Newsletter #10
Dear parents,
In 2015, three researchers from the Department of Economics at the University of Warwick led research (1) on the correlation between happiness in the workplace and productivity. For them, greater employee happiness results in higher productivity without sacrificing quality.
Their conclusion was that “companies like Google have invested more in employee support and employee satisfaction has risen as a result. For Google, it rose by 37 percent; they know what they are talking about. Under scientifically controlled conditions, making workers happier really pays off. [...] The driving force seems to be that happier workers use the time they have more effectively, increasing the pace at which they can work without sacrificing quality."
Interestingly, at the same time, an article published in the Harvard Business Review Magazine (2) presented... the opposite conclusion! The authors, who looked at many research studies (but surely not the one from the University of Warwick) came to the depressing conclusion that:
Happiness doesn’t necessarily lead to increased productivity.
Happiness can be exhausting.
It won’t necessarily get you through the work day.
Happiness could damage your relationship with your boss.
It could also hurt your relationship with friends and family.
It could make losing your job that much more devastating.
Happiness could make you selfish.
It could also make you lonely.
It is obvious that the Harvard Business Magazine needs to organize a retreat at UNIS on Halloween Day as none - or almost none - of their conclusions could ever apply to our Junior School! See for yourself!
J3 "BIOME" TEAM
For Halloween, the J3 team dressed up as biomes. They chose this theme because it connects to our Global Connections unit, which explores interdependence within ecosystems. In the photo, you’ll see the rainforest, coral reef, tundra, deciduous forest, savanna, and desert biomes.
J4 "NATURAL HAZARDS AND DISASTERS" TEAM
"We enjoyed dressing up and it was wonderful to see the smiles from all the kids too. Happy Halloween everyone!"
The J4 teaching team found inspiration for our Halloween costumes from the J4 Humanities unit: Natural Hazards and Disasters. In class the students have been learning about the connection between geography and the occurrence of natural events, the cause and effect of natural disasters, and the ways community groups prevent, prepare for, mitigate and respond to disasters. So, to enhance the learning and to have a little fun, teachers have decided to represent some of the events we have been discussing. Introducing the extreme weather team...
Ms Hiebl as wildfire
Ms Decicco as melting ice caps and the rising sea level
Ms Sanchez as thunderstorm
Mr Jaouad as blizzard
Ms Bone as tornado
Ms Camillo as volcano
With so much creativity, our JS students and teachers highlighted our joy and happiness to be together as part of the Junior School Community. We certainly feel more aligned with Steve Jobs than the Harvard Business Review's depressing article:
"Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it."
However, I have to admit that the research might be right when it finds that "Happiness doesn’t necessarily lead to increased productivity", at least when you are dressed as a blue genie riding a magic carpet. We confess that this is not the best outfit to get the maximum number of things done during the school day.
Note that not everybody wore a happy face on Halloween at UNIS. This is the J2 "ADDAMS FAMILY" TEAM. Spooky! And for those who are wondering where Ms. Turner is... look more carefully... she chose the most complex costume of all...she is "Thing" (aka that hand resting on Uncle Fester's shoulder). What a great performance Ms. Turner!
No matter what you think of happiness in the workplace, there is one thing everyone agreed upon on Thursday: the true highlight of the day was Remi's (J3 Heller) outstanding, creative, delightful and awesome car. Remi promised that he will share where the idea for the car came from and how it went from a dream to a Halloween reality. Stay tuned for more in our next newsletter!
Pascal Vallet, Junior School Principal
Susan Scullin, Junior School Principal Assistant
Happiness and productivity, by Oswald, Andrew J. , Proto, Eugenio and Sgroi, Daniel, Journal of Labor Economics, 33 (4). pp. 789-822, 2015
The Research We’ve Ignored About Happiness at Work, by André Spicer and Carl Cederström wrote, Harvard Business Review, July 21, 2015
IMPORTANT DATES
EVENTS THIS WEEK
Monday, November 4 - Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF Boxes Due
Monday, November 4 - PA Meeting (Cafe) 8:30 - 9:30
Monday, November 4 - Admissions Assessments and Q&A
Tuesday, November 5 - Parent Teacher Conference Sign up Closes 7:00pm
Wednesday, November 6 - JS Parent Coffee (Cafe) 8:30 - 9:30 - Responsive Classroom (details in this newsletter)
Wednesday, November 6 - No After School Classes (Parent/Teacher Conference Set Up) Care Program is in Session until 6:00pm
Parent Teacher Conferences (details in this newsletter) -
Wednesday, November 6 from 5:00 until 8:00 pm (PK/JA - J4) Adults only / childcare is not available
Thursday, November 7 from 8:30 am to 3:00pm (PK/JA - J4) Full Day - No Classes for Students
Friday, November 8 from 8:30 am to 3:00 pm (PK/JA - J4) Full Day - No Classes for Students
UPCOMING EVENTS
Monday, November 11 - No Yellow Bus Service
Monday, November 11 - Class Parent Meeting (Cafe) 8:30 - 9:20
Tuesday, November 12 - JS Half Day 11:45 Dismissal for all JS Students (details in this newsletter)
