Dear Families of Unity,

I hope that this past week was good to you and your loved ones.  I want to begin this brief introductory note by congratulating our middle school students and community on their completion of the second round of iReady assessments on Wednesday.  We look forward to celebrating our students’ growth from the start of the year and their efforts over the past three months!

As we approach the final school week of the 2024 calendar year, I highlight for you our students and teachers in action both at school and beyond.  It continues to be an exciting month of educational field trips and community service as students explore the many resources of New York City, and contribute to fellow community members in need of support.

Please take a moment to take in the many photos and updates below and learn about the ways in which you, as caregiver, may partner with us.  Specifically, we have two community drives happening this week in addition to our Love Your Neighbor Day this Friday.  We also have our monthly Family Ambassadors meeting on Thursday – we welcome your participation!

Warmest weekend wishes to you and your loved ones.

In unity,
Josh

Josh Beauregard

Executive Director / Co-founder

Updates as of December 15, 2024:

1. New – Highlights of Students and Their Teachers in Action This Week!: Enjoy the wonderful photos below of our students and staff in action this past week in their health class and math tutoring block!

8th grade students in Ms. McRae’s Health class collaborating on social media initiatives in true WeWork fashion.

Mr. Williams works with a number of his 7th grade math students during their daily tutoring block.

2. New – Unity High Honor Roll Students for Quarter I Enjoy Virtual Skydiving at iFly!: Students earning Honor Roll status in Quarter I experienced skydiving and learned about the science of wind tunnels this past week in celebration of their achievements.  Congratulations to these students and their families and enjoy the photos below!

3. New – Unity National Junior Honor Society (NJHS)  Explore the Spyspace Museum!: Members of NJHS (7th & 8th graders) explored one of the city’s most interactive museums on Friday to exercise their mind and test their skills across the world of intelligence, special operations, AI, and STEM.  Enjoy the photos below!

4. New – Unity’s Winter Spirit Week is Here!  We are excited to embark on our Winter Spirit Week on both campuses this coming week, December 16-20.  Spirit Week is about bringing our best selves to school, as well as showing off our collective school spirit.  We have a number of fun initiatives planned for the week, including themed dress days, activities centered on our Core Values, and other extracurricular events that bring out the best of our community – see the fliers below for details!

Grades 6-8:

Grades 9-12:

5. New – Alumni Spotlight of the Month – Alicia Griffith, Unity’s Class of 2021: We are thrilled to share with our entire community the accomplishments of our alumni whenever we can.  This month, we proudly provide an update on the postsecondary success of Alicia Griffith, proud graduate of SUNY Oneonta!

7. Updated – December 2024 Schoolwide Calendar: For your family’s convenience, here is an updated school-wide calendar of events for the month of December – 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.

8. Updated – Unity High’s Girls Basketball Team Earn Win Over Uncommon Prep Charter in their First Game of the Season!: Congratulations to our many student-athletes who will be representing Unity this winter season.  We are excited for all that you will learn and accomplish alongside your teammates.  See our updated school calendar for the game schedule this week.  Go Panthers!

Congratulations to Unity High’s Varsity Girls Basketball team on their 22-16 victory over Uncommon Charter High School on Thursday afternoon.  Go Panthers!

Kailey Harriott, 8th grade

– Quote from Kailey on learning of his accomplishment: “I love this! I feel really good of it and I think I deserve it.”

– Quote from Kailey’s coach, Coach Sarah: “Kailey Harriott shows incredible dedication to her academics and team. She consistently strives for excellence, pushing herself even when things are unplanned. As a new member of the Rising Royals, Kailey stepped up as a leader, offering help to her teammates and always seeking to improve. She’s not afraid to ask for guidance when needed, and her commitment to learning and growth is evident. Kailey treats herself, her team, and her coach with respect and kindness at all times and definitely deserves to be Student-Athlete of the Month.”

9. Updated – Unity Continues in its Community Service with a Practical Care Drive and Toy Drive this Month!: Coming off our schoolwide Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk and Canned Food Drive, we are now engaging in a Practical Care Drive and Toy Drive.  Between 12/2 and 12/20, we encourage all Unity families to donate practical items (see teh flier below) and packaged toys, which will then be shared with kids in the local community over the holidays.  All donations will go directly toward providing nourishment to community members in greatest need. Unity students who participate in the drive will earn Panther Pride Points for demonstrating our Pride Value of Empathy.

10. Recap – Unity Middle Students Engage in a Day of Field Trips and Festivities!: Unity Middle students engaged in a number of trips on Friday, including visiting the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Museum of Natural History, and Jewish History Museum.  Enjoy the photos below of students taking in some of NYC’s finest cultural institutions!

11. Recap – Unity’s Middle School Art Students Shine in our Winter Art Exhibition!: Under the guidance of their Art & Design Teacher, Mr. Berkeley, Unity’s young artists proudly exhibited their latest art work this past Thursday evening.  The exhibition was attended by a number of Unity’s faculty, families, and students.  Enjoy the photos of the event below!

11. Recap – Kudos to our P.R.I.D.E. Leaders Through 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 are our leaders through 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 – Movie Night Has Been Postponed to January: To ensure a stronger promotion and healthy turn-out, we have rescheduled to after the New Year.  A new date will be shared in next week’s edition of the Scoop.

Unity’s Family Ambassadors and basketball teams are joining forces to bring our first Movie Night of the year to Unity.  The event will take place in the auditorium of our middle school campus (432 Monroe Street).  The featured film will be Coach Carter in honor of our basketball team’s upcoming seasons.  Let’s go, Panthers!  There is a modest admission fee of $3 at the door.  Food and beverage concessions will be available for purchase.  All proceeds will go to funding our teams’ success and development this season!  RSVP here to reserve your seat in advance.

13. Recap – Thank You for Your Generosity on Giving Tuesday!: As a public charter school and non-profit organization that serves the Brooklyn community, we thank all families who contributed to making our after-school clubs programming possible through their donations.  Overall, over $5,000 was raised on Giving Tuesday!

14. Recap – Urban Advantage Family Science Days – Free Admission to some of the City’s Premiere Museums and Institutions for Unity Students in Grades 6-8!: Through Unity’s partnership with Urban Advantage (UA), middle school families may visit the following museums for free!  See the instructions below for how to obtain a family voucher.  Visit here for additional information.  Contact your child’s science teacher with questions.

Visit any of these Institutions with your family free of charge!

15. Recap – Refer a New Student to Unity Today!: Unity has a few seats available in grades 6, 7, 9, 10, and 11 for the 2024-25 school year. 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 referring and enrolling families will be given a $100 Amazon gift card for school supplies.

16. Recap – 2024-25 School Calendar of Key Events and Vacations for Families: Calendars for the 2024-25 school year can be accessed using the links below.  Note that we have two versions this year – one version for our middle school (grades 6-8) and another version for our high school (grades 9-12).

• Grades 6-8 School Calendar of Key Events and Vacations for Families
• Grades 9-12 School Calendar of Key Events and Vacations for Families

Dear Families of Unity,

Season’s greetings to you!  I hope that you and your loved ones enjoyed a delightful Thanksgiving holiday!  And I hope that the start of the new month has been good to you.

Congratulations to our middle school students who exhibited their artwork during last week’s art exhibition.  And thank you to all of our families who came out to support the event and appreciate our students’ talent and creativity.

We have two weeks of school until our winter break.  This stretch of the year tends to be both busy and festive, as we continue to engage fully in classes and extracurricular activities while also embracing an abundance of festivities that highlight our students and enrich our community.

In this edition of The Unity Scoop, we spotlight our students on trips to a number of NYC’s finest cultural institutions to enrich what they are now studying in their courses.  We also share some lovely photos from this week’s student art exhibition.  Finally, we celebrate our most recent student-athletes of the month and our PRIDE leaders through November!

Best wishes to your families in the coming week.

