The Unity Scoop at 432! Week of January 7th

Happy New Year, families of Unity Junior High!

I hope that the holiday break was “as good as it gets” for you and yours and that 2019 is off to a magnificent start!

I want to begin this morning’s Scoop by thanking wholeheartedly all of our families for supporting your kids with the additional academic practice assigned to them over the holiday break. By having students engage in some additional practice while on break, our aim is to have students’ minds and skills be as sharp as can be as they enter the New Year. Again, we thank you for supporting our efforts here.

In returning from the break, it is important that we, Unity staff and families, are oriented and on the same page regarding where we are and where we are going.  As of today, we are presently just shy of the midpoint of the school year. We are coming off of family conferences in which we had very productive conversations and are now a few weeks into the second trimester with state exams in the not-so-distant future. On behalf of our staff and faculty, we are excited to roll up our sleeves with you in best supporting your children in experiencing an exceptional education at Unity.

In this week’s edition of the Scoop, I bring to your attention 6 important announcements plus a bonus. My apologies in advance for the barrage of photos – the end of December was a special time for Unity and I couldn’t help myself from sharing!

This Week’s Top 6:

Congrats to our Students with Perfect Attendance in December!– A big shout-out to our Unity scholars with perfect attendance in the month of December.  We look forward to seeing even more names on the list for January!

Next Opportunity to Have Coffee with Our Co-Principals, January 17th at 8:30am– Mr. Burns and Mrs. Roy Gaines look forward to continuing their collaboration with you during next week’s coffee talk on Thursday, January 17th at 8:30am.  For those who have yet to attend a session, we welcome your participation and engagement!

Thank you for attending Unity Middle School’s Family Holiday Party!– The affair was festive and we are grateful to all families who participated.   A special thanks goes to those who volunteered a delicious holiday dish!  Enjoy the photos below!

We Concluded Love Your Neighbor Month with a Community Service Bang!– On December 21st, our final day of school in the eventful year of 2018, 100% of our students and staff had the opportunity to take action in the spirit of positively impacting our community.  Students and staff volunteered with great number of exceptional non-profit organizations, including Homes for the Homeless, Campaign Against Hunger, City Meals on Wheels, Neighbors Together, Life-force in Later Years, and Glamour Gals to name a few.  Indeed, it was a special affair.  A huge shout-out goes to Ms. Conner who organized much of the day and partnerships.  Again, enjoy the photos!  Moreover, be mighty proud, Unity!

Thank You for Making Unity Middle School’s Toiletry Drive such a Success! – Due to our collective efforts, six large bins of toiletries, socks, and undergarments went to Trinity Place Shelter and Ali Forney, two youth homeless shelters located in New York City.  Thank you for making the Drive so successful – a special shout-out to our families who reached our to their neighbors, friends, and family to donate!

Last Call! Make-up Conference Appointments – Please Schedule ASAP! – For families who were unable to attend conferences in December, please contact one of the child’s two advisors as soon as possible to schedule a separate appointment to discuss your child’s academic progress over the first trimester of school.  We expect to meet with 100% of our families so that we are best supporting our students in collaboration with families – the stronger the collaboration, the better!  Contact Ms. Rivera of our main office (718-455-5046 or jrivera@unityprep.org) if you need contact information for your child’s co-advisors.

Bonus: High School Students Lead the Way in Roundtables 2018-19! – While Roundtable presentations at the middle school occur in June, we did have a number of high school present their Roundtable in December.  Roundtable presentations are slightly different in theme at the high school but many of the essential features are still very prominent, including a formal oral presentation to a small audience and the active participation of family members and staff members.  We look forward to our sixth annual Roundtable presentations at the middle school this spring – expect more information on the school-wide event that culminates each school year in the coming months!

Resources for Families:

MS January calendar, including our athletics schedule

2018-19 MS Academic Calendar (official calendar as established at the beginning of the year)

2018-19 MS Student & Family Handbook

Unity Pledge

Jupiter (for your child’s grades) – you can also log in by visiting our website and clicking on the Jupiter Ed icon on the top right corner of our homepage.

Wishing you a terrific second half of the week!

In unity,

Joshua M. Beauregard

Head of School & Co-founder

Unity Preparatory Charter School of Brooklyn

(718) 682-3725