The Unity Scoop – April 7

Dear Families of Unity,

I want to begin by thanking all community members for contributing to two outstanding events this week with our Dinner Receptions for admitted students for the 2024-25 school year.  This includes our school leaders and a number of our staff and faculty.  It also includes members of  our National Junior Honor Society and National Honor Society, as well as middle school and high school step teams!  And I want to thank the prospective families who attended.  It was an energizing night for our community and we are excited to welcome you into our community in the coming months!

This coming week is a big one for our community.  Namely, our middle school students will complete the state English Language Arts (ELA) exam on Thursday (4/11) and Friday (4/12).  Our entire community has worked hard over the past year to develop the essential reading and writing skills assessed on this exam.  We are excited for our students to show off the growing skills they have developed this year under the direction of our team!  In addition, our high school students in grades 10 and 11 will take PSAT and SAT exams on Friday (4/12).   Many have worked hard over the past two months preparing for the SAT during after-school prep classes – we are excited for these students to experience the pay-off of their efforts this Friday!

We ask that you support your child at home in preparation for these exams by ensuring that they get a good night’s sleep, enjoy a healthy breakfast, receive an abundance of praise and encouragement leading up to the exams, and, of course, arrive at school on time and in good spirits.

In this edition of The Unity Scoop, I underline notable events in the coming week.  I also highlight recents events, including our college fair at Unity High and our recent Admissions Receptions.  Finally, I spotlight our Students with Stellar Attendance for the month of March and well as the recent accomplishments of our student-athletes!

Best wishes to you in the exciting  week ahead – enjoy the once-in-a-generation eclipse tomorrow afternoon!

In unity,

Josh

Josh Beauregard

Head of School / Co-founder

Updates as of April 7, 2024:

Updated – April 2024 School-wide Calendar: For your family’s convenience, here is a complete school-wide calendar of events for the month of April – 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.  For this week, notable dates and events include:

• 4/10 (Wednesday) – no school
• 4/11 (Thursday) – ELA state exam for students in grades 6-8
• 4/12 (Friday) – ELA state exam for students in grades 6-8
• 4/12 (Friday) – SAT / PSAT day for students in grades 10-11

New – Unity High Students Participate in Unity’s Annual College Fair!: Unity High hosted representatives from over 20 colleges last week during its annual college fair.  Thank you to our College & Career Readiness team for organizing the experience for our students and their families!

New – Receptions for Unity’s 2024-25 Admitted Families!: The Unity community welcomed all students and their families who were admitted to Unity for the 2024-25 school via our lotteries conducted earlier this week.  Thank you to all who participated!

New – NYC Public Schools Solar Eclipse Guidance: As you know, on Monday, April 8th, the New York City area will experience a partial solar eclipse beginning around 2:00pm.   A solar eclipse happens when the moon passes between the sun and earth. This casts a shadow that may make the sky dark for the eclipse’s duration, as the sun will become approximately 90% covered in NYC during the peak coverage time, around 3:25pm. While this may overlap with school dismissal times, please know that there will be no changes to dismissal, and after-school programming will remain in effect. Please also be prepared for increased traffic throughout the area and consider using public transit instead of driving during this time.  Please find solar eclipse safety guidance from the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) here.

New – Stellar Attendance in March – 95% and Above!: The following lengthy list of students demonstrated a strong and consistent dedication to their education by showing stellar attendance to school in the month of March.  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!

New – Unity’s Middle School Spring Art Exhibition, Thursday, April 18th, 5 & 6pm!: Under the guidance of their Art & Design Teacher, Mr. Berkeley, Unity’s middle school art students will proudly exhibit their latest artwork on Thursday, April 18th.  All art students are required to participate, and we welcome all of our students and families to attend and celebrate our young artists and their latest creations!   See the flier below for details and note the address – we are excited for our students to show off their latest works in a real exhibition space within the local community!

New – Unity Athletics – The Spring Season is Upon Us!!: There have been a number of recent highlights worth sharing with Unity’s athletic teams this spring season.  Here are a few!

Middle School Scholar-Athlete of the Month for March: Agneizska Thompson

Team: Track

Current GPA: 3.7

Description: Agneiszka has shown to be a prime example of what it means to be a student athlete at Unity. Whether she is excelling in her classes or crushing it on the track field, Agneiszka is a role model for many of her peers.

Quote: In learning that she had earned Scholar-Athlete of the Month, Agneizska offered the following response: “I am really happy and proud of myself.  I can’t wait to tell my mom!”

Unity Middle’s volleyball teams present members of Community Partnership Charter School’s volleyball team with a Unity Pride Sportsmanship Award following their matches.  Presenting one member of the opposing team with this award at the end of each game is a ritual of our athletics program.  Go Panthers!

New – Community Event – BSECDC Community Birthday Party, Saturday, April 20th, 12pm!: The Bedford Stuyvesant Early Childhood Development Center (BSECDC) is pleased to extend an invitation to families in the community for the upcoming BSECDC Community Birthday Party.  The celebration will take place on Saturday, April 20th from 12-2pm at 5 Quincy Street, Brooklyn NY 11238, and is open to all local families with children ages 2 to 4 who are celebrating a birthday this quarter.  Activities will include family games, story time with BSECDC teaching team, music and dancing by BaBas’ Kitchen.  RSVP by scanning the QR code on the flier and hurry, we can only accommodate thirty families to join the festivities.

Recap – Unity Families and Students Take Part in Sip & Paint Event: Students and their families had an opportunity to come together, appreciate one another, and “zen-out” as they created masterpieces on rainy Saturday afternoon last weekend.  Thank you to all Unity families and students who came out for the event.  And thank you to Ms. Griffin for organizing and hosting the event!

Recap – 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.

Machelle Smith, Proud Mother of Unity 6th Grader, Taylor Smith-Monroe

Profession: Client Relations Director

Favorite Restaurant in Brooklyn: Grand & Peaches

Favorite Self-care Activity: massage, meditation, spa time

Why did you choose to send your child to Unity? I chose Unity Preparatory due to a great community to enrich Taylor in her academic needs, community participation and athletics performance.

What is your favorite aspect of Unity? The leadership at Unity is phenomenal, and they always place the best interest of the children first.

What is the best advice you can provide for current and future Unity family members?  Your support to your scholar and the school during this transition into middle school is so vital. Get involved and be a part of their school community, you will not regret it!

Shout out to Ms. Shebroe for spearheading and facilitating last week’s Pi Day event. Families and scholars had a great time playing math games and building community.

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.

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