The Unity Scoop – September 11

Dear Families of Unity,

I hope that the weekend has been good to you and your loved ones.  It felt terrific to welcome our students back to school this past week!  On behalf of our team, we are excited to engage in a full week of school this coming week and are committed to getting off to a strong start in the 2022-23 school year!

In this edition of the Unity Scoop, we offer a few photos of students and staff in action over the first three days of school, provide follow-up information on our recent family orientation sessions, and share dates and location for athletic tryouts this week.  We also provide information to our middle school families on after-school enrichment as well as information on STAR reading and math assessments, which are being administered this week.  There is definitely much to share as we launch into the school year and take full advantage of our time together!

Have a fantastic week!

In unity,

Josh Beauregard

Head of School / Co-founder

Updates as of September 11, 2022:

1. New – Back to School Without Skipping a Beat!: Enjoy the photos below of our students and staff in action over the first few days of the school year.  Let the good work continue strong this week!

2. New – Thank You Engaging in our Family Orientation Festival to Kick off the Year!: Again, we thank our families for engaging in our festival and orientation just over a week ago.  And we thank our families who participated in the required orientation sessions last week.  If you have not yet participated in an orientation session, expect to hear from a Unity staff member to schedule an alternative session.  Participating in these sessions is essential to best supporting your children’s education at school and at home.  One key item of discussion during sessions is our Community Pledge as a school, which 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!

3. New – Tryouts for our Fall Athletic Teams are Happening this Week!: We are excited for our fall athletic teams to represent Unity with pride!  Details on tryouts are provided below.  Contact Mr. Coleman with questions regarding athletics.

Middle School

• Fall Teams: Soccer, Flag Football, Cross Country and Girls Volleyball
• Tryout Dates & Times: Tuesday, September 13th and Thursday, September 15th, 3:45pm – 5:15pm
• Permission slips are located in the main office.

High School

• Fall Team: Girls Volleyball
• Wednesday, September 14th 2:45 – 4:30pm
• Friday, September 16th 3:15 – 5:00pm
• Permission slips are located in the main office.
• Note: In addition to girls volleyball, Unity High’s fall athletic teams include football, bowling, dance, step, and basketball training sessions.  Information on these additional teams will be provided in the coming weeks.  For more information, please contact Mr. Martinez (TMartinez@unityprep.org).

4. New – 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 extra-curricular activities for our middle school students.  Middle school families who are interested in learning more about St. Nick’s offerings are encouraged to attend an orientation this Wednesday, September 14th at 4pm.  Programming kicks off on Monday, September 19th.  See the details for the orientation session below:

St. Nick’s Alliance Afterschool Programming Family Orientation

• Date & Time: Wednesday, September 14, 2022, 4-5pm
• Location: Auditorium of Unity’s Middle School, 432 Monroe Street, Brooklyn, NY
• Contact Luis Rodriguez with questions by email at Lrodriguez@stnickallliance.org or phone at 646-676-1309.

5. New – STAR Assessments in Reading and Math Being Administered this Week: Unity students are taking their first round of STAR assessments in both reading and math this week, with some testing already having taken place on Friday.  These short, computer adaptive tests will allow us to measure student progress and growth in reading and math skills over the course of the school year.

6. New – Save-the-Date for Unity Award Ceremony and Back-to-School Night for Families: During this event, family members will meet your child’s teachers and learn about our curriculum and programming for the school year.  This event will be virtual via Zoom for both campuses.  In addition to meeting teachers, we will also honor a great number of our returning students for their academic excellence and growth over the final term of our 2021-22 school year.  Additional details on both sessions will be provided in the next edition of the Scoop.

7. New – September 2022 School-wide Calendar: For your family’s convenience, here is a schoolwide calendar of events for the month of September – 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. Updated – Student Weekly Class Schedules:  Weekly class schedules were disseminated to students in school this week.  Families may access schedules from home through Jupiter. If families need help logging in, they should reach out to help.ms@unityprep.org or help.hs@unityprep.org.

9. Recap – Congrats to our High School Students for Participating in our Summer Advanced Placement Workshops: Kudos to the many Unity High students who recently participated in our AP Workshops.  By participating in the workshops, you have set yourself up to get off to a strong start in your courses.  Congrats to you and stay with it!  Families may contact Ms. Marron with any questions about our AP for All program, including information on the workshop that we offered.

10. 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.

11. Recap – 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.

12. Recap – Updates on 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

13. Recap – Unity Applied for its Charter Renewal in August:  As a charter school, Unity must apply to reauthorize its charter at the end of each term.  We opened our doors in 2013, and earned a full 5-year renewal (the longest possible term) in 2018.  We are now in our last year of that term and submitted our application to the New York State Education Department (NYSED) for renewal in August with the goal of earning another 5-year term.  There will be site visits from state officials and public hearings before the Board of Regents votes on our term in the spring.  We will be sharing updates from our renewal and soliciting feedback from our families in the coming weeks!

14. 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!

15. Recap – Upcoming Events of Interest to Unity Families!:  Brought to you by Mr. Beckford, we are happy to highlight upcoming summer events across Brooklyn for our families.  Here are two!

Virgil Abloh: “Figures of Speech”

Date: Open through January 29, 2023, 11-4:30pm daily

Location: Brooklyn Museum, 200 Eastern Pkwy

Ticket Information

Description: Virgil Abloh: “Figures of Speech,” developed by the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, is the first museum exhibition devoted to Abloh’s work and spans two decades of his practice, including collaborations with artist Takashi Murakami, musician Kanye West, and architect Rem Koolhaas, among others; material from his fashion label Off-White; and items from Louis Vuitton, where he served as the first Black menswear artistic director

Relevant Information from Past Editions of The Scoop:

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.