The Unity Scoop – October 23

Dear Families of Unity,

I hope that this past week was good to you and your loved ones.  It is hard to believe that we just completed our 6th week of school together and that we are now gearing up for our first round of interim assessments (IAs) this coming week.

Interim assessments provide an opportunity for students to show off all that they have learned thus far in their classes this year.  They also provide important information to our team regarding the degree to which students are developing new and important skills in their courses and how to position ourselves to best support academic success for all of our students over the course of the school year.

We are excited to support our students in this over the coming week and kindly ask for your collaboration with this by supporting your child at home in the following ways:

• Ensure that your child eats a healthy breakfast and arrives to school on time with their full set of school supplies and materials
• Ask your child about how things are going in their classes and provide encouragement such that they are supported and confident as they complete their IAs this week.
• Help your child prepare for their exams by ensuring that they have a quiet, designated space and time to study each night.  Of course, feel free to pull up a chair and help them study!  Studying together can be a fun experience for all.
• Be proactive in your communication with your child’s teachers about any questions or concerns.
• Note that we have a full day of school each day this week – students should arrive to school at our regular start times.  Students will also depart school at our regular end times.

In this edition of the Scoop, we highlight our Core Value Champions and students with stellar attendance.  We also report out on the continued success of Unity High’s debate team and spotlight Unity Middle’s volleyball team.  Finally, a number of festive events are on the calendar this month, including Halloween celebrations for all students, and Character Day and Pictures Day for our middle school students.

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday and best wishes in the coming week!

In unity,

Josh Beauregard

Head of School / Co-founder

Updates as of October 23, 2022:

1. New – Kudos to our Core Value Champions as mid-October!: Our P.R.I.D.E. Core Values of Progress, Respect for All, Integrity, Discovery, and Empathy represent qualities that we covet as a school community.  They also represent qualities that we believe empower our students to lead fulfilling lives and, therefore, qualities that we have a responsibility to actively teach and positively reinforce.

The students listed below are leaders in their given grade level in being recognized by their teachers for demonstrating our Core Values.  On behalf of our school community, we are proud of these students and look forward to continuing to shout out all of our students when they demonstrate P.R.I.D.E. in our community.

2. New – Unity High’s Debate Team on the Rise!: Unity High’s debate team enjoyed a strong week with Wisdom Ford, LJ Graham and Niko Bennett having wins at the Brooklyn Debate League Scrimmage.  Aniya Hayes and Miguel Castillo won half qualifications to the New York State tournament in April at Hofstra University (current home to Unity Alum, Sincere Baptiste).  They are hoping to join Jade Springfield, who won their second half qualification.  In just her first year of debate, Jade has already booked a spot at the state tournament and has also been promoted from intermediate to varsity Lincoln Douglas debate!  You can even catch a glimpse of Jade here in this clip about the BDL and Coaches Conyers and DiCo on the Kelly Clarkson Show!

The team debated at the Berkeley Carroll School this past Friday in its first live, off-campus debate.  Thanks to Unity educators, Ms. Cirelli, Mr. Silber, and Ms. Lokey, for judging and to other Unity community members for training to judge in the future.

3. New – Athletic Spotlight: Unity’s Middle School Volleyball Team – Go Panthers!: Coach Patrick has been representing our school community with teamwork, sportsmanship, and pride all season.  Your fans are proud of you, team!

4. New – Congrats to our Middle School’s Students of the Month in September!:  Kudos to our Students of Month for showing exemplary scholarship, citizenship, and growth – we are proud of you!

6th Grade:

• Scholarship – Malachi Reid
• Citizenship – Jordan Jones

7th Grade:

• Scholarship – Zea Charles
• Citizenship – Tenajah Rodgers
• Most Improved – Lounha Edouard

8th Grade:

• Scholarship – Jeremy Brown
• Citizenship – Jayla’rae Morales

5. New – Upcoming Halloween Events at Unity!: There are a number of festive events taking place over the coming weeks at Unity.  Events include Hallowsfest and Character Day at our middle school and a “Yoon-uh-tee” Haunted House extravaganza at Unity High.   See the fliers below for more information!

Unity Middle:

Unity High:

6. New – Picture Day at Unity’s Middle School, Wednesday, November 2nd: See the details below!  Contact info@unityprep.org with questions.

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

8. New – Unity High Indulges Actively in Latinx Heritage in Honor of Latinx Heritage Month!: Students and staff took part in a culminating celebration of Latinx Heritage last Friday afternoon in our gymnasium.  The celebration featured learning and engaging in dance, cooking, art, travel, and trivia, as well as showing pride in Latinx heritage!  Enjoy the photos below!

9. Recap – Thank you, Families, for Taking Part in our First Family Ambassadors Meeting of the Year!: We are grateful to our families who participated in our Family Ambassadors meeting on Zoom earlier this month.  The meeting was productive, energizing, and, of course, fun!  Here are the slides from the meeting.  Contact Mr. Beckford (grades 6-8) or Ms. Young (grades 9-12) with questions.  Unity’s Family Ambassadors will meet again on Thursday, November 11th, at 6pm – all families are encouraged to attend.

