The Unity Scoop – May 5

Dear Families of Unity,

I hope you enjoyed a terrific spring break with loved ones, and that the return to school this week was seamless.  It felt great to reunite with students, teachers, and staff this last week.  We are now fully immersed in the spring season in which there are a number of major milestones that we will experience together!

The upcoming week is an exciting one.  On Wednesday and Thursday, our middle school students will take their state math exams.  We are also administering four Advanced Placement (AP) exams for our high school students throughout the week.  We ask that you support your child at home in preparation of these important assessments by ensuring that they get a good night’s sleep, enjoy a healthy breakfast, receive an abundance of praise and encouragement leading up to the exams, and, of course, arrive at school on time and in good spirits.

In addition to middle school state exams and high school AP exams, we are also celebrating our entire staff this week in honor of National Educator Appreciation Week.  As I am sure you appreciate, our team of dedicated educators is one of the greatest features of our school.  I encourage all of our families to take a moment next week to show your appreciation of the educators you are working most closely with this year.  Such appreciation can be conveyed through a brief phone call or text, or through an email or written note – whichever manner feels most comfortable to you.  You may also share a note of appreciation below under the first update.  In any case, do share your appreciation this coming week – I promise that it will be warmly received!

Finally, we celebrated Principal Appreciation Day on Wednesday of last week.  We have two magnificent principals: Ms. Williams at our middle school and Ms. Yun at our high school.  Thank you, Ms. Williams and Yun, for leading the way at each of our campuses.  Our community wholeheartedly appreciates you!

In this edition of the Unity Scoop, we bring to you an updated May calendar.  In addition, we spotlight all our students with stellar attendance from the month of April as well as offer a convenient space for you to show your appreciation for teachers.  Finally, we highlight a number of recent academic and extracurricular experiences at Unity and beyond.

Best wishes in the week ahead!

In unity,

Josh

Josh Beauregard

Head of School / Co-founder

Updates as of May 5, 2024:

New – Take a Moment to Share a Brief Note Appreciation to a Member of our Team: For your convenience, here is a space to share a note of appreciation with a Unity educator.  Simply share your note via this survey and the note will be shared with the educator next week.  Alternatively, feel free to reach out to the educator directly.  Thanks in advance for your encouragement and appreciation!

Updated – May 2024 School-wide Calendar: For your family’s convenience, here is a complete school-wide 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.  For this week, notable dates and events include:

• 5/6-5/10 – Educator Appreciation Week
• 5/8-5/9 – State Math Exams, grades 6-12
• 5/6-5/10 – Advanced Placement exams in Government, Literature, Environmental Science, and U.S. History, grades 10-12

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

Updated – Unity Athletics – The Spring Season is Upon Us!!: There have been a number of recent highlights worth sharing with Unity’s athletic teams this spring season.  Here are a few!

Members of our middle school community recently participated in a Student vs. Faculty flag football game at MetLife Stadium!  The game went down to the wire and ended in a high-scoring tie at 28-28.  Go Panthers!

Rowlyn Gonzalez, Co-Captain of Unity Middle’s Boys Volleyball team, congratulates members of an opposing team following a recent match.  Go Panthers!

Student-Athletes from Unity’s middle school and high school have been hard at work over the past two weeks to develop their skills on the basketball court.  Workout sessions take place on Tuesday and Friday afternoons.  See the flier below for details and enjoy the photos below of students in action!

Recap – Unity’s Middle School Spring Art Exhibition!: Enjoy the photos below from the exhibition and, again, congratulations to our student artists!

Recap – Free Admission to NYC’s Finest Museum through Unity Middle’s Partnership with Urban Advantage: Unity Middle students were given vouchers to attend some of the best museums in NYC free of charge.  See the details below and contact Ms. Diaz, our MS Science Department Chairperson, with any questions.

Recap – College Acceptance List for Unity’s Class of 2024!: We are excited to share with our community the full list of colleges to which members of Unity’s Class of 2024 have earned admission.  Congrats to the entire class and their families as they now decide which college they will attend this fall!  Enjoy the photo below of members of Unity’s Class of 2024 visiting SUNY Stony Brook on Thursday and being greeted by members of Unity’s Class of 2023 who now attend Stony Brook. Kudos to our alumni in supporting our seniors as they weigh their options!

