Newsletter #07

Dear parents,

Wednesday through Friday, November 15 - November 17, will be the opportunity to meet with your child's teachers for our traditional in person Parent Teacher Conferences. You will find below some important information regarding this important event.

Check-in

• Information gathering: This is an opportunity for teachers to hear your experiences as a parent, taking into consideration your child's journey on an emotional and an academic perspective

• Building relationship: opportunities to connect with your homeroom teacher may have been limited this year as compared to others. This is an opportunity for you and your teacher to connect and build a relationship important for your child's academic growth and well-being.

Sharing information

• Approaches to Learning: teachers will share information about the IB Approaches to Learning (ATL) which focus on specific skills and dispositions that support learning and have relevance across the curriculum to enable students to manage their own learning and to provide a foundation for success in further education and the world beyond the classroom.

• Academic Skills: teachers will share information about how their students have academically grown, based on their observations and assessments.

• Learning in Progress: teachers will share with you where they are in the curriculum and what they have covered.

• Next Steps (Goals, Expectations): when necessary, teachers will set up specific goals and expectations with parents.

Check-in

• Opportunities to connect with the specialist and language teachers may be limited as compared to homerooms. This is an opportunity for you and your child's teachers to connect and build a relationship important for your child's academic growth and well-being.

Sharing information

• Units and Curriculum Covered: what your children have learned during the first part of the year

• Goals: what goals the teacher has for the students in a specific grade for this school year

• Academic Growth and Learning Successes: Teachers will share observations and assessments related to students, regarding academic progress/behavior.

Due to the high number of students taught by our specialist teachers, and a fixed number of appointment slots, not every parent will have the opportunity to meet with each specialist. 

Therefore, we encourage you to book an appointment with specialist teachers only if you have a concern regarding your child and the subject taught by that specialist. This ensures that specific concerns are addressed as a priority. This is not the case with our homeroom and language teachers as every parent is expected to take the opportunity to meet with them. 

Please note that teachers will use a timer or clock to be sure they don't go over the allotted conference time for each family. We want to ensure that the parents who are waiting are welcomed on time to their meeting. Thank you for your understanding - our goal is to give everyone the same opportunity to meet with their child's teachers.

Sign-up is available through the link on the Veracross Parent Portal (myunis.vc).

Without access to Veracross, you will not be able to book conference times with your children’s teachers.

If you have not yet received notifications regarding your Veracross login credentials, or have forgotten your password, please send an email message now to tech.support@unis.org to retrieve them.

If you have your credentials you must use your Veracross credentials to access the Parent Teacher Conferences sign up system.

When you login to the Conference portal, you will be able to sign up for conference slots for each of your children.

Registration opens November 9 for the Parent Teacher Conferences held on November 15 - November 17. If you have questions or concerns about the sign up process, please reach out to tech.support@unis.org as soon as possible.

CONFERENCE DATES

• Wednesday, November 15 (5:00 - 8:00pm Evening) - PK/JA - J4 Parent Teacher Conferences 

• Thursday, November 16 (8:30 - 3:00 Day - No Classes for Students) - PK/JA - J4 Parent Teacher Conferences

• Friday, November 17 (8:30 - 3:00 Day - No Classes for Students) - PK/JA - J4 Parent Teacher Conferences

SIGN-UP PERIOD

• Opens: Thursday, November 9 at 7:00pm

• Closes: Monday, November 13 at 9:00am

• Classes for JS students will NOT be in session on Thursday and Friday, November 16 and 17

• After School Programs/Activities are cancelled Wednesday through Friday during Parent Teacher Conferences (see details below)

• Care Program is available on Wednesday, November 15 only

• PLEASE PLAN AHEAD and update SchoolPass for November 15

November 15 - November 17 | Most After School Programs are Cancelled during Parent Teacher Conferences (Wednesday through Friday)

• Activities: JS After School Activities Classes are Cancelled Wednesday through Friday

• Language: JS French Enrichment, Mandarin Intensive, Hebrew, and J4 Korean classes are Cancelled Wednesday through Friday

• Athletics: After School Athletics for JS students will not take place Wednesday through Friday

• Private Music Lessons: Thursday & Friday Private Music Lessons for JS students are Cancelled 

• Private Music Lessons: Wednesday November 15 Private Music Lessons for JS students will take place from 3:00 - 5:00 / Wednesday lessons after 5:00 are Cancelled

• Care Program: The Care Program will be available from 3:00 - 6:00 pm Wednesday, November 15 only

TO DO: If your child has a Wednesday class after school that's been cancelled, update SchoolPass with your Wednesday, November 15 dismissal plan, especially if you need to authorize bus ridership for November 15.

