Newsletter #02

Dear parents,

Heraclitus of Ephesus (c. 535 – c. 475 BCE) was a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher and a native of the city of Ephesus, part of the Persian Empire (1). 

"No man ever steps in the same river twice"

Heraclitus' famous formula "Panta rhei" ("Everything flows") shows that everything changes forever. For the Greek philosopher, everything, even what we believe is immutable and firmly stable, follows this tireless movement.  He is in this sense the philosopher of movement. For him there is only one thing permanent: change:

"Nothing is permanent except change"

Everything undergoes changes, modifications. This is obvious for what is purely material - an iron object rusting, water evaporating, and so on. Every object which is new is destined to become old, useless and replaced by another. A plant, after its apogee, decreases and disappears by transforming itself into something else.

Sometimes this change can be slow, sometimes it can be brutal, sometimes we wish things would change faster, sometimes we hope certain things could remain forever. But this is hopeless. For the sake of security our instinct may be to hang on to fixism, while evolutionism governs everything. Hence the risk of disappointment or disillusion.(2)

In the history of humanity, youth have often led the charge to make the World a better place. In the USA during the 1960's, the youth generation agitated for a brighter future, seeking possibilities and opportunities, but also the need to stand against was not right. They fought for their free speech, protested Vietnam, and stood for human rights next to Martin Luther King. He guided some peacefully and delivered his famous “I have a dream” speech in which he envisioned a world where people were no longer divided by race.

And now something else is changing  - the climate. "Since the start of the industrial era (about 1750), the overall effect of human activities on climate has been a warming influence. The human impact on climate during this era greatly exceeds that due to known changes in natural processes, such as solar changes and volcanic eruptions."(3) Today, the young generation is facing new challenges. Some of looming consequences if we do not support them as they create the necessary change.

"Climate Change is the Challenge of Our Generation” (4).

Through our Mission Statement, UNIS recognizes the need to support our students as they become part of the change that will shape a better World "peaceful, compassionate and sustainable" (5). This school year the Junior School faculty, staff and administration, in collaboration with you our parents, will work tirelessly to support this goal, making sure that the future generation will not be victim to an ineluctable change, but will control it and direct it for a better World.

And, as our students were enjoying their summer, we made certain to support changes that will make a difference in their academic growth, well-being and security. We invite you now to review the new Drop Off Protocol and the new Homework Policy which was updated based on the work of our task force last year.

Speaking of homework, we have some for parents... and it is non-negotiable! Make sure that before Wednesday, September 4th you make time to:

As you will see, the Newsletter has changed too. We hope this change will make your school year a better one as well!

We are looking forward welcoming parents and students this Wednesday, September 4th for an exciting year of collaboration, sharing and learning!

Pascal Vallet, Junior School Principal

Susan Scullin, Junior School Assistant Principal

IMPORTANT DATES

FIRST WEEK OF SCHOOL EVENTS

UPCOMING EVENTS

IN THIS NEWSLETTER

TO DO: UPDATE YOUR FAMILY CONTACT INFORMATION IN VERACROSS

UPDATE YOUR FAMILY CONTACT INFORMATION IN VERACROSS TODAY

All departments at UNIS, including the school nurse, rely on the contact information that your family provides to the school in Veracross. Before school begins on September 4th, please ensure that your preferred email addresses, cell phone numbers and home address are up to date and entered accurately in your profile. The information that you provide here is the only way we can reach you regarding your child.

TO DO: UPDATE THE DISMISSAL INFORMATION & SIGN THE AGREEMENT

Instructions to update your child's dismissal were shared with all families on Wednesday, August 28. Every family should have their School Dismissal Manager (SDM) account set up before the first day of school, Wednesday, September 4th. At dismissal on September 4th homeroom teachers will rely solely on the information that families enter in SDM.

If the teacher does not have an accurate information in the School Dismissal Manager system at the end of the day, your child will be placed under the supervision of the After Care Program and billed accordingly.

AM I GOING TO BE CHARGED IF MY CHILD IS PLACED IN THE CARE PROGRAM?

Parents are notified that the "Non‐Registered" Care Program drop off cost is $25 per hour; $18 per hour for a “Part‐Time” registered student (hourly basis); no extra charge for a "Full-Time" registered student (fees as of November 2018; see Care Program protocol for most updated fees).

WHAT IF I AM RUNNING LATE TO PICK UP MY CHILD?

Please note that JS dismissal is at 2:55 and parents and caregivers are expected to arrive at UNIS by that time. If parents or caregivers are not able to arrive by 2:55 on a regular basis, please contact our Office of Special Programs to register for the Care Program. If you or your caregiver is running late in unusual circumstances and will arrive later than 2:55, the school will place your student in the Care Program. The same fees apply as described above.

