Newsletter #14


An illustration of the Akitu, the New Year Celebration for the Babylonians

JANUARY 4 - JANUARY 7:  CLASSES RESUME / DISTANCE LEARNING FOR ALL GRADES

FRIDAY, JANUARY 8:  NO CLASSES / FULL COMMUNITY POOL TESTING ON CAMPUS

MONDAY, JANUARY 11: RETURN to HYBRID MODEL / BLUE DAY FOR J2, J3, J4

Dear parents,

The earliest recorded New Year's celebrations date back some 4,000 years to ancient Babylon and were deeply tied to religion and mythology. For the Babylonians of ancient Mesopotamia (Iraq), the first new moon following the vernal equinox - the day at the end of March with an equal amount of light and dark (on this day the Sun is at it's zenith on the Earth's equator) - heralded the start of a new year and represented the rebirth of the natural world.

Babylonians marked the occasion with a massive religious festival called Akitu (Force Reviving the World) which involved a different ritual on each of its 11 days. During Akitu, statues of the gods were paraded through the city streets, and rites were enacted to symbolize their victory over the forces of chaos. Through these rituals, the Babylonians believed that the world was symbolically cleansed and recreated by the gods in preparation for the new year and the return of spring. In addition to the New Year, Atiku celebrated the mythical victory of the Babylonian sky god Marduk over the evil sea goddess Tiamat and served an important political purpose: during this time a new king was crowned or the divinity of the current sovereign was renewed.

The year 2020 has brought unique challenges and the idea of "Reviving the World" is now, more than ever, a hope shared by many from Melbourne to Washington, from Seoul to Buenos Aires, from Paris to Bamako, as we face this worldwide pandemic together: 2021 will hopefully see the eradication of COVID-19.

As we begin this new year, you can rely on the UNIS Junior School's teachers, staff and leadership to always do their best for the security and benefit of your children, our students.

Pascal Vallet, Junior School Principal 

Alessandra Camilo, Junior School Assistant Principal


See all the Junior School Photos 2020-21

IMPORTANT DATES

THIS WEEK

THE HYBRID CALENDAR

See the hybrid calendar for the full year here

UPCOMING EVENTS

IN THIS NEWSLETTER

TABLE OF CONTENTS

IMPORTANT INFORMATION: SUPPORTING CHILDREN DURING UNEXPECTED EVENTS DURING COVID-19

As we moved through in-person learning these past few months, we have seen how resilient and adaptable our children have been under the changes of this different school year.  However, the realities of the pandemic continue to be apparent, and as we head into the winter we are faced with circumstances, such as quarantines of our classmates, teachers and friends and sudden shifts to distance learning, that may be confusing or unsettling.  

Below you will find some helpful guiding language as you engage conversations at home with your children. The language is intended to be general so you may taper your conversations to your child and the specific school closure, quarantine or circumstances that you and your family, friends, teachers, etc.  are facing. The most important key is that an open dialogue is maintained throughout this unpredictable school year.

Taking your child’s developmental level into consideration, be honest with your children about the events. It is understandable that that sudden school closures, quarantines, and knowing someone with a positive COVID test may cause anxiety or fear. Talking with your child about how they might be feeling, as well as acknowledging your own feelings (without getting too detailed) is validating.  

Be mindful of your own feelings and rising anxiety, and model calm. Your child takes their cues from you, so while it is important to be genuine with how you are feeling, make sure you are being mindful of how you feel before you share it. 

Offer reassurance that school is doing all it can to stay safe (eg., wearing masks, socially distancing as much as possible, frequent handwashing/sanitizing, etc.), and “sometimes teachers, classmates and/or friends need to stay home for a little while or take care of themselves to get better.”  Validating language such as, “I understand that you are confused (or scared/etc.), here are some things we can do to keep safe…” (wearing masks, washing hands frequently, etc.) provides a sense of empowerment within what might feel like uncontrollable or unpredictable circumstances. 

Lastly, model and express compassion to those in our community that may be ill or need to quarantine. In times like these the best thing we can do is to come together as a community and support each other. Point out the ways your child, family, teachers and school have been resilient these past months. 

As always, your JS Student Support Team is available should you have any specific questions or concerns about your child or family situation. Please reach out to us at any time.