Recap – Unity Represents Earth Day by Sporting Green: Staff and students showed their support of environmental preservation and protection by wearing green last week.  Kudos to our community for advocating for a cause that is important to us!

Recap – Unity’s High’ Sophomores and Juniors Take PSAT and SAT!: Congratulations to Unity High’s 10th and 11th graders for completing the PSAT and SAT this past week, respectively. The PSAT helps students prepare for the SAT by testing their math, reading, and writing skills. The SAT, which was completed by our 11th graders, is an entrance exam used by most colleges and universities to make admissions decisions.  Kudos to our College & Career Readiness (CCR) team for supporting students with registration and for coordinating and hosting the administration!

Recap – Unity Calendar for the 2023-24 School Year: The table below reflects our key events and vacations calendar for the 2023-24 school year.  In addition, here is the updated PDF version of the table for your convenience.

Relevant Information from Past Editions of The Scoop:

Free Resources for Unity Families: Unity’s social work team is always looking for resources that may be helpful and of interest to our families.  A host of resources are provided below.  Reach out to Ms. Del Purgatorio, Unity’s Director of Social Work, with questions.

• Introducing 988, The New Mental Health Hotline: The Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, which launched last week, is a new way for anyone experiencing a mental health crisis to quickly reach out for help. Anyone in the US can now call or text 9-8-8 to be connected to a trained mental health professional at one of more than 200 local crisis call centers around the country. Learn more here.
• INCLUDEnyc Presents: How to Talk to Your Children about Sexuality: This webinar will help parents and guardians of children with disabilities become more comfortable discussing sexuality and relationships, and cover some of the most effective ways to talk about this sensitive topic. Learn more and register here.
• Free Summer Meals for Students – begins Tuesday, June 28th: NYC’s Summer Meals program offers free breakfast and lunch throughout NYC for anyone age 18 and under. No registration, documentation, or ID is required.  Visit here for details on time, locations, menus and other helpful information.
• Free Book Giveaway for Kids and Teens: As part of our largest summer program ever, The New York Public Library is giving away 500,000 books for kids and teens to take home and keep. Drop by one of our neighborhood branches to choose yours—plus, explore free events, our summer writing contest for kids, the opportunity for teens to contribute to a new magazine, and more with Summer at the Library.  Visit here for more information.
• DOE’s Beyond Access Series Presents Self-Regulation Techniques: This workshop will provide parents, caregivers and students strategies for reducing stress and improving the ability to self-regulate, with simple routines and activities that reduce anxiety and reactivity and promote calm and happy students and families. Spanish and Mandarin interpretation available. Learn more and register here.
• DOE’s Beyond Access Series Presents How to Access Supports for Students with Behavioral Challenges: This workshop covers the educational rights of students who face behavioral challenges in school, including different kinds of behavioral supports and interventions , along with the opportunity to share advocacy tips. Learn more and register here.
• The Child Mind Institute offers great (free & remote) caregiver workshops on a seasonal basis!  Take a moment to visit their site and appreciate their offerings.
• The recent events in Ukraine may be a source of stress and anxiety for some children.  Below are four resources that may be helpful for families:
  • Helping Kids Cope with Frightening News from Child Mind Institute
  • How to Talk to Kids About War from verywellfamily.com
  • How to Navigate Difficult Conversations with Children from The Relation Station
  • How to Talk to Children about War: An Age-by-Age Guide from Today.com
• Below are flyers for lists of low-cost dental providers in each borough:
  • Bronx PDF 
  • Manhattan PDF
  • Queens PDF
  • Brooklyn PDF
  • Staten Island PDF
• Free Child Nutrition Webinar Series: Register for the “An Alarming Rise in Excess Weight and Diabetes in Children: Strategies and Solutions” webinar on Monday, March 7th.  The webinar is presented by French-American Aid for Children as part of the new Child Nutrition Webinar series. Parents and educators will learn about practical nutrition tips and accessible information to encourage children to adopt good eating habits in school—and at home—through an interactive dialogue between Dr. Juliana Cohen, nutrition epidemiologist and associate professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and Dr. Ileana Vargas-Rodriguez, a pediatric endocrinologist at the Children’s Hospital of New York. A Q&A session will follow the webinar.  Check out previous recordings of past webinars, including:
  • Engaging Children in their own Nutritional Journey
  • Smart Summer Shopping and Cooking
  • Nutrition’s Powerful Impact on Children’s Physical and Mental Health