The Unity Scoop – December 22

Dear Families of Unity,

The festivities and holiday spirit continued this week with our annual Love Your Neighbor Day of Service and Holiday Hoopla event! Indeed, there is much to celebrate as we head into the December break and reflect back on the first four months of the school year.  On behalf of our entire faculty and staff, thank you for your continued partnership both at home and here at school.  We look forward to continuing our collaboration in the New Year!

Have a wonderful holiday and we look forward to reconvening with students on January 4th!

Warmest wishes,

Josh

Josh Beauregard

Head of School / Co-founder

Updates as of December 22, 2023:

1. New – Unity Engages in 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 photos below!

2. New – January 2024 School-wide 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.

3. New – 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!

4. New – 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.

5. Updated – 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!

6. New – 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.

7. Updated – Unity Middle School Holds our Annual Toy Drive to Support the Community!: Unity’s middle school held a toy drive this holiday season to help bring joy to kids in need.  Thank you to all families who participated – your generosity brought joy to families in need this holiday season!

8. Recap – Congrats to our Middle School’s Students of the Month!:  Kudos to our Students of the Month from December for showing exemplary scholarship, citizenship, and growth – we are proud of you!

9. Recap – Congrats to our Recent Panther Spotlight Awardees!: Each month, select Unity High students are recognized by our staff and faculty for their academic  achievement and positive contributions to our community.  Congratulations to our most recent recipients below who have been spotlighted!

●    Aazoria Smalls (9)
●    Abigail Germain (9)
●    Aleia Brooks (11)
●    Aniya Townes (12)
●    Arayah Brannon (11)
●    Brianna Flores (12)
●    Coleeto Bennett (11)
●    Daniella Horsford (11)
●    Diabe Traore (12)
●    Franklin Yaguachi (12)
●    Isis Gumbs (10)
●    Jahqui Thomas (12)
●    Jaylen Prendergast (12)
●    Jonathan Vega (12)
●    Joshua McMillian (12)
●    Kayon Clark (12)
●    Keillyan Garcia (9)
●    Kody Thomas (12)
●    Lakai Bush (12)
●    London Johnson-Barrett (9)
●    Messiah Gumbs (9)
●    Michael Cox (10)
●    Michelle Paulino-Siri (12)
●    Nasaiah Joseph (12)
●    Nylah More (9)
●    Ruth Manswell (12)
●    Sakura White (12)
●    Sanaa Vasquez (9)
●    Sariyah Gordon (11)
●    Shirley Longmire (9)
●    Yusra Shuraih (9)
 

10. Recap – Unity High’s Climbing Team Continues to Reach New Heights!: Our climbers have been active this fall as an enrichment club at Unity High.  Several club members have been a part of the club for multiple years now, where both their skills and interest in the activity have grown.  Enjoy the photos below of our climbers in action!

11. Recap – Kudos to our P.R.I.D.E. Leaders for the Full Month of November!: 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 were leaders for the month of November in 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.

12. 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.

13. 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