Dear parents,

This week we will celebrate UN Day, an important day for our community and one that is challenged by the current circumstances. Safety being first, some traditional events will not take place this year. We will miss the international breakfast in the morning and the Junior School Parade as we know it.

• This year UN Day will extend over two days to allow our students from J2 to J4 to be on campus for the celebrations. It will take place on Thursday and Friday, October 22 and 23, of this week.

• Students in Pre-K, JA and J1 will celebrate UN Day on just one day as those students do not follow an alternating schedule home/school

• All students are invited to come to school wearing traditional dress to celebrate the country of their choice or country of origin. This dress up is optional.

• PreK, JA and J1 teachers may ask their students to come dressed on either Thursday or Friday, rather than both, as those students do not follow an alternating schedule home/school. Teachers will communicate if necessary directly with their parents to let them know.

The goals of this day are to:

• Celebrate our connection with the UN.

• Enhance UN Studies at all levels.

• Engage students in the work of the UN and inspire them to live their lives guided by the principles of the UN Charter.

During these two days students will work on a virtual Mandala, and each of them will be used to create a mosaic which will be shared with the community and printed. We invite parents to contribute to this effort too if they want to:

• Create your Mandala here : Create the Mandala

• Students, Faculty and Parents to upload their Mandala here: Upload the Mandala

Each class will have the opportunity to have an individual parade. A schedule will avoid cohorts of student mixing with one with another. The parade is optional and not all the class will have one.

A special UN Day Assembly will be pre-recorded and homerooms will share it with their students over the course of the two days. The Assembly will focus on sharing information about the United Nations with our students and is designed to accommodate the range of ages between our littlest ones and our J4 students.

We will also provide nut-free cupcakes to our students as we are not able to hold our traditional breakfast with parents. Students can choose to have the cupcake, our not. Parents of students with food allergies may provide their child with their own snack for those days. The cupcakes will be provided by Flik following the same protocols they use for student lunches. 

Finally, we are hoping to have our high school students reading live to our JS students (remotely) as they did last year (face-to-face) during the "reading buddies" period.

Pascal Vallet, Junior School Principal 

Alessandra Camilo, Junior School Assistant Principal

• Monday, October 19 & Tuesday, October 20 - JS Photo Days (details in this newsletter)

• Thursday, Octber 22 & Friday, October 23 - UN Day Celebrations (details in this newsletter/dress up is optional)

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

• Through November 15 - Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF (details in this newsletter)

In this Newsletter you will find information about the Virtual Parent Teacher Conferences which will take place from Wednesday, November 11 (evening only) through Friday, November 13. The sign-up period will open on Friday, November 6 at 7:00pm and end on Tuesday, November 10 at 7:00pm.

We are working on a tentative schedule, starting on Wednesday, that will allow students to take advantage of the outdoors for recess time. Not all classes will be able to go outside every day, but we will do our best to maximize those periods throughout the week for all students.

While the pandemic surely affects how we are celebrating events at UNIS, Halloween will still take place and this time masks, for safety and health purposes, will be mandatory! Halloween will be held on Monday, November 2 and Tuesday, November 3. Information about Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF is also available in this Newsletter. 

You will also find news items and reminders, including Photo Days.

• IMPORTANT INFORMATION: VIRTUAL PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES - NOVEMBER 11-13

• IMPORTANT INFORMATION: RECESS OUTDOOR

• IMPORTANT INFORMATION: HALLOWEEN DRESS UP DAY - NOV. 2 AND 3

• INFORMATION: TRICK-OR-TREAT FOR UNICEF

•  BIT OF NEWS: FUN FACTS ABOUT FLAGS

• BIT OF NEWS: SPREADING CARE, FRIENDSHIP & KINDNESS IN J1 FRAHER & HUNTER

• REMINDER: PHOTO DAY - OCTOBER 19 & 20 ON CAMPUS

• REMINDERS: HEALTH AND SAFETY

• REMINDERS: REMOTE LEARNERS

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

• REMINDER: UPDATE YOUR PARENT CONTACT INFORMATION

CONFERENCE DATES

• Wednesday, November 11 (Evening) - PK/JA - J4 Parent/Teacher Conferences 

• Thursday, November 12 (Day - No Classes for Students) - PK/JA - J4 Parent/Teacher Conferences 

• Friday, November 13 (Day - No Classes for Students) - PK/JA - J4 Parent/Teacher Conferences

SIGN-UP PERIOD

• Start / Open: Friday, November 6 at 7:00pm

• End / Close: Tuesday, November 10 at 7:00pm 

ACCESS TO CONFERENCE SIGN-UP

• Sign-up is available only through the Veracross Portal (myunis.vc)

• Without access to Veracross, you will not be able to book conference times with your children’s teachers

• If you have not yet received notifications regarding your Veracross login credentials, send an email message now to veracross@unis.org to retrieve them

• If you have received your credentials you must log in to Veracross to access the Parent Teacher Conferences sign up

• When you log on to your portal, you will be able to sign up for conference slots for each of your children

SIGN-UP PROCESS: DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS

• Instructions on booking conference times with your childrens' teachers will be shared with parents after the break.

