Newsletter #25

Dear parents,

A year like any other. For you and for us. And more importantly for your children, our students. 

A year, more than any other, when celebrating our students' achievements and resilience is tremendously important. A year when looking back to who we were yesterday as the Junior School, what defined us, is necessary so that we can accommodate the current circumstances without losing who we are and why you are part of this community. 

The Junior School Talent Show is a Junior School tradition. A tradition that celebrates our students. And for that reason the Junior School parent representatives, in collaboration with the Junior School administration, and supported by many others who relish the opportunity to give our students a place to share their creativity and talents with others, have decided to go on with the show!

• • Monday, March 29 - PA Meeting 7:00pm  Link

  • Tuesday, March 30 - Mindful Parenting in an Upside-Down World  (Final Session) 7:30 - 8:45pm Click Here  (details in this newsletter)

• April 5 through April 16 – No Classes for Students – Spring Break (travel advisory in this newsletter)

• Monday, April 19 – Classes Resume

• Friday, May 28 & Monday, May 31 - School Closed - Memorial Day Weekend

• Tuesday, June 1 - Classes Resume

• IMPORTANT INFORMATION: TALKING TO KIDS ABOUT RACISM AND VIOLENCE

•  BIT OF NEWS:  TINGJUN'S GRAND READING TOUR J1F BY COLIN FRAHER

• BIT OF NEWS: PARENT WORKSHOP - MINDFUL PARENTING IN AN UPSIDE-DOWN WORLD (SESSIONS 5 AND 6)

• BIT OF NEWS: UNIS-UN / NOWRUZ / WORLD AUTISM AWARENESS DAY

• REMINDERS: CLASS LISTS / SPRING BREAK 

• REMINDERS: HEALTH AND SAFETY

• REMINDERS: REMOTE LEARNERS

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

• REMINDER: UPDATE YOUR PARENT CONTACT INFORMATION

You will find below an important article from the Child Mind Institute. This article was shared by Angela Tolosa who co-wrote the article shared in our previous Newsletter on anti-Asian racism. This article was also shared with our community last year. We encourage everyone to read it and learn how you can support your child.

You will find below two messages from Rachel Henes, one regarding Workshop #5 from last week, and the other regarding the final workshop coming up this Tuesday. Thanks go to all the parents who participated in the workshop. Be sure to complete Rachel's survey so that we can learn from participants how we can improve the services we provide to The Junior School community.

World Autism Awareness Day

Inclusion in the Workplace:

Challenges and Opportunities in a Post-Pandemic World

Virtual Event: Thursday, 8 April 2021, 10 - 11 a.m. EST/16 - 17 p.m. CET

Event Registration

Discriminatory hiring practices and obstacles in the workplace have long contributed to the unemployment of a large majority of adults on the autism spectrum. These challenges have only been further exacerbated by the pandemic, which has contributed to the worst economic recession since the Great Depression. At the same time however, new ways of working, including the use of new technologies and remote working, have created opportunities for employees who previously found it difficult to thrive in traditional workplace environments.

The 2021 World Autism Awareness Day observance will address these issues through a virtual event that will include moderated panel discussions with individuals on the autism spectrum who have themselves experienced the challenges and seen these new opportunities in the employment market.

The event is organized by the UN Department of Global Communications and UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, in collaboration with the Specialisterne Foundation.

Event Website for additional information & programme overview

Event Contact: creative@un.org

*** Once you register on the link above, closer to the date you will receive an EMAIL WITH A LINK to join the event***

Spring is Here!  Happy Nowruz! 

We celebrate the “New Year” throughout the world at different times of the year but with the same significance of the closing of one year and the beginning of another “better “one.  We express best wishes of happiness… in different languages but the meaning is the same!  

Nowruz has been celebrated for over 3,000 years. It coincides with the first day of the spring. Zoroastrians believed that Nowruz brought forth not just light over darkness but also righteous acts over evil ones. 

The United Nations officially recognized the "International Day of Nowruz" with the adoption of UN resolution 64/253 in 2010. The United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres remarked that "Nowruz serves as inspiration to recover and rebuild in a more just and durable way, in harmony with nature" as the world rebuilds amid the coronavirus pandemic. 

