The Unity Scoop – September 30

Dear Families of Unity,

Congrats to our entire school community on concluding our first month of school in the 2022-23 school year!  We are off to a strong start as there are a number of highlights worth acknowledging, including:

• Kicking off the year with our Orientation Festival!
• Engaging in Open School Night to meet teachers and learn more about our courses!
• Celebrating student growth achievement during Opening School Night!
• Administering fall Star Assessments to gauge students’ skills in reading and mathematics!
• Try-outs for our fall athletics teams!
• Celebratory events, including our middle school potluck in honor of Latinx Heritage Month, P.R.I.D.E Day at our high school, and recent College & Career Fair!

As we look forward to the coming month, there are a number of new milestones on the horizon:

• Our first Family Ambassadors meeting of the school year!
• Administering our fall interim assessments (to gauge academic growth and proficiency)
• Basketball matches, step competitions, and more fall athletic events
• Our Fall Spirit Week!
• Various field trips, including college trips!

Please see our full October calendar below for the dates of these exciting events, including those in the week ahead.  One note: as per our school calendar, we do have regular classes on Wednesday, October 5th, even though the NYCDOE district schools are off.  See our calendars below for more information on our schedule this month and over the school year.

In this edition of the Unity Scoop, we spotlight our high school students in action in their science classes, our October calendar – hot off the press, photos from our College & Career Fair, and a number of other upcoming community events and features.

Have a terrific weekend!

In unity,

Josh Beauregard

Head of School / Co-founder

Updates as of September 30, 2022:

1. New – Students and Teachers in Action this Week: It is always thrilling to celebrate the hard work of our students as they engage in their learning each and every day.  This week, we spotlight our high school students in the Advanced Placement (AP) science courses.  In the first photo below, Mr. Harvey’s AP Environmental Science students gain a deeper understanding and appreciation for the 1st and 2nd laws of thermodynamics (through an active relay race) while carrying rice, representing energy gradually being lost while running.  The second and third photos show Mr. Russo’s AP Biology students working in teams to build models of chemical compounds.  Shout-out to our high school science team for incorporating so much tactile learning into our students’ study of science!

2. New – October 2022 School-wide Calendar: For your family’s convenience, here is a schoolwide calendar of events for the month of October – 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 events in the coming week include:

• Full School (grades 6-12)
  • 10/5 (Wednesday): Unity does have regular classes (even though the NYCDOE district schools are closed).
  • 10/11-10/14: Fall Spirit Week – details will be communicated to students this coming week!
• Middle School (grades 6-8):
  • 10/6 (Wednesday): Field trip to see the film, The Woman King in Cobble Hill
• High School (grades 9-12):
  • 10/3 (Monday): First day of enrichment clubs
  • 10/6 (Wednesday): Senior Parent Meeting via Zoom

3. New – Unity High Students Participate in College & Career Fair!: Unity High hosted its first Postsecondary Fair (of the year) this past week!  Representatives from 20 colleges and career-training organizations were in attendance to engage in discussions with Unity students and their families.  Through the events students learned more about their many options after graduation.  Enjoy the photos below!

4. Updated – Your Feedback Empowers Us – Please Take a Moment to Share Your Experiences With Us By Completing our Fall Family Perception Survey: As mentioned during our Open School Night sessions, our purpose as a school is to best serve you and your child’s educational aspirations.  And we are best positioned to fulfill this purpose when we have honest and direct feedback from you.  With this interest, we request your feedback on how we are doing – as we kick off the school year – by completing one of the surveys below.  The survey includes questions about family communication, engagement, fit, support, school climate, and safety, among other things.  Your answers are anonymous; we will use your collective feedback over the coming months to drive our decision-making and best position us to best serve you.  As a small gesture of appreciation for your time, all families completing the survey by Friday, 10/7, at 5pm will be eligible for a raffle of $100 to Amazon. Simply text the survey complete screenshot to 347-746-1575 to enter the raffle.  We thank you in advance for your invaluable feedback, and, more importantly, we thank you for positioning us to act on your feedback.

• Complete this Survey if your child is in grades 6-8
• Complete this Survey if your child is in grades 9-12
• Note: in the event that you have children attending both our middle school and high school, please complete the high school survey.
• Text the survey complete screenshot to 347-746-1575 to enter the raffle.