In unity,
Josh

Josh Beauregard

Executive Director / Co-founder

Updates as of December 8, 2024:

1. New – Unity Middle Students Engage in a Day of Field Trips and Festivities!: Unity Middle students engaged in a number of trips on Friday, including visiting the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Museum of Natural History, and Jewish History Museum.  Enjoy the photos below of students taking in some of NYC’s finest cultural institutions!

2. New – Unity’s Middle School Art Students Shine in our Winter Art Exhibition!: Under the guidance of their Art & Design Teacher, Mr. Berkeley, Unity’s young artists proudly exhibited their latest art work this past Thursday evening.  The exhibition was attended by a number of Unity’s faculty, families, and students.  Enjoy the photos of the event below!

3. Updated – December 2024 Schoolwide Calendar: For your family’s convenience, here is an updated school-wide calendar of events for the month of December – 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.

4. New – The Winter Athletics Season Has Just Begun!: Congratulations to our many student-athletes who will be representing Unity this winter season.  We are excited for all that you will learn and accomplish alongside your teammates.  Winter schedules will be shared in next week’s edition of the Scoop. And congrats to our newest Student-Athletes of the Month.  Go Panthers!

Kailey Harriott, 8th grade

– Quote from Kailey on learning of his accomplishment: “I love this! I feel really good of it and I think I deserve it.”

– Quote from Kailey’s coach, Coach Sarah: “Kailey Harriott shows incredible dedication to her academics and team. She consistently strives for excellence, pushing herself even when things are unplanned. As a new member of the Rising Royals, Kailey stepped up as a leader, offering help to her teammates and always seeking to improve. She’s not afraid to ask for guidance when needed, and her commitment to learning and growth is evident. Kailey treats herself, her team, and her coach with respect and kindness at all times and definitely deserves to be Student-Athlete of the Month.”

5. New – Kudos to our P.R.I.D.E. Leaders Through 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 are our leaders through 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.

6. Update – Movie Night Has Been Postponed to January: To ensure a stronger promotion and healthy turn-out, we have rescheduled to after the New Year.  A new date will be shared in next week’s edition of the Scoop.

Unity’s Family Ambassadors and basketball teams are joining forces to bring our first Movie Night of the year to Unity.  The event will take place in the auditorium of our middle school campus (432 Monroe Street).  The featured film will be Coach Carter in honor of our basketball team’s upcoming seasons.  Let’s go, Panthers!  There is a modest admission fee of $3 at the door.  Food and beverage concessions will be available for purchase.  All proceeds will go to funding our teams’ success and development this season!  RSVP here to reserve your seat in advance.

7. Recap – Congrats to Unity’s Students of the Month – Grades 6-12!:  Kudos to our Students of the Month from October!  We celebrate these students for showing exemplary scholarship and citizenship!

8. Recap – Thank You for Your Generosity on Giving Tuesday!: As a public charter school and non-profit organization that serves the Brooklyn community, we thank all families who contributed to making our after-school clubs programming possible through their donations.  Overall, over $5,000 was raised on Giving Tuesday!

9. Recap – Unity Continues in its Community Service with a Toy Drive this Month!: Coming off our schoolwide Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk and Canned Food Drive, we are now engaging in a Toy Drive.  Between 12/2 and 12/19, we encourage all Unity families to donate packaged toys, which will then be shared with kids in the local community over the holidays.  All donations will go directly toward providing nourishment to community members in greatest need. Unity students who participate in the drive will earn Panther Pride Points for demonstrating our Pride Value of Empathy.

10. Recap – Urban Advantage Family Science Days – Free Admission to some of the City’s Premiere Museums and Institutions for Unity Students in Grades 6-8!: Through Unity’s partnership with Urban Advantage (UA), middle school families may visit the following museums for free!  See the instructions below for how to obtain a family voucher.  Visit here for additional information.  Contact your child’s science teacher with questions.

Visit any of these Institutions with your family free of charge!

11. Recap – Refer a New Student to Unity Today!: Unity has a few seats available in grades 6, 7, 9, 10, and 11 for the 2024-25 school year. 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 referring and enrolling families will be given a $100 Amazon gift card for school supplies.

12. Recap – Guidance on Supporting your Child with School at Home: As communicated last week, there are four things that you are encouraged to engage in at home and over the course of this month in getting off to a strong start to the school year.  Congratulations on completing #4 below this week.

1. Ask your child about their school day and, more generally, how things are going.  If our team can be helpful to your child in ensuring that they are enjoying their school experience, please reach out to help.ms@unityprep.org or help.hs@unityprep.org or your child’s advisor.
2. Take a moment to check Jupiter for the latest information regarding your child’s progress.  If you are unfamiliar with how to log into Jupiter, here is a brief video tutorial.  And if you have questions about your child’s specific information in Jupiter, email your child’s advisor for support.
3. Establish a designated space and routine at home for your child to complete any homework or practice the skills they are learning in school.  Establishing routines early will reap dividends over the school year and cultivate sound study habits that will benefit your child at Unity and beyond.
4. ☑ Attend your child’s Back-to-School Night Session.  These in-person events are an extremely valuable part of our collaboration, as families learn about curricula, academic programming, and what your child will be learning this year.  Details on dates and times are featured below; you should have also received details  of the event via email and text.  The expectation is that 100% of families participate.

13. Recap – 2024-25 School Calendar of Key Events and Vacations for Families: Calendars for the 2024-25 school year can be accessed using the links below.  Note that we have two versions this year – one version for our middle school (grades 6-8) and another version for our high school (grades 9-12).

• Grades 6-8 School Calendar of Key Events and Vacations for Families
• Grades 9-12 School Calendar of Key Events and Vacations for Families

Dear Families of Unity,

Thank you for participating in conferences last night and today. We deeply value the opportunity to connect with you and discuss your child’s progress and experiences at Unity. Your partnership and support are essential to their growth and success, and we are grateful for your time and engagement.  Thank you for being such an integral part of the Unity community!

On behalf of Unity’s staff and faculty, I wish all of our families a delightful Thanksgiving holiday.  We are immensely grateful to you for supporting your children at home to be their best at school every day.  We look forward to our continued collaboration over the coming months and school year.

In this edition of The Unity Scoop, we recognize our Students of the Month from October.  We invite you to our Movie Night on December 6th and to contribute to our Giving Tuesday campaign.  Finally, we share with you our calendar for the month of December.

The next edition of The Scoop will be disseminated on December 6th.

In unity,
Josh

Josh Beauregard

Executive Director / Co-founder

Updates as of November 26, 2024:

1. New – Congrats to Unity’s Students of the Month – Grades 6-12!:  Kudos to our Students of the Month from October!  We celebrate these students for showing exemplary scholarship and citizenship!

2. New – December 2024 Schoolwide Calendar: For your family’s convenience, here is an updated school-wide calendar of events for the month of December – 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 – Help Us Reach our Goal of Receiving 100 Donations from Unity Families on Giving Tuesday, December 3rd!: As a public charter school and non-profit organization that serves the Brooklyn community, we are excited to participate in Giving Tuesday this holiday season.  Our goal is to receive 100 donations from the families we proudly serve.  Please consider making a modest donation today to help us reach our goal. Donations can be made here.  All Giving Tuesday donations from families will go to funding our after-school clubs programming!

4. New – Unity’s Family Ambassadors and Basketball Teams Bring Movie Night to our Community, Friday, December 6th at 5:30pm: Unity’s Family Ambassadors and basketball teams are joining forces to bring our first Movie Night of the year to Unity.  The event will take place in the auditorium of our middle school campus (432 Monroe Street).  The featured film will be Coach Carter in honor of our basketball team’s upcoming seasons.  Let’s go, Panthers!  There is a modest admission fee of $3 at the door.  Food and beverage concessions will be available for purchase.  All proceeds will go to funding our teams’ success and development this season!  RSVP here to reserve your seat in advance.