The Junior School is pleased to provide limited childcare to UNIS JS families during Parent Teacher Conferences. 

• Childcare will be available between 8:30 - 3:30 on Thursday, November 16 and Friday, November 17. 

• Childcare will also be available on Wednesday evening, November 15, from 5:00 - 7:00 only. Note that conference appointments are open until 8:00pm. Please do not book appointments after 6:50 if you plan on using childcare.

• Childcare will be located in the Oman Hall and  JS Gym on the 1st floor and the JS Playground.

• This childcare is intended for and limited to PreK - J4 students currently enrolled in Junior School whose parents are on campus attending Parent Teacher Conferences. 

• Your PreK - J4 child(ren) should only be placed in this short term childcare for the duration of your Conferences, while you are on the UNIS campus. Once you have completed your Conferences, it is expected that your child(ren) will leave campus with you.

• We cannot accommodate children who are not currently enrolled in the UNIS Junior School and attend school elsewhere.

• Please ensure that you pack a drink, a snack and some quiet activities for your child such as an iPad, reading books, coloring books, Sudoku, etc.  

• Signing up for this childcare in advance is required here: the link will be shared once the booking system is opened.

• In addition, when you arrive, you will be asked to confirm your contact information for the time you will be on campus attending Conferences.

• Please contact the JS Office at jsoffice@unis.org with questions.

Pascal Vallet, Junior School Principal
Alessandra Camilo, Junior School Assistant Principal

• Monday, October 30 | Classes Resume

• October 30 - November 3 | Fall Spirit Week at UNIS (details in this newsletter)

• Tuesday, October 31 | Halloween Dress Up day (optional - details in this newsletter)

• Saturday, November 4 | Futsol Fun Day (details in this newsletter)

• November 9 - November 13 | Parent Teacher Conference Sign Up is Open (details to follow)

• Thursday, November 9 | JS Parent Coffee Follow-up 8:40 - 9:25 (details in this newsletter)

• November 15 - November 17 | Parent Teacher Conferences 

• November 22 - 24  |  Thanksgiving Break

• Tuesday, November 28 |  Photo Makeup and Retake Day (students absent on October 3 can have their portrait taken or request a retake at:  Stomping Ground)

• Saturday, December 9 | JS Talent Show (details to follow)

• December 18 - January 2 | Winter Break - No Classes for Students

• Monday, January 3 | Classes Resume

• Monday, January 15 | School Closed (MLK Day)

• Monday, February 19 - Friday, February 23 | No Classes for Students / President's Week Break

AFTER SCHOOL CANCELLATIONS DURING PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES 

Update SchoolPass with your Wednesday, November 15 dismissal plan, especially if you need to authorize bus ridership for your child that afternoon. 

• November 15 - November 17 | Most After School Programs are Cancelled during Parent Teacher Conferences (Wednesday through Friday)

  • • • Activities: JS After School Activities Classes are Cancelled Wednesday through Friday

      • Language: JS French Enrichment, Mandarin Intensive, Hebrew, and J4 Korean classes are Cancelled Wednesday through Friday

      • Athletics: After School Athletics for JS students will not take place Wednesday through Friday

      • Private Music Lessons: Thursday & Friday Private Music Lessons for JS students are Cancelled 

      • Private Music Lessons: Wednesday November 15 Private Music Lessons for JS students will take place from 3:00 - 5:00 / Wednesday lessons after 5:00 are Cancelled

      • Care Program: The Care Program will be available from 3:00 - 6:00 pm Wednesday, November 15 only

Note: Even if their Wednesday after school activity has been cancelled, Transportation will not allow your child to board a bus on November 15 unless SchoolPass has been updated to authorize it.

Two thumbs up to Jessica Veloso, Marvin Carlos and Masahiro Tanaka who have shared with us more than 600 photos from the UN day. We are inviting you to access the photos album by clicking on the link below!

Join the Junior School Spirit Week from October 30 to November 3, and celebrate the unique UNIS spirit in our community! 

Each day is designed with a special theme tailored for the Junior School. 

Participation is voluntary. 

A PE uniform is not required if the student is dressed up for Spirit Week.

Friday is "UNISCORNS" day and students are encouraged to wear their blue PE shirt or sweatshirt so everyone wears the UNIS color.