5. New – Middle School Field Trip to See the Film, The Woman King, in Cobble Hill, October 5th: On October 5th, all middle school Unity Prep scholars are invited to participate in a field trip to the Cobble Hill Theater. This field trip will provide scholars with an opportunity to celebrate our first month of school with a whole-school excursion. There will be no classes on this day and no on-site programming. Scholars should arrive at school on time, as we are leaving at 8:00 am.  Scholars will be traveling by subway to and from the Cobble Hill Theater. Our scholars will get a chance to see the historical epic film, The Woman King, starring Viola Davis. The trip cost is $10 per student. This covers the cost of admission into the theater. Cobble Hill Theater is also offering a deal which consists of a bag of popcorn and a small juice for $6.00.

6. New – Urban Advantage Family Science Days, New York Aquarium, Sunday, October 9^th, 2022 from 5:00p-8:00pm: Through Unity’s partnership with Urban Advantage (UA), families may take part in UA’s Family Science Days.  The first such affair takes place on October 9th at the New York Aquarium.  See this flier for information in English and Spanish on all UA events this month.  The flier also serves as an admissions ticket.

7. Updated – Slides and a Quick Recap of our Open School Night Events this Week: Thank you again to our families for participating in last week’s Open School Night sessions.  Below are slides and video footage from both events.

Middle School (grades 9-12):

• Open School Night Slides
• Open School Night Video Footage

High School (grades 9-12):

• Open School Night Slides
• Open School Night Video Footage

8. New – Congratulations to our High School Honor Roll Students and Core Value Champions from the Spring of 2022!  As we kick off the new year, it is important to recognize and celebrate the achievements of our students from this past spring.  During Open School Nights this week, we took a moment to congratulate our current students who earned Honor Roll status in last year’s spring term.  Congrats high school honorees!  We look forward to celebrating our Fall Term Honor Roll students for this year in just a few months!

9. Updated – Unity Celebrates Latinx Heritage Month!: Latinx Heritage Month is celebrated from September 15th to October 15^th to recognize the influence and contributions of Americans whose heritage is rooted in Latin American countries. During this month we will share history, heritage, and accomplishments of Latinx Americans of past and present that are represented both within and beyond our school community.  Our middle school and high school communities will both be holding formal celebrations.

This past Wednesday,our middle school community engaged in assembly and trivia by grade level and a potluck luncheon that featured delicious Latinx cuisine donated by staff and families.  Thank you to Mr. Thomas, Ms. Griffin, Mr. Bryant, and team for organizing.  Enjoy the photos of the festivities below!

Our high school community will celebrate Latinx Heritage Month through exploring Latinx Art, Music, Dance and Cuisine on Friday, October 14^th from 3:30-4:45pm.  If you are interested in  contributing to the celebration, contact Ms. Young.

10. Updated – Important Information Regarding Vaccinations Requested: As we continue monitoring current health safety protocols, one significant factor in our planning is the extent to which our students are vaccinated.  If you are a new Unity family, or have not yet provided your child’s vaccination status, please complete the COVID Vaccination Form at your earliest convenience.  Note that we strongly encourage all of our families to take steps in getting their children vaccinated to best ensure that we are providing the highest level of safety for our community.

11. Updated – Shout-out to our Students for Completing their Fall STAR Assessments in Reading and Math!: Unity students completed their first round of STAR assessments in both reading and math this past week.  These short, computer adaptive tests will allow us to measure student progress and growth in reading and math skills over the course of the school year. Results of these assessments for our middle school students were distributed to students this week.  Ms. Williams also provided a brief tutorial on interpreting results during Wednesday’s Open School Night session.  See the video footage from Open School Night for more information. 

12. Recap – Attention Middle School Families Who Are Interested in After-school Programming!: The partnership with our middle school and St. Nick’s Alliance continues this year.  St. Nick’s offers a rich array of afterschool programming in academic enrichment, leadership development, and extracurricular activities for our middle school students.  Programming kicks off on Monday, September 19th.  Contact Luis Rodriguez with questions by email at lrodriguez@stnickallliance.org or by phone at 646-676-1309.

