Newsletter #21

Dear Ms. Scullin,

It was the summer of 2017, 126 weeks ago. As Director of Academic Technology at UNIS for the past three years I was gearing up to return to campus.

The telephone rings.

After three years leading the IT department and the usage of technology in support of academic growth, I looked forward to a fourth year with a sense of peace, and equipped with a 5 year plan. It was a time to enjoy the department's hard work of the previous three transformative years.

"No trumpets sound when the important decisions of our life are made. Destiny is made known silently." - Agnes de Mille

The telephone rings.

Salvador Uy, as Acting Executive Director, was calling to offer me the opportunity to embark on an entirely new adventure to lead the Junior School. Ms. Scullin, on that same day, you received the same call.

The very next day we were seated next to each other facing Mr. Uy. Asking us if we would accept the challenge to lead the Junior School was pointless. There are times in life when choice is not an option. This was the beginning of 126 wonderful weeks of collaboration, mutual support, brainstorming, laughter, passion for our work, and sometimes, of just simple companionable silence.

“True friendship comes when the silence between two people is comfortable.”– David Tyson

Yes, Ms. Scullin, you are not only an amazingly dedicated, hardworking, intelligent, knowledgeable, caring, patient, kind Assistant Principal. You are a true friend to many.

When you informed me this past fall of your decision to retire at the end of the school year, it did not come as a surprise. One year before, I had convinced you to stay just one more year with us. It was not too difficult to convince you then - you love the school, the students, the community. But no matter how prepared I was for the inevitable, I could not avoid deep and mixed feelings of joy for you and sadness to see you go after 28 years of outstanding services to the UNIS community, 28 years of supporting thousands of students.

The role of Assistant Principal is a tremendously important position. By informing us early of your decision to retire, you ensured that the school had ample time to find the very best candidate to assume your responsibilities. Your care for our students and our faculty will last far beyond your time at UNIS. I followed Sophocles view on lamentation: "If it were possible to cure evils by lamentation and to raise the dead with tears, then gold would be a less valuable thing than weeping." I rolled up my sleeves and got to work!

After reviewing 160 applications and 1758 minutes of interviews involving 35 people - faculty and staff, Support Team, Team Leaders, administrators from 3 divisions, members of the Leadership Team, parents and students - you now join me, Ms. Scullin, in formally announcing that the Assistant Principal recruitment for the Junior School has been finalized. We are so very pleased to share that Alessandra Camilo, current J4 teacher, has accepted the opportunity to join the Junior School in this new role for the 2020-2021 school year. We would like to express profound gratitude to everyone involved, especially the internal candidates who so eloquently illustrated the characteristics we support through the UNIS mission and curriculum and demonstrated the traits described in the IB profile. We are proud to be their colleagues. Join us in enthusiastically congratulating Dr. Camilo for her achievement. It is an exciting first step towards a future of important accomplishments for our Junior School students and the full UNIS community.

I am looking forward to working together in the months ahead, Ms. Scullin, and for our students to enjoy a few more months of stepping in your office to share their accomplishments, and their troubles too! And while we will have many opportunities to celebrate your 28 years of dedication to our UNIS Mission, I know that the more vibrant demonstration of our gratitude will come alive when you enjoy your retirement. Because we know that as John F. Kennedy said, "as we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them". Your joy, your care, your expertise, your dedication are now UNIS property and I am looking forward to living by them!

Thank you, Ms. Scullin, for everything. Thank you, Dr. Camilo, for accepting the new mission ahead of you. And thank you, Mr. Uy, for giving everyone in the Junior School the opportunity to work and learn from this amazing and beautiful person, Susan Scullin.

Pascal Vallet, Junior School Principal and the Junior School Community

It is with great enthusiasm and excitement that I write this note. I am truly honored to accept the Junior School Assistant Principal role for 2020-21. I join the UNIS admin team with the same heart I joined the JS faculty team at the beginning of this school year. A heart open to collaborating, and committed to the social and academic growth and development of every child.

Throughout my teaching path, I have worked with all the educational stages from preschool through college. I came to UNIS from two international institutions located in the south of Brazil, where I had the opportunity to work with both primary and higher education. At Laureate International Universities - UniRitter, I served as the Undergraduate Education Coordinator and Faculty Member. At the Pan American School of Porto Alegre, an IB-PYP/MYP school, I was a Third-grade Homeroom Teacher.

