Newsletter #12

Dear parents,

The "obligation to remember" is the moral obligation to remember a tragic historical event and its victims in order to ensure that such an event does not happen again. This expression, which appeared in the 1990s about the Second World War and in particular the Holocaust, has expanded to other tragic episodes of history. The "obligation to remember", was however first promoted in the aftermath of the First World War by victims' associations, then by local authorities and by states, even thought this specific expression was not yet used. 

"Through these acts of acknowledgement, regret and condemnation, the European Union, aware of the moral obligation incumbent on the entire international community vis-à-vis the victims of these tragedies, shows its firm determination to honour this obligation and to play its part. It considers that it is the obligation of each individual to remember the suffering caused by events occurring at different points in history, so that they will never be forgotten. The obligation to remember will make it possible to build the future on solid foundations and to prevent the recurrence of the grave errors of the past." - 2367th Council meeting - GENERAL AFFAIRS - Brussels, 16 July 2001

The obligation to remember was the center of JS Newsletter #33 written in May 2018, sharing with our community the "importance to never get used to it"... While walking to school last Friday, my thoughts were tormented by an event that took place the day before at the Saugus High School in Santa Clarita. Another event seemingly forcing upon us a new, unacceptable norm. And because it is unacceptable, I am sharing Newsletter #33, again. Hoping that this will be the last time.

Over the past four years, I have witnessed my commute evolving.

My morning drive to UNIS is a sacred ritual where, based on my mood, I travel through time, inviting into my commute Georg Philipp Telemann(1), Stravinsky’s revolutionary “Firebird”(2) and Khachaturian’s “Sabre Dance”(3). I welcome Procol Harum, the famous English rock band formed in 1967 and their mesmerizing "A Whiter Shade of Pale"(4), and the notorious “Bohemian Rhapsody”(5) by Queen. Regardless of the season, Janis Joplin’s “Summertime”(6) is always welcome, as is Orange Blossom (7), a group influenced by ethnic and traditional music led by Leïla Bounous, an Algerian singer with an astonishing voice. And, if the traffic ahead of me is intense, Pink Floyd’s “Echoes”(8) will join the trip so that this 23 minutes masterpiece will not suffer the indignity of being cut before its end.

I have witnessed my commute evolve over the past four years as my daughter has grown. If, thankfully, some of “my” music has been welcomed into her universe (there is clearly something universal about “Bohemian Rhapsody”), I realized last week that she moved Dire Straits’ ecstatic “Telegraph Road”(9) to a playlist she named “BoRinG SonGs NoboDy LiKes”, followed by a string  of emoticon that only she knows the significance of. But believing that “It's one of nature's way that we often feel closer to distant generations than to the generation immediately preceding us” - said Igor Stravinsky - I can peacefully accept this generation gap with my daughter without feeling too much of a challenge to my own musical preferences.

As my commute cannot only be about what I like - it needs to allow space for my daughter to bring what she enjoys listening to into my musical universe - little by little, her music preferences are taking over, and we have invited into our commute her playlists: “#CHILL”, “ITS LITS” or “Dinner is gewd” (I had to check the urban dictionary to understand that “gewd” means ”good”). Offset, N.E.R.D, Post Malone, Migos, Kehlani, are now part of my daily routine. Thomas Jefferson, one of the American Founding Fathers and the principal author of the Declaration of Independence, said once that “every generation needs a new revolution”. Music is one of them.

A few days ago my daughter asked me if I knew Aretha Franklin. I did not need to answer this question with its obvious answer and, for few minutes, we proved Stravinsky’s wrong, filling the generation gap with “Respect”(10). I have noticed that the 60’s are a place where my daughter and I find a peaceful agreement on what we listen to next.

I already know as I write this newsletter what my daughter and I will listen to during our drive to UNIS on Monday morning, affected, once again, by a terrible event which has deeply wounded, once again, a school and its community. On Monday morning, we will listen to Diana Ross and The Supremes “Some things you never get used to”(11).  And this, regardless of our generation, we can all agree upon.

On August the 30th, for our first Junior School Newsletter of the year, I made Albert Camus’ thought my own:   “Real generosity towards the future lies in giving all to the present”. Today, Georg Henrik Tikkanen, a Finnish author known for his anti-war literature, resonates with my feeling. “Because we don't think about future generations, they will never forget us.” The students from Santa Fe High School in Texas will cleary not.

We have no choice but to do something. And, while we are all responsible for reassuring our loved ones through our daily routines, we should never get used to it.

Pascal Vallet, Junior School Principal

Susan Scullin, Junior School Assistant Principal


Support recommendations and resources from Dr Marnin, Junior School Psychologist, and counselors, Ms. Amy Iamundo and Ms. Alyssa Frost

Resources:

Support for Parents and Families:

Activism and Advocacy:

IMPORTANT DATES

EVENTS THIS WEEK

UPCOMING EVENTS

IN THIS NEWSLETTER

J3KM in action researching biomes in differentiated stations

INFORMATION: PARENT COFFEE WITH KIM BRUNO - DIRECTOR OF ARTS DEPARTMENT

The PA Arts Committee is pleased to invite you to a Morning Coffee:

Meet Kim Bruno, Director of Arts at UNIS

Welcoming Junior, Middle, and TUT House Parents - Nov 22, 2019 at 8:30am-9:25am - UNIS Manhattan Cafeteria

Please join us for a conversation with the new UNIS Director of Arts, Kim Bruno, who will share her extensive experience and philosophy on arts education.  This is a great opportunity to learn more about the thriving Film, Music, Theater and Visual Arts/Theater programs at UNIS and the exciting upcoming events.  Also learn about volunteer opportunities for parents and students and how to get involved and support the Arts programs at UNIS. Kim is a former Principal of Fiorello LaGuardia High School. The session will be followed by a brief Q and A.