5. New – Unity Continues in its Community Service with a Toy Drive this Month!: Coming off our schoolwide Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk and Canned Food Drive, we are now engaging in a Toy Drive.  Between 12/2 and 12/19, we encourage all Unity families to donate packaged toys, which will then be shared with kids in the local community over the holidays.  All donations will go directly toward providing nourishment to community members in greatest need. Unity students who participate in the drive will earn Panther Pride Points for demonstrating our Pride Value of Empathy.

6. Recap – Thank you, Families, for Taking Part in Last Week’s Family Ambassadors Meeting!: We are grateful to our families who participated in our Family Ambassadors meeting.  As always, the meeting was productive, energizing, and, of course, fun!  The agenda from the meeting is below.  Here are the slides from the meeting.  And see the slide below featuring some upcoming local events of interest.  We look forward to seeing you at our next meeting on December 19th!

7. Recap – The Fall Athletic Season Comes to a Close!: Congratulations to the many accomplishments our student-athletes experienced this fall season. Kudos to our student-athletes who achieved All-Star status in their respective leagues this fall season and congratulations to our Student-Athletes of the Month.  Go Panthers!

Congratulations to Unity 7th grader, Dylan Pilco-Duchimaza, who represented our school and his team in this year’s NYC Soccer All-Star Game.

Congratulations to Unity 8th grader, Alikhai Ramirez, who represented our school and his team in this year’s NYC Flag Football All-Star Game.

Komar Perry, 8th grade

– Quote from Komar on learning of his accomplishment: “I am proud of myself because I am being recognized for doing my work inside of the classroom and outside of school when I am running Cross Country.”

– Quote from Komar’s coach, Coach Nana: “Komar Perry has shown to be a prime example of what a Unity Scholar-Athlete is. He has a 3.8 GPA and takes full advantage of tutoring.  He comes to practice every day and always looks for ways to improve his abilities and puts in the extra work without anyone telling him. Shout out to Komar for being a role model for his peers!”

10. Recap – Attention Unity Students in Grades 8-11 – Apply Now for a Paid Internship with the Brooklyn Botanic Garden: The Brooklyn Botanic Garden is now recruiting students in grades 8–11 for the 2024 Garden Apprentice Program (GAP) at Brooklyn Botanic Garden. GAP is a great way for teens to get paid to learn about urban agriculture, science, and the environment while working in one of the most exciting public gardens in the world!

More information is available online at bbg.org/gap.  Additional details include:

BBG Garden Apprentices:

            •           Earn a monetary award after apprenticeship (Tier 1: $600, Tier 2: $700, Tier 3: $800).

•           Work their way up the program to become paid staff as a Tier 4.

•           Learn about botany and environmentalism through hands-on lessons.

•           Grow and harvest fruits, vegetables, and herbs in the Children’s Garden.

•           Facilitate lessons to teach children about plants.

•           Explore Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s amazing plant collections.

•           Develop job skills, including teamwork, communication, and leadership.

Apprentices make a nine-month commitment to GAP, from March to November, which includes spring training, summer programming, and a weekly commitment after school or on weekends throughout the academic year.

Visit bbg.org/gap for applications, photos, a detailed program calendar, and answers to frequently asked questions. Applications are due December 8th.

11. Recap – Urban Advantage Family Science Days – Free Admission to some of the City’s Premiere Museums and Institutions for Unity Students in Grades 6-8!: Through Unity’s partnership with Urban Advantage (UA), middle school families may visit the following museums for free!  See the instructions below for how to obtain a family voucher.  Visit here for additional information.  Contact your child’s science teacher with questions.

Visit any of these Institutions with your family free of charge!

12. Recap – Refer a New Student to Unity Today!: Unity has a few seats available in grades 6, 7, 9, 10, and 11 for the 2024-25 school year. 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 referring and enrolling families will be given a $100 Amazon gift card for school supplies.

13. Recap – Guidance on Supporting your Child with School at Home: As communicated last week, there are four things that you are encouraged to engage in at home and over the course of this month in getting off to a strong start to the school year.  Congratulations on completing #4 below this week.

1. Ask your child about their school day and, more generally, how things are going.  If our team can be helpful to your child in ensuring that they are enjoying their school experience, please reach out to help.ms@unityprep.org or help.hs@unityprep.org or your child’s advisor.
2. Take a moment to check Jupiter for the latest information regarding your child’s progress.  If you are unfamiliar with how to log into Jupiter, here is a brief video tutorial.  And if you have questions about your child’s specific information in Jupiter, email your child’s advisor for support.
3. Establish a designated space and routine at home for your child to complete any homework or practice the skills they are learning in school.  Establishing routines early will reap dividends over the school year and cultivate sound study habits that will benefit your child at Unity and beyond.
4. ☑ Attend your child’s Back-to-School Night Session.  These in-person events are an extremely valuable part of our collaboration, as families learn about curricula, academic programming, and what your child will be learning this year.  Details on dates and times are featured below; you should have also received details  of the event via email and text.  The expectation is that 100% of families participate.

14. Recap – 2024-25 School Calendar of Key Events and Vacations for Families: Calendars for the 2024-25 school year can be accessed using the links below.  Note that we have two versions this year – one version for our middle school (grades 6-8) and another version for our high school (grades 9-12).

• Grades 6-8 School Calendar of Key Events and Vacations for Families
• Grades 9-12 School Calendar of Key Events and Vacations for Families

Dear Families of Unity,

I hope that the full week was good to you and your loved ones.  Thank you to our families who participated in last night’s Family Ambassadors meeting – the agenda and slides from the meeting are provided below.

We look forward to meeting with all of our families during fall conferences on Monday and Tuesday – see the details below!

Have a terrific weekend!

In unity,
Josh

Josh Beauregard

Executive Director / Co-founder

Updates as of November 22, 2024:

1. New – Highlights of Students and their Teachers in Action This Week!: Enjoy the wonderful photos below from this past week.  Mr. Coleman, our Founding Physical Education Teacher and Middle School Athletics Director, transformed our middle school gymnasium into a bowling alley in which students actively learned about rules of the game and the techniques of a master bowler!

2. 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.  As always, the meeting was productive, energizing, and, of course, fun!  The agenda from the meeting is below.  Here are the slides from the meeting.  And see the slide below featuring some upcoming local events of interest.  We look forward to seeing you at our next meeting on December 19th!

3. Updated – Fall Family Conferences to Take Place this Coming Week, November 25-26th: We are excited to hold our first round of family conferences on:

• Monday, 11/25 (in-person evening hours, 5pm-8pm)
• Tuesday, 11/26 (daytime virtual hours on Zoom, 9am-2pm)

School staff and advisors have begun making outreach to families to schedule appointments. Our goal is that 100% of our students have an adult family representative at conferences. If you have any questions, please reach out to info@unityprep.org.

4. Updated – The Fall Athletic Season Comes to a Close!: Congratulations to the many accomplishments our student-athletes achieved this season. Kudos to our student-athletes who achieved All-Star Status in their respective leagues and congratulations to our Student-Athletes of the Month.  Go Panthers!

Congratulations to Unity 7th grader, Dylan Pilco-Duchimaza, who represented our school and his team in this year’s NYC Soccer All-Star Game.

Congratulations to Unity 8th grader, Alikhai Ramirez, who represented our school and his team in this year’s NYC Flag Football All-Star Game.

Komar Perry, 8th grade

– Quote from Komar on learning of his accomplishment: “I am proud of myself because I am being recognized for doing my work inside of the classroom and outside of school when I am running Cross Country.”

– Quote from Komar’s coach, Coach Nana: “Komar Perry has shown to be a prime example of what a Unity Scholar-Athlete is. He has a 3.8 GPA and takes full advantage of tutoring.  He comes to practice every day and always looks for ways to improve his abilities and puts in the extra work without anyone telling him. Shout out to Komar for being a role model for his peers!”

5. Recap – Perfect Attendance in October – 100%!: The following lengthy list of students demonstrated a strong and consistent dedication to their education by showing stellar attendance in October.  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!

