The Unity Scoop – June 23

Dear Families of Unity,

It is with immense enthusiasm that I commend our school community on concluding the 2022-23 school year!  It has been an eventful year and there is much for which we, as a community, can be grateful.

On behalf of Unity’s full faculty and staff, congratulations to the families of our newest graduating class – the Class of 2023!  Yesterday’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.

In addition, I would also like to congratulate our 8th graders on their graduation from Unity’s middle school.  Today’s ceremony was warm and festive and we are so excited for our graduating 8th graders as they extend their educational journey to high school this fall!

In this edition of The Unity Scoop we bring to you an abundance of graduation photos, milestones among our staff and team (many of them!), updates on services and resources available to families this summer, and other relevant updates from last week’s edition.

In unity,

Josh

Josh Beauregard

Head of School / Co-founder

Updates as of June 23, 2023:

1. New – Unity Celebrates our Graduates of the Class of 2023!:  We are so proud of our graduates and extremely excited about their college and career pursuits as Unity graduates.  A special congrats to the graduates featured below for their academic achievements.  Again, we are proud of you!

2. New –  Unity Celebrates our 8th Grade Graduates!: Congratulations to the families of our newest 8th grade graduates!  Today’s ceremony was a warm and festive event, and I am so excited for our graduates as they continue their academic pursuits in high school.  I thank our families for their contributions to the ceremony.  Congrats to 8th grade valedictorian, Dacota Porter, and our 8th grade salutatorian, Jayden Collins!

3. New – Report Cards for all Unity Students for the Spring Term and Year:

• Grades 6-8: Middle School report cards were distributed during Roundtables.  Report cards that were not picked up will be mailed out by July 1st in addition to students’ Star assessment reports, summer assignment packets, and any awards students may have received.
• Grades 9-12: Report card links will be sent out via email to families by June 27th.

4. New – Summer Assignment Information: Here are the descriptions for summer assignments for students by grade level:

• Grades 6-8: Summer assignments for all rising 7th-8th grade middle school students were distributed during Roundtable presentations. Digital copies were also sent via email to all incoming 6th graders.  If you are a new family in need of assignments for this summer, please reach out to Mr. Beckford.
• Grades 9-12: Students who are mandated to retake Regents examinations will receive summer prep work directions by the last week of July.  Some summer school classes may have homework. There are no full-grade summer assignments.

5. New – Summer Academy Information: Here is information on Summer Academy by grade level:

• Grades 6-8: The families of students who are required to attend Summer Academy have been contacted via Jupiter.  Please contact Ms.Gibson, the Middle School Summer Academy Director, with any questions.
• Grades 9-12: Letters and schedules will be distributed to all families of students who are required to attend Summer Academy early this coming week. Please contact Ms. Abawi, the High School Summer Academy Director, with any questions.

6. New – July Hours of Operation: Here is information on July office hours by site:

• 432 Monroe Street (grades 6-8): July 10th – July 28th; 9am – 3pm; 718-455-5046
• 584 Driggs Avenue (grades 9-12): July 10th – July 28th; 8am – 4pm; 718-682-3725, ext. 1.

7. New – Unity Celebrates the 5th-Year Anniversary for 11 Educators and 10-Year Anniversary for 6 Educators!: This past week, we honored 11 Unity staff members who are celebrating their 5th year at Unity, along with 6 founding Unity staff members who are celebrating their 10th 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 within 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!

• Platinum Apple Awards – 10 Years at Unity!
  • Josh Beauregard, Head of School
  • Casey Burns, Middle School Co-Principal
  • Tina Del Purgatorio, Director of Social Work
  • Michelle Roy Gaines, Director of Special Projects
  • Eric Gonzalez, Senior Director of College & Career Readiness
  • Grace Yun, High School Principal
• Golden Apple Awards – 5 Years at Unity!
  • Christelle Boadu, Middle School Math Teacher
  • Clarissa Brookins, Middle School Social Worker
  • Melissa Duphiney, Chief Academic Officer
  • Louise Eason, Director of Academic Counseling
  • Sophie Glickman, High School Art Teacher
  • Christopher Harvey, High School Science Teacher
  • Ingrid Jaquez, High School Senior Dean of Students
  • Jacob Lazar, High School ELA Teacher & Associate Instructional Coach
  • Jillian McPherson, Middle School Science Teacher
  • Maria Turner, Middle School History Department Chair
  • Jamal Welch, High School Math Teacher

8. New – Unity Middle’s Track Teams Take 1st and 2nd Place at City Track Championship!: Congratulations to members of Unity’s boys track team, who placed 1st overall.  And congratulations to members of the girls team who, overall, placed 2nd.  What an impressive showing – keep training this summer!

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

10. New – Helping Your Child to Continue their Learning This Summer: Ms. Eason, Unity High’s Director of Academic Counselor, offered a presentation – Avoiding Summer Slide – to families last year.  The presentation is still relevant this year and provides 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.

11. Recap – Unity Middle’s End of Year Awards Ceremony!: Unity’s middle school community took a special moment recently to celebrate the impressive accomplishments of students this year, including Honor Roll, Department Awards, Perfect Attendance, and Citizenship.  Congratulations to all awardees!

Relevant Information from Past Editions of The Scoop:

Our Community Pledge as a school outlines the actions our staff, families, and students are committed to taking.  By following through on our commitments, we will undoubtedly have an enormously successful school year!

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.

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

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.