BIT OF NEWS: SOHAM (J2EW) RIDDLE

Last week, Soham was very excited to share a riddle with us. We offered to publish one of his clever riddles so that parents and students could try to find the answer. If you figured it out, let him know! Soham is in Ms. Watson's J2 homeroom.

BIT OF NEWS: FALL AFTER SCHOOL AND ATHLETIC ACTIVITIES - LAST DAY OF CLASSES (UPDATE SDM)

The last days of After School and Athletic Activities for Fall session classes will be:

Note that government supported German and Swedish language classes may have different schedules. Please contact the teacher directly.

After School and Athletic Activities Winter session classes will begin the week of December 9. Registration is now open:

School Dismissal Manager (SDM) must be updated by your family throughout the school year to reflect all changes in your child’s After School and Athletics enrollment.

Please enter the end date of the Fall session classes in SDM and then add the Winter session class descriptions and dates for the new classes that your enroll your child in. 

Dismissing teachers rely on the information that families enter in SDM each day to direct their students to the correct After School or Athletic activity.

BIT OF NEWS: WINTER AFTER SCHOOL AND ATHLETIC ACTIVITIES - REGISTRATION IS OPEN  

Winter session After School and Athletic activities will begin the week of December 9. Registration is now open:

The Care Program is designed to meet the needs of JS working parents who want their children to do their homework and be engaged in relaxing activities after school hours. It provides a dependable daily program in a warm and safe environment, every school day from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM. 

Register for the Care Program at:  Care Program Registration

Please update School Dismissal Manager (SDM) with the Winter session class descriptions and the dates for all new classes that your enroll your child in.

Dismissing teachers rely on the information that families enter in SDM each day to direct their students to the correct After School or Athletic activity.

If Winter session classes are not accurately entered in SDM your child may be sent to the Care Program instead.

JS WINTER 2019 2020 BROCHURE.pdf
CALENDAR 9.24.2019 AftSch.pdf
JS WINTER 2019 2020 SCHEDULE.pdf
UNIS After School Sport Schedule_ Winter 2019 (2).pdf

BIT OF NEWS: LOST AND FOUND UPDATED POLICY

UNIS has implemented 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 every Monday, and any unretrieved items will be donated on Friday.  Items that are collected after Monday will remain in the lost and found crate by the playground doors until the following week. Any items that are not retrieved from the racks by the front doors after a week of display, 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: JS TALENT SHOW REGISTRATION

The stage is ready! The JS Talent Show is back by popular demand! Book your calendars for Saturday, December 14th, at 3pm. To apply, please follow the link below. Please read carefully and note that registration will close on 22 November or as soon as we reach 40 acts.

Any question should go to unis.js.talentshow@gmail.com

Many thanks,

Talent Show Team 

REMINDER: 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

REMINDER: JS PLAYGROUND IN COLD WEATHER

OUTDOOR PLAY

The temperature is monitored throughout the winter to decide if it is appropriate for our students to play outside, and we may make a different decision for our Pre-K and JA students. We follow the Department of Health guidelines, but also know that the wind chill on our river playground may feel colder than the actual temperature. Please make sure your children are dressed warmly for outdoor play, wearing hats, gloves, and scarves, all labeled with their name, when they come to school.

New York City Department of Health Guidelines regarding outdoor play in cold weather 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.

Roger Platt, M.D., Director of School Health, New York City Department of Education

 

MORNING ARRIVAL

Please note that after arriving in the morning JS school children who are accompanied by an adult may sit in the Cafeteria or Library. However, unaccompanied JS children must be supervised in our playground which is partially covered to protect from rain.

If a bus arrives early, JS students play there until 8:20 and will be led by UNIS staff to class at 8:20. UNIS supervisors are stationed in the playground beginning at 8:00 in the morning for JS students who arrive by bus, or for those who are dropped off by their parents between 8:00 and 8:20.

Even during cold weather, we do not have supervisors for JS students inside the building before the JS students are permitted to go to their homeroom. Unaccompanied JS students are expected to wait in the playground with their peers. Middle School students are permitted to stay in the building without supervision, but JS students may not be left in their care.

LOST ITEMS

Please take the time to write your child's name in all outer garments, especially now when the weather is cold. Our staff does their best to return misplaced items to their owner, but without a clearly written name in a garment, lunch box or water bottle, it may not be possible. Unclaimed items are periodically donated to charity, so please promptly check the lost and found area near the entrance doors for missing items.


REMINDER: CITY HARVEST FOOD AND TOILETRIES DRIVE - WEEK OF NOVEMBER 18

We 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. 

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 sign up using this link for helping to sort and pack.

For more information, please do not hesitate to get in touch with the Co-Chairs:

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: UPDATE THE DISMISSAL INFORMATION & SIGN THE AGREEMENT