Newsletter #16

Horace was a Latin poet who lived at the end of the first century, before the Christian era. He was born in the south of Italy, in Venusia, on December 8, 65 BC, and died in Rome on November 27, 8 AD. Rallied with the Augustan Empire, he wrote for the power in place, under the influence of who today would be called the Minister of Culture. Horace remained famous for his lyrical poems and his numerous testimonies about the customs of his time. There is a lot we can say about Horace, a lot we have learned from him. But saying more about him will not better serve the reason why he is mentioned in this newsletter.

"A picture is worth a thousand words" - "Proverb"

Many believe that the origin of this idea (that a picture conveys much more than words) began with newspaper editor Tess Flanders (*), while discussing strategies in publishing, editing and news reporting. However, I believe that Horace was the inspiration, by saying more than 2000 years ago:


“A picture is a poem without words” - Horace

The Junior School students and their teachers support me this week as we transform this newsletter into a poem without words by allowing the images to take over. Enjoy these highlights from last week in the Junior School at UNIS, beginning with the outstanding performances of our students at the Junior School Talent Show 2019!

Pascal Vallet, Junior School Principal

Susan Scullin, Junior School Principal Assistant

* A picture is worth a thousand words, Grammarist

J3 Heller’s Cozy CATfe, held last Thursday and Friday in the Lobby, was a huge success! Breakfast food and cat-themed crafts were sold to raise money to support the Best Friends Animal Shelter.

Learn more about the cozy Catfé with this short video

IMPORTANT DATES

EVENTS THIS WEEK

UPCOMING EVENTS

IN THIS NEWSLETTER

INFORMATION: MESSAGE FROM THE SCHOOL NURSE 

As we approach the winter break, it has come to my attention that we have a number of children (in all divisions) that are sick with a stomach bug (gastroenteritis).  It is an acute viral infection of the gastrointestinal system. If your child has the following symptoms, please call your child’s healthcare provider for guidance. 

Common Signs and Symptoms:  

Gastroenteritis is contagious and is best controlled by diligent hand washing, especially after using the bathroom. Children should not attend school until they are symptom free for 24 hours.

Please consult your child’s pediatrician if you have any further questions or concerns.

Marisa Rivera, MS, RN, FNP, CPN, Director of School Health and Nursing mrivera@unis.org

INFORMATION: UNICEF COLLECTIONS 2019

We are proud to announce that our JS students collected a total of $4648.35 for UNICEF this past Halloween. Well done Junior School! MS students collected an additional $2239.27 and a total Manhattan campus donation of $6887.62 was mailed to UNICEF last week.

REMINDER: INTRODUCING THE KOFI ANNAN AWARD FOR GLOBAL IMPACT

UNIS is very excited to unveil an alumni award. For the first time in UNIS' 70+ year history, we will be celebrating our alumni success, the close connection we enjoy with the UN, and one of our greatest supporters -- Secretary-General Kofi Annan. This distinction, named the UNIS Kofi Annan Award for Global Impact, will be given to a former UNIS student whose work exemplifies the dedication and spirit of the former Secretary-General who fostered peace, stability, and improved the welfare of the citizens of the world. H.E. Annan inspired our students to follow his example, to take to heart the important work he led, in his roles as Assistant Secretary-General, Under Secretary-General, and as Secretary-General. During his tenure, extraordinary student-led events such as our UNIS Human Rights Conference and our UNIS-UN Conference, began and flourished respectively.  Our award acknowledges the long and meaningful relationship that Secretary-General Annan has had with our school both as a Board Trustee and as Board Chair. It represents a wonderful opportunity to create a new institutional connection between alumni and the School that celebrates the enduring connection with the United Nations and its values, and in particular, Secretary-General Kofi Annan. As faculty, staff, former faculty and staff, parents of alumni, and alumni, put forth your nominations today! 

REMINDER: WINTER SESSION ACTIVITIES - UPDATE SCHOOL DISMISSAL MANAGER

If you have registered your child for any Winter Session After School or Athletic Activities, please take the time now to enter that information into your child’s School Dismissal Manager account.

SDM should be updated to include each specific activity name and all of the dates when that activity will meet.

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.

REMINDER: TOY SALE ON JANUARY 24TH

This is an early reminder that our Toy Sale will take place on Friday, January 24. Please consider putting aside items to donate. Collection bins will be placed in the school lobby by mid-January. All gently used toys and games (except plush/stuffed toys) are welcome! However, please ensure that all toys or games with small pieces are intact and well secured. No one likes to bring home broken toys or games with missing pieces. Thank you!

REMINDER: SAVE THE DATE - UNIS GALA - FEBRUARY 28

Don’t miss the party of the year to celebrate and support our School! Love throwing parties? Excited to support the silent auction?  Contact our  gala Co-Chairs by emailing fundraiser@unis.org. Mark your calendar and stay tuned for more details…

REMINDER: 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: 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.