Newsletter #30


Self-portrait painting for Ms. Dohna by Panayiota JAA 

Dear parents,

We are pleased to offer a full roster of engaging and fun activities for our JS students beginning this Wednesday morning, April 29, to be led by both JS faculty and Tut House students. Registration is open!

We would like to thank all of the teachers and high school students who are leading or co-leading these activities, as well as Dr. Lidana Jalilvand, our Director of Special Programs, and Zakaria Baha, Director of Student Activities, for their coordination.

And we are grateful for the patience of our parents and students. This is the first time UNIS has run a program of virtual activities with online registration. If you have any questions, Dr. Jalilvand (ljalilvand@unis.org) is available to support you.  

Please note that as mentioned by Dr Brenner last Friday, "this coming Friday, May 1 will be a full day of PD for our faculty. There will be no school on that day for our students. Our faculty have worked tirelessly to provide a first class education for their students. They need time to collaborate, create further lessons, and, frankly, pace their work so they can continue delivering excellence for the remainder of the year."

Pascal Vallet, Junior School Principal 

Susan Scullin, Junior School Assistant Principal

JS.Wednesdays Wellness Activities 4.24.2020.pdf

REMINDER

We know that not all families are able to join all live learning sessions. We understand that some families have unique circumstances that may prevent this. In those cases, students may work instead on the asynchronous Seesaw activities provided by their teachers, at a time convenient for the family, as the activities remain relevant to the day’s lessons. As we explore our technology in the coming weeks, we hope to be able to include recorded sessions for those who were not able to attend live.

Please note that we are still in the process of developing our use of technology and its integration with our curriculum and teaching. Our teachers are working hard to transform their lessons in this new environment; we know that there will be tech glitches and unforeseen issues. We will address them as they arise!

IN RESPONSE TO PARENT FEEDBACK, WE WILL NO LONGER ASK PARENTS TO COMPLETE A DAILY ATTENDANCE FORM. INSTEAD, WE WILL REACH OUT TO FAMILIES TO OFFER SUPPORT WHEN WE NOTE THAT A STUDENT IS NOT ENGAGING IN LESSONS AND ACTIVITIES. 

J4 Team Planning Meeting for World Book Day!

IMPORTANT DATES

EVENTS THIS WEEK

UPCOMING EVENTS

IN THIS NEWSLETTER

TECH SUPPORT (REMINDER): 11:00-12:00 EVERY DAY FOR FAMILIES

As a reminder, every week, Monday through Friday between 11:00-12:00, LIVE tech support is available for you and your child. Please use this link to connect with us with your questions: Live Tech Support for Families. 

You can also find this link at the very top of the homeroom schedule shared in the email from Mr. Vallet dated April 19th.

Francesca Zammarano and Javier Alvez  | JS Academic Technology Integrators


TECH SUPPORT: UPDATE ZOOM

Please ensure as soon as possible that the device used by your JS child for schoolwork has the most up-to-date version of Zoom.

Zoom has updated the hyperlinks in chat, allowing for them to now be live! This is a game-changer for student use (especially the little ones) as they will now be able to go to a link with one click!

We recommend that you periodically check for updates as Zoom is continually fixing and updating itself.

Here is a quick video for you on how to do this (on ma cos x)

Thank you for your support and please use the Tech Support for Families link in your child's schedule to connect with us between 11:00-12:00 each weekday if you have any questions. 

TECH SUPPORT: WIFI CONNECTIONS ISSUES

You should have at least 1mbps up and download. A 5mbps up and download will ensure optimal quality throughout the length of the call. You can check your bandwidth here: fast.com

FROM ZOOM SUPPORT PAGE

If you are experiencing any issue(s) with latency, frozen screen, poor quality audio, or meetings getting disconnected while using a home or non-enterprise WiFi connection, try the following: 

EMOTIONAL SUPPORT: RESOURCES & INFORMATION

At the time you are reading this, you have completed your second full week of the new Distance Learning Plan 2.0. Moving to a more synchronous learning framework has its rewards and challenges. We’ve heard from many of you about the highlights of a synchronous format, as well as about the struggles. 

We recently came across an article in the New York Times describing this new normal of COVID-19 as stressful times (as is not surprising to many of us). Much of our stress can be split into two categories: things that can and cannot be controlled. This has been the theme of many of our conversations with parents, students and teachers this week.  Turning some of the ‘controllable’ stress to our advantage is so incredibly beneficial.  This article reinforces that we can use this stress to better our health and well-being. You may be wondering…now how can I use this very stressful situation to improve my wellness?  Research “...suggests that it’s not the type or amount of stress that determines its impact. Instead, it’s our mind-set about stress that matters most.” Again, pointing to identifying what can be controlled within the uncontrollable. 

