The Unity Scoop – January 23

Dear Families of Unity,

Congratulations to our students and team on the successful administration of our middle school English Language Arts (ELA) mock exams and high school Semester I final exams this past week. We are proud of the focus, effort, and perseverance shown across our community. As always, thank you to our families for the support you provide at home—it truly makes a difference.

Looking ahead, Unity middle school students will complete math mock exams on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, and all students will begin Semester II of the 2025–26 school year. We wish all of our students continued success as they move into the next phase of their learning.

In this edition of The Scoop, we’re excited to share highlights from our recent Family Feedback Survey, spotlight our PRIDE Point Leaders from the month of December, and recognize our Student-Athletes of the Month for grades 6–8. We’re also sharing several helpful resources for families, including information about tonight’s Teen Night at the Brooklyn Museum and tomorrow’s INCLUDEnyc resource fair.

One important note: Unity is currently scheduled to be in session on Monday (1/26). Given the weather forecast and potential snowfall on Sunday, we will share an update with families on Sunday afternoon regarding Monday’s schedule.

Enjoy your weekend, and best wishes for a strong week ahead.

In unity,
Josh

Josh Beauregard
Executive Director / Co-founder

Updates as of January 23, 2026:

1. New – Thank you for Taking Part in our Recent Family Ambassadors Meeting!

We’re so grateful to all of the families who joined us for our recent Family Ambassadors Meeting. As always, the gathering was productive, energizing, and filled with great conversation and community spirit!

You can find the meeting agenda and slides linked here. We look forward to seeing everyone at our next meeting on Thursday, February 12th!

2. New – Thank You, Unity Families, for your Feedback!

Thank you to all of our families who took the time to complete our recent Family Feedback Survey. We greatly appreciate your thoughtful responses and are proud of the positive feedback shared. Your input helps guide our work, and we look forward to acting on what we heard.

We held a brief discussion of the survey findings during this week’s Family Ambassadors meeting and will continue the conversation at our next meeting on February 12th. Families may access the slides from this week’s discussion here.

3. New – Kudos to our P.R.I.D.E. Leaders as of 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 from the month of December, 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.

4. New – Attend Tomorrow’s 2026 INCLUDEnyc Fair to Learn About Exciting Citywide Family Resources!

Families are invited to attend the 2026 INCLUDEnyc Fair on Saturday, January 24, 2026, from 10:30am to 3:00pm at The Tisch Skylights at The Shed (11 Hudson Yards).

This free event offers families the opportunity to meet face-to-face with recreational programs, summer camps, health and educational organizations, and a wide range of supports and services—all in one place.  Learn more and register here.

A great opportunity to learn, connect, and explore resources for your child and family!

5. Updated – Unity Athletics Are in Full Winter Mode!

Congratulations to our most recent Student-Athletes of the Month at Unity Middle!  Enjoy these recent highlights of our Panthers in action!

Astra Cabrera – Table Tennis

• Student-Athlete’s response to earning the honor: “I am very excited and grateful!”
• Coach’s praise of the student-athlete: “Astra deserves this honor because of her perseverance and honesty.”

Leon Frasier – Boys Basketball

• Student-Athlete’s response to earning the honor: “I feel happy and grateful to be on the team.”
• Coach’s praise of the student-athlete: “He has humbly led our varsity boys basketball team this school year. He also set a school record, scoring 41 points against the Brooklyn defending champions.”

Taylor Tibbs – Girls Basketball

• Student-Athlete’s response to earning the honor: “I feel very 6, 7 Alpha.”
• Coach’s praise of the student-athlete: “Taylor Tibbs is my choice for Student-Athlete of the Month for her outstanding academic performance—earning four A+ grades, one A-, and no grade lower than a B+—while also having the fewest missing assignments on the team. On the court, she has been putting in extra work, always the last to leave the gym after practice, taking shots. Very coachable, with bright energy and a willingness to learn and improve.”

Kahmora Reid – Cheerleading

• Student-Athlete’s response to earning the honor: “I feel happy because in my old school, I was never an athlete, and sports weren’t my thing.”
• Coach’s praise of the student-athlete: “Kahmora has maintained a 3.8 GPA throughout the entire season while also being a proud member of Student Government (SGA). She comes to practice every day determined to grow, remains focused, and consistently encourages her peers to put their best foot forward. Her hard work and dedication have not gone unnoticed.”

 Click here to see the Panther score the 3 on a great pass!

6. Recap – Congrats to Unity’s Students of the Month!

Kudos to our Students of the Month for December!  We celebrate these students for showing exemplary scholarship and citizenship!

7. Recap – January 2026 Schoolwide Calendar

For your family’s convenience, here is a schoolwide 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.

8. Recap – Become a Unity Connector Today!

Help our small and mighty Unity family grow — and earn rewards while you do!  When you refer a new family who applies for the 2026–27 school year, you’ll earn Unity Connector Rewards like Unity swag, gift cards, and special recognition at Unity events.

Your voice matters — share your Unity experience with friends, neighbors, and families from your child’s former school community. Together, we’ll help more students belong, believe, and become!

Learn more about the program with our UnityConnect one-pager here and submit your referrals here.

9. Recap – Congratulations to Our December i-Ready Challenge Winners!

We are excited to recognize the winners of our November i-Ready Challenge! Throughout the month, students demonstrated #progress and #integrity as they worked to strengthen their academic skills. All students who completed 100 minutes or more of i-Ready practice in December will be recognized on our 7th-grade hallway bulletin board—stop by to see our hardworking learners being celebrated!

Congratulations to all students highlighted below—we look forward to recognizing our January winners in just a few weeks!

Congratulations to our winning students for Reading

6th Grade: Nerri Sutton, 276 minutes

7th Grade: Maya Wilson, 229 minutes

8th Grade: Caela McClean, 137 minutes

Congratulations to our winning students for Math

6th Grade: Omari Wilson, 168 minutes

7th Grade: Ja’zier Baker, 179 minutes

8th Grade: Miranda Lam, 287 minutes

10. Recap – Teen Night at the Brooklyn Museum Returns This Month!

As we occasionally do, we’re excited to share a broader community event that may be of interest to our students and families: the return of Teen Night at the Brooklyn Museum, a free citywide program open to all teens with registration.

11. Recap – Parent Workshops: A Resource for Unity Families!

Unity families are invited to take advantage of free, online parent workshops offered by Marble Health, shared as a helpful resource by our Director of Social Work, Ms. Del Purgatorio. These workshops are developed by clinician and researcher Annie Graham and are held via Zoom, with live captioning available in 35 languages, including Spanish, Mandarin, French, and Russian, to ensure broad accessibility for our families.

12. Recap – Unity’s 2025-26 Student & Family Handbook is Available Here!

13. Recap – 2025-26 School Year 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

14. Recap – Help Us Welcome New Panthers to Unity Prep!

Unity has a few limited seats available for the 2025–26 school year – and we’re looking to fill them with amazing families like yours!

Finding the right school can be a big decision, and our current families are our best ambassadors. If you know a family who would thrive in our small, caring, college-prep community, please connect them with Mr. Beckford via email or (862) 294-0219.

As a thank-you, both your family and the new family will receive a $100 Amazon gift card for school supplies when they enroll. Let’s keep building our small and mighty community—one Panther at a time!

15. Recap – Join our New Unit 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!