left to earn her Bachelor’s Degree! We can’t wait to continue celebrating her post-secondary achievements!
5. New – 2025-26 School Calendar of Key Events and Vacations for Families: Calendars for the 2025-26 school year are available below. Note that we have two versions this year – one version for our middle school (grades 6-8) and another version for our high school (grades 9-12).
- Grades 6-8 2025-26 School Calendar of Key Events and Vacations for Families
- Grades 9-12 2025-26 School Calendar of Key Events and Vacations for Families
6. New – Unity’s Student-Athletes are in Action this Spring Season!: Our spring athletic teams are taking full advantage of their opportunities to learn and compete, as great teams do! See the calendar above for the May game schedule. This week, we are excited to honor our Middle School Student-Athlete of the Month for March – congratulations, Zuri! Stay tuned for more athletics news in next week’s edition.
Middle School Scholar-Athlete of the Month for March: Agneizska Thompson
Team: Step
Current GPA: 3.3
Quote from Student-Athlete’s Coach: “Zuri exemplifies the perfect balance of being both an outstanding student and a dedicated team member. She consistently demonstrates a strong commitment to her academic responsibilities, often using breaks during practice to complete her homework and class assignments. Zuri’s initiative is truly commendable. She not only takes the time to learn choreography beyond what is required but also creates original steps, showcasing her creativity and drive to contribute more to the team. Her leadership qualities are evident, especially considering she is the only 6th grader on the team—an achievement that highlights her maturity and exceptional talent. Zuri is a valued asset to our team, and her positive attitude, work ethic, and dedication make her a standout individual deserving of recognition.”
Quote from Student Athlete: In learning that she had earned Scholar-Athlete of the Month, Zuri offered the following response: “I am excited and proud of myself because I don’t always see myself in this position.”
7. Updated – Applications are Still Open for Fall 2025 – Refer a Student Today!: There is still time to apply in grades 6-10 for the coming year.
Help us spread the word to prospective students and their families about the incredible opportunity to join our small but mighty school community. Let’s ensure as many families as possible get to experience all that Unity has to offer!
As a thank you, any family who refers a new student who enrolls will receive a $100 credit for uniforms and school swag! Here is a link to the Unity flier below!
8. Recap – Unity’s Middle School Spring Art Exhibition!: A huge thank you to everyone who came out to support our Spring Art Exhibition! Your presence, feedback, and encouragement made the event a truly special experience for our young artists. Special thanks to the Brooklyn N.E.S.T. community for graciously hosting us and creating a warm, welcoming space for our scholars to shine. And congratulations to Mr. Berkeley and his talented student artists!
9. Recap – Unity Welcomes in their Newest Families!: Thank you to our entire school community for taking part in New Family Dinner events this past week for incoming middle school and high school families! It was a joy to connect, celebrate, and welcome new faces into the fold. We’re already excited for the year ahead and can’t wait to see all that our newest students will bring to Unity in 2025–26!
10. Recap – Kudos to our P.R.I.D.E. Leaders as of the Month of 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 are our leaders from the month of March, 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.
Core Value Leaders List Available Here
11. Recap – Upcoming Fun Events at Unity Middle!: We have a number of fun and engaging events coming up in the spirit of test prep, the talents of our students, and the spring season. See the flyers for recent and upcoming events, and save the dates!
12. Recap – Join our New Unity Prep Instagram (IG) Account Today!: We recently launched our new grades 6-12 IG account to bring our entire community together – @unityprepcharterschool. Don’t miss out – follow us now!
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