The mind is a powerful thing! The shift in our mind-set may not happen overnight, but it is possible to change how we react to our stress. There are three steps to help our brains manage our stress: 

Step 1: Acknowledge Your Stress

This is a very important step that helps control how we react. Don’t fear your stress! We all experience some form of it. When we begin to acknowledge our stress, it helps us to not avoid thinking about it. When we actively try to avoid thinking about stress, our brain is actually more in tune to asking us questions. For instance, “...our brain keeps pinging us and asking, “are we thinking about coronavirus?” which is, of course, making us think about coronavirus. So not only does avoiding or denying our stressors not work, it’s actually counterproductive in that we end up using enormous mental energy trying to suppress these thoughts.”

In this stage we want to 1) figure out what our stressors are and 2) determine our reactions/emotions to stressors. 

Step 2: Own Your Stress

Welcome your stress! Own it! It helps us determine what is behind our stress. To figure out what is underlying your stress, “...try completing this sentence about whatever was specifically stressing you out in step one: “I’m stressed about [insert stressor from step one] because I deeply care about …”

Step 3: Use Your Stress

“Ask yourself: Are your typical responses in alignment with the values behind your stress? If you’re worried about your family getting sick because you care about their health, is snapping at them for not washing their hands for long enough the best way to protect your family?” We need to take the stress we have from COVID-19 and turn it into energy. Think how we can shift our reactions to this stress in a more positive light that aligns with personal goals and purposes. 

For a more detailed explanation you can find the article here to read further. 

Additionally, we have included a resource list for immediate support:

Experts suggest acclimating children to masks at home and drawing a connection to superheroes’ uniforms

COVID-19 presents daily challenges to the mental health and well-being of families and children across the country. In response, the Child Mind Institute has become a truly borderless resource for not only children’s mental health and learning disorders but also for the social and emotional support of parents.

Our team of expert clinicians is providing remote consultations and telehealth treatment for children, teens, and young adults struggling with mental health concerns including anxiety, depression, ADHD, autism and OCD.

Please give us a call at 212.308.3118 or email appointments@childmind.org to discuss how we can support your family during this time.

Sending care and support,

Alyssa Frost (J2/J4), Amy Iamundo (J1/J3) and Dr. Dana Marnin

INFORMATION: JS LIBRARY - UPDATED LINKS TO ACTIVITIES 

The Everywhere Book Fest is a virtual celebration of authors, books, and readers that brings the book festival experience to everyone!

On May 1-2, the book festival will open its virtual doors and unveil two free full days of live and pre-recorded sessions with your favorite picture book, middle grade, and young adult authors.

Please visit the JS Library Homepage - Junior School Library - where you can find these and other continuously updated links to activities and information for you and your children during this time of distance learning.

Under Parent Resources you will find:

Love from the librarians, Ms. Barrer and Ms. Iwasykiw

INFORMATION: JS EARTH DAY ASSEMBLY

For those of you not able to join the special Earth Day Assembly last Wednesday, April 22nd, or for those who want a second chance to enjoy the educational student presentations and Dr. Brenner’s read aloud of Wangari’s Trees of Peace, here's the vimeo link!

Nysa  J3KM

John  J4H

Gemma   J4S 

Lucas  J4D

INFORMATION: MASTER CLASS SERIES CONTINUES 

Our Master Class series is vibrant and active. On Wednesday, April 28th at 6pm, Neal Shapiro, the President and CEO of WNET, and the past President of NBC News, will be the featured speaker. Mr. Shapiro has received 32 Emmys and 31 Edward R. Murrow Awards for his role in news coverage.

Mr. Shapiro has agreed to speak about his career, including overseeing the production of the Oklahoma City bombing, the Columbine tragedy, the war in Kosovo and the Clinton Impeachments, to name just a few. He will also speak about “why media is important” and the role media plays in the time of COVID-19. As with our other presenters there will be a Q & A following his presentation.

Coming soon: if you were not able to attend the Getting to Zero Waste in Your Daily Life webinar last Tuesday, April 21, with Guest Speaker Sandra Noonan, Founder of the Zero Waste NYC Meetup, Chief Sustainability Officer of Just Salad, and Co-Founder of the Zero Waste NYC Workshop, stay tuned - the edited version is coming soon!