In the spirit of collaborative progress, we extend an invitation to all parents for the follow-up JS Parent Coffee on Thursday, November 9 from 8:40am to 9:25am. 

Your engagement will be instrumental as we, together, navigate the path to a holistic and enriched educational experience at UNIS.

IMPORTANT REMINDER ABOUT EARLY DISMISSAL REQUESTS

Early dismissal for students is strongly discouraged. Parents are expected to schedule their child’s appointments and travel plans outside of school hours. Early dismissal is reserved for urgent needs only or exceptional circumstances approved directly by the Executive Director, Dr. Dan Brenner.

In no event should requests be made for an early dismissal to attend an athletic activity, class or lesson outside of UNIS. The expectation is that after school activities be scheduled at a time that aligns with the dismissal time for your child’s grade or, if that is not possible, your child arrives late to their after school activity:

• PK & JA: 2:45

• J1 - J2: 2:50

• J3 - J4: 2:55

Early dismissals disrupt academics in the classroom for your child as well as all students in the class. Early dismissals pull our faculty and staff away from instruction time and tasks that affect the smooth and safe operation of the Junior School. 

Thank you for supporting the UNIS community and scheduling your child’s outside activities at times that do not interfere with teaching and learning.

Over the past weeks, the Student Support Team has been attuned to our students' needs concerning the situation between Israel and Palestine. In the Junior School, we emphasize listening to and following our students' lead. Conversations can evolve based on the topics and concerns they express, always ensuring our responses are appropriate for their developmental stage. We believe in the importance of addressing their inquiries directly, rather than guiding the conversation ourselves. In classes where no questions or concerns arose, especially in the lower grades, we refrained from introducing the topic, adhering to our Junior School ethos.  Our primary focus in the Junior School remains to anchor our students in their regular school routines and foster their social connections.

For those of you who wish to continue these conversations at home, the team has curated a list of age-appropriate resources to assist you:

• Helping Children Cope With Terrorism - Tips for Families and Educators

• Common Sense - Explaining the News to Kids

• APA - Building resilience in response to indirect terrorism

• SAMHSA - Talking to kids after trauma

• Child Mind - Helping kids cope after trauma

If you observe shifts in behavior or hear concerns at home, or if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the Support Team:

Dr. Dana Marnin dmarnin@unis.org (JS Psychologist)

Amy Iamundo aiamundo@unis.org (Counselor for J1, J3 JAS)

Alyssa Frost afrost@unis.org  (Counselor for J2, J4, JAW, JAF, JAK)

Please visit the UNIS Lost and Found. Items are on display by the A Stairwell behind the security desk. Please stop by or send your child to be reunited with their lost items. 

All items not claimed by end of day Friday, October 20 were donated. For more information on donations, please contact the PA Social Responsibility Committee at abhilasha.mahan@pa.unis.org  

Halloween is a time of joy, creativity, and community - a tradition we embrace at the United Nations International School with our annual Halloween Dress Up Day, particularly in our Junior School. On Tuesday, October 31, we invite students who wish to participate in this celebration to come to school wearing their costumes. However, we would also like to ensure that our focus remains squarely on our educational responsibilities and fostering a conscious and respectful school environment.

This year, we kindly ask you to help guide your child in making a thoughtful decision when selecting their Halloween costume, bearing in mind the following guidelines:

• Halloween Dress Up Day is a regular school day, so dressing up is completely optional.

• Students choosing to dress up should arrive at school fully dressed in their costumes – there will be no time allotted for costume changes at school.

• Please make sure your child’s costume is comfortable and suitable for a full school day.

• If a student has PE on this day, they should wear their PE clothes underneath their costume.

• Costumes should not stereotype or insult any particular culture, ethnicity, religion, or gender, and should be entirely safe. Any props or costumes that depict violence or resemble weapons are strictly prohibited.

We invite you and your child to consider and discuss the following questions regarding their costume choice:

• Does this costume stereotype or marginalize a group of people?

• Does it symbolize colonial rule?

• Does the object or image carry any cultural or traditional significance?

• Does the use of this costume or object trivialize a culture or group of people?

• Could this costume be mistaken as a misuse of another person's culture?

If the answer to any of these questions is 'yes', please rethink the costume choice. Our pursuit of a non-bias, inclusive school community calls for avoiding any form of cultural appropriation.

Moreover, we ask:

• Please avoid any full-head masks for safety reasons.

• Ensure your child wears comfortable and secure footwear.

• The costume should be easy for the child to remove should they need to use the bathroom or feel uncomfortable.