SCHOOL DISMISSAL FAQ

HOW CAN I FIND THE INFORMATION TO LOG IN TO SCHOOL DISMISSAL MANAGER (SDM)?

On Wednesday, August 28, you should have received an email sent from the address: info@schooldismissalmanager.com. This email contains your temporary password and important information to allow you to login to School Dismissal Manager. The system can use one, and only one, email for each parent. 

AFTER RUNNING THE SEARCH, I STILL CANNOT FIND AN EMAIL WITH THE DIRECTIONS TO LOG IN TO THE DISMISSAL SYSTEM. WHAT SHOULD I DO?

If you cannot find the message sent last Wednesday, August 28, you can still access the system by resetting your temporary password:

You can also access the password reset page by clicking on "Forgot password" on the SchoolDismissal Management landing page.

I CAN LOG IN TO SCHOOL DISMISSAL MANAGER. NOW, WHAT SHOULD I DO?

MY SPOUSE HAS RECEIVED THE SAME EMAIL TODAY. DO WE NEED BOTH TO FOLLOW THESE DIRECTIONS?

No, if one parent sets up the default dismissal for your child(ren), the second parent does not need to do it. But we strongly recommend that both parents log into the system today to ensure that both have the correct login information and are able to update the system with last minute dismissal exceptions.

WHEN IS THE CUT-OFF TIME TO ADD AN EXCEPTION?

When creating an exception in the dismissal plan in SDM during a current day, please note that the cut-off time is 1:00pm on regular days and 11:00am on early release days. After the 1:00 cut-off time, you must call the school office at 212-584-3113 no later than 2:30 to make any changes for the current day.

HOW DO I CREATE A PROFILE FOR MYSELF AND/OR MY CHILD?

Parents do not create profiles for their children or themselves. The individual schools are responsible for creating and maintaining all student and parent profiles. If you find that you need to have a profile created or that you need to make a profile change, please contact your school office directly for further assistance.

HOW COME MY USERNAME AND PASSWORD FROM LAST YEAR ARE NOT WORKING?

School Dismissal Manager retains parent login credentials from year-to-year. If your password isn’t working your school may not be setup yet for the new school year. If it has then use the “Forgot Password” function to reset your password.

IT’S PASSED THE SCHOOL’S CUT-OFF TIME, HOW DO I MAKE SURE MY CHILD’S EXCEPTION IS LOGGED FOR TODAY?

If you find that you are passed the school’s cut-off time, you will not be able to create an exception for that day. Instead, you will need to call the school office and talk to them directly about the exception you were trying to create.

WHAT IS AN EXCEPTION?

An exception is a change to your child’s daily dismissal routine or “default”.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A “DEFAULT” AND A “RECURRING EXCEPTION”?

A “default” is your child’s normal dismissal routine that occurs two or more days in a typical week. A “recurring dismissal” is an exception that reoccurs weekly for a specific period of time. This function is only available on the desktop parent screen. NOTE: Parents should not try to use the “recurring dismissal” feature to set student defaults for the entire school year. If you need to change your child’s default, please call the school to do this properly.

HOW CAN I CHANGE MY CHILD’S DEFAULT?

Some schools allow parents to change their child’s default while others do not. If allowed, you will find this setting at the bottom of the Change Password and Preferences screen. If not allowed, you will need to call your school directly and notify them of the change and they will update your child’s profile for you.

HOW DO I CREATE MORE THAN ONE EXCEPTION AT A TIME?

You may create more than one exception at time for a defined period of time. This can be done via the Recurring Dismissal Instructions screen.

I CAN ONLY SEE ONE OF MY CHILDREN, HOW CAN I FIX THAT?

You can fix this by calling the school. They will be able to make the necessary adjustments to your profile and/or your children’s profiles, so that they are all visible when you login. Is there an app? School Dismissal Manager apps are available from your phone app store free of charge.

WE HAVE NATIVE APPS FOR BOTH ANDROID AND IOS. WHAT IS FASTLANE?

FastLane is a car line management tool within School Dismissal Manager that some schools choose to use. FastLane uses the daily dismissal information and reports to facilitate and expedite the car line process initiated by your school administrators.

THE FORGOT PASSWORD LINK ISN’T WORKING, WHAT DO I DO NOW?

In the event that the Forgot Password link doesn’t work, please call your school office directly and they will be able to assist you further by re-setting your password for you. Note that parents cannot login until the school has finished setting up SDM. You should receive an email notification when your school is ready for you to start.