10. Recap – Unity Proposes Opening an Elementary School – Support our Efforts by Attending a Virtual Public Hearing on Tuesday, October 25th, at 5:30pm!: We are excited by the prospect of being able to serve families of students in grades K-5 as well as in grades 6-12.  We see the benefits of being able to partner with a family throughout their child’s K-12 education as incredibly powerful in delivering fully on our mission to empower our students as scholars and citizens so they may lead fulfilling lives.  We recently took the initial step in this process by applying to the New York State Education Department for approval to expand Unity to serve students in grades K-5.  The next step in the process is participation in a public hearing that provides an opportunity for community members to voice their input on the proposal.  The voices of Unity family members matter a great deal here, so we encourage families to participate in the hearing, which will take place via Zoom.  Please RSVP here by Friday, October 21st, in order to participate.  Here is the official notice of the hearing.

11. Recap – Unity’s Fall Week of Spirit!  Staff and students alike took the opportunity to show off their school spirit earlier this month through fun and festive dress, the promotion and celebration of our Core Values, and our showing pride and sportsmanship on the playing field.  Kudos to all who demonstrated their Unity spirit over the week.  We look forward to celebrating school spirit again in the spring.  Enjoy the photos below!

12. Recap – Enrichment Clubs Have Launched at Unity High!: Unity High’s enrichment club programming commenced earlier this month with seven clubs offered, including Sewing, Culinary Arts, Climbing, Speech & Debate, Gaming, Math-letes, and Personal Fitness.  Enjoy the photos of members of our sewing club.  The club is led by Ms. Eason, Unity High’s Director of Academic Counseling.  As a first project, members are making accent pillows.

13. New – Wyldlife Fallfest Event for Unity’s Middle School Families, Saturday, October 29th: Wyldlife is a community-based organization that has worked with students of Unity Middle in the past. The Fall Fest is a free, celebratory event open to the community.  RSVP here!

14. Updated – October 2022 School-wide Calendar: For your family’s convenience, here is a schoolwide calendar of events for the month of October – 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.

15. Recap – Unity High Upcoming College Visits!: Unity High students in grades 9-12 will have an opportunity later this month to visit and gain exposure to a number of college campuses.  See the colleges and dates in the flier below.  We are seeking family chaperones.  If you are able to serve as a chaperone, please reach out to Ms. Young.

16. Updated – Your Feedback Empowers Us – Please Take a Moment to Share Your Experiences With Us By Completing our Fall Family Perception Survey: As mentioned during our Open School Night sessions, our purpose as a school is to best serve you and your child’s educational aspirations.  And we are best positioned to fulfill this purpose when we have honest and direct feedback from you.  With this interest, we request your feedback on how we are doing as we kick off the school year by completing one of the surveys below.  The survey includes questions about family communication, engagement, fit, support, school climate, and safety, among other things.  Your answers are anonymous; we will use your collective feedback over the coming months to drive our decision-making and best position us to best serve you.  As a small gesture of appreciation for your time, all families completing the survey by Friday, 10/28, at 5pm will receive a $5 amazon.com gift card in addition to the entry for a raffle of $100 to Amazon. Simply text the survey complete screenshot to 347-746-1575 to receive your gift card and enter the raffle.  We thank you in advance for your invaluable feedback, and, more importantly, we thank you for positioning us to act on your feedback.

• Complete this Survey if your child is in grades 6-8
• Complete this Survey if your child is in grades 9-12
• Note: in the event that you have children attending both our middle school and high school, please complete the high school survey.
• Text the survey complete screenshot to 347-746-1575 to receive your $5 gift card and enter the raffle.

17. Recap – Important Information Regarding Vaccinations Requested: As we continue monitoring current health safety protocols, one significant factor in our planning is the extent to which our students are vaccinated.  If you are a new Unity family, or have not yet provided your child’s vaccination status, please complete the COVID Vaccination Form at your earliest convenience.  Note that we strongly encourage all of our families to take steps in getting their children vaccinated to best ensure that we are providing the highest level of safety for our community.

18. Recap – Attention Middle School Families Who Are Interested in After-school Programming!: The partnership with our middle school and St. Nick’s Alliance continues this year.  St. Nick’s offers a rich array of afterschool programming in academic enrichment, leadership development, and extracurricular activities for our middle school students.  Programming kicks off on Monday, September 19th.  Contact Luis Rodriguez with questions by email at lrodriguez@stnickallliance.org or by phone at 646-676-1309.

19. Recap – Unity’s Health Policies and Protocols in 2022-23: Unity will follow guidance provided by the New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) as of the start of the 2022-23 school year.  The NYCDOE’s guidance aligns with the CDC’s current guidance, which we have consistently followed over the past 2.5 years.  By adhering to the NYCDOE’s guidance, we believe that we are taking the proper approach to best ensure the health and safety of our community.  Details on our policies are provided on the NYCDOE website.

Per the recommendation of the NYCDOE and CDC, we strongly encourage all of our families to get their children vaccinated against COVID-19.  Vaccinations are now available at select school sites across the city.  Visit www.schools.nyc.gov for information on sites and available dates.

20. 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.