The Unity Scoop – March 26

Dear Families of Unity,

I hope that the recent stint of spring weather has you feeling healthy, energized, and optimistic!

This past week was fun and festive for our community.  We continued celebrating Women’s History Month, engaged as a full community in our Unity Arts & Athletics programming, and took pride in recognizing the achievements of our recent graduation rates from last spring.  Each of these are showcased below.

Believe it or not, we’ve now finished six full, glorious weeks of school since the February week and have reached spring break.  I applaud our staff, students, and families in making the most of our learning time together.  I wish our entire community a restful and rejuvenating spring break in the coming week.

I look forward to reuniting on Monday, April 5th!

Best Regards,

Josh

Josh Beauregard
Head of School / Co-founder

Updates as of March 26, 2021:

1. New – Newly Released State and City Graduation Data Highlights the Accomplishments of Unity’s Founding Class!: Graduation statistics from June 2020 for the state and city were recently made public.  In comparison, significantly more Unity students from our founding class graduated in four years compared to both the state average and NYCDOE schools.  Unity’s graduation rate of 98% was 13 percentage points higher than the state average and 19 percentage points higher than the city average (see the table below).  In addition, our graduation rate was in line with – or sometimes higher than – the graduation rates of the vast majority of the city’s well-established charter schools and selective public high schools. As a relatively new, open-enrollment, mom & pop, community charter school, we are honored to serve all students and have much to be proud of!

2. New – Congratulations to our Honor Roll Students!: We recently celebrated all students who earned Honor Roll status for Trimester 2 at our middle school and Semester 1 at our high school.  Congratulations to the many students who are listed – be proud of your accomplishments!  We look forward to celebrating your continued academic prowess this spring and to adding more to this list!

Middle School High Honor Roll

Middle School Honor Roll

High School Principal’s List

High School High Honor Roll

High School Honor Roll

3. New – Continuing in our Celebration of Women’s History!: As we honor Women’s History this month, one way we are celebrating is by spotlighting, studying, and discussing women who played a vital role in our history and advancements as a society.  As a part of the festivities, we had over 70 students and 30 staff attend our Women’s History Month Celebration on Wednesday afternoon!  Students presented poems, music videos, voted on female Mayoral Candidates, and spotlighted Black female-owned businesses within the Unity Community.  Jennifer S. and Samija T. hosted and introduced the Critical Race Scholar and Activist, Dr. Angel Jones, PhD. It was such an empowering event, as Dr. Jones fielded a range of questions from students and staff.

4. New – Unity Staff and Students Participate in Unity’s Arts & Athletics Classes!  Our community – both staff and students – participated in a variety of arts and athletics remote classes this week. The event was fun and a rich learning experience for all.  As a community, we are so fortunate to have a dedicated and talented team of educators leading our arts and athletics courses!

5. New – 8th Grade Graduation / End-of-Year Events Caregiver Survey: We are aiming to wrap up this remote school year on a high note and would love to hear from you! Please take this brief survey.  Thanks in advance for your input!

6. Reminder – College Information for Students and Families of Unity: See the updates below from our College & Career Readiness Team!

• End of the Quarter for Unity High Students – We are one week away from the end of the third quarter.  Now is the time for students to review their Jupiter Grades accounts to identify where extra effort should be applied.  Finish the quarter on a strong note by submitting any missing or incomplete assignments!
• Financial Aid Support – For the Class of 2021, you should be hearing from colleges this month!  After offers of admission, colleges will send financial aid packages to accepted students.  Please use these Calendly links for Mr. Gonzalez and Ms. Roth to make appointments to review and compare financial aid packages.
• Apply for Scholarships – The Class of 2021 should be searching for and applying for scholarships to help them cover the costs of college.  To help with this search, please create an account at College Greenlight or Fastweb.com.
• Summer Jobs and Programs – All students should make appointments with their academic counselors to discuss options for summer programs and jobs.  The Academic Counseling department also held a “Summer Job and Program Fair” designed to support students in finding and applying for jobs and programs.  Check out the recording of that Fair here, and the slides here.

7. Reminder – Update to our School Programming Plan for the Remainder of the 2020-21 School Year! Per the letter that was recently disseminated via Jupiter, we will continue with our remote learning program for the remainder of the 2020-21 school year. Given the successes that we have experienced with our remote learning program thus far this year, and considering a host of factors that inform how we best serve our students and families over the coming months – including updates on safety guidelines from the CDC and the input of our stakeholders – we feel that this is best course of action for our school community.  Please take a moment to read the full letter addressed to families.  Additional notes on our preliminary summer and fall plans are also included.  More information will be provided in the coming weeks.

8. Reminder – Take Part in our Opt-in, In-Person, Intramural Athletics Program!: As highlighted last week, Unity’s intramural program provides students with opportunities to exercise, learn, and interact with their peers six days a week.  We currently offer the following sports: Basketball, Soccer, Step, Volleyball, and Track.  If you are interested in registering your child, please contact Mr. Coleman (acoleman@unityprep.org) for the middle school or Mr. Noblia (pnoblia@unityprep.org) for the high school.

