The Unity Scoop – June 26

Dear Families of Unity,

I hope that you are enjoying the sunny summer weather with loved ones this weekend.

I want to begin by offering a hearty congratulations to the families of our newest graduating class – the Class of 2022!  Friday’s ceremony was a wonderfully festive event, and I am so excited for our graduates and their postsecondary plans.  I thank our families for their contributions to the ceremony, including the stunning and heartfelt video clips put forward by family members.  I also want to shout-out our team for organizing the event, including but not limited to: Mr. Lopez, Ms. Yun, Ms. Duphiney, Ms. Louisma, Mr. Gonzalez, Ms. Eason, Ms. Olivier, Ms. Jaquez, our operations team, and a host of other dedicated staff members.

I also wish to congratulate our middle school students in completing their Roundtable presentations this past week.  As I mentioned in last week’s edition of The Scoop, Roundtables are powerful in bringing to full light for families what their children have experienced over the school year and how they have grown.  To the families of our students who presented, I do hope that this was your experience and I hope that it gave you a sense of awe, inspiration, and sense of how quickly your kids are growing up – embrace the moment!

Finally, I would like to celebrate our students in grades 8 through 12 for completing their Regents exams this past week and showing off all that you have learned throughout the year under the support of your teachers.  We applaud your efforts!

This coming week, I look forward to celebrating another milestone with the graduation of our 8th grade students on Tuesday morning.  The ceremony will kick off at 10am and take place outside at 432 Monroe Street.

In this edition of The Unity Scoop, we bring to you: graduation photos, free museum passes for the summer, milestones among our staff and team, updates on services and resources available to families this summer, and other relevant updates from last week’s edition.

In unity,

Josh Beauregard

Head of School / Co-founder

Updates as of June 26, 2022:

1. New – Unity Celebrates our Graduates of the Class of 2022!:  Enjoy the photos below – more to come soon!

2. Updated – June 2022 School-wide Calendar: For your family’s convenience, here is a schoolwide calendar of events for the month of June – 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.  Notable upcoming events include:

• 6/27 – Roundtable make-up presentations in grades 6-8 (no classes)
• 6/27 – End-of-year celebration (skating at BK Bridge Park!) in grades 9-12 (no classes)
• 6/28 – 8th grade graduation (no classes)
• 6/29 – Summer recess begins for all students – grades 6-12

3. New – Voucher for Free Admission this Summer to NYC’s Science Cultural Institutions!: Congratulations! You are receiving this free voucher because your child is at an Urban Advantage School!  This voucher is for free admission to New York City’s science cultural institutions. This voucher admits up to 4 visitors (a student with three guests). For more information and updates on how to use your voucher please visit: www.uanyc.science/vouchers.  You can visit the following institutions: American Museum of Natural History, Bronx Zoo, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Queens Botanical Garden, New York Botanical Garden, New York Aquarium, New York Hall of Science, and Staten Island Zoo.  The voucher can be reused and expires on 9/7/2022.

4. New – Unity Invites its New Families to our Middle School for Ice Cream!: This past Thursday afternoon, Unity’s newest families, our current families, and our staff bonded over ice cream.  Thank you to the families who attended – we are thrilled to serve you in the coming year.  And thank you, Mr. Beckford & team, for hosting the event!

5. New – Unity Celebrates the 5th-Year Anniversary of 11 Educators!: This past week, we honored 11 Unity staff members who are celebrating their 5th year at Unity.  As a young school, these teammates have contributed mightily to our programming, our curriculum, and most importantly, the learning experiences of our students.  They are pillars with our community and we thank them wholeheartedly to all that they have brought and continue to bring to our school.  Here they are – feel free to send them a note of congrats!

• Shir Caspi, HS Science
• Abigail Cirelli, HS ELA
• Elena Diaz, MS Science
• Kate Malinowski, MS Literacy
• Clarke McRae, MS Dance & PE
• Alley Olivier, HS ELA
• Allie Reinmann, ESL
• Otilia Rivera, Social Work
• Laura Shebroe, MS Math
• Tanisha Smith, MS Support Services
• Ariel Terry, HS Math

6. New – Two Long-Time Unity Coaches Honored by Unity’s Athletics Department!: Coach Patrick and Coach McRae, both veteran Unity coaches of five years, were honored by their fellow coaches this month for their contributions to our athletic program and student-athletes.