• We discourage the choice of political costumes and do not permit candy or treats to be brought or shared at school.

Our teachers are prepared to engage students in discussions about these crucial topics, encouraging respect for cultural diversity and understanding different cultures' significance.

We appreciate your support and thank you in advance for assisting your children in making thoughtful and respectful costume choices and fostering a fun, educational, and inclusive environment.

Outdoor Activity & Recess Policy During Cold Weather

As winter approaches, please be sure your child is dressed for outdoor play every day, with a warm coat, sweatshirt, gloves and hat as needed.

UNIS JS follows the Dept of Health guidelines for outdoor play: "New York City Department of Health Guidelines regarding outdoor play in cold weather policy states “Children benefit from vigorous exercise and should be given the opportunity to play outside whenever possible. Unless it is snowing or there is ice on the playground low temperatures should not be a barrier to outside play, as long as children are appropriately dressed. The City’s Health Department strongly encourages principals to maintain outdoor play periods on the vast majority of winter days.”

Recommendations are as follows: If the wind chill factor is above 20 degrees, it is safe to play outside. If the wind chill factor is 0-20, outside play is advised provided that students are appropriately dressed and under observation to make sure that they are wearing their coats, hats and gloves." 

From:  New York City Department of Education and New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

Labeling Clothing

With students wearing extra layers of clothing, it's time for families to be sure that all coats, jackets, sweaters, scarves, hats, etc. are clearly labeled with your child's first and last name and homeroom. Our faculty and staff do their best to return misplaced items to their owners, but clear labeling is needed to do that.

Lost & Found

Please visit the UNIS Lost and Found. Items are on display by the A Stairwell behind the security desk. Please stop by or send your child to be reunited with lost items. All unclaimed items will periodically be donated. 

For more information on donations, please contact the PA Social Responsibility Committee at abhilasha.mahan@pa.unis.org  

JS Photo Make Up and Retake Day - Mark Your Calendar for November 28

Junior School students had their individual, as well as homeroom group photos, taken last week on Tuesday, October 3.

These photos will be available to parents for purchase directly from Stomping Ground, and will be used in the annual UNIS yearbook.

Mark your calendar for Tuesday, November 28: Photo Makeup & Retake Day.

• Students who were absent on October 3 can have their individual portrait photos taken that day. 

• Parents may also coordinate directly with Stomping Ground to retake their child's October 3 portrait. 

• Use this link to coordinate a retake directly with Stomping Ground:  STOMPING GROUND PORTAL

Note: Homeroom group photos will NOT be taken on November 28. Attendance on October 3 was the only opportunity for a JS student to be included in their homeroom's group photo. 

STOMPING GROUND PORTAL

RECYCLE YOUR OLD SNEAKERS!

The Junior School GREEN TEAM is launching a gotsneakers recycling program.

Don’t throw away your old sneakers - donate them!

Donations will be accepted from October 16 through June 2024

gotsneakers is an organization that takes used or old sneakers and refurbishes them for reuse, or turns the unusable sneakers into playground surfaces. 

We will take sneakers in any size and any condition!

Your sneakers can have holes in them and the elastic falling off!  We will take them!

Any size kid and adult sneakers are accepted!

IT'S AS EASY AS 1 2 3 

DONATE YOUR OLD SNEAKERS AND THE JS GREEN TEAM WILL EARN MONEY TO SUPPORT THE STUDENT’S GREEN INITIATIVES!

Donate your old sneakers by putting them in a box with the label gotsneakers. Boxes will be placed in the UNIS lobby and near the JS morning entrance.

Thank you for supporting us!

Rose Fico | JS Sustainability Coordinator

In celebration of Zero Waste Month, let's embark on a journey towards a greener future! The little things matter: from bringing your own cup to cafes, to growing greens at home, and even switching to alternative energy sources. Small steps like using glass jars instead of plastic containers and embracing reusable bags can significantly reduce our environmental footprint. Remember, sustainability isn't just a trend—it's a lifestyle. 

Register for the Futsal Fun Day taking place on Saturday, November 4. Students, Faculty, and Staff are eligible to participate. Create your team and register, or register individually if you do not have a team and be assigned to a team on the day.

The registration form is available here.