Sincerely,

Dr. Dana Marnin (JS Psychologist) - dmarnin@unis.org

Alyssa Frost (J1/J3 Counselor) - afrost@unis.org

Amy Iamundo (J2/J4 Counselor) - aiamundo@unis.org

PARENT ASSOCIATION CORNER: PARENT COFFEE JANUARY 6

Save the Date:

Note that recently enrolled students who have attended UNIS for less than 8 weeks, will not receive a report card this semester.

Webinar ID: 98384249086 Passcode: 215385

PARENT ASSOCIATION CORNER: VIRTUAL UNIS FOOD DRIVE (November 16th, 2020 to January 17th, 2021)

In these times of the Pandemic, with restricted access to the school, we understand that physical donations may not be possible for everyone.

So, we have also created a Virtual Drive - we would love for our UNIS community to come together and support this cause. Whatever your age you can use your talents to raise awareness and funds--ask your family and friends to sponsor your push-ups, jumping jacks, playing a musical instrument, running a mile, singing, dancing, creating art and help feed our fellow New Yorkers.

So, make your team using the instructions below, and let's get going!

Every $1 donated helps City Harvest feed two New Yorkers for a day.  

Together, we can make a difference one day, one meal, one New Yorker at a time. 

Thank you for your compassion, generosity, and support the UNIS City Harvest Drive!

To create your own fundraising team, go to http://secure.cityharvest.org/goto/unis and click on the green “Create a Sub-Team” button on the right side of the page and follow the prompts on the following page. If you need any assistance in creating a sub-team page, please reach out to the Co-Chairs:

Abhilasha Mahan (Abhilasha.mahan@pa.unis.org); Magda Torres (Magda.Torres@pa.unis.org).

UNIS Virtual Food Drive.pdf

 BIT OF NEWS: MUSIC STUDENTS: NYSSMA AND ABRSM MUSIC EXAMS SPRING 2021 

The music department is pleased to announce that both the New York State Schools Music Association (NYSSMA) and the Associated Board of Royals Schools of Music (ABRSM) plan to hold virtual adjudications this spring. These exams can be a great way for your child to stay motivated by having an additional goal and receiving feedback for their work.

NYSSMA exams will be scheduled in March (UNIS Manhattan Students) and May (UNIS Queens Students).   If you are interested in the NYSSMA exams for your child, please confer with your child's private teacher before deciding to register. Registration forms will be made available at the beginning of January. The fee for the exam is approximately $20  and will be billed to your account.

ABRSM exams are being field tested in February, with multiple dates to be scheduled to be announced at a later date.

Contact Karen Lerner, klerner@unis.org in the Music Department with any questions.

REMINDER: AFTER SCHOOL REGISTRATION IS OPEN - WINTER SESSION

Registration for the WINTER season 2020-2021 AFTER SCHOOL & CARE Programs is now open to JA students & up. We invite you to register, as soon as possible. At this time we only process the activities for the “Winter” season. No need to register in activities for the Spring season. An announcement will be forwarded at a later date. 

For your convenience, below are the LINKS for WINTER REGISTRATION: 

We will be sending the confirmations by December 15th. After School Activities start at 4:30PM so that all the students are able to join. Classes are held on Zoom platform. The Zoom links to activities will be directly forwarded by the instructors. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. We look forward to welcoming the students to the After School Program. 

Lidana Jalilvand, ljalilvand@unis.org or 212-584-3083

REMINDER: AVOIDING LATE ARRIVAL & EARLY PICK UP

We ask that you support us by having your JS child learn remotely on the days that they have appointments outside of school, or need to leave early for travel. Parents and caregivers are not permitted inside the gate and so late arrivals and early dismissals pull school personnel from their work in order to escort your child. 

Please just enter "Remote Learning as an Exception" in SDM to alert your teacher that your child will connect remotely instead of joining in person on days when you make other plans during school hours. Thank you!

REMINDERS: HEALTH AND SAFETY

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:

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:

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.

REMINDERS: REMOTE LEARNERS

If you have technology issues, please send an email to tech.support@unis.org

If you have academic tech questions, please contact Ms. Zammarano at fzammarano@unis.org 

All other times: If you are having trouble logging in at any other time, please call 212-584-3100 for technology support. 

REMINDER: UPDATE YOUR CHILD’S DISMISSAL PLANS 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.

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.


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:

If you need support in order to make your updates, please email veracross@unis.org