The Unity Scoop – November 8

Dear Families of Unity,

I hope this message finds you in good spirits.  It has been a trying week as we experienced an intense election day and adjusted to the end of Daylight Saving Time.  We have a long weekend ahead, and I wish you and your loved ones a restful and rejuvenating break.

In this edition of the Scoop, we continue spotlighting our students and teachers in action over the past week.  We also extend our congratulations to our new National Honor Society inductees.  Finally, we bring a range of events, initiatives, and opportunities to our families and students, both on our campuses and beyond!

In unity,
Josh

Josh Beauregard

Executive Director / Co-founder

Updates as of November 8, 2024:

1. New – Congratulations to Unity’s Newest National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) and National Honor Society (NHS) Members!: Unity’s NJHS and NHS chapters expanded their membership during our annual induction ceremony held this past Monday. Congratulations to more than 30 new inductees listed below!

Returning Members

2. New – Highlights of Students and Their Teachers in Action This Week!: Enjoy the wonderful photos below of our students and staff in action over this past week!

3. New – Fall Family Conferences to Take Place in Two Weeks, November 16-17th: We are excited to hold our first round of family conferences on:

• Monday, 11/25 (in-person evening hours, 5pm-8pm)
• Tuesday, 11/26 (daytime virtual hours on Zoom, 9am-2pm)

School staff and advisors have begun making outreach to families to schedule appointments. Our goal is that 100% of our students have an adult family representative at conferences.

4. New – Alumni Spotlight of the Month – RJ Mark, Unity’s Class of 2024: 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 RJ Mark, who is enrolled at Robert Morris University in Pennsylvania.

A proud graduate of Unity Prep High School’s Class of 2024, RJ Mark has transitioned smoothly into his first semester at Robert Morris University in Moon Township, Pennsylvania. He’s currently taking 15 credits across five courses. Reflecting on his high school experience, RJ credits Unity Prep’s focus on college preparation for helping him adapt seamlessly to university life and stay focused on his goals. “Unity Prep prepared me not just for college admission but for life in college,” he shared, noting that the skills he gained in high school enabled him to dive into his studies and campus life.

Starting college has brought many exciting changes for RJ, particularly in building new connections. While he once found socializing challenging in high school, he has now embraced the opportunity to meet new people and quickly formed a close-knit friend group in his first few days on campus. Alongside making meaningful memories, RJ is focused on personal goals such as staying fit and actively participating in university clubs. Academically, he is committed to maintaining strong grades while staying engaged on campus, embodying the determined and ambitious spirit nurtured by Unity Prep.

5. Updated – Congratulations to our iReady Challenge Winners from the Month of October!  Unity Middle School Students Earn Dress Down and Pizza by Practicing their ELA and Math Skills during Tutoring Class!  We are excited to announce the winners of our October iReady Challenge! Throughout the month, students have shown #progress and #integrity strengthening their academic skills, and we’re happy to recognize those who went above and beyond.  Congrats to the students highlighted below, as we look forward to celebrating our winners for November in just a few weeks!

6. New – Unity Continues in its Community Service with a Canned Food Drive this Month!: Coming off our schoolwide Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk and fundraiser with the American Cancer Society, we are now engaged in a Can Drive in partnership with City Harvest.  Between now and November 22nd, we encourage all Unity families to donate non-perishable food items.  All donations will go directly toward providing nourishment to community members in greatest need. Unity students who participate in the drive will earn Panther Pride Points for demonstrating our Pride Value of Empathy.

7. Updated – November 2024 Schoolwide Calendar: For your family’s convenience, here is an updated school-wide calendar of events for the month of November – 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. New – Attention Unity Students in Grades 8-11 – Apply Now for a Paid Internship with the Brooklyn Botanic Garden: The Brooklyn Botanic Garden is now recruiting students in grades 8–11 for the 2024 Garden Apprentice Program (GAP) at Brooklyn Botanic Garden. GAP is a great way for teens to get paid to learn about urban agriculture, science, and the environment while working in one of the most exciting public gardens in the world!

More information is available online at bbg.org/gap.  Additional details include:

BBG Garden Apprentices:

            •           Earn a monetary award after apprenticeship (Tier 1: $600, Tier 2: $700, Tier 3: $800).

•           Work their way up the program to become paid staff as a Tier 4.

•           Learn about botany and environmentalism through hands-on lessons.

•           Grow and harvest fruits, vegetables, and herbs in the Children’s Garden.

•           Facilitate lessons to teach children about plants.

•           Explore Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s amazing plant collections.

•           Develop job skills, including teamwork, communication, and leadership.