Thursday, November 14 – Stomping Ground Photo Retake Day (details for signing up in this newsletter)
Friday, November 15 - Admissions Deadline for Sibling Applications
Week of November 18 - November 22 - City Harvest Collections
Wednesday, November 27 to Friday, November 29 - School Closed – Thanksgiving Break
Tuesday, December 3 - PA Meeting (Cafe) 8:30 - 9:30
Wednesday, December 4 - JS Parent Coffee (Cafe) 8:30 - 9:30
Saturday, December 7 - PA Cultural Showcase - Morocco at UNIS 4:00-7:00pm (details in this newsletter)
Saturday, December 14 - JS Talent Show
Monday, December 23 to Friday, January 3 – Winter Break
Monday, January 6 – Classes Resume
IN THIS NEWSLETTER
TO DO: PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES - SIGN UP IS OPEN
CONFERENCE DATES
Wednesday, November 6: from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Thursday, November 7: from 8:30 am to 3:00 pm
Friday, November 8: 8:30 am to 3:00 pm
SIGN-UP PERIOD
Start / Open: Friday, November 1 at 7:00 pm
End / Close: Tuesday, November 5 at 7:00 pm
ACCESS TO CONFERENCE SIGN-UP
Sign-up is available until Tuesday, November 5 at 7:00pm only through the Veracross 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, send an email message now to veracross@unis.org to retrieve them
If you have received your credentials you must log in to Veracross to access the parent-teacher conferences sign up
When you log on to your portal, you will be able to sign up for conference slots for each of your children
SIGN-UP PROCESS: DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS
Instructions on booking conference times with your childrens' teachers are available by following the link below.
QUESTIONS, ISSUES, CONCERNS AND FEEDBACK DURING THE SIGN-UP PROCESS
Send an email to veracross@unis.org
LIMITED CHILD CARE DURING PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES - THURSDAY AND FRIDAY
The Junior School is pleased to offer limited childcare at no cost during the JS Parent Teacher Conferences on Thursday, November 7 and Friday, November 8 from 8:30 to 3:00
Childcare is not available on Wednesday evening and it is expected that only parents attend the evening conferences.
Childcare is limited to the duration of your family's Parent Teacher Conferences, while parents are on campus.
There is no need to sign up in advance of the Parent Teacher Conferences. Parents are welcome to sign their Junior School child in directly with the Teaching Assistants on duty on the day of your Conferences.
Childcare will take place in the JA Gym on the 1st floor on Thursday and Friday.
Parents are invited to use the childcare option if they are unable to provide alternate childcare for Junior School students. Students can be enrolled only for the duration of their parent’s conferences, while parents are on the UNIS campus.
We cannot accommodate any child not currently enrolled at UNIS.
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.
Sign-in Process
Childcare will be available from 8:30am - 3:00 in the 1st Floor JA Gym.
When you arrive you will be asked to sign your child in so that we know their name, homeroom, and how parents can be reached by cell phone in an emergency.
Students can be signed up only for the duration of the time that their parents are present on campus attending conferences.
Arrival and Departure from Childcare
Every student who arrives must be checked in and the parent must give the name of anyone, other than themselves, who will be collecting the child.
When leaving, the student must be checked out by a childcare supervisor and the child’s name checked off as departing.
Students will not be released to anyone other than the parent, or an alternate whose name has been given by the parent at check-in. If there is a problem, a supervisor must call the parent to confirm their permission.
Once a child has been checked out of childcare they are the responsibility of the adult who collected them and must remain with this adult. They may not use the school playground after being checked out.
During Childcare
Students should have access to i-Pads, drawing, writing, appropriate activities or toys brought from home, with some periods of time in the playground.
Bathrooms
When students are in the playground they will use the bathrooms located close to stairwell B (the bathrooms in the lobby are for adults only during the conferences).
JA students will remain in line of sight of a supervisor at all times between the gym, the playground, or entering/exiting the bathrooms.
TO DO: CITY HARVEST AND TOILETRIES DRIVE
We would appreciate the support of the UNIS community to help make a meaningful difference in the lives of our fellow New Yorkers - there are 1.37 million New Yorkers who are struggling to feed themselves currently.
How can we help: By donating food items.
What to donate: Canned veggies and fruit, Canned Meats, Fish & beans, boxed pasta items, hot and cold cereal, rice, grains, pasta sauce and peanut butter in plastic jars.
NO EXPIRED FOOD OR GLASS JARS
When: 18-22 November, 2019
Where: Please drop them in the collection boxes in the lobby at the entrance
How many: Between 10-15 food items per kid
Together let's make a difference in the lives of New Yorkers who need our help.
Toiletries Collection:
Additionally, we are also collecting toiletries for a Homeless Outreach program in NYC.
The following items are greatly needed: shampoo, soap, deodorant, toothbrushes, and toothpaste. Small sizes from your last hotel stay are perfect.
Volunteers Needed:
Please signup using this link for helping to sort and pack.