6. Recap – Members of Unity High’s National Honor Society (NHS) Volunteer at this Year’s New York City Marathon!: Kudos to Unity High’s Academic Counselor and NHS Co-Coordinator, Mr. Peters, and members of NHS for their service in support in this year’s New York City Marathon!

7. New – Unity High Partners with the Health Information Project (HIP) to Train Student Leaders in Health Education: Unity High is excited to partner with HIP to train Unity High 11th and 12th grade students to teach health education to 9th grade students. The program covers topics like depression, anxiety, drugs, and obesity. HIP also connects students to health resources at their school and in their communities.  Our trained student leaders recently assisted Mr. Clotter in his health classes. Congratulations to these students on the skills they are developing!

8. Recap – November 2024 Schoolwide Calendar: For your family’s convenience, here is an updated school-wide calendar of events for the month of November – 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.

9. Recap – Unity Continues in its Community Service with a Canned Food Drive this Month!: Coming off our schoolwide Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk and fundraiser with the American Cancer Society, we are now engaged in a Can Drive in partnership with City Harvest.  Between now and November 22nd, we encourage all Unity families to donate non-perishable food items.  All donations will go directly toward providing nourishment to community members in greatest need. Unity students who participate in the drive will earn Panther Pride Points for demonstrating our Pride Value of Empathy.

10. Recap – Attention Unity Students in Grades 8-11 – Apply Now for a Paid Internship with the Brooklyn Botanic Garden: The Brooklyn Botanic Garden is now recruiting students in grades 8–11 for the 2024 Garden Apprentice Program (GAP) at Brooklyn Botanic Garden. GAP is a great way for teens to get paid to learn about urban agriculture, science, and the environment while working in one of the most exciting public gardens in the world!

More information is available online at bbg.org/gap.  Additional details include:

BBG Garden Apprentices:

            •           Earn a monetary award after apprenticeship (Tier 1: $600, Tier 2: $700, Tier 3: $800).

•           Work their way up the program to become paid staff as a Tier 4.

•           Learn about botany and environmentalism through hands-on lessons.

•           Grow and harvest fruits, vegetables, and herbs in the Children’s Garden.

•           Facilitate lessons to teach children about plants.

•           Explore Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s amazing plant collections.

•           Develop job skills, including teamwork, communication, and leadership.

Apprentices make a nine-month commitment to GAP, from March to November, which includes spring training, summer programming, and a weekly commitment after school or on weekends throughout the academic year.

Visit bbg.org/gap for applications, photos, a detailed program calendar, and answers to frequently asked questions. Applications are due December 8th.

11. Recap – Urban Advantage Family Science Days – Free Admission to some of the City’s Premiere Museums and Institutions for Unity Students in Grades 6-8!: Through Unity’s partnership with Urban Advantage (UA), middle school families may visit the following museums for free!  See the instructions below for how to obtain a family voucher.  Visit here for additional information.  Contact your child’s science teacher with questions.

Visit any of these Institutions with your family free of charge!

12. Recap – Refer a New Student to Unity Today!: Unity has a few seats available in grades 6, 7, 9, 10, and 11 for the 2024-25 school year. 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 referring and enrolling families will be given a $100 Amazon gift card for school supplies.

13. Recap – Guidance on Supporting your Child with School at Home: As communicated last week, there are four things that you are encouraged to engage in at home and over the course of this month in getting off to a strong start to the school year.  Congratulations on completing #4 below this week.

1. Ask your child about their school day and, more generally, how things are going.  If our team can be helpful to your child in ensuring that they are enjoying their school experience, please reach out to help.ms@unityprep.org or help.hs@unityprep.org or your child’s advisor.
2. Take a moment to check Jupiter for the latest information regarding your child’s progress.  If you are unfamiliar with how to log into Jupiter, here is a brief video tutorial.  And if you have questions about your child’s specific information in Jupiter, email your child’s advisor for support.
3. Establish a designated space and routine at home for your child to complete any homework or practice the skills they are learning in school.  Establishing routines early will reap dividends over the school year and cultivate sound study habits that will benefit your child at Unity and beyond.
4. ☑ Attend your child’s Back-to-School Night Session.  These in-person events are an extremely valuable part of our collaboration, as families learn about curricula, academic programming, and what your child will be learning this year.  Details on dates and times are featured below; you should have also received details  of the event via email and text.  The expectation is that 100% of families participate.

14. Recap – 2024-25 School Calendar of Key Events and Vacations for Families: Calendars for the 2024-25 school year can be accessed using the links below.  Note that we have two versions this year – one version for our middle school (grades 6-8) and another version for our high school (grades 9-12).

• Grades 6-8 School Calendar of Key Events and Vacations for Families
• Grades 9-12 School Calendar of Key Events and Vacations for Families

Dear Families of Unity,

I hope this message finds you in good spirits.  It has been a trying week as we experienced an intense election day and adjusted to the end of Daylight Saving Time.  We have a long weekend ahead, and I wish you and your loved ones a restful and rejuvenating break.

In this edition of the Scoop, we continue spotlighting our students and teachers in action over the past week.  We also extend our congratulations to our new National Honor Society inductees.  Finally, we bring a range of events, initiatives, and opportunities to our families and students, both on our campuses and beyond!

In unity,
Josh

Josh Beauregard

Executive Director / Co-founder

Updates as of November 8, 2024:

1. New – Congratulations to Unity’s Newest National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) and National Honor Society (NHS) Members!: Unity’s NJHS and NHS chapters expanded their membership during our annual induction ceremony held this past Monday. Congratulations to more than 30 new inductees listed below!

Returning Members

2. New – Highlights of Students and Their Teachers in Action This Week!: Enjoy the wonderful photos below of our students and staff in action over this past week!

3. New – Fall Family Conferences to Take Place in Two Weeks, November 16-17th: We are excited to hold our first round of family conferences on:

• Monday, 11/25 (in-person evening hours, 5pm-8pm)
• Tuesday, 11/26 (daytime virtual hours on Zoom, 9am-2pm)

School staff and advisors have begun making outreach to families to schedule appointments. Our goal is that 100% of our students have an adult family representative at conferences.

4. New – Alumni Spotlight of the Month – RJ Mark, Unity’s Class of 2024: We are thrilled to share with our entire community the accomplishments of our alumni whenever we can.  This month, we proudly provide an update on the postsecondary success of RJ Mark, who is enrolled at Robert Morris University in Pennsylvania.

A proud graduate of Unity Prep High School’s Class of 2024, RJ Mark has transitioned smoothly into his first semester at Robert Morris University in Moon Township, Pennsylvania. He’s currently taking 15 credits across five courses. Reflecting on his high school experience, RJ credits Unity Prep’s focus on college preparation for helping him adapt seamlessly to university life and stay focused on his goals. “Unity Prep prepared me not just for college admission but for life in college,” he shared, noting that the skills he gained in high school enabled him to dive into his studies and campus life.

Starting college has brought many exciting changes for RJ, particularly in building new connections. While he once found socializing challenging in high school, he has now embraced the opportunity to meet new people and quickly formed a close-knit friend group in his first few days on campus. Alongside making meaningful memories, RJ is focused on personal goals such as staying fit and actively participating in university clubs. Academically, he is committed to maintaining strong grades while staying engaged on campus, embodying the determined and ambitious spirit nurtured by Unity Prep.

5. Updated – Congratulations to our iReady Challenge Winners from the Month of October!  Unity Middle School Students Earn Dress Down and Pizza by Practicing their ELA and Math Skills during Tutoring Class!  We are excited to announce the winners of our October iReady Challenge! Throughout the month, students have shown #progress and #integrity strengthening their academic skills, and we’re happy to recognize those who went above and beyond.  Congrats to the students highlighted below, as we look forward to celebrating our winners for November in just a few weeks!