CAN I CREATE AN EXCEPTION FOR A DAY THAT IS MORE THAN TWO WEEKS OUT?

Yes, above the calendar you will find a Pick a Future Date option. Here you can select any school day during the entire school year to create an exception.

I STILL NEED HELP, WHAT SHOULD I DO?

Send us an email at jsoffice@unis.org with your name and your child's name. We will do our best to assist you.


HIGH PRIORITY: DROP OFF UPDATE

PLAYGROUND NOT ACCESSIBLE FROM WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4 TO FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 6 INCLUDED

During summer 2020 some important developments will take place in our playground. This is an exciting project that will directly serve our students by expanding the cafeteria area with a multipurpose space exclusively dedicated to the Junior School Students. In order to complete this project on time, specific tests must be conducted in our playground now. Those tests will be completed by this coming Friday, September 6th. Meanwhile, for security reasons, students cannot access the playground.

I USUALLY DROP OF MY CHILD BEFORE 8:20am, WHERE SHOULD HE/SHE WAIT?

From September 4 to September 6th, a specific section of the current cafeteria will be dedicated to welcoming Junior School students dropped off by a parent/caregiver before 8:20am. This area will be supervised by our playground supervisors. Parents/caregivers are invited to enter the cafeteria to drop off their child in the specific section dedicated for that purpose.

MY CHILD WILL COME BY BUS, DOES THIS AFFECT HIM/HER AS THE BUS USUALLY PARKS IN THE PLAYGROUND?

The bus service will start on Wednesday, September 11.  The playground will be accessible by bus and students will be able to wait in the supervised playground as usual.

DROP OFF POLICY

Our Junior School morning routines are designed, first, to support out students’ safety. They are also a special opportunity for our teachers to focus solely on welcoming each of their students and helping them settle in for a successful day of learning. All Junior School students must be escorted by parents/caregivers into the school building at drop off time in the morning. Pick up is also within the school building by parents/caregivers at either the 2:55 dismissal from JS or from any extr...

READ MORE...

INFORMATION: NEW HOMEWORK POLICY

Last year the Junior School assessed its homework policy, investigated what research tells us about homework, and surveyed parents and faculty about their understanding and representation on homework. The result of this year-long project was shared with parents in May 2019 during our Parent Coffee.

2019-05-09 PARENT COFFEE #HOMEWORK

Presentation

Parent Coffee May 2019 - Special Homework

Video

Parent Coffee May 2019 - Special Homework

Based on the work accomplished last year and aligned with the information shared with parents last year, we are pleased to share with you our new Homework Policy.

I.​ INTRODUCTION

At UNIS we support teaching practices which encourage personalization of our students’ learning experience. Homework is an extension of students’ learning experiences. Our policy takes into consideration the results of research in the field of education and tailors homework to meet individual needs.

​II.​ WHAT IS DIFFERENTIATION?

Differentiated and scaffolded instruction aims to accommodate students’ learning needs, by providing appropriate levels of support, challenge and choice while valuing all students and recognizing that each may follow a different learning pathway. When considering homework, recognizing that each student has different learning needs supports the idea that each student may have different tasks at home as well. 

​III.​ WHAT THE RESEARCH SAYS?

Harris Cooper, an educational psychologist, conducted the most exhaustive review of 60 years of research on the impact of homework on academic growth. He performed a “meta-analysis,” which is a statistical technique for combining numerous studies into the equivalent of one giant study. The result of his research shows that “there is no evidence that any amount of homework improves academic performance".

In fact, his research evidences that traditional homework as we know it only shows a positive impact on academic growth beginning in grade 7. In the lower grades, the relationship between academic growth and homework is either nonexistent or demonstrates a negative impact on grades.

​IV. JUNIOR SCHOOL POLICY

Our homework policy is developed through vertical collaboration from PreK to 4th grade. It is based on our school mission, values and guiding principles. We believe that students need time to explore and grow in areas besides their academic endeavors. We believe that parents may appreciate suggestions of activities beyond our curriculum that support their child’s well-being, academic growth, and success. We recognize that every student has different needs.

Our homework policy, therefore, offers three main aspects:

​V-1.​ HOMEWORK WILL CONSIST OF (PreK to J4)

​V-2.​ HOMEWORK MAY CONSIST OF (J1 to J4)

​V-3. SUGGESTED HOME ACTIVITIES MAY CONSIST OF (PreK to J4)

​V-4. POLICY ROLLOUT

The three main aspects described above will start following this rollout:

INFORMATION:  BUS SERVICE & METROCARDS

MESSAGE FROM TRANSPORTATION