Newsletter #15


General George Washington Resigning His Commission - John Trumbull, 1826

The painting General George Washington Resigning His Commission by John Trumbull is on display in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol. This painting depicts the scene on December 23, 1783, in the Maryland State House in Annapolis when George Washington resigned his commission as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army. The action was significant for establishing civilian authority over the military, a fundamental principle of American democracy.(1)

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

Reminder: Update SDM with January dismissal plans

George Washington's Farewell Address 1796 (2)

"Friends and Citizens,

[...]

I have already intimated to you the danger of parties in the State, with particular reference to the founding of them on geographical discriminations. Let me now take a more comprehensive view, and warn you in the most solemn manner against the baneful effects of the spirit of party generally.

This spirit, unfortunately, is inseparable from our nature, having its root in the strongest passions of the human mind. It exists under different shapes in all governments, more or less stifled, controlled, or repressed; but, in those of the popular form, it is seen in its greatest rankness, and is truly their worst enemy.

The alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge, natural to party dissension, which in different ages and countries has perpetrated the most horrid enormities, is itself a frightful despotism. But this leads at length to a more formal and permanent despotism. The disorders and miseries which result gradually incline the minds of men to seek security and repose in the absolute power of an individual; and sooner or later the chief of some prevailing faction, more able or more fortunate than his competitors, turns this disposition to the purposes of his own elevation, on the ruins of public liberty.

Without looking forward to an extremity of this kind (which nevertheless ought not to be entirely out of sight), the common and continual mischiefs of the spirit of party are sufficient to make it the interest and duty of a wise people to discourage and restrain it.

It serves always to distract the public councils and enfeeble the public administration. It agitates the community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms, kindles the animosity of one part against another, foments occasionally riot and insurrection. It opens the door to foreign influence and corruption, which finds a facilitated access to the government itself through the channels of party passions. Thus the policy and the will of one country are subjected to the policy and will of another.

There is an opinion that parties in free countries are useful checks upon the administration of the government and serve to keep alive the spirit of liberty. This within certain limits is probably true; and in governments of a monarchical cast, patriotism may look with indulgence, if not with favor, upon the spirit of party. But in those of the popular character, in governments purely elective, it is a spirit not to be encouraged. From their natural tendency, it is certain there will always be enough of that spirit for every salutary purpose. And there being constant danger of excess, the effort ought to be by force of public opinion, to mitigate and assuage it. A fire not to be quenched, it demands a uniform vigilance to prevent its bursting into a flame, lest, instead of warming, it should consume. [...]"

Dear parents, dear students, dear teachers,

UNIS welcomes faculty and staff from all over the world. Embracing this diversity and celebrating the uniqueness of all is not an option for us, but a necessity. This is who we are, this who we need to be, this is who we will remain. As I stand proudly with our strong and diverse Junior School Team, I know without a doubt that we all have at least one thing in common that defines us: what led us to dedicate our lives to the education of children is our joint, strong commitment to support the youngest among us and equip them to lead a world where the deeply troubling events that took place on Wednesday in Washington D.C. have no space to exist. Shaping a better world is not rhetoric that makes our school logo attractive and competitive. It is the foundation of our school and our community, guided by the Mission of the United Nations.

How remarkable and visionary was the first President of the United States. Leaving office for the first transfer of power in the history of this nation, George Washington left not only a Constitution and a Democracy as a legacy to the people of the United States, he left a clear warning to future generations of what could happen, and did, 225 years later:  an unprecedented attack on Democracy on US soil.

The history of humanity is made up of powerful achievements for the greater good, but also desperation leading to terrible actions that we have witnessed all across the world. It is absolutely evident that WE CAN and WE MUST do something about it.

"The power of education extends beyond the development of skills we need for economic success. It can contribute to nation-building and reconciliation. [...] We are steadily but surely introducing education that enables our children to exploit their similarities and common goals, while appreciating the strength in their diversity." - Nelson Mandela

We hope that everyone in a position of power now will reflect on the dramatic events of the past week, and everything that led up to this point.

We hope that everyone in a position of power now will transform this tragedy into an opportunity, will embrace the last words of George Washington as a president, and learns from these events and Washington's foresight that it is their duty to act to protect our democratic institutions.

And while we are hoping that they will, simultaneously, we at UNIS will continue in our determined support of our students as they build the capacity, the character, the awareness, and the will, to make the World a Better Place. 

It is with the pride of being their Principal and a limitless sense of responsibility that I promise to you parents, students and teachers, to never lose sight of this mission.

Pascal Vallet, Junior School Principal 

Alessandra Camilo, Junior School Assistant Principal

(1) The Architect of the Capitol, mission: to serve Congress and the Supreme Court, preserve America's Capitol, and inspire memorable experiences.