6. New – Unity Continues in its Community Service with a Canned Food Drive this Month!: Coming off our schoolwide Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk and fundraiser with the American Cancer Society, we are now engaged in a Can Drive in partnership with City Harvest.  Between now and November 22nd, we encourage all Unity families to donate non-perishable food items.  All donations will go directly toward providing nourishment to community members in greatest need. Unity students who participate in the drive will earn Panther Pride Points for demonstrating our Pride Value of Empathy.

7. Updated – November 2024 Schoolwide Calendar: For your family’s convenience, here is an updated school-wide calendar of events for the month of November – 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.

8. New – Attention Unity Students in Grades 8-11 – Apply Now for a Paid Internship with the Brooklyn Botanic Garden: The Brooklyn Botanic Garden is now recruiting students in grades 8–11 for the 2024 Garden Apprentice Program (GAP) at Brooklyn Botanic Garden. GAP is a great way for teens to get paid to learn about urban agriculture, science, and the environment while working in one of the most exciting public gardens in the world!

More information is available online at bbg.org/gap.  Additional details include:

BBG Garden Apprentices:

            •           Earn a monetary award after apprenticeship (Tier 1: $600, Tier 2: $700, Tier 3: $800).

•           Work their way up the program to become paid staff as a Tier 4.

•           Learn about botany and environmentalism through hands-on lessons.

•           Grow and harvest fruits, vegetables, and herbs in the Children’s Garden.

•           Facilitate lessons to teach children about plants.

•           Explore Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s amazing plant collections.

•           Develop job skills, including teamwork, communication, and leadership.

Apprentices make a nine-month commitment to GAP, from March to November, which includes spring training, summer programming, and a weekly commitment after school or on weekends throughout the academic year.

Visit bbg.org/gap for applications, photos, a detailed program calendar, and answers to frequently asked questions. Applications are due December 8th.

9 New – Exciting Free Upcoming Programs and Events at Greenpoint YMCA!: Here are two free programs for basketball and swimming that may be of interest to our families at one of our local YMCAs.  Take advantage!

10. Recap – Urban Advantage Family Science Days – Free Admission to some of the City’s Premiere Museums and Institutions for Unity Students in Grades 6-8!: Through Unity’s partnership with Urban Advantage (UA), middle school families may visit the following museums for free!  See the instructions below for how to obtain a family voucher.  Visit here for additional information.  Contact your child’s science teacher with questions.

Visit any of these Institutions with your family free of charge!

11. Recap – Unity’s 8th Graders and Families Visit Unity High!: Unity High’s team hosted our 8th graders and their families on Friday.  Our 8th graders met with our high school’s students and staff, learned our programs and what makes our high school special.  They also toured the neighborhood, enjoyed lunch together, and took in the water views on a beautiful fall day. The experience was informative, fun, and inspiring for all those involved!

12. Recap – Unity High Students Engage in a Day of Field Trips and Festivities!: In celebration of closing out their first round of IAs, Unity High students engaged in a number of trips on Friday, including visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Intrepid Museum, and roller skating at Brooklyn Bridge Park!

13. Recap – Unity’s Campuses to Join Forces to Support The American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer!: Members of our community from grades 6 through 12 participated in a 3-mile walk last Sunday in support of The American Cancer Society (ACS).  ACS’s Making Strides initiative raises lifesaving funds that support breast cancer patients, survivors, thrivers, and caregivers through every step of the journey.

14. Recap – Refer a New Student to Unity Today!: Unity has a few seats available in grades 6, 7, 9, 10, and 11 for the 2024-25 school year. 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 referring and enrolling families will be given a $100 Amazon gift card for school supplies.

15. Recap – Guidance on Supporting your Child with School at Home: As communicated last week, there are four things that you are encouraged to engage in at home and over the course of this month in getting off to a strong start to the school year.  Congratulations on completing #4 below this week.

1. Ask your child about their school day and, more generally, how things are going.  If our team can be helpful to your child in ensuring that they are enjoying their school experience, please reach out to help.ms@unityprep.org or help.hs@unityprep.org or your child’s advisor.
2. Take a moment to check Jupiter for the latest information regarding your child’s progress.  If you are unfamiliar with how to log into Jupiter, here is a brief video tutorial.  And if you have questions about your child’s specific information in Jupiter, email your child’s advisor for support.
3. Establish a designated space and routine at home for your child to complete any homework or practice the skills they are learning in school.  Establishing routines early will reap dividends over the school year and cultivate sound study habits that will benefit your child at Unity and beyond.
4.  Attend your child’s Back-to-School Night Session.  These in-person events are an extremely valuable part of our collaboration, as families learn about curricula, academic programming, and what your child will be learning this year.  Details on dates and times are featured below; you should have also received details  of the event via email and text.  The expectation is that 100% of families participate.

16. Recap – Unity Students in Grades 6-8 Outperform Their Peers Across New York State in Math, English Language Arts (ELA), and Science!  Our students showed off the impressive skills that they developed over the course of the 2023-24 school year as they performed better in math, reading & writing, and science compared to the average student in key districts of comparison and the state of New York.  Kudos to our team and our families for their impact on student learning!

17. Recap – Unity High Earns Advanced Placement Honor Roll Status with CollegeBoard!  Unity has been recognized by the College Board for delivering results for students while broadening access. Unity’s Honor Roll status reflects a commitment to increasing college-going culture, providing opportunities for students to earn college credit and maximizing college readiness.  Congratulations to our high school leaders and our AP teachers!  Indeed, this is an impressive achievement and reflects our commitment as a grades 6-12 school to excellence and access.

• 100% of graduates completed at least one AP course while in grades 9-12 (this reflects high access and exposure to college-ready coursework)
• 26% of graduates earned college credit while in high school (vs. the national average of 21%)
• 21% of graduates completed at least 5 AP courses while in grades 9-12 (this represents ample opportunity for students to thrive academically in college-ready coursework while in high school)

18. Recap – 2024-25 School Calendar of Key Events and Vacations for Families: Calendars for the 2024-25 school year can be accessed using the links below.  Note that we have two versions this year – one version for our middle school (grades 6-8) and another version for our high school (grades 9-12).

• Grades 6-8 School Calendar of Key Events and Vacations for Families
• Grades 9-12 School Calendar of Key Events and Vacations for Families

Dear Families of Unity,

Congratulations to you on rounding out a short but bustling work week.

We are excited to put forward a full five days of school next week before meeting with you all during fall conferences and embarking on a joyful holiday break.  A friendly reminder to all Unity families: please schedule a conference with your child’s teachers if you haven’t done so already.  Conferences are an opportunity to share insights and partner with teachers to best support your child’s educational success at school and at home.  We look forward to making the most of this opportunity with you!

In this edition of the Scoop, we continue spotlighting our students and teachers in action this past week.  We also highlight students with stellar attendance from the month of October and extend our congratulations to our new National Honor Society inductees.  Finally, we bring a range of events, initiatives, and opportunities to our families and students, both on our campuses and beyond!

In unity,
Josh

Josh Beauregard

Executive Director / Co-founder

Updates as of November 15, 2024:

1. New – Highlights of Students and Their Teachers in Action This Week!: Enjoy the wonderful photos of our 8th grade students immersed in their analysis of Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl.

2. New – Fall Family Conferences to Take Place in Two Weeks, November 25-26th: We are excited to hold our first round of family conferences on:

• Monday, 11/25 (in-person evening hours, 5pm-8pm)
• Tuesday, 11/26 (daytime virtual hours on Zoom, 9am-2pm)

School staff and advisors have begun making outreach to families to schedule appointments. Our goal is that 100% of our students have an adult family representative at conferences.

3. New – Perfect Attendance in October – 100%!: The following lengthy list of students demonstrated a strong and consistent dedication to their education by showing stellar attendance in October.  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 – First Unity Family Ambassadors Meeting of the Year, Thursday, November 21st, 6pm!: All Unity families are welcome to participate in our second Family Ambassadors Meeting of the school year (via Zoom).  Ambassadors help play an active leadership role in providing the best possible educational experience to our students!  Ambassadors meet monthly to plan new events and initiatives and play a significant role in accentuating school community experiences.  The Zoom meeting link is here.  See you Thursday on Zoom!