Far beyond the importance of the qualifications I got throughout my academic life, such as a Ph.D. in Reading and Cultural Processes, a Master’s in Education and Cultural Studies, a Master’s in Mathematics for Specialists in International Schools, and a Degree in English Language and Literature, I value the importance of sharing knowledge and experiences to inspire collaborative connections. I genuinely believe that collaboration can build inclusive learning environments that encourage compassion to help students shine as active, responsible members of the global society.

I look forward to working closely with you all.

Alessandra Camilo

IMPORTANT DATES

EVENTS THIS WEEK

UPCOMING EVENTS

IN THIS NEWSLETTER

INFORMATION: EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION AWARD - TRUIKE BOEKHOLT

We are pleased and proud to share news of an award given to JS music teacher Truike Boekholt.

Her submission for the CTAUN 2020 Conference "War No More" was selected as one of three recipients for the "Excellence In Education Award" to be given at UN headquarters on February 28, 2020 by CTAUN - The Committee That Teaches About the UN. Ms. Boekholt’s project entitled "UNIS Peacekeepers" demonstrated activities and projects a teacher and their students can engage in during the school year to promote Peace and she has been invited to take part in the conference.

Congratulations!

INFORMATION: SDG CLUB DRIVE - NEW EYES 4 SDGS (UN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS)

DONATE GENTLY USED EYEGLASSES

A collection box is in the Junior School office from February 3 to - April 2. Prescription, Reading, Sunglasses, Children’s glasses are accepted. Please drop them off in a case, bubble wrap or envelope. No contact lenses. These eyeglasses will be donated to a nonprofit organization 20/20 for 2020 that provides eyeglasses to people who need them in the US and in developing countries.

SET YOUR SIGHTS ON ACHIEVING SDG 3

Nayesha Krishna, T2 student - Founder- President SDG club

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

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

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

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. The school does not make these updates for you.

Please enter the end date of your child's Winter session classes in SDM.  Then add the new Spring session class descriptions and all the dates that your child's Spring classes 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.

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

After School and Athletic Activities Spring session classes will begin the week of March 2. 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. The school does not make these updates for you.

Please enter the end date of your child's Winter session classes in SDM.  Then add the new Spring session class descriptions and all the dates that your child's Spring classes 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.

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

REMINDER: J4 & J3 WINTER CONCERTS

J3 WINTER CONCERT - FEBRUARY 10 FROM 9:00-10:00AM

Join us at the annual J4 Winter Concert on February 3 from 9:00-10:00am in the Sylvia Howard Fuhrman Theatre! Featuring songs and dances and more than a few surprises, this annual tradition is a highlight of the Junior School year!

J4 WINTER CONCERT - FEBRUARY 3 FROM 9:00-10:00AM

Join us at the annual J3 Winter Concert on February 10 from 9:00-10:00am in the Sylvia Howard Fuhrman Theatre! Featuring songs and dances from around the world along with a healthy dash of student humor, this annual tradition is a highlight of the Junior School year!

SAVE THE DATES!

REMINDER: UNIS FUNDRAISER GALA ON FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28

Don't miss the Party of the year!!!!

The UNIS  Fundraiser Gala on Friday, February 28, 2020 

at the Prince George Ballroom 

We look forward to welcoming you to this celebration.  

Tickets are selling fast!!!

It is your commitment to UNIS that will make this an event full of fun, energy, and excitement. 

Don't delay! Buy your tickets today!  

REMINDER: ADVERTISE IN THE MATILDA PLAYBILL

Interested in sending a shout out to a cast member in the Matilda playbill? Want your business to be seen by the 2,400 people that will be seeing Matilda? Advertising in the playbill not only gets your message seen by thousands, but supports the Theatre Program at UNIS. 

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 PARENT CONTACT INFORMATION

Please take the time now to review your family profile and contact information to ensure that your cell phone numbers, email addresses and home address are correct. You may update your information at any point throughout the year, but if you have not reviewed your information since the school year began, we encourage you to do it today. 

All departments at UNIS, including the Nurse, rely on the information that you provide in the Veracross Parent Portal to contact you. The only way you can be reached in an emergency is through the information that you have entered in the Portal. After logging in to the Portal at myunis.vc , you may review and update all of your family contact information by:

If you need support in order to make your updates, please email veracross@unis.org

REMINDER: UPDATE YOUR CHILD’S DISMISSAL PLANS

Our homeroom teachers follow the instructions entered by parents in School Dismissal Manager each day. 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.