Any questions contact Daniel O'Connor doconnor@unis.org

 October 20 Message from the Office of Student Activities 

1. UNIS-UN Club: Student Organizers Request the UNIS Community to Recommend Expert Speakers and/or Schools to Invite to the Annual Conference in March 2024

Dear UNIS Students, Faculty, and Families,

UNIS-UN is a two-day student-devised and led conference held annually in March at the prestigious General Assembly Hall of the United Nations Headquarters in New York City. The theme of the 2023-24 UNIS-UN Conference is “Equal Rights Equal Heights: Climbing the Ladder of Gender Equality.”

The conference will feature an international and dynamic lineup of speakers and visiting students from the USA and around the world. We are looking for experts in the field who can present on the issues of gender inequality and address topics such as those listed in the chart below. Therefore, we invite the community to nominate and recommend potential guest speakers who readily appeal to the youth, are knowledgeable, and can offer a unique and dynamic perspective to our student participants. Furthermore, if there are any schools you would like us to add to the invitation list, please submit your recommendations here by Monday, November 6, 2023. 

On behalf of the UNIS-UN student organizers, we thank you for your input.

Violence and conflict against women 

Portrayal of gender in the media

Socio-economic disparities 

Equitable access to education

Mental health 

Gender inequality in sports and leadership

Law & policy 

Bioethics & medicine 

Gender expression 

Gender roles/stereotypes 

Gender equality with refugees

Race & gender equality

2. UN Symphony Orchestra in Concert World premiere! October 31, 2023

Merkin Concert Hall at 7:30 pm, (W 67th Street near Broadway)

Predrag Vasić, Music Director and UNIS Parent

Tickets are $50 (prime) and $25 (the rest)

Special offer for UNIS Community: $5 off with code UNSO5 Get your tickets!

For more information, click here.

3. T3 Wyatt Whitman reflects on the special event at UNIS on World Mental Health Day (Oct 10):

“It was such an honor and pleasure to be able to interview the US Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, and the second Gentleman, Mr. Douglas Emhoff on World Mental Health Day at UNIS.  The purpose was to draw attention to the fact that mental health issues affect many young people and to erase any stigmas attached to it. I am a proud member of the Child Mind Institute Youth Council and I have a goal to make sure everyone can get the help they need.” 

Please click here to view the recording of the event.

4. UNIS ChessConnect: Interview on Sirius XM Mental Health Radio Listen to the segment here.

On Thursday, October 5th, 2023, the UNIS ChessConnect Club was featured on SiriusXM's Mental Health Radio in the "About Our Kids' ' segment. Tut-House seniors Max Hochman, founder of UNIS ChessConnect, and Daria Mehrina along with the club's faculty adviser and Student Activities Director, Mr. Zakaria Baha, were on the air with host Dr. Jess Shatkin discussing the importance of creating connections in their community. Max explained why he created UNIS ChessConnect: to curb the epidemic of loneliness in nursing home patients. The club has over 60 members and visits three local nursing homes weekly. They all agree that chess is simply a vehicle to start the connection. Daria explains in this interview that her experience with UNIS ChessConnect has given her an appreciation of how some people grow old without becoming bitter. Mr. Baha has been a huge supporter of UNIS ChessConnect from its inception and is a big fan of experiential learning. UNIS ChessConnect is emblematic of how the UNIS student body makes the world a better place. Listen to their segment here.

5. NEW RAIN DATE Seeking Volunteers: Environmental Stewardship Day at Ruppert Park on Sunday, October 22, 2023–  Limited Spots: Register here ASAP.

On behalf of Muslim Volunteers for New York, Inc. (MV4NY), it is our pleasure to invite you to our semi-annual Environmental Stewardship and Park Beautification Day at Ruppert Park on Sunday, October 22, 2023, from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm. 

MV4NY is a “Partnering Steward” of Ruppert Park and is committed to helping restore this green space for the community so come and join us to beautify it. This is a free, family-friendly event involving raking, planting, mulching, and more. You will be able to participate in eco-friendly Arts and Crafts and enjoy free giveaways, refreshments, and a lot more. 

JS Parent Coffee on Thursday, November 9 at 8:40

In the spirit of collaborative progress,

we invite all parents for a follow-up JS Parent Coffee on 

Thursday, November 9 from 8:40 to 9:25

Your engagement will be instrumental as we, together, navigate the path to a holistic and enriched educational experience at UNIS.

THIS HALLOWEEN, LET'S TRICK-OR-TREAT FOR UNICEF!

Do you know that $208 could provide a school-in-a-box to help 40 students keep learning through crisis? Do you know that $525 could deliver 2 months of therapeutic food to 10 children to help them recover from severe acute malnutrition? 