Smiling Mask Concert

UNIS Event

Michael Mayer

UNIS Speakers Series  3


Max Hollein

UNIS Speakers Series 2

Justice Breyer

UNIS Speakers Series 1

BIT OF NEWS: TRIBUTE FOR OUR HEROES AT NYU LANGONE 

Some of our J3 students took part of a wonderful project to celebrate our heroes at NYU Langone. Two thumbs up for all of them and to everyone who is working to save lives!

BIT OF NEWS: UNIS THANK YOU NOTE DRIVE: CARDS FOR CARE PROVIDERS

CALL for ACTION: To commemorate all the healthcare providers in hospitals, please support and join the UNIS Thank You Noted Drive by making/sending cards. This project is led by T2 Student, Jack Hochman.

BIT OF NEWS: JA RECESS CANCELED

Based on low attendance, as well as JA faculty feedback, we have decided to suspend Recess for our JA students. Our J1-J4 Playground Supervisors have let us know that very few JAs join Recess, and those that do have not yet established a close relationship with them. Our JA Teaching Assistants, who normally supervise the JAs during play and know them best, are needed to support classroom instruction. 

TO DO (REMINDER): BEFORE YOUR MORNING MEETING STARTS EACH DAY!

TO DO(REMINDER): PROBLEM WITH YOUR CHILD NAME ON ZOOM? TRY THIS

Problem: when you click on a Zoom link which contains the ID and encrypted password, it opens the meeting directly and does not give  the user a chance to change their name in the Zoom app.

Solution (tested on Chromebook and Mac os x): connect to a meeting created for that purpose and enter the Meeting ID manually which gives time to change the name:

On ANDROID, the Zoom APP asks for the name before joining the meeting (if you are not already logged into the app, we could not test this yet with iOs)

We are working with the IT Department to enhance the Zoom experience for our students. Stay tuned!

TO DO(REMINDER): ACCESSING STUDENTS' SCHEDULES FROM THEIR DEVICE? TRY THIS!

In response to requests from parents asking that students have access to their schedules directly from their own devices, and thanks to the creativity of Javier Alvez, our Tech Integrator, we have been able to add all of our JS students' schedules to their CLEVER accounts:

From a school Chromebook:

From iOs or Android:

From personal Chromebook, Mac os x or PC:

REMINDER: MOVING UP WEBINAR FOR J4 PARENTS - MAY 7

REMINDER: VIRTUAL INTERNATIONAL FOOD AND FUN FAIR 2020

The UNIS PA presents the inaugural "International Food and Fun Fair 2020"! Lee Bruner, MS teacher, had this wonderful idea of bringing IFFF to online to bring the community together. We couldn't agree more. 

Idea is simple. You can go online and add your own recipe(s) from your country (from the heart or physical location) along with pictures or videos to share. The origin of the recipe will be pinned on the world map. It would be wonderful to see our student chefs there, too.  

There will be no line to sample these delicious recipes from all over the world, the Padlet is live as of Saturday and will stay open so please post your recipes when you can and keep checking back for new ones! 

We do hope to see many of you there. 

Stay healthy and keep cooking,

UNIS PA Cultural Event Committee

REMINDER: VIRTUAL AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS

For your information and convenience, below we are listing courses that are virtually available from after school providers. If interested, please feel free to register using their links. We will keep sharing with you more and more online resources.  

Please note that UNIS has NOT processed charges for the registration in the Spring After School Activities. 

FROM THE AFTER SCHOOL PROVIDERS: 

Amanda Sawyer is offering all her classes remotely. She has also recently partnered with a few specialists in self-defense & physical fitness, yoga… 

If interested please register using the above link. 

Writopia 

US Chess Academy 

CinemaKidz

Spark Business Academy 

Parker Anderson Enrichment 

MORE ONLINE RESOURCES at your disposal: 

Some more resources for students: 

Additional free learning websites: 

We will share more resources, as we learn about them. I am at your disposal if you need any further information. 

Please stay safe! 

Lidana Jalilvand, Director of Special Programs

REMINDER: UPDATE YOUR PARENT CONTACT INFORMATION

Periodically, please take the time to review your family profile and contact information to ensure that your cell phone numbers, email addresses and home address are correct and are entered in the correct fields. You may update your information at any point throughout the year, but if you have not reviewed your information recently, we encourage you to do it today. 

All departments at UNIS 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, or when there are school wide announcements, is through the information that you have entered in the Portal. After logging into 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