9. Reminder –  Issue No. 5 of the Unity Review is Available for your Reading Pleasure!  I am excited to share with you the sixth issue of the Unity Review literary magazine.  The Unity Review team continues to work incredibly hard to bring to you the ideas and talents of our young writers and artists.  This edition’s theme is Love and Hate and includes a number of impressive submissions.  Enjoy!

10. Recap – Working Papers for HS Students During Remote Learning: We know many students will be applying for the Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) or Ladders For Leaders in the coming weeks.  In order to do so, students may wish to obtain their working papers.  The process for obtaining working papers during remote learning is as follows:

1.  Parent/guardian completes section I of this form:  http://www.p12.nysed.gov/sss/documents/AT17-0320Fillable.pdf

(Form can be typed directly into and saved.)

2.  Email the form to Ms. Kim: ykim@unityprep.org.

3.  Ms. Kim must also see the student’s birth certificate and a completed physical from the student’s doctor dated within one year OR a letter from the doctor stating the student is physically fit to work also dated within one year.  These documents can be emailed to ykim@unityprep.org OR a Zoom call can be scheduled where the documents can be presented.

4.  After these steps are complete, the working papers will be mailed to your home.

If there are any questions about this process, please email Ms. Kim at ykim@unityprep.org.

11. Recap – Unity’s School Calendar for Families through the End of June 2021: In the spirit of providing you with the information you need to best support your child with school at home, here are our updated middle and high school calendars through June 2021.

• Middle School Calendar for Families through June 2021
• High School Calendar for Families through June 2021

12. Recap – Unity’s Panther Den is Open to Middle and High School Students who Demonstrate PRIDE!: The Panther Den is where students can redeem the Core Value (PRIDE) points that they’ve earned for prizes and gifts of their choice.

• Middle school students can submit their requests for the Panther Den prizes via the following link.  Middle school students should reach out to their grade level dean with any questions.
• The High School Den is open to students on Wednesdays from 3:05-3:50pm and can be accessed using this link.

13. Recap – 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/.

Relevant Information from Past Editions of The Scoop:

Requests for a Laptop and Support with Technology or Internet Access: Unity will provide a laptop to all students who need one.  If you still need a Unity laptop OR do not have internet access at home, please complete the following form: https://bit.ly/Unitylaptops.  After completing this form, somebody from the school will reach out to you. Our goal is for 100% of students to have access to the technology they need to fully engage in their studies.

Creating the Perfect Workspace for your Child at Home: Virtual learning can be challenging, but with a welcoming, comfortable learning environment, students are more likely to engage fully in their studies without distraction. Here are three simple best practices to turn a corner of your home into a workspace:

• Find a spot that has lighting: whether it’s natural sunlight from a window or light from an overhead lamp, it’s important that your workspace has enough light so that your student won’t need to strain to see.
• Make sure the table and chair are comfortable: working while sitting in a chair at a table increases productivity and focus, but it’s just as crucial that students are comfortable, since they’ll likely be sitting for long periods of time.
• Ensure that the workspace is free of distractions, noise, and clutter: games, toys, phones, laptops – they’re all fun, but they can be distracting to students while they try to learn. Therefore, the workspace should be spacious, quiet, clean, and clear of distractions.

For additional tips on making an ideal, remote workspace for your child, check out this guide and these suggestions.

Free Breakfast & Lunch are available for Students – Any student has access to free meals a day at more than 400 Meal Hubs across the city.  More details, including a search tool, is available by clicking here.

Helpful Guidance on Obtaining the Perfect Book for Your Child – With the Unity Library closed for the time being, our public libraries in Brooklyn offer a vast majority of their books and resources online.  Additionally, many private companies are stepping up and offering their services for free.  Check out this helpful guide to gain access to ebooks or audiobooks from the Brooklyn Public Library.  In addition, see the list of resources below:

• Do you have dyslexia, blindness, cerebral palsy, or other reading barriers? Access Bookshare’s free online ebooks.
• Are you an English Language Learner (ELL) and interested in practicing your English? Are you looking to learn a new language? Rosetta Stone is being offered free for three months to all students.
• Are you finding it difficult to spend all day looking at a computer screen? Download BeeLine reader for free, which uses color gradients to make reading just a little bit easier.
• Worried that by spending so much time alone your vocabulary is growing more and more limited by the day? Dictionary.com has free daily activities such as puzzles, quizzes, and a word of the day to keep your vocabulary skills sharp.
• Want to practice your reading and thinking skills? Scholastic has a remote learning program where you can play games and participate in activities.
• Try using Newsela, which is an online news-as-literacy platform that features high-interest articles on everything from current events to myths and legends and from literature to science. Follow this link to create an account.
• Audible is offering free audio books for students. Click here to access a huge selection of audiobooks.

Resources Regarding Unemployment Due to COVID-19 – NYC has developed a list of resources for those who may be unemployed due to COVID-19 or are seeking additional assistance. The website will be updated frequently and includes information on employment/unemployment, food assistance, financial assistance, rent arrears, health and medical assistance, and so forth.

Income Inquiry & Housing Status Form!  We are asking for your help by completing the questions on the form below so we can best assist you and your family during this school year. Your participation in completing this form allows Unity to receive grant money from the state and federal government. The information will be kept confidential.

• Link to complete form.