For more information, please do not hesitate to get in touch with the Co-Chairs:
Abhilasha Mahan (Abhilasha.mahan@gmail.com)
Vesna Golic (vesnagolic@yahoo.co.uk)
Francois Cayaux (Francois.cayaux@gmail.com)
HIGH PRIORITY: JS PARENT COFFEE - NOVEMBER 6
Our Wednesday, November 6, the JS Parent Coffee will introduce parents to the Responsive Classroom approach. Responsive Classroom is a way of teaching that creates a safe, challenging, and joyful classroom and school wide climate for all students. This year, all of our Junior and Middle School teachers are being trained in this approach. We hope that you can join us in the Cafe on Wednesday at 8:30am to learn more.
INFORMATION: UNIS WASTE AUDIT
On Wednesday, October 30, the school took another step toward building a more sustainable UNIS by hiring Common Ground Compost to audit our cafeteria waste for a day. Volunteers from the UNIS community spent the day assisting the CGC team to weigh and sort all the trash generated in the front and back of the cafeteria. The data gathered will be used to understand what we are consuming, what we are wasting, and how we can move closer to zero waste and a greener UNIS.
Two thumbs up for the a students who joined the effort and our parents volunteers:
Abhilasha Mahan
Amanda Cathro
Angelica Guvernez
Bethany Mizrahi
Carolyn Durcan
Dana Meilands
Elena Giachetti
Finn Oliensis
Flavia Campi
Gian Luca Castellucci
Ilona Fraiture
Janina E Quint
Jung Song
Karen Weissman
Kerry Kinney
Kevin Black
Linda Miglierina
Magda Torres
Marie Libeson
Nadine Lemm
Nahee Mallory
Nodira Isamiddinova
Sabrina Brewster Zancan
Sergio Antonini
Vesna Golic
INFORMATION: MOROCCO AT UNIS
Let's celebrate the diverse and lively Moroccan culture. This enchanted night is your chance to immerse into unique Moroccan Live Music, Food, Raffle, Fashion, Bazaar, and Fun Activities for children and adults.
Please join us at UNIS on Saturday, December 7th from 4:00PM to 7:00PM so that we can celebrate together!
Ticket sales have begun. Please note there are a limited number of tickets, so please purchase your tickets at www.unis.org/morocco
General Admission is $25 per person and free for children 4 years old and under. Each ticket automatically enters you into raffle. The raffle prize is TWO round trip tickets to Casablaca generously provided by Royal Air Maroc.
PA CULTURAL EVENTS COMMITTEE
INFORMATION: PHOTO PROOFS & RETAKES BY STOMPING GROUND ON NOVEMBER 14
Today - Photos from October 10th are ready to order online. Proofs and instructions were sent home in your child’s backpack last week.
Thursday, November 14 - Stomping Ground Photo will retake JS portraits upon request, or take portraits for students who were not at school on October 10. Sign up using the Retake Request Form below.
Monday, November 18 - Ordering deadline for photos taken on October 10th.
Orders will be shipped directly to your home.
For more information: https://iloveschoolpictures.com/UNIS
For questions please contact: help@stompinggroundphoto.com
Sign up here to request that your child’s portrait be taken on Thursday, November 14: JS RETAKE REQUEST FORM
Retakes and absentee photos are not coordinated through your teacher or the JS Office.You must sign up with the photographer directly using this Retake Request Form now if you want your child’s portrait taken on November 14th.
BIT OF NEWS: CONGRATULATIONS TO MS. ROMANO ON HER MARATHON ACHIEVEMENT!
Ms. Romano, J3 Homeroom teacher, trained for many months and challenged herself to run in yesterday's NYC Marathon! Some of her students were there to support her just as she supports them every single day at school. This is the UNIS Junior School spirit! Well done Ms. Romano!
REMINDER: J3 AND J4 MATILDA - DESIGN TEAM INFORMATION
If your J3-M4 student is interested in the Design Team of Matilda, The Musical, please read the information below and complete the application. The Design Team are the students responsible for creation of props, projection, set decoration, and more.
REMINDER: LOST AND FOUND
Beginning Monday, October 28, 2019 UNIS is implementing new lost and found procedures. Lost and found items will be collected weekly and displayed on racks just outside the front door of the school. Any Items that are not retrieved by the end of each week will be deposited in our RefashionNYC Bin. RefashionNYC is NYC's official clothing reuse program in partnership with NYC Department of Sanitation and Housing Works to make textile donations to those in need. Once items are deposited into the RefashionNYC bin, we cannot retrieve them. We ask that you please label all clothing, lunch boxes and water bottles. Labeled items will be delivered to the appropriate school office to be reunited with their owners. Please note that unlabeled lunch boxes and unlabeled water bottles will be discarded at the end of each week. We will no longer set out lost and found during parent teacher conferences. Please stop by the racks on your way in and out of school to retrieve items and ask your children to check for any lost items.
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:
JS dismissal at 11:45 (after lunch)
MS dismissal at 11:50 (prior to lunch)
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: UNIS PE UNIFORM POP UP STORE - WINTER SPORTS 2019
The deadline to order Winter Sports 2019 apparel for delivery before the holidays is Wednesday, November 6. The store will stay open until Friday, December 20 but delivery will be in 2020 if ordered after November 6.
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.