This Halloween, join many families in the UNIS community to give every child the future they deserve. Let's help UNICEF deliver health care and immunizations, nutrition, safe water and emergency relief to the children in need. Every donation counts. No amount is too small! 

Please make your donations to UNICEF now through this link:

https://unicefusa.donorsupport.co/-/NDSFFSNN

Parent Engagement Opportunities

Hiking Club

Anyone interested in a parent-led hiking club?  If you are, please email New2UNIS@unis.org with the subject line Hiking Clubdifficulty.  All families and UNIS staff members .  We will survey interested parents and determine whether and how to organize into groups based on hiking are welcomed.

LGBTQIA Caregiver Group 

If interested in joining a caregiver group to support our LGBTQIA students and community members, please email Yvonne.Brown@pa.unis.org

General Volunteering

To volunteer in any way - help sell “merch” or photographers/designers welcomed as well as potential event planners, please contact us at unispa@unis.org and we will direct your request accordingly.

There are several communities commemorating their heritages, identities, and histories this month including Filipina/o/x American History Month, Polish American Heritage Month, and National LGBTQ+ History Month. If you’d like to share information about your cultures’ heritage or historical celebrations or events with the UNIS community, contact us at unispa@unis.org. We wish everyone a great start to the autumn season!

UNIS IS AN ALLERGY AWARE SCHOOL

This means that students, families, faculty and staff are respectfully asked to refrain from bringing peanuts, nuts, and seeds of any kind or foods processed with these items or their by products, such as oils, into the school. This includes products which state "may contain traces of nuts/peanuts/tree nuts” or "manufactured in a facility which processes" nuts/peanuts/tree nuts.

For example, tree nuts (such as almonds, pistachios, pine nuts, cashews, brazil nuts, pecans, walnuts, etc.) and foods associated with them (such as nutella, pesto, granola bars, marzipan, macaroons, hummus (containing sesame), etc.) may present a risk to others. 

Please be mindful of the type of snacks that you pack for your child. UNIS is committed to providing a safe and welcoming environment for all the children in our school. Food allergies are becoming increasingly common among children, and we have several students with severe and/or life-threatening allergic reactions to nuts, peanuts, and seeds of any kind, as well as other allergens, including wheat, eggs, gluten and other food items.

Strict avoidance of the allergen is the ONLY way to prevent a life-threatening allergic reaction. Due to the nature of peanut/nut products, it is more challenging to prevent contamination of surfaces in the classroom, cafeteria, bathrooms, keyboards and other areas in the building.

In order to enhance safety for all students, UNIS is an “Allergy Aware” school. This means that students, families, faculty and staff are respectfully asked to refrain from bringing peanuts, nuts and seeds of any kind or foods processed with these items into the school. This includes products that state "may contain traces of" nuts/peanuts/tree nuts.

While some allergic reactions can be mild, many students with severe food allergies experience serious and potentially life-threatening reactions. You can help by not sending your child to school with foods that contain nuts, peanuts or seeds of any kind.

We ask our students and families to help make the school environment safer for all students, by following these simple suggestions:

• Please remind your child never to share his/her food and drinks with other students.

• If your child has eaten nuts prior to coming to school, please make sure they wash their hands and face before leaving home.

• Please remind your child often to wash their hands before and after eating.

• While some may perceive this as “inconvenient”, for many others it is simply a matter of life or death. We believe all families understand a parent/guardian’s concern and worry about safety and will join us in ensuring that our learning environment is conducive to this goal. Together we can make a difference!

IMPORTANT: UPDATE YOUR HOUSEHOLD CONTACT INFORMATION

All departments at UNIS, including the nurse, rely on the information that you provide in the Veracross Parent Portal to contact you. 

The only way you or your caregiver can be reached in an emergency, or when there are schoolwide announcements, is through the information that your family adds to our UNIS Portal. 

Please review your family profile and contact information to ensure that all of your local cell phone numbers, work phone numbers, email addresses and home address are correct and are entered in the correct fields. 

If you have not reviewed your information in September, we encourage you to do it today so that we can reach you quickly if needed, especially if you have relocated from abroad.

After logging into the Portal at myunis.vc , you may review and update all of your family contact information by:

• Going to Veracross

• Clicking on Household Information

• Updating Household Profile -> Contacts.

Thank you for taking the time to review and update your contact information now, and throughout the school year. The school's ability to contact you depends on it.