• Coach Patrick has served as volleyball coach for our past five years.  Under his coaching and mentorship, scores of students have learned how to play the game, developed their technique and skills as players and teammates, and had fun while doing so.  Congrats Coach Patrick and thank you!
• Coach McRae has been responsible for building and expanding our dance program at the middle school and high school.  Through Coach McCrae’s hard work and dedication to our students, Unity’s dance program has grown steadily and become a source of pride for our school.  Most importantly, literally hundreds of students have been able to learn about dance, experience dance, and build their skills and confidence as dancers and performers.

Enjoy the photo of both coaches being presented with Golden Whistles to commemorate their dedication to our school and students!

7. Recap – Summer Enrichment to Return with New Offerings Starting July 11th!: Last summer, Unity scholars toured NYC, cooked new cuisines, participated in intramural sports, and much more. Summer Enrichment sign up information is available now! Please use the specific links to sign up: middle school or high school. Please reach out to Ms. Olivier if you have any questions: aolivier@unityprep.org.  Enjoy the photo below of members of last summer’s rock climbing club as they take a moment to pose for the camera!

8. Recap – Students of our Middle School and PS44 Team Up to Create a Community Mural!: Earlier this month, students of Mr. Franklin’s art class alongside students of PS 44 created a wonderful mural for the Bed-Stuy community to take in and appreciate as they walk down Monroe Street and pass by our school building.  Congrats (and thank you!) to Mr. Franklin and his students!

9. Recap – Unity 8th Graders Celebrate their Prom in Style!: Our 8th graders had fun together as they celebrated their last year in middle school during their prom.  The party took place on a boat with iconic NYC views and, of course, great company.  Thank you to our families and staff who organized and chaperoned the event!

10. Recap – Unity Students Learn about the Magic of Color at the Color Factory!: Students from our middle and high school had an opportunity to visit the Color Factory in Manhattan last week.  Through the experience, they learned about the meaning and vastness of color while having fun in an interactive way (yes, there was even a ball pit featuring the color baby-blue!).  Thanks to Mr. Coleman for making the experience possible!

11. Recap – Unity High’s Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) Leads the Way during Pride Month!:  Members of Unity High’s GSA continue to lead the way as we honor LGBTQ Pride Month as a school.  As featured in the photos below, members participated in theBrooklyn Pride Parade in partnership with the Brooklyn Community Pride Center.  Thank you to Ms. Marron for supporting our GSA and thank you GSA members for your leadership!

12. Recap – 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.  Three such resources are provided below.  Reach out to Ms. Del Purgatorio, Unity’s Director of Social Work, with questions.

• New – 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.
• New – 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

13. Recap – 2022-23 School Calendar of Key Events and Vacations: The table below reflects our key events and vacations calendar for the 2022-23 school year, including key events we ask for your collaboration with caregiver involvement.  In addition, here is the PDF version of the table for your convenience. We look forward to meeting our newest families at New Family Orientation during the last week in August and seeing all of our families at the Kick-off event on September 1st!

14. Recap – Updates from Mr. Gonzalez and Unity High’s College & Career Readiness Team: This time of year is typically marked by excitement – college admissions and career-training programs usually notify students in the spring and families then get to make some big decisions.  Each week for the past few months, our students have received wonderful news about their college and career aspirations – they have been admitted to incredible schools and programs.  Please join us in celebrating the impressive resilience and strength of our young people.  It is truly inspirational.  Here are few other updates from Mr. Gonzalez:

