Newsletter #01
Dear parents,
While preparing for the arrival of students on the first day of school, a bit worn out after 2 intense months of preparation, anxiously anticipating the future, gearing up to confront the reality of our students returning to campus after 6 months away, Erin Hunter, J1 Team Leader and Homeroom teacher, headed towards me.
Submerged in weeks of reading, reflecting and writing protocols, I assumed she had a question about dismissal, the safe use of photocopiers, or the correct way to wear a mask to increase student and teacher safety.
I was wrong.
Holding a stack of learning material in her left hand, Ms. Hunter raised her right to bring her phone directly in front of my face. Hannah. Her beautiful daughter had her first day of Pre-K this past Tuesday. The proud smile on Hannah's face was music for my eyes. For a moment, I was able to pause from placing signage for the first arrival of the year, and put aside my anxiety about the flow of students through the front gate.
Hannah reminded me of the reasons why we have done everything that we have done, and why we will continue. I paused. And, with a deep breath, powered by Hannah's smile, we were ready for the new school year.
With the goal of steadily improving our protocols to allow Hannah and her friends to feel safe and happy while they are learning, we have an important update about the ARRIVAL TIMES for our JS students. Be sure to review the complete information below as it will affect everyone this Monday morning!
Now we will rest for the remainder of this weekend, to be ready for the long full week ahead of us, challenging but so rewarding.
Pascal Vallet, Junior School Principal
Alessandra Camilo, Junior School Assistant Principal
IMPORTANT DATES
THIS WEEK
Wednesday, September 16 - JS Back to School Webinar Sessions with Principal, Assistant Principal, Counselors, Psychologist and Curriculum Coordinators (see details and links below)
UPCOMING EVENTS
Monday, September 21 – 1st Day Yellow Bus Service
Monday, September 28 - After School Classes Begin
Wednesday, September 30 - Webinar JS Back to School Night - Homeroom Teachers 7:00pm
Thursday, October 1 - Webinar JS Back to School Night - Specialist Teachers 7:00pm
IN THIS NEWSLETTER
A QUICK SUMMARY
In this Newsletter, you will find directions to update the dismissal information for your child, which requires you to log in School Dismissal Manager (SDM).
There is important information regarding the safety of our community and NEW ARRIVAL TIME information for this Monday, September 14. Be sure to review it!
J2, J3 and J4 students will enter the gate between 8:15 and 8:30, and will walk directly to their classroom through the staircase they used last week, on their own.
Pre-K, JA and J1 will be welcomed at 8:20 (Pre-K, JA) and 8:30 (J1). Be sure to review the full information in this Newsletter below.
You will also find information regarding our September 16 back to school webinars (links below) focusing on the delivery of our curriculum and how you can support your child at home, as well as reminders regarding emailing teachers and technology resources that will help you and your child at home.
Finally, you will see the homework assigning to parents: make sure to update the dismissal information in SDM (School Dismissal Manager) by following the directions you will find in the Newsletter.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TO DO: REMINDER: UPDATE YOUR CHILD’S DISMISSAL PLANS AND ATTENDANCE IN SDM
Our homeroom teachers follow the instructions entered by parents in School Dismissal Manager (SDM) each day. Please update your SDM account to regularly indicate what the plans are for your child each day of the week. SDM is always mandatory for Dismissal but can easily be used for Attendance as well. If your child will be learning remotely on a day that he/she is normally scheduled to be on campus, please use SDM and select "Remote Learning as an Exception". On days when your child will not engage in classes either remotely or in person, please use SDM to mark your child "Absent".
SDM is the only way of letting the dismissing teacher know where your child should go at dismissal. In addition to indicating that there is an 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.
School Dismissal Manager (SDM) is the sole method of communicating dismissal plans to UNIS JS
Parents are asked to use School Dismissal Manager (SDM) to keep the dismissal process safe and orderly for all of our JS students. Emails, notes or verbal instructions to inform the homeroom teacher and the JS Office (except after 1 pm, see below) of dismissal plans are not accepted.
Parents have been issued a username and temporary password by email. Please use these to log in to SDM at www.schooldismissalmanager.com from a desktop or laptop for the initial set up. You cannot use a phone to set up your account.
The Parent Login area is found at the top right of the SDM homepage.
Parents are first required to set their “Default Dismissal” for the remainder of the school year. Note that the default dismissal option is only available on a smartphone if you are using the app.
Parents can set “Recurring Exceptions” if needed.
Parents can set any “Exception” to the default dismissal if needed.
Parents are required to check every week to confirm that the information provided on SDM is accurate for the week ahead.