5. New – Members of Unity High’s National Honor Society (NHS) Volunteer at this Year’s New York City Marathon!: Kudos to Unity High’s Academic Counselor and NHS Co-Coordinator, Mr. Peters, and members of NHS for their service in support in this year’s New York City Marathon!

6. Updated – The Fall Athletic Season Continues!: We are excited to kick off our winter athletic season over the coming few weeks!  Congratulations to our Student-Athletes of the Month.  Go Panthers!

Komar Perry, 8th grade

– Quote from Komar on learning of his accomplishment: “I am proud of myself because I am being recognized for doing my work inside of the classroom and outside of school when I am running Cross Country.”

– Quote from Komar’s coach, Coach Nana: “Komar Perry has shown to be a prime example of what a Unity Scholar-Athlete is. He has a 3.8 GPA and takes full advantage of tutoring.  He comes to practice every day and always looks for ways to improve his abilities and puts in the extra work without anyone telling him. Shout out to Komar for being a role model for his peers!”

7. New – Unity High Partners with the Health Information Project (HIP) to Train Student Leaders in Health Education: Unity High is excited to partner with HIP to train Unity High 11th and 12th grade students to teach health education to 9th grade students. The program covers topics like depression, anxiety, drugs, and obesity. HIP also connects students to health resources at their school and in their communities.  Our trained student leaders recently assisted Mr. Clotter in his health classes. Congratulations to these students on the skills they are developing!

8. Recap – November 2024 Schoolwide Calendar: For your family’s convenience, here is an updated school-wide calendar of events for the month of November – 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.

9. Recap – Congratulations to Unity’s Newest National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) and National Honor Society (NHS) Members!: Unity’s NJHS and NHS chapters expanded their membership during our annual induction ceremony held last week. Congratulations to more than 30 new inductees listed below!

Returning Members

10. Recap – Alumni Spotlight of the Month – RJ Mark, Unity’s Class of 2024: We are thrilled to share with our entire community the accomplishments of our alumni whenever we can.  This month, we proudly provide an update on the postsecondary success of RJ Mark, who is enrolled at Robert Morris University in Pennsylvania.

A proud graduate of Unity Prep High School’s Class of 2024, RJ Mark has transitioned smoothly into his first semester at Robert Morris University in Moon Township, Pennsylvania. He’s currently taking 15 credits across five courses. Reflecting on his high school experience, RJ credits Unity Prep’s focus on college preparation for helping him adapt seamlessly to university life and stay focused on his goals. “Unity Prep prepared me not just for college admission but for life in college,” he shared, noting that the skills he gained in high school enabled him to dive into his studies and campus life.

Starting college has brought many exciting changes for RJ, particularly in building new connections. While he once found socializing challenging in high school, he has now embraced the opportunity to meet new people and quickly formed a close-knit friend group in his first few days on campus. Alongside making meaningful memories, RJ is focused on personal goals such as staying fit and actively participating in university clubs. Academically, he is committed to maintaining strong grades while staying engaged on campus, embodying the determined and ambitious spirit nurtured by Unity Prep.

11. Recap – Congratulations to our iReady Challenge Winners from the Month of October!  Unity Middle School Students Earn Dress Down and Pizza by Practicing their ELA and Math Skills during Tutoring Class!  We are excited to announce the winners of our October iReady Challenge! Throughout the month, students have shown #progress and #integrity strengthening their academic skills, and we’re happy to recognize those who went above and beyond.  Congrats to the students highlighted below, as we look forward to celebrating our winners for November in just a few weeks!

12. Recap – Unity Continues in its Community Service with a Canned Food Drive this Month!: Coming off our schoolwide Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk and fundraiser with the American Cancer Society, we are now engaged in a Can Drive in partnership with City Harvest.  Between now and November 22nd, we encourage all Unity families to donate non-perishable food items.  All donations will go directly toward providing nourishment to community members in greatest need. Unity students who participate in the drive will earn Panther Pride Points for demonstrating our Pride Value of Empathy.

13. Recap – Attention Unity Students in Grades 8-11 – Apply Now for a Paid Internship with the Brooklyn Botanic Garden: The Brooklyn Botanic Garden is now recruiting students in grades 8–11 for the 2024 Garden Apprentice Program (GAP) at Brooklyn Botanic Garden. GAP is a great way for teens to get paid to learn about urban agriculture, science, and the environment while working in one of the most exciting public gardens in the world!

More information is available online at bbg.org/gap.  Additional details include:

BBG Garden Apprentices:

            •           Earn a monetary award after apprenticeship (Tier 1: $600, Tier 2: $700, Tier 3: $800).

•           Work their way up the program to become paid staff as a Tier 4.

•           Learn about botany and environmentalism through hands-on lessons.

•           Grow and harvest fruits, vegetables, and herbs in the Children’s Garden.

•           Facilitate lessons to teach children about plants.

•           Explore Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s amazing plant collections.

•           Develop job skills, including teamwork, communication, and leadership.

Apprentices make a nine-month commitment to GAP, from March to November, which includes spring training, summer programming, and a weekly commitment after school or on weekends throughout the academic year.

Visit bbg.org/gap for applications, photos, a detailed program calendar, and answers to frequently asked questions. Applications are due December 8th.

14. Recap – Refer a New Student to Unity Today!: Unity has a few seats available in grades 6, 7, 9, 10, and 11 for the 2024-25 school year. 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 referring and enrolling families will be given a $100 Amazon gift card for school supplies.

15. Recap – Guidance on Supporting your Child with School at Home: As communicated last week, there are four things that you are encouraged to engage in at home and over the course of this month in getting off to a strong start to the school year.  Congratulations on completing #4 below this week.

1. Ask your child about their school day and, more generally, how things are going.  If our team can be helpful to your child in ensuring that they are enjoying their school experience, please reach out to help.ms@unityprep.org or help.hs@unityprep.org or your child’s advisor.
2. Take a moment to check Jupiter for the latest information regarding your child’s progress.  If you are unfamiliar with how to log into Jupiter, here is a brief video tutorial.  And if you have questions about your child’s specific information in Jupiter, email your child’s advisor for support.
3. Establish a designated space and routine at home for your child to complete any homework or practice the skills they are learning in school.  Establishing routines early will reap dividends over the school year and cultivate sound study habits that will benefit your child at Unity and beyond.
4. ☑ Attend your child’s Back-to-School Night Session.  These in-person events are an extremely valuable part of our collaboration, as families learn about curricula, academic programming, and what your child will be learning this year.  Details on dates and times are featured below; you should have also received details  of the event via email and text.  The expectation is that 100% of families participate.

16. Recap – 2024-25 School Calendar of Key Events and Vacations for Families: Calendars for the 2024-25 school year can be accessed using the links below.  Note that we have two versions this year – one version for our middle school (grades 6-8) and another version for our high school (grades 9-12).

• Grades 6-8 School Calendar of Key Events and Vacations for Families
• Grades 9-12 School Calendar of Key Events and Vacations for Families

Dear Families of Unity,

I hope that the week has been good to you and your loved ones after a full week of learning.  I want to begin by congratulating our high school students on completing their first round of interim assessments this week!  I also want to thank our high school student leaders for helping to host our 8th graders and their families during their visit to our high school campus – thank you for being so accommodating!

Finally, kudos to our 8th graders (the Class of 2029!) for visiting our high school campus yesterday.  Having you in Williamsburg to meet our high school team was thrilling and we are excited to have you contributing fully to our high school community beginning Fall 2025!

In the coming week, we have a four-day week with no school on Tuesday due to elections.  Get out the vote – this election means a lot for our students and how they experience the next several years and beyond!