• College Application and Admissions Updates: As of June, members of our senior class have been admitted to the following colleges and universities with scholarships totalling over $400,000: Adelphi University, Clark University, CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community College, CUNY Bronx Community College, CUNY Brooklyn College, CUNY City Tech, CUNY College of Staten Island, CUNY Guttman Community College, CUNY Hostos Community College, CUNY Hunter College, CUNY John Jay College, CUNY Kingsborough Community College, CUNY LaGuardia Community College, CUNY Lehman College, CUNY Medgar Evers College, CUNY Queens College, CUNY Queensborough Community College, CUNY York College, George Washington University, Hampton University, Hofstra University, Howard University, Ithaca College, Long Island University, Marist College, Marymount Manhattan College, Penn State University, Quinnipiac University, San Jacinto College, Siena College, Spelman College, St. Francis College, SUNY Albany, SUNY Alfred State College, SUNY Binghamton, SUNY Brockport, SUNY Buffalo State College, SUNY Canton, SUNY Cobleskill, SUNY Cortland, SUNY Cortland, SUNY Delhi, SUNY Fredonia, SUNY Geneseo, SUNY Morrisville, SUNY New Paltz, SUNY Old Westbury, SUNY Oneonta, SUNY Oswego, SUNY Plattsburgh, SUNY Potsdam, SUNY Purchase, SUNY University at Buffalo, SUNY University of Albany, Temple University, Vassar College, and Virginia State University.
• Unity High Celebrates College Signing Day in Style: To celebrate our seniors making decisions to continue their formal education and training after high school graduation, Unity took part in College Signing Day, a tradition started by Former First Lady Michelle Obama.  Caregivers, Unity staff, and students attended the ceremony on April 29th at our school.  Check out highlights from the event in this video.
• Co-op Tech Applications: NYC’s premier career-training program, Co-op Tech, has begin accepting applications for students who are interested in entering the building trades (carpenters, plumbers, HVAC, etc.), service industries (automotive repair, culinary arts, and cosmetology), IT (web design, computer networking, and advertising), and health careers (medical health careers, nurse assistants, and vision technology).  In addition to having top-notch programs, Co-op Tech is free!  Students who are interested in applying to Co-op Tech should make an appointment with Mr. Gonzalez immediately using this link.
• Brooklyn District Attorney Summer Internship – Apply Now: A Unity family member recently brought this opportunity to our attention.  The Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office offers high school, college, and legal internships throughout the year.  These highly competitive internships offer students a unique opportunity to be part of a district attorney’s office.  An intern’s duties may include assisting in investigations, attending trials, preparing and compiling documents and financial data, conducting and analyzing legal research, and supporting community outreach programs.

15. Recap – Helping Your Child to Continue their Learning This Summer: Ms. Eason, Academic Counselor, offers a presentation – Avoiding Summer Slide – that offers valuable links to paid internships, volunteer opportunities and other things your child can do over the summer to promote critical thinking and learning during the months of July and August.  Click on the image below to see her presentation slides.  Feel free to reach out to her with questions: leason@unityprep.org.

Relevant Information from Past Editions of The Scoop:

2021-22 School Year Vacation Calendar for Students and other Key Dates: So that you may make plans for the year, with our school schedule in mind, the table below provides the vacation dates for students and families for the 2021-22 school year.  Students will not report to school on these dates.  Moreover, here are a few important notes regarding next year’s calendar:

COVID-19 Vaccines: Currently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized three COVID-19 vaccines: the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson/Janssen vaccines. The vaccine can prevent COVID-19 symptoms and severe COVID-19 illness. People 5 and older are eligible for the vaccine. Those who are fully vaccinated can more safely gather with friends and enjoy other benefits of vaccination. Many vaccination sites in the city no longer require appointments.

• See a list of sites where you can get a walk-up vaccination today. To find a vaccination site near you, including those that take appointments, use the City’s Vaccine Finder.
• Note, people who are 12 to 17 years old can only receive the Pfizer vaccine.

Mental Health Counseling and Social Work Services at Unity: If you would like to speak to a social worker about your child’s mental health or if you would like your child to receive support from a social worker in school, please reach out to Ms. Del Purgatorio via phone or text (347-688-9107) or email (tdelpurgatorio@unityprep.org).

Unity social workers can also be of assistance in providing information regarding social services (for example: housing, immigration, access to community mental health services & referrals to mental health providers, food security / access to food, public assistance, crisis intervention, etc.).

If your child or family member is experiencing a mental health crisis, NYC Well is available 24 hours a day and can be accessed by phone (1-888-NYC-WELL) or text (text WELL to 65173) or by internet chat via their website: https://nycwell.cityofnewyork.us/en/.

Discounts on Home Internet Services Available: If your household is struggling to afford internet service during the COVID-19 pandemic, you may be eligible for a monthly service discount through the Emergency Broadband Benefit. Please visit this information page or call 833-511-0311 for more information.