The Unity Scoop – October 4

Dear Families of Unity,

Happy Friday to all! And congratulations on supporting your children through a full vibrant week of school at Unity!

In this edition of the Unity Scoop, we highlight two major academic achievements for our school community regarding state exam results and our Advanced Placement program.  See below!  In addition, we continue to highlight our students and teachers in action within the classroom as well as provide details on a number of upcoming school events.

In the week ahead, students in grades 6-8 will show off all that they have learned so far this year on their first round of interim assessments.  In addition, we have a number of athletic contests on the schedule – do come out to support our Panthers!  Finally, our 12th graders will visit a number of local colleges on Friday, including Columbia University, Long Island University, St. Francis, St. Joseph’s College, and Hunter College.

The Walk to End Lupus event with Ms. McRae is tomorrow – see the details below and we hope you can take part.

Have a terrific weekend!

In unity,
Josh

Josh Beauregard

Executive Director / Co-founder

Updates as of October 4, 2024:

1. New – 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!

2. New – Unity High Earns Advanced Placement Honor Roll Status with CollegeBoard!  Unity has been recognized by CollegeBoard 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.

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

A Unity 6th grader is immersed in crafting her essay on how she believes Christopher Columbus should be remembered in Ms. Douyon’s history class.

Ms. Peeples provides individualized support to her 7th grade students as they compare themes in a nonfiction essay and poem they are reading in their ELA class.

4. Updated – October 2024 Schoolwide Calendar: For your family’s convenience, here is an updated school-wide 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.

5. Updated – 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.

6. Updated – Members of the Unity Community to Participate in Walk to End Lupus on Saturday, October 5th: Unity Middle’s Dance & Health Teacher, Ms. McRae, is organizing an opportunity for Unity community members to participate in The Lupus Foundation of America’s Walk to End Lupus tomorrow.  See the flier below for details on participating and donating to the cause!

7. Updated – The Fall Athletic Season is Now Upon Us!: See the calendar above for this coming week’s games.  Come out to support our student-athletes in action.  Go Panthers!

Photos of the JV and Varsity Volleyball captains presenting our opponents with PRIDE Awards after their matches this past week.

8. New – Save the Date! Unity’s Campuses to Join Forces to Support The American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer on Saturday, October 27th: Members of our community from grades 6 through 12 will participate in a 3-mile walk on Saturday, October 27th, 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.  Unity families are encouraged to take part!

9. Recap – Unity Middle School Students to Earn Dress Down and Pizza by Practicing their ELA and Math Skills during Tutoring Class!  Families – see the flier below and please encourage students to develop their ELA and math foundational skills through focused practice during their daily tutoring block.  Through this practice, we look forward to celebrating their growth alongside you in the coming months!

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 Middle Students Celebrate the Completion of Month 1 of School with Field Trips!:  Our middle school students ventured out for some enrichment together on Friday. Sixth graders visited LeFrak Skate Park in Prospect Park. Seventh graders visited the New York City Science Museum and our 8th graders spent some quality time together at Bowl 360.  Enjoy the photos below!

12. 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.

13. 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