If you need support in order to make updates, please email tech.support@unis.org

Lost & Found Location

UNIS Lost and Found items are on display by the A Stairwell behind the security desk. Please stop by or send your child to be reunited with their lost items. All unclaimed items will periodically be donated. 

For more information on donations, please contact the PA Social Responsibility Committee at abhilasha.mahan@pa.unis.org  

PreK - J4 Lunch Brought from Home

Please be mindful as you pack lunches for your Junior School child(ren) as these remain stored in their backpacks until snack or lunch time. If lunch items require cooling, please be sure to include insulated ice packs in the packaging for your child's lunch. No additional heating or cooling options are available. 

No Money, Toys, Electronics, Smartwatches at School 

Junior School children should not bring money to school and they are not permitted to purchase food in the Cafeteria.  If they forget their lunch from home one day, they can ask the JS Office to help arrange for school lunch for that day. Parents are expected to send payment of $8.00 cash for the Food Service Director the following day in an envelope with their child’s name and homeroom. 

JS students are not permitted to bring toys from home, including electronics, balls and trading cards. Aside from often being lost, these items are a distraction from learning in the classroom, and a cause of conflict at play and during after school programs.

We understand that some families provide their children with smartwatches or cell phones for safety reasons. However, upon entering the school building, all watches and phones are to be silenced and placed securely in the students backpack and remain there until they are dismissed. We ask that parents not attempt to text, call or send alerts to their Junior School child during the school day. If you need to reach your JS child on an urgent matter, please phone the JS Office at 212-584-3190 or email jsoffice@unis.org with a copy to your child's teacher.

Gum chewing is not permitted at school at any point during the school day, including during playtime, and students are not permitted to bring any gum or candy to school.

Note that the school is not responsible for the loss of any personal items, valuable or not, that students have brought from home. This includes jewelry, smart watches, cell phones, electronic devices, toys, etc.

Birthday Celebrations Outside of School

We understand the importance of celebrating our students' milestones outside of school, particularly birthday celebrations, and how they can foster stronger bonds among classmates. However, to maintain an environment focused on academics within the classroom and to preserve the feelings of all students, we kindly request your cooperation with the following policy regarding birthday invitations:

• Invitations to birthday parties held outside school may not be distributed or communicated in the classroom.

• Families wishing to invite classmates to a party held outside of school should utilize the WhatsApp group set up for their class, or reach out to their Class Parents for support.

• This policy allows our faculty to focus on academics in the classroom and preserves student trust and confidence in them in the event that an invitation is not received.

We appreciate your understanding and compliance with this policy.

JS Birthday Celebration in the Classroom Policy

For reasons related to student allergies and health, this is the policy for JS student birthday celebrations on campus:

• Birthdays will be acknowledged and celebrated in the JS Homeroom and/or with the Mother Tongue group. 

• Students may bring a special food treat for themself from home on their birthday to enjoy at snack or lunch time.

• Instead of bringing food treats from home to be shared with classmates, the birthday student may choose from a menu of fun activities offered by the Homeroom or MT teacher for the class to participate in together. The activities will be age-appropriate and vary by grade.

• At the discretion of the Homeroom teacher, there may be individual celebrations for each student, or there may be grouped, monthly birthday celebrations. 

• For details about the birthday celebration policy for your child’s homeroom please reach out to your teacher by email.

HEALTH NEWS FROM THE NURSE

Current COVID Guidelines 

We are all excited to welcome our students back and are looking forward to a healthy and happy school year. We would like to share the current COVID guidelines for NYC schools in an effort to keep us all healthy and off to a good start.

Students and staff who are feeling sick should stay home and test (at home-tests are fine). 

Please send a picture of your COVID test results to covid@unis.org

For positive COVID results:

No symptoms:  Isolate 5 days and return on Day 6

With Symptoms:  Isolate for 5 days 

  Symptoms must be improving AND Fever free (without medications) for 24 hours

  Masks need to be worn on Days 6-10

When determining how long to isolate and wear a mask, Day 0 is the day of COVID-19 symptom onset and Day 1 is the first full day after when symptoms started. 

For people who had no symptoms, Day 0 is the test date and Day 1 is the first full day following the test date.

Marisa Rivera, MS, RN, FNP, CPN 

mrivera@unis.org

Mask Wearing at School

Mask wearing while on campus is optional and the discretion of your family. Be assured that all JS students whose families choose to have them remain masked at school will be fully supported by our faculty and staff.

If your child will wear a mask at school be sure you have packed at least 2 spare masks in a clean bag in your child's backpack, as well as an extra bag to hold used masks if they aren't disposable. 