The cut-off to add a one-time “Exception” to any day’s dismissal is 1:00 pm. If a change in your plans occurs after 1:00 pm on any day, you may phone the JS Office up until 2:30 pm. But the expectation is that all changes will be made by parents directly in SDM before 1:00 pm.
After 2:30 pm the School cannot guarantee that dismissal changes will be relayed to all relevant departments in time for dismissal.
Parents are encouraged to download the SDM Apps for Apple and Android and update their child's dismissal instructions with a click or two from their phone.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION: REMINDERS FOR THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF THE COMMUNITY
1. To speed arrival for everyone and avoid confusion over forgotten items, please have your child take possession of their backpack and lunch before they approach the entry gate in the morning.
2. Before escorting your child to the gate, please check to see that their mask is on, fits well, and is covering their nose.
3. Be sure you have packed spare masks in a clean bag in your child's backpack, as well as an extra bag to hold used ones.
4. Please opt to have your child learn remotely on the days that they have appointments outside of school. Parents and caregivers will not be permitted inside the gate and late arrivals and early dismissals pull vital personnel from their assigned posts in order to escort your child. Just enter Remote Learning as an Exception in SDM to alert your teacher that your child will connect remotely instead of joining in person.
5. When switching from full time Remote Learning to Hybrid attending in-person classes, at least 48 hours (2 school days) in advance, please email:
homeroom teacher
schoolnurse@unis.org (to request health clearance to attend in person if your child has not been on campus yet)
IMPORTANT INFORMATION: NEW ARRIVAL INFORMATION
ARRIVAL TIME: J2, J3, J4 - Beginning Monday, September 14 from 8:15 to 8:30
Students are welcomed through the gate between 8:15 and 8:30.
Class starts at 8:40 (face-to-face and virtual)
FLOW FOR THE J2, J3, J4
J2 to J4 Flow
Students enter the premises through the left side of the JS gate, and stay to the left as they pass through the tent on the left.
Students join their homeroom class using staircase D
Teachers will wait for them in the classroom starting at 8:15.
Teachers on duty in Staircase D remains on duty until 8:45.
New students or students arriving for the first time on campus after a period of remote learning will wait in the tent, 6 feet apart, and will be escorted to their homeroom by a supervisor at the end of the dismissal process, using staircase D.
ARRIVAL TIME: Pre-K, J1, J2 - Beginning Monday, September 14
Each grade will be allowed to enter the school premises following a staggering schedule to avoid a high density of students during a short time and limit cross-contamination to the best of our abilities:
Pre-K: 8:20
JA: 8:20
J1: 8:30
INFORMATION: JS BACK TO SCHOOL WEBINARS - September 16
Please join us on Wednesday, September 16 for JS Back to School Info Sessions with the Principal, Assistant Principal, Counselors, Psychologist and Curriculum Coordinators.
The Junior School and the Curriculum Office invite you to a one-hour webinar to support you in setting up learning environments at home, to introduce you to some online tools accessible to your children, and to give you a sense of how classes are being conducted in our new hybrid learning environment. Please join the link below that is appropriate for your child's grade and learning context.
4:00-5:00: All Junior School Remote-Only Families
5:15-6:15: J2-J4 Families
6:30-7:30: JA-J1 Families
USE THESE LINKS TO CONNECT
4:00-5:00: All Junior School Remote-Only Families
Webinar ID: 96001688166
Passcode: 942117
5:15 p.m. - 6:15 p.m. J2- J4 Families
Webinar ID: 93508335354
Passcode: 799710
6:30-7:30: JA-J1 Families
Webinar ID: 97276217468
Passcode: 311168
INFORMATION: EMAILING THE SCHOOL
We care deeply about your children and are committed to their success. During the school day, though, teachers are focused on teaching and not on email; if there are questions related to technology, parents should email tech.support@unis.org or call 212-584-3100 for assistance from our technology team.
If you have an outstanding question or comment for the Junior School Principal or Assistant Principal and you have not yet received an answer, feel free to contact the Junior School Office jsoffice@unis.org. Emails sent to the jsoffice address are accessed by the full JS Admin Team (Principal, Assistant Principal and Admin Assistants).
INFORMATION: REMINDERS FROM THE TECHNOLOGY TEAM
Here is the presentation shared with the J3 and J4 students for your reference. In this you will also find how students will be able to see their Seesaw courses and activities.
Here are the steps on how-to access Zoom in Schoology
REMINDER: UPDATE YOUR PARENT CONTACT INFORMATION
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:
Going to Veracross
Clicking on Household Information
Updating Household Profile -> Contacts.
If you need support in order to make your updates, please email veracross@unis.org