(2) Washington's Farewell Address, 1796 -  Yale Law School Library Website

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

TO DO: UPDATE SDM AND FAMILY CONTACT INFORMATION

1. UPDATE SCHOOL DISMISSAL MANAGER (SDM)

Please update your SDM account by Monday morning to indicate what the dismissal plans are for your child for each day of the coming week. SDM is the only way of letting your child's dismissing teacher know where your child should go at dismissal. 

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 and you will need to come to campus to pick them up.

If you need the SDM welcome message resent and your password reset, please email jsoffice@unis.org


2. UPDATE YOUR FAMILY CONTACT INFORMATION (VERACROSS PARENT PORTAL)

Please review your family profile and contact information to ensure that your cell phone numbers, email addresses and home address are correct and that they are entered in the correct fields. The only way you can be reached in an emergency, or when there are school wide announcements, is through the information that you enter and update 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 Portal updates, please email veracross@unis.org


IMPORTANT INFORMATION: EIB - GOLDEN RULE MENTORSHIP

EIB students from the UNIS Tut House will soon join Junior School students for their first lesson: The Golden Rule. The EIB has recorded this screencast for parents to learn more about what this lesson will cover.

As a reminder, the Equity and Inclusion Board is a student-led initiative that strives to uphold United Nations values by increasing the representation of racially marginalized groups within the UNIS community and its culture. Through collaborations with various school constituents, they hope to fulfill UNIS’s mission to create an inclusive and diverse learning environment for all students.

INFORMATION: SEMESTER 1 REPORT CARDS

Semester 1 Report Cards for Junior School students will be published on Friday, January 29 on the Veracross Parent Portal. We encourage you to review this report card with your child to celebrate his/her achievements during this past semester and engage in conversation on their potential growth. The deadline for questions about any specific JS teacher’s grading will be Friday, February 5. Please contact the teacher directly by email no later than then.

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

If you do not yet have access to the Veracross portal and need instructions on how to do so, please contact veracross@unis.org to get information.

For those of you not able to join us for the Parent Coffee on January 6 on the topic of report cards, you can access the recording by clicking on the link below. 

PARENT ASSOCIATION CORNER: PA MEETING ON JANUARY 14

Please join us this Thursday, January 14 at 7:00pm for our next school wide Parents Association webinar.

ID: 98726197277 | Passcode: 781123

 BIT OF NEWS: BAKING IN FRENCH WITH MME CADET

Mme Cadet's J3 and J4 students baked the famous Christmas Log over the holidays following a French recipe and filmed themselves explaining the different steps of the recipe, all in French!! They have made Mme Cadet very proud and she wants to share with everyone how enthusiastic her students are towards learning and taking up new challenges!

Voici toutes les informations concernant le projet de la bûche de Noël que j'ai donné à mes classes de J3 et J4 avancées pour les vacances de Noël. 

Il s'agissait bien sûr d'une activité optionnelle.

En pièce jointe, j'ai mis des captures d'écran tirées de leur vidéo, la capture d'écran de l'explication du projet sur Schoology et la recette de la bûche qu'ils ont réalisée, sauf pour les plus audacieux qui ont préféré la version chocolat noir ! 

 BIT OF NEWS: LA GALETTE, UNE TRADITION EN FRANÇAIS!

Clara celebrated Little Christmas with a galette des rois. She found the bean! M. Souali, our French Teacher, celebrates the involvement and motivation of families in their children's learning a new language. The learning of a language and its culture becomes a project for the entire educational community and a pleasure shared by all.

 BIT OF NEWS: A WEEK OF REMOTE LEARNING - NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS FOR J4AJ

Mr. Jaouad is very proud of his J4 class and he looks forward to what 2021 holds in store for them. He'd like to share their New Year Resolutions with you:

"We have just finished the first week of class in 2021. I wanted to express my admiration for each one of the students in J4J. They were superlative. Despite the challenges of fully remote learning and the context in which we are living; the students handled all information, tasks, and challenges with grace, maturity, resilience, and, above all good humor. I am proud of them and I look forward to what 2021 holds in store for J4J. Please find below J4J's New Years Resolution."

 BIT OF NEWS: UNIS CLASS OF 2007'S ALEXANDER WOLF LEWIS AND LUCIANO VIGNOLA AT SUNDANCE

Alexander Wolf Lewis, '07, co-directed and was the cinematographer for Snowy, a short documentary, which was accepted into the 2021 Sundance Film Festival (Jan. 28–Feb. 3). The film chronicles the inner life of Alex's uncle's pet turtle that has been living in his uncle's basement for the last 25 years.

Luciano Vignola, '07, also worked on Snowy as the sound designer. Luciano's credits are long and impressive, including an Emmy for the work he did on The Night Of for HBO. Alex, too, has a long list of credits, including DP work on Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown.

Alex and Luciano spent a lot of time together in UNIS' media lab and Alex credits his time and efforts there for making him the filmmaker he is today.

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