Dear parents,

In October 2020, Pediatrics®, the official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics published a study (1) with daily survey data collected before and after the COVID-19 crisis that investigated the hypothesis that the pandemic worsened parents’ and children’s psychological well-being. The conclusion was, as expected and consistent with their hypotheses, that the pandemic has an impact on parents and children. In their conclusion, they indicate that "as the crisis continues to unfold, pediatricians should screen for mental health, with particular attention to children whose families are especially vulnerable to economic and disease aspects of the crisis".

Other research (2), concluded in September 2020, found that "due to the long-lasting pandemic situation and onerous measures such as lockdown and stay-at-home orders, the COVID-19 pandemic brings negative impacts on higher education" and highlighted "the urgent need to develop interventions and preventive strategies to address the mental health of college students".

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) expressed concern for students, educators and parents due to the consequences of the COVID-19 situation: "The COVID-19 pandemic has presented many challenges to students, educators, and parents. Children already coping with mental health conditions have been especially vulnerable to the changes, and now we are learning about the broad impacts on students as a result of schools being closed, physically distancing guidelines and isolation, and other unexpected changes to their lives."(3)

While we work together, teachers, parents, administration, to offer our students, your children, a space to learn, socialize, and be happy at school, the research reminds us that we should not underestimate the impact of the pandemic on the well-being of students, educators and parents. We don't. And while our teaches, counselors, and school psychologist are monitoring the well-being of our students, we know that in order to care for them to the best of our ability, it is essential that all of us adults are aware of our own well-being and how the pandemic directly or indirectly affects us and what we can and should do about it.

Overcoming the challenges we face because of this Pandemic, some common but others unique and personal, is necessary for our own well-being and that of our students, your children. The goal of these workshops is added support for all of us in that endeavor. It will take more, as we know, but we are hopeful that Rachel Henes will equip us with new tools and new perspectives on the road to our own personal well-being.

Pascal Vallet, Junior School Principal 

Alessandra Camilo, Junior School Assistant Principal

• • Reminder: Semester 1 Report Cards are available (details in this newsletter)

  • Tuesday, February 2 - Class Parent Meeting 12:00-12:45

  • Tuesday, February 2 - Parent Association Meeting 7:00pm   PA Meeting Link - February 2

• Monday, February 15 through Friday, February 19 - No Classes for Students - February Break

• Thursday, March 18 and Friday, March 19  - UNIS-UN Conference

• Wednesday, March 17 - Friday, March 19 - JS Student Led Conferences (No Classes on March 18 & 19)

6-Part Parent Workshop Series  Tuesdays from 7:30 - 8:45 (details in this newsletter)

• • Tuesday, February 9 

  • Tuesday, February 23

  • Tuesday, March 2

  • Tuesday, March 16

  • Tuesday, March 23

  • Tuesday, March 30

• TO DO: WORKSHOP REGISTRATION - MINDFUL PARENTING IN AN UPSIDE-DOWN WORLD

• PARENT ASSOCIATION CORNER: PARENT MEETING

• BIT OF NEWS: LA VIE DE M. VALLET EN IMAGES | THE LIFE OF Mr. VALLET IN PICTURES

•  BIT OF NEWS: J4 DESIGN ENGINEERING WITH MS. SEMSEL

•  BIT OF NEWS: UPCOMING EVENTS

• REMINDER: SEMESTER 1 REPORT CARDS ARE AVAILABLE

• REMINDERS: HEALTH AND SAFETY

• REMINDERS: REMOTE LEARNERS

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

• REMINDER: UPDATE YOUR PARENT CONTACT INFORMATION

Please join us for the school wide PA Meeting on Tuesday , February 2 at 7:00pm.

For your information, because we are launching a series of 6 workshops, we will not hold the February JS Parent Coffee. The next JS Parent Coffee will be held in March and will cover Students Led Conferences.

MS and TH collaborate to create artwork with the help of 125 students.  

M3, M4, T1 and T2 worked together to paint, draw, or digitally illustrate the text of "Still I Rise", by Maya Angelou. During this period some students worked in the UNIS Art rooms some were working remotely around the world in places like China, Russia and upstate New York. 

This artwork shows how we can use technology to collaborate and make art together. It shows how we can use our voices and art to inspire each other and lift each other up. This artwork is a symbol and the result of collaboration, one of the core mission statements of UNIS. If you look carefully it also includes translations into Spanish, Arabic, Mandarin and Dutch. This is a tribute to Maya herself who spoke French, Italian, Spanish, Arabic & Fanti.  At UNIS, our students love languages and we celebrate multi-lingual play. 

The audio is recorded by M4 via Zoom and was edited by T4 Karl Faginou, and the visuals were edited by Anisha Kurukulasuriya in T1 as part of their CAS projects. Please enjoy their evident Creativity, Action and Service to the community. Here is the link with M4 student Voices: Maya Angelou

Let’s get together

We’re hosting a new event, and we’d love to see you there. Join us for Race and Privilege Parent Alliance (RAPPA) Thursday, February 4, 2021, February 4, 2021, at 6:00 PM.--

UPDATE: NEW START TIME IS 7.30PM (not 6pm)

Register soon because space is limited.

  We hope you’re able to join us!  

How To Register: Before registering, please view these simple step by step instructions. After following the right steps, you must receive a confirmation email to the address you entered during registration.

Thursday, February 4, 2021, 6:00 PM

Race and Privilege Parent Alliance (RAPPA) Thursday, February 4, 2021

Register

Semester 1 Report Cards for Junior School students were published last 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.

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.