Health Protocols

We would like to remind everyone about our health protocols:

• When your child is sick with runny nose, cough, stomach ache, fever, headache, etc. there is no expectation from the Junior School that they should attend class in person or attempt to learn from home. 

• If your child has symptoms that would normally have kept them at home prior to COVID-19, we ask that families not send their children to school or request for schoolwork to be sent home.

• We hope that time will be taken for your child to rest and recover at home as the school believes that children recover more quickly when they are permitted to disconnect and rest, and when care is taken by everyone to avoid spreading communicable illnesses.

• If your child had any symptoms that could be consistent with COVID, they need to remain at home and take a rapid test. 

You may review the full protocols on our website COVID & Health Protocols. 

Thank you for supporting the entire UNIS community by keeping your children at home when they are not well. 

When your child will be absent, please email your homeroom teacher before 8:00am with a copy to jsattendance@unis.org, and update SchoolPass to alert all departments, especially After School Activities and Transportation, that your child is not at school.

Magnus: Make Sure Your Child's Health Records are Up-to-Date

In keeping with state laws and UNIS policy, several student health and medical forms must be completed annually and submitted directly by parents via Magnus Health Student Medical Record (SMR). These forms may be uploaded, faxed or mailed directly to Magnus. In order to protect the confidentiality of student health and related information, please note that the health office is unable to accept and upload health forms. Once completed and received by Magnus, the forms are available to our school nurses for final review and approval.

If you are experiencing delays to obtain an appointment with your regular doctor/pediatrician, note that you can also obtain these medical forms through any urgent care center in New York City without any appointment. You can always update your records at a later date once you have been able to also see your regular doctor/pediatrician.

Required health forms which MUST be uploaded/acknowledged on Magnus Health:

• Annual physical exam

• Up-to-date immunization record

• Vital health record

• Consent to treat form

• Over-the-counter (OTC) medication form

If you experience difficulty with uploading, please contact Magnus Health SMR customer support at service@magnushealthportal.com or by phone 877-461-6831. If you have trouble accessing Magnus, please email the tech team at websupport@unis.org. 

A school nurse is available during the school day, from 8am to 6pm. You can contact our Health Office at schoolnurse@unis.org, or contact Nurse Marisa Rivera, Director of Student Health and Nursing, at mrivera@unis.org (212-584-3078).

MEDICAL RECORDS COMPLIANCE

Message from Dr. Brenner

Dear UNIS Community,

Ensuring the health and compliance of our students with the regulations set forth by the New York City Department of Health (NYCDOH) is of paramount importance to us.

Annually, the NYCDOH provides UNIS with a 30-day window following the commencement of the school year to collect physical examinations, immunization records, and other essential medical information from our student body. This crucial process ensures that we possess the most up-to-date information required to deliver proper care and support throughout the academic year. We have messaged you many times about this beginning in the late summer and continuing throughout the current school year.

We would like to draw your attention to a pertinent excerpt from our Schoolwide Student & Parent Handbook, conveniently accessible via the Veracross Parent Portal:

"Physical examinations, immunization records, and all other forms must be submitted annually for all students. All forms, except for immunization records, remain valid for 12 months. Immunization due dates align with NYC vaccination requirements and schedules. Until these vital forms are completed, students will not be able to attend classes, join sports teams, or participate in pre-season athletic training. Your cooperation in diligently completing these forms in their entirety is instrumental in ensuring UNIS' continued compliance with NYC Department of Health regulations. This vital information also enhances the capacity of our school nurses to provide safe and effective care and support to your children throughout the school year.

*Please be aware that all documentation requiring physician completion and signatures must be handled by the child's physician(s). UNIS does not accept signatures or physician stamps from a student's parent(s)/guardian(s) who are physicians. This policy is rooted in the AMA Code of Medical Ethics' Opinion on Physicians Treating Family Members."

The conclusion of our 30-day grace period is swiftly approaching. Unfortunately, students for whom we do not possess all updated documentation on Magnus Health by this deadline will be unable to attend school or partake in student-related activities such as Week Without Walls, Middle School Camps, and sports activities.

To access all necessary information and forms, please visit our Veracross Parent Portal Health & Wellness Center Page, where you can conveniently upload new documentation through Magnus Health.

For any inquiries or assistance, please do not hesitate to reach out to us via email at schoolnurse@unis.org.

Please help us and your children be safe at school as well help UNIS stay in compliance with City law.

Kind Regards,

Dr. Dan Brenner