Newsletter #02

Dear parents,

The challenges we face should not divert us from accomplishing our mission and celebrating the important events that makes UNIS the school it has always been.

So our teachers have taught, and our students have learned. And as the Arabic proverb says...

"إذا تم العقل نقص الكلام The smarter you get the less you speak"

I will not say much but show you instead, with few snapshots, what it looks like inside the Junior School walls.

And, as this Monday, September 21 will be the International Day of Peace, we will not allow Covid-19 to take this opportunity to celebrate it away from us. This year we will run our assembly virtually, as we have never done before. 

At 8:40, Ms. Camilo and I will connect remotely to all JS classrooms using the new equipment installed this summer and ask our remote learners to join us from home at 8:40 as well as we begin our International Day of Peace 2020 Celebration. 

Remote learning families, be sure to have your child click on the link below or open a Zoom window and enter the Meeting ID 94741908030. Thanks for your support!

Pascal Vallet, Junior School Principal 

Alessandra Camilo, Junior School Assistant Principal

• • Monday, September 21 - International Day of Peace (Peace Day Webinar Link for all remote learners) 8:40-9:00am

  • Monday, September 21 – Yellow Bus Service  - POSTPONED (details below)

  • Tuesday, September 22 - PA Meeting (PA Meeting Webinar Link ) 7:00pm 

• Monday, September 28 - After School Classes Begin 

• Wednesday, September 30 - Webinar JS Back to School Night - Homeroom Teachers 7:00pm (save the date)

• Thursday, October 1 - Webinar JS Back to School Night - Specialist Teachers 7:00pm (save the date)

• Week of October 26 – October 30 - No Classes for Students – October Break 

In this newsletter you will find important recommendations for the parents of our remote learners, including tips to check your internet connection at home. We've noted that a few students in each class have poor connections which makes it difficult to hear them at all times. For parents expecting yellow bus service on Monday, the DOE has informed us that it is delayed because the public schools haven't opened yet. Don't miss the PA's Webinar this Tuesday at 7pm. Recordings of the Back to School webinars we held last week with the Curriculum Department can be found below. You will also find reminders about Allergy Awareness, School Dismissal Manager (SDM) that needs updating every week, and other important information about the health and safety of our community.

• IMPORTANT INFORMATION: REMOTE LEARNERS - LATENESS AND LEARNING ETIQUETTE

• IMPORTANT INFORMATION: CHECK YOUR INTERNET CONNECTION!

• IMPORTANT INFORMATION: YELLOW BUS SERVICE DELAYED

• INFORMATION: BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHTS WEBINAR

• PARENT ASSOCIATION CORNER: PA MEETING, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22 7:00pm

• REMINDERS: FOR THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF OUR COMMUNITY

• REMINDER: EMAILING THE SCHOOL

• REMINDER: UNIS IS ALLERGY AWARE

• REMINDER: UPDATE YOUR CHILD’S DISMISSAL PLANS in SDM

• REMINDER: UPDATE YOUR PARENT CONTACT INFORMATION

We are all learning how to navigate in a very different learning environment. We are all in this together, it is new, it is challenging, and it comes with some difficulties. Below, we share recommendations for parents, from the school's perspective. We will also be working with the PA to understand the challenges and difficulties from the parents' perspective so that we can collaborate and be sure that we offer a great experience to our students, your children, to the best of our abilities.

• • Instruction begins at 8:40 each morning. Remote learners are expected to connect with their homeroom no later than 8:40 to participate in Morning Meeting. Students who try to connect after that time disrupt the class and pull the teacher away from the rest who are already engaged in person or remotely. It is tremendously important that students are ready to join at 8:40. Meanwhile, we recognize that due to technical glitches or late arrivals, not all teachers will always be able to start at 8:40. We thank you for your patience. But, once the class begins, students who join between 8:40 and 9:00 are missing important direction and are inevitably disrupting the class. Let's try our best together!

  • Parents are expected to allow their children to learn independently. Please do not intervene or distract your child from the relationship between the teacher and your child.

  • Parents are asked not interact with the teacher during the lesson- we are trying to ensure that remote interactions are between teacher and students only.

  • Question related to technology should be addressed by email to tech.support@unis.org only. Please do not disrupt your teacher's instruction time to address tech support issues for your family. We understand it can be frustrating sometimes; we recognize it and are working hard to address the glitches we are facing. But we have noticed teachers trying to troubleshoot a system while teaching, a system that really requires technician intervention. They do it out of caring and concern about their students not being able to connect. Please help them by reaching out to our Tech Department for support instead. 

  • All families should check their internet connection today. The audio when your child connects from home should never be distorted - it is disruptive to the class when that happens and is likely the result from a poor connection at home. See more information about it below.

  • When your child has completed a task, they should have a book ready to read. Remote learners should wait quietly for the teacher's further instructions.

Thank for for your support, collaboration and understanding.

Due to New York City's decision to remain in full remote learning until September 29th, yellow bus service to UNIS will be postponed until at least that time. We will continue to provide you with regular updates regarding transportation to UNIS and will confirm a new start date for yellow bus service as soon as it becomes available. Questions specific to transportation can be emailed to transportation@unis.org

Some of you have already updated your JS child's School Dismissal Manager (SDM) account to add a bus route as your Default, or as your dismissal plan for days during the week of September 21. Please update your account again to delete the bus option and add your Pick Up plans or Care Program instead for the week of September 21st.

For those of you not able to join us last Wednesday, September 16, here are the recordings from the three Back to School sessions held:

• • UNIS JS Back to School for Remote Families

  • UNIS JS Back to School JA-J1

  • UNIS JS Back to School J2-J4

Save the dates: September 30 and October 1 at 7:00pm for our Back to School Nights with Homeroom Teachers and Specialists. This week we are working with our Team Leaders and faculty to adapt our traditional Back to School Nights to the current circumstances.

Please join the Parent Association's 1st Webinar Meeting for 2020-21 September 22, 2020 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada).  Click the link below to join the webinar.

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, for the safety and peace of mind of all, do not send your child to school in a vented mask. We understand that many of you do use vented masks with filters inserted. But our teachers cannot be certain that every vented mask has the filter necessary to keep them safe. Please respect our community and do not send your child to school in a vented mask.

5. We ask that you 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.

6. Again, the late arrival of students in the morning delay our faculty and staff moving back to their positions. The JS gates should be closing at 8:40.  Please ensure that you arrive at the time assigned for your child's grade.

7. When requesting a switch from full time Remote Learning to Hybrid attending in-person classes, at least 48 hours (2 school days) in advance, please email:

• homeroom teacher

• jsoffice@unis.org

• schoolnurse@unis.org (to request health clearance to attend in person if your child has not been on campus yet)

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).

UNIS is an Allergy Aware School.

This means that students, families, faculty and staff are respectfully asked to refrain from bringing peanuts, nuts and seeds of any kind or foods processed with these items or their by products, such as oils, into the school. This includes products which state "may contain traces of nuts/peanuts/tree nuts” or "manufactured in a facility which processes" nuts/peanuts/tree nuts.

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.