Apprentices make a nine-month commitment to GAP, from March to November, which includes spring training, summer programming, and a weekly commitment after school or on weekends throughout the academic year.

Visit bbg.org/gap for applications, photos, a detailed program calendar, and answers to frequently asked questions. Applications are due December 8th.

9 New – Exciting Free Upcoming Programs and Events at Greenpoint YMCA!: Here are two free programs for basketball and swimming that may be of interest to our families at one of our local YMCAs.  Take advantage!

10. Recap – Urban Advantage Family Science Days – Free Admission to some of the City’s Premiere Museums and Institutions for Unity Students in Grades 6-8!: Through Unity’s partnership with Urban Advantage (UA), middle school families may visit the following museums for free!  See the instructions below for how to obtain a family voucher.  Visit here for additional information.  Contact your child’s science teacher with questions.

Visit any of these Institutions with your family free of charge!

11. Recap – Unity’s 8th Graders and Families Visit Unity High!: Unity High’s team hosted our 8th graders and their families on Friday.  Our 8th graders met with our high school’s students and staff, learned our programs and what makes our high school special.  They also toured the neighborhood, enjoyed lunch together, and took in the water views on a beautiful fall day. The experience was informative, fun, and inspiring for all those involved!

12. Recap – Unity High Students Engage in a Day of Field Trips and Festivities!: In celebration of closing out their first round of IAs, Unity High students engaged in a number of trips on Friday, including visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Intrepid Museum, and roller skating at Brooklyn Bridge Park!

13. Recap – Unity’s Campuses to Join Forces to Support The American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer!: Members of our community from grades 6 through 12 participated in a 3-mile walk last Sunday in support of The American Cancer Society (ACS).  ACS’s Making Strides initiative raises lifesaving funds that support breast cancer patients, survivors, thrivers, and caregivers through every step of the journey.

14. Recap – Refer a New Student to Unity Today!: Unity has a few seats available in grades 6, 7, 9, 10, and 11 for the 2024-25 school year. If you know of any interested families, please reach out to Mr. Beckford via email or cell (862-294-0219). For any families that refer a new family, both referring and enrolling families will be given a $100 Amazon gift card for school supplies.

15. Recap – Guidance on Supporting your Child with School at Home: As communicated last week, there are four things that you are encouraged to engage in at home and over the course of this month in getting off to a strong start to the school year.  Congratulations on completing #4 below this week.

1. Ask your child about their school day and, more generally, how things are going.  If our team can be helpful to your child in ensuring that they are enjoying their school experience, please reach out to help.ms@unityprep.org or help.hs@unityprep.org or your child’s advisor.
2. Take a moment to check Jupiter for the latest information regarding your child’s progress.  If you are unfamiliar with how to log into Jupiter, here is a brief video tutorial.  And if you have questions about your child’s specific information in Jupiter, email your child’s advisor for support.
3. Establish a designated space and routine at home for your child to complete any homework or practice the skills they are learning in school.  Establishing routines early will reap dividends over the school year and cultivate sound study habits that will benefit your child at Unity and beyond.
4.  Attend your child’s Back-to-School Night Session.  These in-person events are an extremely valuable part of our collaboration, as families learn about curricula, academic programming, and what your child will be learning this year.  Details on dates and times are featured below; you should have also received details  of the event via email and text.  The expectation is that 100% of families participate.

16. Recap – Unity Students in Grades 6-8 Outperform Their Peers Across New York State in Math, English Language Arts (ELA), and Science!  Our students showed off the impressive skills that they developed over the course of the 2023-24 school year as they performed better in math, reading & writing, and science compared to the average student in key districts of comparison and the state of New York.  Kudos to our team and our families for their impact on student learning!

17. Recap – Unity High Earns Advanced Placement Honor Roll Status with CollegeBoard!  Unity has been recognized by the College Board for delivering results for students while broadening access. Unity’s Honor Roll status reflects a commitment to increasing college-going culture, providing opportunities for students to earn college credit and maximizing college readiness.  Congratulations to our high school leaders and our AP teachers!  Indeed, this is an impressive achievement and reflects our commitment as a grades 6-12 school to excellence and access.

• 100% of graduates completed at least one AP course while in grades 9-12 (this reflects high access and exposure to college-ready coursework)
• 26% of graduates earned college credit while in high school (vs. the national average of 21%)
• 21% of graduates completed at least 5 AP courses while in grades 9-12 (this represents ample opportunity for students to thrive academically in college-ready coursework while in high school)

18. Recap – 2024-25 School Calendar of Key Events and Vacations for Families: Calendars for the 2024-25 school year can be accessed using the links below.  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