The Unity Scoop – January 7

Dear Families of Unity,

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

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

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

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

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

Well wishes in the week ahead!

In unity,

Josh

Josh Beauregard

Head of School / Co-founder

Updates as of January 7, 2024:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Your favorite self-care activity?
Exercise!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

10. Recap – Unity Calendar for the 2023-24 School Year: The table below reflects our key events and vacations calendar for the 2023-24 school year.  In addition, here is the updated PDF version of the table for your convenience.

11. Recap – New Students for Fall 2023 – Unity middle school has a few seats available for rising sixth graders for the 2023-24 school year. Finding the right middle school can be tough, and our current families (you!) are the best advocates. If you know of any interested families, please reach out to Mr. Beckford via email or cell (862-294-0219). For any families that refer a new family, both will be given a free uniform shirt.

Relevant Information from Past Editions of The Scoop:

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

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