The Unity Scoop – May 21

Dear Families of Unity,

I hope that you stayed dry on Saturday and are enjoying some sunshine today.  Kudos to all of our families that participated in Friday’s art exhibition and Saturday’s dance recital.  It felt great to honor students as they showcased their talents as young artists and performers!

Enjoy the many wonderful photos below of our students in action this past week!

Best regards,

Josh

Josh Beauregard

Head of School / Co-founder

Updates as of May 21, 2023:

1. New – Unity’s Young Artists Exhibit their Works at a Local Gallery!: This past Friday, students, staff, family members, and community members participated in our full school art exhibition at the Art Cave Gallery on Broadway.  The affair featured artwork and essays created by Ms. Glickman’s and Mr. Berkeley’s art students this year.  A highlight of the evening was having our students provide guided tours of their work and offer their thoughts, inspirations, and methods behind their work.  Congrats to Ms. Glickman and Mr. Berkeley and their students for bringing this glorious event to our community!  And thank you to our families who came out to support!

2. New – Unity High Students Learn about Careers in Orthopedics!: A group of our high school science students learned about the field of orthopedics this past week during a visit to New York-Presbyterian/Brooklyn Methodist Hospital.  During the visit, students engaged in lively discussions and hands-on activities with doctors, faculty, and staff.

3. New – Unity’s Dance Students Perform in Winter Recital!: Unity’s dance students across grades 6-12 performed in front of a full audience of students, families, and staff yesterday.  Congratulations to our many students who performed and showed off all that they have learned in their class thus far this year.  Thank you to many families and staff who came out to take in the performance and support the cause.  And, finally, congratulations to Ms. McCrae and Ms. Parnell on continuing to bring our dance program to new heights!

4. Updated (with New Photos!) – Unity High Celebrates College Signing Day in Style: Unity recently celebrated our annual “College Signing Day”!  This tradition began by former First Lady Michelle Obama; it provides high schools the opportunity to honor seniors as they declare their postgraduate plans.  During the ceremony, the entire high school community and families of our seniors gathered in our gym.   As you can tell from the photos, the space was filled with excitement and pride.  Seniors each gave thanks to family members and staff who helped in their journey.  As each senior announced where she/he would attend college, the entire gym erupted in applause.  It was a beautiful event!

5. Updated – Unity’s Spring Athletics Teams Continue to Rally!: Our spring athletic season continues to be in full swing.  Enjoy the full gamut of photos of our middle school spring athletics teams below.  Overall, we have 116 middle school students who are participating in scholastic team sports this spring – almost half of our entire middle school!  It is thrilling to have so many of our students developing their teamwork skills, experiencing the impact of practice on performance, and learning about how to best overcome challenges to reach common goals.  Go Panthers!

6. Recap – Alumni Spotlight of the Month – Jordan Grant, Unity’s Class of 2020: We are thrilled to share with our entire community the accomplishments of our alumni whenever we can.  This month, we proudly provide an update on the postsecondary success of Jordan Grant, who is now working toward his Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology, with a minor in Sociology, at CUNY John Jay College.  Kudos to Jordan in making the most of his postsecondary opportunities thus far!

Some Background:

Jordan Grant was a member of Unity’s first class and began at Unity as a 6th grader in fall of 2013.  He graduated from Unity in 2020 as a member of Unity’s founding class.

Accomplishments:

Jordan earned his Associate’s Degree in Liberal Arts from CUNY Guttman Community College in 2022, and is now working on his Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology, with a minor in Sociology, at CUNY John Jay College. He is on track to receive this degree in May 2024.

Fun Facts:

Jordan loves the extracurriculars at John Jay. He recently leveled up to a green belt in the Karate Club. If it fits his schedule, he may take Judo next semester. Jordan plans to attend graduate school for an advanced degree in Mental Health Counseling after completing his undergraduate degree.

Advice for Unity Underclassmen (middle and high school):

Jordan’s advice to Unity students is to be diligent and responsible. Pick a college that fits your career and makes you feel comfortable!

7. Recap – May 2023 School-wide Calendar: For your family’s convenience, here is a schoolwide calendar of events for the month of May – 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.

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. 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.