In this edition of the Scoop, I bring to you an abundance of photos of our students and community experiencing new things and having fun together.  I also share our November school calendar with you.

We turn back the clocks this weekend – I hope you indulge in something fun for you and your family during that extra hour on Sunday!

In unity,
Josh

Josh Beauregard

Executive Director / Co-founder

Updates as of November 2, 2024:

1. New – Highlights of Students and Their Teachers in Action This Week!: Enjoy the wonderful photos below of our students and staff in action (and in costume) this past week on Halloween!

2. New – Unity’s 8th Graders and Families Visit Unity High!: Unity High’s team hosted our 8th graders and their families on Friday.  Our 8th graders met with our high school students and staff, learned about our programs and what makes our high school special.  They also toured the neighborhood, enjoyed lunch together, and took in the water views on a beautiful fall day. The experience was informative, fun, and inspiring for all those involved!

3. New – Unity High Students Engage in a Day of Field Trips and Festivities!: In celebration of closing out their first round of IAs, Unity High students engaged in a number of trips on Friday, including visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Intrepid Museum, and roller skating at Brooklyn Bridge Park!

4. Updated – Unity’s Campuses to Join Forces to Support The American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer!: Members of our community from grades 6 through 12 participated in a 3-mile walk last Sunday in support of The American Cancer Society (ACS).  ACS’s Making Strides initiative raises lifesaving funds that support breast cancer patients, survivors, thrivers, and caregivers through every step of the journey.

5. New – November 2024 Schoolwide Calendar: For your family’s convenience, here is an updated school-wide calendar of events for the month of November – 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.

6. Recap – Congrats to Unity’s Students of the Month – Grades 6-12!:  Kudos to our Students of the Month from September!  We celebrate these students for showing exemplary scholarship, citizenship!

7. Recap – Thank You for Attending Last Week’s Middle School Family Meeting!: Here are the slides from the meeting.

8. Recap – Unity Middle Students Visit College Campuses!: As a grades 6-12 college-preparatory school, our students in grades 6-8 visited three terrific colleges right here in New York City!  Students visited Long Island University, Columbia University, and New York University.  Enjoy the photos below!

9. Recap – The Fall Athletic Season Continues!: See the October calendar below for details on this coming week’s games.  And see photos of student-athletes and teams in action this past week.  And congratulations to our Student-Athlete of the Month at Unity Middle.  Go Panthers!

Caleb White, Grade 6

– Quote from Caleb on learning of his accomplishment: “I am very happy and proud of myself.  I came into this school wanting to get off to a good start and that’s what I am doing.”

– Quote from Caleb’s coach, Coach Tyler: Caleb is a great athlete and an amazing defensive player.  He has kept his grades up this entire season.  Caleb is a great teammate and athlete.

Unity Middle’s fall track team at their final meeting of the season at Van Cortland Park.

Members of Unity’s girls volleyball team present an opposing team member with a Panther PRIDE Award after their match this past week.

10. Updated – Your Feedback Empowers Us – Please Take a Moment to Share Your Experiences With Us By Completing our Fall Family Perception Survey: 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, the first 300 families to complete the survey by Monday, 11/4, at 4pm 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 the survey by clicking here
• 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.

11. Recap – Refer a New Student to Unity Today!: Unity has a few seats available in grades 6, 7, 9, 10, and 11 for the 2024-25 school year. 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 referring and enrolling families will be given a $100 Amazon gift card for school supplies.

12. Recap – Urban Advantage Family Science Days – Free Admission to some of the City’s Premiere Museums and Institutions for Unity Students in Grades 6-8!: Through Unity’s partnership with Urban Advantage (UA), middle school families may visit the following museums for free!  See the instructions below for how to obtain a family voucher.  Visit here for additional information.  Contact your child’s science teacher with questions.

Visit any of these Institutions with your family free of charge!

13. Recap – Guidance on Supporting your Child with School at Home: As communicated last week, there are four things that you are encouraged to engage in at home and over the course of this month in getting off to a strong start to the school year.  Congratulations on completing #4 below this week.

1. Ask your child about their school day and, more generally, how things are going.  If our team can be helpful to your child in ensuring that they are enjoying their school experience, please reach out to help.ms@unityprep.org or help.hs@unityprep.org or your child’s advisor.
2. Take a moment to check Jupiter for the latest information regarding your child’s progress.  If you are unfamiliar with how to log into Jupiter, here is a brief video tutorial.  And if you have questions about your child’s specific information in Jupiter, email your child’s advisor for support.
3. Establish a designated space and routine at home for your child to complete any homework or practice the skills they are learning in school.  Establishing routines early will reap dividends over the school year and cultivate sound study habits that will benefit your child at Unity and beyond.
4.  Attend your child’s Back-to-School Night Session.  These in-person events are an extremely valuable part of our collaboration, as families learn about curricula, academic programming, and what your child will be learning this year.  Details on dates and times are featured below; you should have also received details  of the event via email and text.  The expectation is that 100% of families participate.

14. Recap – Unity Students in Grades 6-8 Outperform Their Peers Across New York State in Math, English Language Arts (ELA), and Science!  Our students showed off the impressive skills that they developed over the course of the 2023-24 school year as they performed better in math, reading & writing, and science compared to the average student in key districts of comparison and the state of New York.  Kudos to our team and our families for their impact on student learning!

15. Recap – Unity High Earns Advanced Placement Honor Roll Status with CollegeBoard!  Unity has been recognized by the College Board for delivering results for students while broadening access. Unity’s Honor Roll status reflects a commitment to increasing college-going culture, providing opportunities for students to earn college credit and maximizing college readiness.  Congratulations to our high school leaders and our AP teachers!  Indeed, this is an impressive achievement and reflects our commitment as a grades 6-12 school to excellence and access.

• 100% of graduates completed at least one AP course while in grades 9-12 (this reflects high access and exposure to college-ready coursework)
• 26% of graduates earned college credit while in high school (vs. the national average of 21%)
• 21% of graduates completed at least 5 AP courses while in grades 9-12 (this represents ample opportunity for students to thrive academically in college-ready coursework while in high school)

16. Recap – 2024-25 School Calendar of Key Events and Vacations for Families: Calendars for the 2024-25 school year can be accessed using the links below.  Note that we have two versions this year – one version for our middle school (grades 6-8) and another version for our high school (grades 9-12).

• Grades 6-8 School Calendar of Key Events and Vacations for Families
• Grades 9-12 School Calendar of Key Events and Vacations for Families

Dear Families of Unity,

Happy Friday to all, and congratulations on rounding out a full week of school.  Thank you to all middle school families who participated in last night’s Family Night with Principal Terry and her team.  Moreover, kudos to our entire community for participating in an important day for college exposure and awareness: our middle school students toured three college campuses while our high school hosted a college fair (see the photos below)!

This weekend, Unity’s campuses join forces to support The American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer on Sunday (see details below).  All families are encouraged to take part in this important community service!

This coming week is a big one for our high school students as they complete their first round of interim assessments (IAs).  We kindly ask for your collaboration with this by supporting your child at home in the following ways:

• Ensure that your child eats a healthy breakfast and arrives at school on time with their full set of school supplies and materials.
• Ask your child about how things are going in their classes, and provide encouragement such that they are supported and confident as they complete their IAs this week.
• Help your child prepare for their exams by ensuring that they have a quiet, designated space and time to study each night.  Of course, feel free to pull up a chair and help them study!  Studying together can be a fun experience for all.
• Be proactive in your communication with your child’s teachers about any questions or concerns.

In this edition of the Scoop, we spotlight a number of our community members, including the students and teachers in action this week in our classrooms and our Students of the Month for September in grades 6 to 12!  We also share highlights from our athletic teams and enrichment programming.  Finally, we highlight a number of exciting upcoming school events for you and your family.

Have an excellent weekend and, again, we hope to see you during Sunday’s walk!

