Dear parents,

This coming week, Wednesday through Friday, you will have the opportunity to meet with your child's teachers for our traditional Parent Teacher Conferences. This year, those conferences will be held using Zoom, our video conference platform. You will find below important information, also sent by email last Friday from our IT department, with the instructions to book appointment with your child's teachers.

You will find also a link to a recording and the presentation made during the JS Parent Coffee last Wednesday evening. The second part is dedicated to Parent Teacher Conferences and we encourage you to watch it as you will learn useful information about those conferences.

Conferences with the Homeroom Teachers and Mother Tongue Teachers (20 minutes) will focus on:

• Check-in

  • Information gathering: this year is a unique year, more than ever, and this meeting is an opportunity for teachers to hear your experiences as a parent, taking into consideration your child's journey on an emotional and an academic perspective:

    • How your child is reporting about his/her day-to-day experiences, including complying with our protocols (mask, social distancing, etc..), friendship, playtime with limited access to outdoor, etc...?

    • How your child is doing from an emotional and academic point of view when he/she is learning from home (for grades 2, 3 and 4)?

    • How your child is doing on an emotional and academic point of view as a fully remote student?

    • How your child is doing in utilizing technology at home, in terms of proficiency and also in terms of respecting screen times rules that you as parents are supporting?

    • etc...

  • Building relationship: opportunities to connect with your homeroom teacher have been limited this year compared to others. This is an opportunity for you and your teacher to connect and build a relationship important for your child's academic growth and well-being.

• Sharing information

  • Approaches to Learning: teachers will share information about the IB Approaches to Learning (ATL) which focus on specific skills and dispositions that support learning and have relevance across the curriculum to enable students to manage their own learning and to provide a foundation for success in further education and the world beyond the classroom. Those ATLs are: Communication Skills, Social Skills, Self Management Skills and Thinking Skills. 

  • Academic Skills: teachers will share information about how their students have academically grown, based on their observations and assessments. Measuring students success and academic growth this year is particularly challenging considering the constraints we are facing (students in different spaces, students fully remote, students learning from home and from school, etc..). 

  • Learning in progress: teachers will share with you where they are in the curriculum and what they have been able to cover.

  • Next Steps (Goals, Expectations): when necessary, teachers will set up specific goals and expectations with parents. 

  • Strategies and support with the Hybrid Model (Parents’ Support/Partnership): when necessary, teachers and parents of students who are fully remote or learning from home and from school (J2, J3 and J4) will discuss strategies to support those students in their academic growth and well-being.

The conferences with the specialist and language teachers (10 minutes) will focus on:

• Check-in

  • Quick check-in with parents.

• Sharing information

  • Units and curriculum covered: what your children have learned during the first part of the year

  • Goals: what goals the teacher has for the students in a specific grade for this school year

  • Strategies and support with the Hybrid Model (Parents’ Support/Partnership): For students fully remote or learning from home and from school (J2, J3 and J4), what strategies can support your child in their academic growth and well-being.

  • Academic growth and learning successes: Teachers will share observations related to students, when available and relevant to parents, regarding academic progress/behavior. As some specialist teachers meet one or two times per week with the students, due to the constraints of our hybrid model, some students have a limited on-site interaction with their teachers. This limits the observations that teachers can usually make during a "normal" school year.

Teachers will use a clock to be sure they don't go over the allotted conference time for each family. We want to ensure that parents in the waiting room are welcomed on time to their meeting. When meeting with parents on campus, a parent can always see that the teacher is still engaged with another family and is wrapping up the conference. This year, parents in the waiting room will not have the same visibility on that matter. Thank you for your understanding - our goal is to give to everyone the same opportunity to meet with the teachers.

Pascal Vallet, Junior School Principal 

Alessandra Camilo, Junior School Assistant Principal

• Monday, November 9 - Stomping Ground photos available for purchase Click here (details in this newsletter)

• Wednesday, November 11 - No Yellow Bus Service - Veterans Day

• Thursday, November 12 -  PA Meeting (Webinar) 7:00pm  Join PA Meeting 

• November 11, 12 and 13 - Virtual Parent Teacher Conferences  (details in this newsletter)

• November 12 and 13  - No Thursday and Friday Classes for Students: both remote and in - person classes are cancelled for Parent Teacher Conferences

• Wednesday, November 25 - Friday, November 27 - School Closed – Thanksgiving Break 

• November 30 - December 4 - Remote & Make Up Photos (Coordinated by Stomping Ground with families)

• Monday, December 21 to Friday, January 1 – Winter Break

• Monday, January 4 – Classes Resume 

• Monday, January 4 - Friday, January 8 - Remote Learning Only

In this weekly Newsletter, you will learn important information regarding the upcoming Parent Teacher Conferences. You can access a recording of the Parent Coffee and presentation shared last Wednesday evening, November 4, the second part being dedicated to those conferences.

