Newsletter #07

Dear parents,

On Sunday morning as I sat down to write this newsletter I proudly thought to myself that I had a plethora of topics to choose from:

The Pre-K students celebrating their new classroom with excitement and joy!

So many options.

But here is the biggest news: Robert Landron is back! For those of you who were part of Junior School in 2018, Robert Landron is the famous French baker who challenged parents with a math riddle honoring the great mind of Stephen Hawking. For those who did not receive last year's Newsletter (1), here is Landron's 2018 challenging riddle:

Robert Landron is the owner of a very fine French Bakery, he is a perfectionist. All his Chocolatines (Chocolate croissant) always need to have exactly the same weight. And he hates losing any minutes. Productivity and quality is everything to him. Thibaut Grovière is his apprentice. Robert Landron challenged him one day. He gave him 12 Chocolatines, all of the same weight except one. He gave him a Roberval balance (without any mass), and asked him to find the intruder using the balance at most three times.

The solution of this riddle was shared in the Junior School Newsletter April 9, 2018

Thanks to the success of his bakery, Robert Landron has opened an organic farm shop where he sells the juiciest fruits and the healthiest vegetables in Paris. He also has the most stunning strawberry you have ever seen. A strawberry weighing 10 lbs!

Thibaut Grovière, Landron's apprentice, is delighted to work in this new shop. He believes that his training at UNIS will allow him to solve all the riddles that his boss will challenge him with. Except maybe this one....

"Thibaut, yesterday you left our beautiful strawberry too close to the window. It was a very warm and sunny day. As you know, this strawberry was 99% water by weight. Because of your carelessness, the strawberry dehydrated until it's only 98% water by weight. As you can imagine, this makes me quite upset. But I will forgive you if you can figure out how much the strawberry weighs now."

Thibaut is quiet excited and is about to rush to answer what appears to him to be a very easy riddle. And he is wondering why Landron would be that upset - in the end, 99%, 98% what is the difference?! But Landron stopped him and said: "Don't let these potatoes influence you".

Thibaut is puzzled. "What do these potatoes have to do with this shrinking strawberry". Now he knew it was not going to be that easy. Or not? He needs your help! Would you be kind enough to send him the correct answer? You may submit it by filling in the form below and your are more than welcome to seek help from your child! We will share the correct answer and the winner in next week’s newsletter.

Answer the riddle

As we said in the Newsletter from April 2, 2018 (2), Stephen Hawking believed that “there is a real danger that computers will develop intelligence and take over. We urgently need to develop direct connections to the brain so that computers can add to human intelligence rather than be in opposition.” But for this riddle, you are asked not to find the answer by searching the internet, and not to use your computer as an extension of your brain!

Pascal Vallet, Junior School Principal

Susan Scullin, Junior School Principal Assistant

IMPORTANT DATES

EVENTS THIS WEEK

UPCOMING EVENTS

IN THIS NEWSLETTER

Cardboard Challenge 2019

HIGH PRIORITY: JS PHOTO DAY - THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10

Stomping Ground Photo will be taking JS portraits and class photos on Thursday, October 10th. 

Orders will be shipped directly to your home.

For questions please contact: help@stompinggroundphoto.com

INFORMATION: PREPARING FOR PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES

JS PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCE DATES

Wednesday, November 6th from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm for PK/JA - J4 (school is in session)

Thursday, November 7th from 8:30 am to 3:00 pm for PK/JA - J4 (no classes for students)

Friday, November 8th from 8:30 am to 3:00 pm for PK/JA - J4 (no classes for students)

CONFERENCE SIGN-UP PERIOD

LIMITED CHILD CARE DURING PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES - THURSDAY & FRIDAY

INFORMATION: CARDBOARD CHALLENGE 2019

Cardboard Challenge 2019 was, once again, a success! Students and parents worked together to build some amazing sustainable cars, space rockets, solar panels houses, boats, trees, dinosaurs, and even the United Nations building!

Use the link below to access all the photos from the day. We are also working on a short video of highlights. Thanks for your patience! 

Click to see the Cardboard Challenge 2019 Album

BIT OF NEWS: NO YELLOW BUS SERVICE - MONDAY, OCTOBER 14TH

There is no yellow bus service on Monday, October 14th. Please make alternate travel arrangements for your child.

So that you can plan ahead, these are the 6 other dates this school year when NYC’s Office of Pupil Transportation will not be providing yellow bus service to UNIS when JS classes are in session:

BIT OF NEWS: J3 AND J4 STUDENT DROP OFF

This is a reminder that if you need to meet with your child’s teacher please use email to request an appointment, rather than trying to arrange it in person at morning drop off. The expectation is that all of our teachers are fully focused on greeting arriving students in the morning.

Please reserve coming upstairs with your J3 or J4 child to speak with their homeroom teacher for only the most urgent matters.

BIT OF NEWS: SAVE THE DATE - UN DAY - FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18

In preparation for our annual UN Day celebration, Friday, October 18,  193 UN Member State flags have been hung around the school. We hang the flags in the order that the countries are seated in the GA Hall each year, emulating the annual UN rotation. This year the first seat/first flag is Ghana.

Looking for your flag? Here's where you'll find it:

If you hear that the Chinese flag is incorrect, this is a true statement!  The small stars are tipped at an angle, encircling the larger star. The correct flag is on it's way.

Did you know...Denmark's flag is the oldest flag currently in use.  It was designed in 1219 and is unchanged since.

Please join your child on the morning of October 18th to celebrate UN Day and be a spectator at the JS Parade of Nations. Children and adults are invited to dress in the cultural wear that represents their background, or a place that speaks to their heart. Don’t forget your camera!

BIT OF NEWS: 2019-2020 PHOTO ALBUM

All year long we will update the UNIS JS 2019-20 PHOTO ALBUM. You can access it at any time by saving the link below in your bookmarks!

Click to see the live album 2019-20

REMINDER: TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12 - 11:45 DISMISSAL FOR ALL JS STUDENTS

On Tuesday, November 12, to accommodate Faculty Professional Development, both Junior School and Middle School students will be dismissed early:

Tut Housewill follow their regular schedule.

Yellow school bus service will be available and buses will depart the school at approximately 12:00pm.

Athletics, After School classes and the Care Program are canceled for that day.

REMINDER: UPDATE YOUR CHILD’S DISMISSAL PLANS

Our homeroom teachers follow the instructions entered by parents in School Dismissal Manager each day. Now that after school activities have begun please update your SDM account to indicate what the plans are for your child for each day of the week.

SDM is the only way of letting your homeroom teacher know where your child should go at 2:55 dismissal. In addition to indicating that there is an Athletic or After School Activity, you must enter a description of the activity in the box below. If the activity name is not entered in SDM your child may be placed in the Care Program instead.

REMINDER: 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. Please ensure today 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.

REMINDER: LOST AND FOUND

Please take the time to write your child's name in all outer garments, athletic gear, lunch boxes and water bottles. Our staff does their best to return misplaced items to their owner, but without a clearly written name and class, it may not be possible.

Please note that unclaimed items are periodically donated to charity so be sure to check the Lost and Found bin on the 1st floor near the playground doors regularly for missing items.