GETTING READY: JA

Your child is about to enter Junior A and it is time to prepare for the big day! Students will need to bring the following supplies on the first FULL day of Junior A:

• A lunch box with reusable food and drink containers, silverware and 2 cloth napkins. There are no facilities for heating food available.

• 2 boxes of tissues.

• 1 reusable water bottle

• 1 old adult size t-shirt to be used as an art smock

• 2 large containers of Clorox wipes

• A change of clothing, including underwear, socks, and shoes, in a large zip lock bag in case of emergencies. All items of clothing should be clearly marked with your child’s full name.

• A backpack. Please ensure the backpack does not have wheels and is large enough to hold your child’s book bag, lunch box, and library books.

• 1 family photo

• Headphones to use with an iPad/Chromebook. Do not send earbuds. The headphones should be in a large ziplock bag. We recommend purchasing one of the pairs recommended below.

All supplies need to be labeled with your child’s full name and homeroom.

No toys, electronics, games, candy, cards, gum, money, or other valuable items are to be brought to school unless there is a specific request by a teacher.

Your child will need the following clothes for P.E.

•  A pair of blue shorts (sweat pants in colder weather) and a UNIS t-shirt

• A pair of sneakers

• White socks

Students are expected to come to school wearing their P.E. kit on the days they have P.E. They will not be changing in the locker rooms.

P.E uniforms and other UNIS branded clothing and supplies are available on the Lands End website www.landsend.com in “Uniforms (UNIS Preferred School Number 900077660). You can also select “UNIS Gear” in the links dropdown on www.unis.org. This section requires you to log in with your UNIS name and password.

Please label all jackets, coats, school supplies, water bottles, lunch boxes, athletic gear, etc. with your child’s first and last name and homeroom before they are brought to school.

Students are expected to be accountable for their own possessions and we encourage clear labeling on all of your child's clothing and school supplies (both first and last names and homeroom) including coats, sweatshirts, athletic gear, backpacks, pencil cases, lunch boxes and water bottles. Your reinforcement of this at home with your child is encouraged.

Before leaving their class, students will be reminded:

• Look around

• Gather their things

Families should note that:

• Unclaimed clothing will be periodically collected and donated by the school

• All other items will be discarded

• Set school night bedtimes before school starts and begin to stick to it.

• Children should be able to independently open and close their lunch box, as well as food and drink containers.

• Encourage independent eating and good table manners.

• Start the routine of selecting and laying out the next day’s clothing the night before.

• Encourage your child’s independent dressing – teach them how to put on jackets, zip the zippers, and button the buttons.

• Encourage your child to pack their own backpack and carry it.

• Talk about what school will be like, but be careful not to promise anything you are not sure will happen.

• Listen carefully to your child to discover any fears and worries he/she may have. Encourage independence and responsibility for taking care of personal belongings, tidying up and putting things away after use.

• Please ensure your child arrives promptly for the start of school each day.

Important: Dates for the 2023-2024 school year will be confirmed at a later date:

We want to do everything possible to ensure that Junior A children who ride the bus have positive experiences. It is important to prepare your child, in advance of September 18 or 25, by checking to ensure that he/she knows the following:  the route number of the bus, the location where he/she will be getting on the bus in the morning, the location where he/she will be getting off the bus in the afternoon, and the person who will be picking him/her up at that stop. Your child should also know that, upon arrival, the bus will discharge passengers inside the school. Your child should proceed directly to the playground after being discharged from the bus.

No later than September 15th, please complete the form below. This will let us know that your child is ready to ride the bus with his/her sibling on September 18 or September 25 without a sibling.

So that your homeroom teacher has an up to date dismissal report at the end of each day, please ensure that by 1:00 pm you have recorded accurate dismissal instructions in SchoolPass. 

Your child will not be permitted to ride the bus on any given day unless your instructions to do so appear in the SDM (School Dismissal Manager) transportation report at dismissal on that school day, see the dismissal protocol.

We thank you for your cooperation.

Yellow bus service will begin on Monday, September 18, 2023 for eligible J1 - J4 students. JA students whose older siblings ride the bus may also begin to use bus service to and from school beginning on Wednesday, September 20. All other JA students (without older siblings) may begin to ride the bus on Monday, September 25. Bus service is not available for PreK students.

• Monday, September 18 : Yellow Bus Service begins for J1-J4

• Wednesday, September 20: Yellow Bus Service begins for JA students whose older sibling(s) rides the bus

• Monday, September 25: Yellow Bus Service begins for JA students without a sibling who rides the bus