You will also learn what to do when your child, remote learning at home, is in a Zoom waiting room and cannot access their class. We have put steps in place to admit him/her in a timely fashion. 

Stomping Ground school photos are available for purchase beginning November 9th.

We support City Harvest every year, and this year more than ever, we want to help ensure that everyone has access to the food they need. This is crucial as Covid-19 has forced financial distress on many of our fellow New Yorkers. Your support is needed !

You will learn about a wonderful poetry project in French that took place in the Junior School. Stunning!

Finally we share information about a webinar with Judith Warner to "make sense of middle school".

• TO DO: MY CHILD IS IN THE WAITING ROOM WHEN LEARNING FROM HOME!

• INFORMATION: CITY HARVEST FOOD AND TOILETRIES DRIVE - NOVEMBER 16-20

•  BIT OF NEWS: FRENCH POETRY CELEBRATED

•  BIT OF NEWS: PARENTS LEAGUE OF NY - WEBINAR OFFER

• REMINDER: STOMPING GROUND SCHOOL PHOTOS AVAILABLE TO PURCHASE ON MONDAY NOVEMBER, 9

• REMINDER: STOMPING GROUND SCHOOL PHOTOS FOR FULLY REMOTE OR ABSENT STUDENTS

• REMINDERS: HEALTH AND SAFETY

• REMINDERS: REMOTE LEARNERS

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

• REMINDER: UPDATE YOUR PARENT CONTACT INFORMATION

If your child is in the waiting room for an extended period when trying to connect with their class from home:

• Call the Junior School Office 212-584-3113

• Provide your child's full name, homeroom and the current class he/she is trying to attend

• The Junior School Office can remotely access the Zoom meeting to admit the student in his/her class.

Avoid sending emails to the teacher or the Academic Technology Coordinator as we cannot guarantee that your email will be seen in time. 

What: Physical Food & Toiletry Drive at UNIS

When: November 16-20, 2020

What to donate for Physical Food Drive: Canned veggies and fruit, canned meat, fish & beans, boxed pasta items, hot and cold cereal, rice, grains, pasta sauce, and peanut butter in plastic jars (no expired food or glass jars)

What to donate for the Toiletries Collection for a Homeless Outreach program in NYC: Shampoo, soap, deodorant, toothbrushes, and toothpaste. Small sizes from your last hotel stay are perfect.

How many: Between 10-15 food items per student

Where: Please drop them in the donation bins, which will be located right outside the UNIS Manhattan Campus' main gate beginning Monday, November 16

For other ways to help New Yorkers, click here. 

Join Judith Warner, author of And Then They Stopped Talking to Me: Making Sense of Middle School, and Gina Malin, Executive Director of the Parents League of New York, for a lively, open and honest discussion about middle school. 

Do the middle school years have to be dreadful? Why do we always expect the very worst of middle schoolers? And how do our own memories of that time of life affect us as adults, and especially as parents?  Sharing research from her book and her own personal experiences, Judy will discuss how you can be present for your own children without going back to middle school alongside them.  She’ll demonstrate that finding peace, and even joy, as a middle school parent is possible – and is also the very best way you can support your kids.

Judith Warner, author of the new book, And Then They Stopped Talking to Me: Making Sense of Middle School, has published eight previous works of non-fiction, including the New York Times best-seller, Perfect Madness: Motherhood in the Age of Anxiety and the multiple award-winning We’ve Got Issues: Children and Parents in the Age of Medication. She's also a longtime New York Times contributor, best known for her popular column, “Domestic Disturbances.”  A former special correspondent for Newsweek in Paris, she has lived in Washington, D.C. for twenty years with her husband and two daughters, and speaks frequently on American family life, workplace issues, and mental health.  

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REMOTE LEARNERS & MAKEUPS/RETAKES

We are offering remote portraits at home over phone technology for remote learners, makeups and retakes this year. In order to book a session, you need an online code and project code which will be sent via email from SGP. Check your spam/junk folders for an email from no-reply@imagequix.com. If you did not receive this information you can email help@stompinggroundphoto.com

If your child missed photo day this year, either because of studying remotely or because of an absence, Stomping Ground will be conducting Remote Photo Sessions. 

Manhattan campus students can sign up for a Remote Photo Session between November 30 - December 4, 2020. Stomping Ground will reach out before our assigned slot with information on how to sign up for a Remote Session.

There is a $5 sitting fee that UNIS will cover for fully remote or absent students. Families will receive more information about the coupon code within the next few weeks.

Find further details regarding the Remote Photography Process

Find additional information on your school's Stomping Ground Page: Junior School, Middle School, Tut House (T1-T3)

How does remote work? An SGP photographer calls at the booked time and takes photos over the parent/caregiver's mobile device. Click here to see a video showing a remote session, before and afters, and class group pictures!

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.