13. Recap – Student Weekly Class Schedules:  Weekly class schedules were disseminated to students in school earlier this month.  Families may access schedules from home through Jupiter. If families need help logging in, they should reach out to help.ms@unityprep.org or help.hs@unityprep.org.

14. Recap – Unity’s Health Policies and Protocols in 2022-23: Unity will follow guidance provided by the New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) as of the start of the 2022-23 school year.  The NYCDOE’s guidance aligns with the CDC’s current guidance, which we have consistently followed over the past 2.5 years.  By adhering to the NYCDOE’s guidance, we believe that we are taking the proper approach to best ensure the health and safety of our community.  Details on our policies are provided on the NYCDOE website.

Per the recommendation of the NYCDOE and CDC, we strongly encourage all of our families to get their children vaccinated against COVID-19.  Vaccinations are now available at select school sites across the city.  Visit www.schools.nyc.gov for information on sites and available dates.

15. Recap – Information and Guidance on Unity’s Dress Codes for the 2022-23 School Year: Unity’s dress codes by grade level are provided below.

• Grades 6-8: Here is a link to all things dress code for all middle school students.
• Grades 9-12: Unity High’s dress code is outlined below:
  1. Tops:
     1. It is strongly encouraged that an official Unity top is worn in the spirit of school pride and in being united in our collective focus on learning. “Official” is defined as a top (T-Shirt or Polos) purchased from an approved vendor.
     2. In cases where students do not take our recommendation, students can wear tops of their choice so long as the top covers their entire torso and shoulders.
     3. Tops must not bear any offensive and/or inappropriate language and/or images and may not be crop tops, tube tops, halter tops or tank tops.
  2. Bottoms:
     1. Student bottoms must be long enough that the hem hits the top of the knee, shin, or ankle.
     2. Bottoms must properly fit and be worn at the waist.  A belt must be worn if bottoms are unable to fit at the waist without sagging.
     3. Bottoms may have rips or tears.
     4. Bottoms may not be leggings, tights, catsuits/bodysuits, basketball shorts or display undergarments.
  3. Shoes:
     1. All shoes must have backs, be closed-toed, and low heeled.
     2. Sandals, flip-flops, and athletic slides ARE NOT permitted (worn with or without socks).
     3. Crocs ARE permitted so long as the backstrap is raised behind the ankle at all times.
     4. For reasons related to safety, the policy for shoes will apply for all dress down days and spirit days.

16. Recap – Updates on School Supply Guidance: Having all of our students equipped with the supplies they need is essential to getting off to a strong start to the school year.  We offer guidance below on school supplies by grade level:

• Grades 6-8
• Grades 9-12

17. 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 updated PDF version of the table for your convenience. We look forward to meeting our newest families and reconnecting with our returning families at Family Kick-off-the-Year Festival & Family Orientation on August 31st!

18. Recap – Upcoming Events of Interest to Unity Families!:  Brought to you by Mr. Beckford, we are happy to highlight upcoming events across Brooklyn for our families.  Here are two such events!

Date and Time: Fridays, 5-7:30pm

Location: Speakitaly NYC Brooklyn (110 York Street, #Floor 5, Brooklyn, NY 11201

Ticket Information

Description: They offer a combo of Italian Cooking and Arts & Craft for your child! Your child will have the chance to have fun by getting their hands dirty while learning how to cook Italian basic recipes and also do a variety of activities such as creating a book, making precious jars with color salt, painting beautiful landscapes, trying to reproduce famous paintings, and more.

Virgil Abloh: “Figures of Speech”

Date: Open through January 29, 2023, 11-4:30pm daily

Location: Brooklyn Museum, 200 Eastern Pkwy

Ticket Information

Description: Virgil Abloh: “Figures of Speech,” developed by the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, is the first museum exhibition devoted to Abloh’s work and spans two decades of his practice, including collaborations with artist Takashi Murakami, musician Kanye West, and architect Rem Koolhaas, among others; material from his fashion label Off-White; and items from Louis Vuitton, where he served as the first Black menswear artistic director.

Relevant Information from Past Editions of The Scoop:

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.