The Unity Scoop – June 11

Dear Families of Unity,

I hope that the weekend was good to you and your loved ones.

This past week was a strange and unanticipated week, to say the least.  As of Monday, I would not have imagined that we would have to transition to remote learning for the final two days of the week due to air quality concerns.

I look forward to resuming in-person learning this upcoming week.  It is an exciting week for us – our middle school students will perform their Roundtable presentations on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.  Moreover, our high school students have their final two days of regular classes on Monday and Tuesday before completing their Regents exams starting Wednesday.

In this edition of the Unity Scoop, I highlight our Core Value leaders and students with stellar attendance.  I also provide updates on our calendar for this month and for next school year.

Again, we are excited to reunite with our students in-person tomorrow at our regular start times!

In unity,

Josh

Josh Beauregard

Head of School / Co-founder

Updates as of June 11, 2023:

1. Updated – June 2023 School-wide Calendar: For your family’s convenience, here is a schoolwide calendar of events for the month of June – 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.  Note that the Unity High Athletic Awards Banquet was originally scheduled for Thursday, June 7th, will now take place on Monday, June 12 at 5pm.

2. Updated – 2023-24 School Calendar Update: Due to the interruption to school and programming last week, we are still putting the finishing touches on our calendar for the 2023-24 school year.  We expect to disseminate the calendar at the end of this coming week.  One date to note is our first day of school for the coming year, which will be Wednesday, September 6th.

3. Updated – Middle School Families – RSVP for Your Child’s Roundtable Presentation Now!:  We are excited for our students’ Roundtable presentations, which will take place over three days: June 14th through June 16th.  An RSVP form for your child’s Roundtable presentation was disseminated last week.  RSVP at your earliest convenience if you haven’t already done so!

4. New – Kudos to our Core Value Champions for the Full Month of May!: Our P.R.I.D.E. Core Values of Progress, Respect for All, Integrity, Discovery, and Empathy represent qualities that we covet as a school community.  They also represent qualities that we believe empower our students to lead fulfilling lives and, therefore, qualities that we have a responsibility to actively teach and positively reinforce.  The students listed below were leaders for the month of May 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. Recap – Unity’s 6th Grade Poets Show off their Skills!: Kudos to our talented 6th grade students for engaging in this week’s poetry slam.  And congratulations to our winners!

6. Recap – Unity Family Ambassador Spotlight of the Month!: We are thrilled to introduce a new 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 (grades 6-8) or Ms. Young (grades 9-12).

Ms. Glenda Charles (Mother of Tylar Charles, Unity 11th Grader)

This month, we are thrilled to profile Ms. Glenda Charles, the mother of Unity 11th grade scholar Tylar Charles.

Some background:

The Charles family have been members of the Unity community since Tylar entered high school in 2020. Tylar is an active member of Unity Athletics, currently serving on our Volleyball team. Ms. Charles has been a member of the Unity Ambassadors since the group formed earlier this school year.

Occupation:

Ms. Charles works as a Nanny in the childcare industry.

Favorite Restaurant in Brooklyn?

Footprints Cafe – a Flatbush staple!

Your favorite self-care activity? (exercise, aromatherapy, etc.)

Ms. Charles has a wide array of self-care activities which help her to decompress. They include deep-sea diving, receiving deep tissue massages, getting facials and manicures and pedicures.

Why did you choose to send your child to Unity Prep?

Ms. Charles chose to send Tylar to Unity because she was impressed by the academic offerings and curriculum that the school provides as a college preparatory charter school. When seeking schools for Tylar to attend, Ms. Charles made her ultimate choice because she wanted to expose him to a deeper level of learning and leadership skills.  

What is the best advice you could provide for an incoming caregiver?

Trust the school administration with your child’s safety.

How do you utilize JupiterEd?

Ms. Charles takes advantage of JupiterEd, our learning management software, by logging in consistently to keep track of her son’s grades.

What is your favorite aspect of Unity Prep?

Ms. Charles enjoys the great community we have at Unity. She stresses the importance of the community between the parents and the teachers, who work together to make sure students at Unity have the best chance at being successful..

What inspired you to ‘give back’ to our community by joining the Unity Family Ambassadors this year?

When thinking about what inspired her to join the Ambassadors this year, Ms. Charles was inspired seeing the ways in which her Tylar’s teachers support him inside and outside of the classroom.