In unity,
Josh

Josh Beauregard

Executive Director / Co-founder

Updates as of October 25, 2024:

1. New – Highlights of Students and Their Teachers in Action This Week!: Enjoy the wonderful photos below of our students and staff in action this past week in science classes!

6th grade students in Ms. Aviles and Ms. Spires ELA class lead their classmates in a discussion about the text they are reading.

Mr. Thabo and two of his students lead a discussion about how actors effectively practice their lines.  This discussion followed two students demonstrating for the class this valuable skill in theatre.

Ms. Gibson and her class waste no time in correcting common math misconceptions identified on last week’s interim assessment.

Mr. Pakter’s Global History students prepare for their interim assessment by providing peer reviews of their short responses with one another.

2. Updated – Congrats to Unity’s Students of the Month – Grades 6-12!:  Kudos to our Students of the Month from September!  We celebrate these students for showing exemplary scholarship, citizenship!

3. New – Thank You for Attending Last Night’s Middle School Family Meeting!: Here are the slides from the meeting.

4. Updated – Unity’s Campuses to Join Forces to Support The American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer on Sunday, October 27th: Members of our community from grades 6 through 12 will participate in a 3-mile walk on Saturday, October 27th, in support of The American Cancer Society (ACS).  ACS’s Making Strides initiative raises lifesaving funds that support breast cancer patients, survivors, thrivers, and caregivers through every step of the journey.  Unity families are encouraged to take part –  sign up here to participate!

Unity’s staff and students go pink in support of breast cancer awareness and research, including Mr. Bryant’s incredible shoes!

5. New – Unity Middle Students Visit College Campuses!: As a grades 6-12 college-preparatory school, our students in grades 6-8 visited three terrific colleges right here in New York City!  Students visited Long Island University, Columbia University, and New York University.  Enjoy the photos below with more to come next week!

6. Updated – The Fall Athletic Season Continues!: See the October calendar below for details on this coming week’s games.  And see photos of student-athletes and teams in action this past week.  And congratulations to our Student-Athlete of the Month at Unity Middle.  Go Panthers!

Caleb White, Grade 6

– Quote from Caleb on learning of his accomplishment: “I am very happy and proud of myself.  I came into this school wanting to get off to a good start and that’s what I am doing.”

– Quote from Caleb’s coach, Coach Tyler: Caleb is a great athlete and an amazing defensive player.  He has kept his grades up this entire season.  Caleb is a great teammate and athlete.

Unity Middle’s fall track team at their final meeting of the season at Van Cortland Park.

Members of Unity’s girls volleyball team present an opposing team member with a Panther PRIDE Award after their match this past week.

7. Updated – Fall Spirit Week is Just Around the Corner!:  See the fliers below for Unity’s Spirit Week and Annual Hallowsfest Extravaganza during the Week of October 28th!

Grades 6-8

Grades 9-12

8. Recap – October 2024 Schoolwide Calendar: For your family’s convenience, here is an updated school-wide 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.

9. Recap – Two Unity 11th Graders Continue in their Second Year as Fellows at JP Morgan’s Fellowship Initiative!: Kudos to Ibrahima Barry and Evan Ramos who are now in their second year as Fellows in The Fellowship Initiative (TFI) at JP Morgan.  Both students began participating in the fellowship in the summer prior to 10th grade and will continue as fellows through their graduation from Unity.  As Fellows, Ibrahima and Evan are gaining valuable college and career job experience, building their professional network, and learning under the mentorship of current JP Morgan employees.  In addition, both students are also eligible to apply for internships at JP Morgan as well as a $10,000 college scholarship.  Again, congrats to you both – continue to make us proud!

10. New- Your Feedback Empowers Us – Please Take a Moment to Share Your Experiences With Us By Completing our Fall Family Perception Survey: 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, the first 300 families to complete the survey by Friday, 11/1, at 4pm 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 the survey by clicking here
• 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.

11. Recap – Thank you, Families, for Taking Part in Last Week’s Family Ambassadors Meeting!: We are grateful to our families who participated in our Family Ambassadors meeting.  As always, the meeting was productive, energizing, and, of course, fun!  The agenda from the meeting is below.  Here are the slides from the meeting.  We look forward to seeing you at our next meeting on November 21st.

12. Recap – Refer a New Student to Unity Today!: Unity has a few seats available in grades 6, 7, 9, 10, and 11 for the 2024-25 school year. 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 referring and enrolling families will be given a $100 Amazon gift card for school supplies.

13. Recap – Unity Middle School Students to Earn Dress Down and Pizza by Practicing their ELA and Math Skills during Tutoring Class!  Families – see the flier below and please encourage students to develop their ELA and math foundational skills through focused practice during their daily tutoring block.  Through this practice, we look forward to celebrating their growth alongside you in the coming months!

14. Recap – Urban Advantage Family Science Days – Free Admission to some of the City’s Premiere Museums and Institutions for Unity Students in Grades 6-8!: Through Unity’s partnership with Urban Advantage (UA), middle school families may visit the following museums for free!  See the instructions below for how to obtain a family voucher.  Visit here for additional information.  Contact your child’s science teacher with questions.

Visit any of these Institutions with your family free of charge!

15. Recap – Stellar Attendance in September – 98% and Above!: The following lengthy list of students demonstrated a strong and consistent dedication to their education by showing stellar attendance in May.  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!

16. Recap – Guidance on Supporting your Child with School at Home: As communicated last week, there are four things that you are encouraged to engage in at home and over the course of this month in getting off to a strong start to the school year.  Congratulations on completing #4 below this week.

1. Ask your child about their school day and, more generally, how things are going.  If our team can be helpful to your child in ensuring that they are enjoying their school experience, please reach out to help.ms@unityprep.org or help.hs@unityprep.org or your child’s advisor.
2. Take a moment to check Jupiter for the latest information regarding your child’s progress.  If you are unfamiliar with how to log into Jupiter, here is a brief video tutorial.  And if you have questions about your child’s specific information in Jupiter, email your child’s advisor for support.
3. Establish a designated space and routine at home for your child to complete any homework or practice the skills they are learning in school.  Establishing routines early will reap dividends over the school year and cultivate sound study habits that will benefit your child at Unity and beyond.
4. ☑ Attend your child’s Back-to-School Night Session.  These in-person events are an extremely valuable part of our collaboration, as families learn about curricula, academic programming, and what your child will be learning this year.  Details on dates and times are featured below; you should have also received details  of the event via email and text.  The expectation is that 100% of families participate.

17. Recap – Unity Students in Grades 6-8 Outperform Their Peers Across New York State in Math, English Language Arts (ELA), and Science!  Our students showed off the impressive skills that they developed over the course of the 2023-24 school year as they performed better in math, reading & writing, and science compared to the average student in key districts of comparison and the state of New York.  Kudos to our team and our families for their impact on student learning!

18. Recap – Unity High Earns Advanced Placement Honor Roll Status with CollegeBoard!  Unity has been recognized by the College Board for delivering results for students while broadening access. Unity’s Honor Roll status reflects a commitment to increasing college-going culture, providing opportunities for students to earn college credit and maximizing college readiness.  Congratulations to our high school leaders and our AP teachers!  Indeed, this is an impressive achievement and reflects our commitment as a grades 6-12 school to excellence and access.

• 100% of graduates completed at least one AP course while in grades 9-12 (this reflects high access and exposure to college-ready coursework)
• 26% of graduates earned college credit while in high school (vs. the national average of 21%)
• 21% of graduates completed at least 5 AP courses while in grades 9-12 (this represents ample opportunity for students to thrive academically in college-ready coursework while in high school)

19. Recap – 2024-25 School Calendar of Key Events and Vacations for Families: Calendars for the 2024-25 school year can be accessed using the links below.  Note that we have two versions this year – one version for our middle school (grades 6-8) and another version for our high school (grades 9-12).

• Grades 6-8 School Calendar of Key Events and Vacations for Families
• Grades 9-12 School Calendar of Key Events and Vacations for Families