The Unity Scoop – January 12

Dear Families of Unity,

I hope that the start of the New Year is treating you well.  We look forward to another full and productive week of learning ahead.  Please review the calendar below for a full schedule of academic and extracurricular events this week.

In this edition of The Unity Scoop, we celebrate our PRIDE leaders and students with stellar attendance in December.  We also feature photos of our student-athletes in action last week as well as honor our Middle School Student-Athlete of the Month.  Lastly, we share information about BAM’s MLK Jr. Day celebration on January 20th and encourage students and families to participate!

Enjoy your Sunday, and best wishes in the week ahead!

In unity,

Josh

Joshua Beauregard

Executive Director / Co-founder

Updates as of January 12, 2025:

1. Updated – January 2025 School-wide Calendar: For your family’s convenience, here is a school-wide calendar of events for the month of January – print it out and throw it on the refrigerator door!  It is possible that events could change and new events could be added.  An up-to-date events calendar can always be accessed on our website.

• BAM honors the life and legacy of Dr. King at this vital Brooklyn tradition. Join us for an inspiring speech by Carlotta Walls LaNier of the Little Rock Nine, a very special solo presentation by Ailey II, vibrant music with The Fire Ensemble led by Troy Anthony, and more. Ring in the New Year with friends, neighbors, artists, and civic leaders in a day of activism, music, and family-friendly activities.
• Tickets are free for this event and will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis beginning at 8am on January 20 in the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House lobby. Please note that providing an RSVP does not guarantee entry.

3. New – Stellar Attendance in December – 98% and Above!: The following lengthy list of students demonstrated a strong and consistent dedication to their education by showing stellar attendance in December.  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 – Kudos to our P.R.I.D.E. Leaders Through the Month of December!: 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 December 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.

5. New – Unity’s Athletic Teams Start the New Year Out Strongly!: Our athletic teams picked up where they left off in returning from the December break.  Thank you to the many students, staff, and families who came out to support our teams this week. Go Panthers, and enjoy the photos below of our teams in action!  We also include our winter season team photos for our middle school teams.  Finally, congratulations to Jordan Jones – who is MS Student-Athlete of the Month for December and Unity alumni Malik Dale ‘20, who was named Player of the Week in his conference at Brooklyn College!

Jordan Jones, 8th grade

Current GPA: 3.7

Quote from Jordan’s coach, Coach Beckford: “Jordan is a coach’s dream. He follows instructions the first time they are given, puts in a ton of effort, and comes to the gymnasium with a positive attitude every day. He continues to improve his skills by consistently dedicating hours to basketball training and conditioning.”

Quote from Jordan on learning of his accomplishment: “I feel really good because I’ve never achieved anything like this before in my entire life.”

Unity Alumni, Malike Dale ‘20, was named CUNYAC Men’s Basketball Players of the Week for his recent achievements on the basketball court.  Malik is in his senior year at Brooklyn College and majoring in Business Management.

6. Recap – More Photos of our Annual Love Your Neighbor Community Service Day!: In the spirit of giving, our school community engaged in a morning of community service.  Students and staff volunteered their time and talents to over a dozen different service projects.  Projects included partnering with a number of local nonprofit organizations, including The Campaign Against Hunger, Bedford Stuyvesant Early Childhood Center, CHiPS Soup Kitchen & Women’s Shelter, and Hope Gardens Senior Center.  Enjoy the photos below!

7. Recap – Unity’s Family Ambassadors and Basketball Teams Bring Movie Night to our Community, Friday, January 31st 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.

8. 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