7. Recap – Unity’s Spring Athletics Teams are Finishing Strong!: As our spring season comes to a close, we celebrate our student-athletes, their growth, and their successes.  Our middle school spring athletic teams celebrated their seasons this past week.  Enjoy the photos below and thanks to our families who came out to support!  This coming Wednesday, our high school athletic teams will come together to celebrate their accomplishments this year.  See the flier below for more details!

8. Recap – New Students for Fall 2023 – Unity middle school has a few seats available for rising sixth graders for the 2023-24 school year. Finding the right middle school can be tough, and our current families (you!) are the best advocates. If you know of any interested families, please reach out to Mr. Beckford via email or cell (862-294-0219).

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

10. Recap – 2022-23 School Calendar of Key Events and Vacations: The table below reflects our key events and vacations calendar for the 2022-23 school year, including key events we ask for your collaboration with caregiver involvement.  In addition, here is the updated PDF version of the table for your convenience. We look forward to meeting our newest families and reconnecting with our returning families at Family Kick-off-the-Year Festival & Family Orientation on August 31st!

Relevant Information from Past Editions of The Scoop:

Our Community Pledge as a school outlines the actions our staff, families, and students are committed to taking.  By following through on our commitments, we will undoubtedly have an enormously successful school year!

Information and Guidance on Unity’s Dress Codes for the 2022-23 School Year: Unity’s dress codes by grade level are provided below.

• Grades 6-8: Here is a link to all things dress code for all middle school students.
• Grades 9-12: Unity High’s dress code is outlined below:
  1. Tops:
     1. It is strongly encouraged that an official Unity top is worn in the spirit of school pride and in being united in our collective focus on learning. “Official” is defined as a top (T-Shirt or Polos) purchased from an approved vendor.
     2. In cases where students do not take our recommendation, students can wear tops of their choice so long as the top covers their entire torso and shoulders.
     3. Tops must not bear any offensive and/or inappropriate language and/or images and may not be crop tops, tube tops, halter tops or tank tops.
  2. Bottoms:
     1. Student bottoms must be long enough that the hem hits the top of the knee, shin, or ankle.
     2. Bottoms must properly fit and be worn at the waist.  A belt must be worn if bottoms are unable to fit at the waist without sagging.
     3. Bottoms may have rips or tears.
     4. Bottoms may not be leggings, tights, catsuits/bodysuits, basketball shorts or display undergarments.
  3. Shoes:
     1. All shoes must have backs, be closed-toed, and low heeled.
     2. Sandals, flip-flops, and athletic slides ARE NOT permitted (worn with or without socks).
     3. Crocs ARE permitted so long as the backstrap is raised behind the ankle at all times.
     4. For reasons related to safety, the policy for shoes will apply for all dress down days and spirit days.

School Supply Guidance: Having all of our students equipped with the supplies they need is essential to getting off to a strong start to the school year.  We offer guidance below on school supplies by grade level:

• Grades 6-8
• Grades 9-12

COVID-19 Vaccines: Currently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized three COVID-19 vaccines: the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson/Janssen vaccines. The vaccine can prevent COVID-19 symptoms and severe COVID-19 illness. People 5 and older are eligible for the vaccine. Those who are fully vaccinated can more safely gather with friends and enjoy other benefits of vaccination. Many vaccination sites in the city no longer require appointments.

• See a list of sites where you can get a walk-up vaccination today. To find a vaccination site near you, including those that take appointments, use the City’s Vaccine Finder.
• Note, people who are 12 to 17 years old can only receive the Pfizer vaccine.

Mental Health Counseling and Social Work Services at Unity: If you would like to speak to a social worker about your child’s mental health or if you would like your child to receive support from a social worker in school, please reach out to Ms. Del Purgatorio via phone or text (347-688-9107) or email (tdelpurgatorio@unityprep.org).

Unity social workers can also be of assistance in providing information regarding social services (for example: housing, immigration, access to community mental health services & referrals to mental health providers, food security / access to food, public assistance, crisis intervention, etc.).

If your child or family member is experiencing a mental health crisis, NYC Well is available 24 hours a day and can be accessed by phone (1-888-NYC-WELL) or text (text WELL to 65173) or by internet chat via their website: https://nycwell.cityofnewyork.us/en/.

Discounts on Home Internet Services Available: If your household is struggling to afford internet service during the COVID-19 pandemic, you may be eligible for a monthly service discount through the Emergency Broadband Benefit. Please visit this information page or call 833-511-0311 for more information.