The Unity Scoop – June 28

Dear Families of Unity,

It is with immense enthusiasm that I commend our school community on concluding the 2023-24 school year!  It has been an eventful year and there is much for which we, as a community, can be grateful for.

On behalf of Unity’s full faculty and staff, congratulations to the families of our newest graduating class – the Class of 2024!  Yesterday’s ceremony was a wonderfully festive event, and I am so excited for our graduates and their postsecondary plans.  I thank our families for their contributions to the ceremony, including the stunning and heartfelt video clips put forward by family members.

In addition, I would also like to congratulate our 8th graders on their graduation from Unity’s middle school.  Wednesday’s ceremony was warm and festive and we are so excited for our graduating 8th graders as they extend their educational journey to high school this fall!

In this edition of The Unity Scoop we bring to you an abundance of graduation photos, a summary of student end-of-year awards and achievements, and milestones among our staff and team.  We also provide updates on services and resources available to families this summer, and other relevant updates from last week’s edition.

Enjoy your July and expect the next edition of the Scoop to be shared during the week of August 1st!

In unity,

Josh

Josh Beauregard

Head of School / Co-founder

Updates as of June 28, 2024:

New – Unity Celebrates our Graduates of the Class of 2024!:  We are so proud of our graduates and extremely excited about their college and career pursuits as Unity graduates.  A special congrats to the graduates featured below for their academic achievements.  Again, we are proud of you!

 New –  Unity Celebrates our 8th Grade Graduates!: Congratulations to the families of our newest 8th grade graduates!  Wednesday’s ceremony was a warm and festive event, and I am so excited for our graduates as they continue their academic pursuits in high school.

New – Unity Middle’s End-of-Year Ceremony Honors our Students’ Many Achievements in 2023-24!: An abundance of students were celebrated for their achievements during Monday’s Awards Ceremony.  Congratulations to all recipients, including our Caregiver Award recipient!

New – Report Cards for all Unity Students for the Spring Term and Year:

• Grades 6-8: Middle School report cards were distributed during Roundtables.  Report cards that were not picked up will be mailed out by July 1st, in addition to students’ summer assignment packets, and any awards students may have received.
• Grades 9-12: Report card links will be sent out via email to families by June 28th.

New – Summer Assignment Information: Here are the descriptions for summer assignments for students by grade level:

• Grades 6-8: Summer assignments for all rising 7th-8th grade middle school students were distributed during Roundtable presentations. Digital copies were also sent via email to all incoming 6th graders.  If you are a new family in need of assignments for this summer, please reach out to Mr. Beckford.
• Grades 9-12: Students who are mandated to retake Regents examinations will receive summer prep work directions by August 7th.  Some summer school classes may have homework. There are no full-grade summer assignments.

New – July Hours of Operation: Here is information on July office hours by site:

• 432 Monroe Street (grades 6-8): due to renovations to the school building, our middle school will be closed and inaccessible through the month of July.  Summer Academy for students in grades 6-8 will take place at 787 Lafayette Avenue.  Please contact info@unityprep.org with questions.
• 584 Driggs Avenue (grades 9-12): July 8th – July 26th; 8am – 4pm. For questions, please call 718-682-3725, ext. 1.

New – Unity Celebrates the 5th-Year Anniversary for 11 Educators and 10-Year Anniversary for 6 Educators!: This past week, we honored nine Unity staff members who are celebrating their 5th year at Unity, along with two Unity staff members who are celebrating their 10th year at Unity.  As a young school, these teammates have contributed mightily to our programming, our curriculum, and most importantly, the learning experiences of our students.  They are pillars within our community and we thank them wholeheartedly to all that they have brought and continue to bring to our school.  Here they are – feel free to send them a note of congrats!

• Platinum Apple Awards – 10 Years at Unity!
  • Aaron Coleman, Middle School Athletics Director and Physical Education Teacher
  • Brandon Lopez, High School Director of Operations
• Golden Apple Awards – 5 Years at Unity!
  • Calou Beckford, Coordinator of Student Recruitment & Family Engagement
  • Franklin Berkeley, Middle School Art Teacher
  • Amanda Bond, High School English Language Arts Teacher
  • Hillary Bond, Middle School Science Teacher
  • Jamela Gibson, Middle School Mathematics Teacher
  • Zakiyyah Griffin, Middle School Dean of Students
  • Julia McCullough, High Mathematics Teacher
  • Ben Pakter, High School History Teacher
  • Olivia-Ann Richardson, Middle School Director of Support Services

Recap – Unity Students Show Off their New Skills During Roundtables: Congrats to all of our middle school students who completed their Roundtable Presentations this week.  Be proud of this milestone achievement. Family members – we hope you enjoyed the experience – congratulations to you too!

Recap – Unity Athletics – Congrats to our 2023-24 Student-Athletes!: As we conclude the 2023-24 school year, we congratulate all of our student athletes for your achievements and sportsmanship.  We look forward to building on our success in 2024-25, and we encourage all of our student-athletes to practice your skills this summer!

Congratulations to our student-athletes at Unity Middle who enjoyed an end-of-year Athletic Awards banquet last week.  Go Panthers!

Members of Unity’s basketball teams have been working hard to develop their skills in the offseason this spring.  This past week, they had the opportunity to mee with Pasha Cook, a former Division I basketball player who now works with professional athletes and leagues, including the NFL and WNBA, to provide life coaching and branding consultation.  Unity players and Pasha took part in a rich discussion on Leadership and Legacy in which a number of life lessons were shared.  Thank you, Pasha, for taking the time to meet with our student-athletes!

New – 2024-25 School Calendar of Key Events and Vacations for Families: Calendars for the 2024-25 school year are now ready to share.  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