THERE ARE NO CLASSES HELD ON NOVEMBER 12 and 13

CHILDCARE AT UNIS IS NOT AVAILABLE DURING THE CONFERENCES

PLEASE PLAN AHEAD

Many parents and students have advocated for the opportunity for students to use outdoor spaces. We are finalizing a schedule which will allow each cohort of students to safely access outdoor spaces on a regular basis. We hope to begin this new schedule on Wednesday this week.

Did you know that the symbols used on flags often have the same meaning all over the world?  Looks for these symbols and their meanings on flags:

• The Sun:  The circle of the sun symbolizes unity and energy.

• The Moon:  The moon is usually displayed in crescent shape to distinguish it from the symbol of the sun. 

• The Stars:  Constellations of stars often represent energy, especially when depicting the night sky.

• A Square: The four even lengths of the square symbolize balance and equal opposites.

This year, the 193 flags of the United Nations Member states have been hung all over the building in preparation for UN Day.  Just like in the General Assembly Hall, the flags follow the order of the country seating.  This year, Iceland was the first country seated in the GA Hall.

Where can I find my flag?

Country and Location

• Iceland - Lithuania in the Lobby

• Luxembourg - Saudi Arabia in the Cafeteria

• Senegal - Tongo on the 2nd Floor

• Trinidad and Tobago - Angola on the 3rd Floor

• Antigua and Barbuda - Cambodia on the 4th Floor Middle School

• Cameroon - France on the 4th Floor

• Gabon - Hungary on the 5th Floor

Click here for information from Stomping Ground, the photographer used by UNIS, about the photos days on Monday, October 19 and Tuesday, October 20 for students in the Hybrid model, learning on campus:

Stomping Ground UNIS 

You'll find the online viewing dates, ordering deadline, delivery dates and other important information. Note that families coordinate their purchases, makeups and re-takes directly with Stomping Ground.

You may contact Stomping Ground Photo for support at  help@stompinggroundphoto.com

1. Arrival: To speed arrival for everyone, please have your child take possession of their backpack and lunch before they approach the entry gate in the morning and check to see that their mask is on, fits well, and is covering their nose.

2. Late Arrival: The late arrival of students in the morning delay our faculty and staff moving back to their positions. The JS gates should be closing no later than 8:40. Please ensure that you arrive at the time assigned for your child's grade.

3. Masks: 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. 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.

4. Remote Learning on Days with Appointments: 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.

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

• your 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)

The last step is to update SDM with your dismissal plans for each day your child is on campus.

6. Returning to Campus After Illness:  Based on CDC guidance, students who are sent home or become ill may not return to UNIS until the following:

• WITH A COVID TEST: A negative COVID test and clearance note from MD. Must explicitly state that the student is cleared to return to school.

• WITHOUT COVID TEST: Must be fever free (less than 100F) for 3 days with no fever reducing medications and improvement of symptoms

  • AND must be 10 days post-symptom (No symptoms in last 10 days)

  • AND report general feelings of wellness.

All students who are returning to campus after an illness, MUST FIRST SEE THE NURSE WHEN COMING BACK ON CAMPUS BEFORE STARTING CLASSES.

If your child is exhibiting symptoms consistent with COVID please have them tested so we can alert potential contacts within UNIS. This helps us keep everyone safe. If you feel these symptoms are due to a cause other than COVID, please have your physician clearly document this in your return to school clearance letter. For health related questions please email: schoolnurse@unis.org and mrivera@unis.org

7. Social Distancing Outside of UNIS: Exercise caution and, whenever possible, to stay clear of gatherings where social distancing or face masks might not be the norm. We advise students and families to be particularly vigilant on playgrounds and during play dates, keeping in mind the impact they may have on the safety of everyone in our community.

8. COVID Testing: We recommend that students be tested at least ONCE a month, preferably every two weeks. All UNIS Faculty and Staff will be pool-tested every other week on campus.

• • 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!

  • Question related to technology should be addressed by email to tech.support@unis.org only. Tech Support will need your child's full name, teacher name and grade in order to assist you quickly. 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. 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. You should have at least 3mbps up and download. A 5mbps up and download will ensure optimal quality. You can check your bandwidth here: fast.com 

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.

No student will be placed on a bus at dismissal if their SDM account does not authorize their ridership on that date.  They will be placed in the Care Program instead.