UNIS-UN 

Congratulations to all student organizers of the 2021 UNIS-UN Conference!

The UNIS-UN International Student Conference of the United Nations International School (UNIS) just concluded the 45th Annual UNIS-UN Conference titled "A Global Catastrophe: The Impact of COVID-19" which took place entirely online last Thursday, March 18th and Friday, March 19th, 2021.

The UNIS community, along with messages received from other school participants, have shared some remarkable feedback regarding how well the conference was planned and executed. In addition to securing the high calibre guest speakers and analyzing a variety of complex tech related issues, student organizers were also responsible for navigating an international schedule designed to accommodate attendees in various time zones. By providing individualized links for activity choices, offering a variety of programs/ workshops to select from, inviting debaters from other schools, screening videos, hosting a virtual cultural showcase, and publishing a multilingual working paper comprised of relevant articles written by students, UNIS-UN student organizers managed to successfully provide all attendees a balanced experience and opportunity to participate in all key conference features. The UNIS Parents Association comments: "We would like to congratulate all of you for the great success of this 45th UNIS-UN conference. We couldn’t be more proud of all the TUT House students who worked hard with the support of Mrs Bertrand and Mr Baha. Despite all the challenges during this very difficult year, you have demonstrated incredible leadership and organization skills lining up stellar speakers for the most attended UNIS-UN conference!"

For those who missed it, or want a recap of the videos- you may view them here:

https://www.unis.org/unis-un/2021-conference-videos  

(Use password unis20un21 to access this page.)

CLASS LISTS 2021-2022

Our teachers will soon begin the process of creating class lists for the 2021-2022 school year.

Homeroom teachers and specialists collaborate to create balanced classes across each grade. Teachers take into account friendships and social interactions from this and previous years and take care to ensure that children are placed in a group with familiar friends and where they also have the opportunity to develop new friendships. Our school psychologist and counselors review all class groupings before they are finalized.

While we cannot honor specific requests for teachers, if you have any concerns about next year’s class placement be sure to reach out to your child’s counselor before this Friday, April 2. 

• PK and JA: Dr. Dana Marnin  dmarnin@unis.org

• J1 and J3: Alyssa Frost  afrost@unis.org

• J2 and J4: Amy Iamundo  aiamundo@unis.org

SPRING BREAK TRAVEL

As you consider travel plans for the upcoming UNIS Spring Break (April 3 - April 18), the Governor of New York State has announced that travelers coming into New York from domestic destinations do NOT need to quarantine, whether they are vaccinated or not.

This will allow families who wish to travel domestically to do so without missing on-campus / hybrid learning upon return.

However, at this time, note that international travelers coming back to New York remain bound by quarantine travel rules.

J2-J4 UNIS Spring Break Virtual Camp

During the Spring Break, UNIS offers a “Virtual Spring Camp” for J2-J4 students.

• All activities take place on ZOOM platform.

• The MORNING program runs from 9:30AM to 11:30AM

• The AFTERNOON program runs from 1:30PM to 3:30PM

• The FEES are based on $380 per week - morning or afternoon

• Week # 1 => Monday April 5th through Friday April 9th

• Week # 2 => Monday April 12th through Friday April 16th

For more information you may contact: Dr. Lidana Jalilvand | Director of Special Programs ljalilvand@unis.org | +1 212-584-3083 Ext: 

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. Use Remote Learning on Days with Appointments or Travel:

We ask that you opt to have your child learn remotely on days when you have scheduled appointments outside of school or when you need to leave early for travel. 

Because parents and caregivers are not permitted inside the school gate, a request for early dismissal for a JS student requires that school personnel leave their work in order to escort your child. There is no guarantee that we can free staff from their work duties at any point during the day to accommodate an early dismissal.

Instead of requesting an early pick up, please enter Remote Learning as an Exception in SDM to alert your teacher that your child will connect remotely instead of joining in person.

Of course, if your child falls ill during the school day, the nurse's office will coordinate an early pick plan with families.

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 or has had an extended absence)

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 and NYSDOH guidance, students who are sent home or become ill may not return to UNIS until the following:

WITH A COVID TEST: MUST BE  A PCR NOT A RAPID (AS PER NYS)

• A negative COVID test must be emailed to the health office for clearance to return to on campus learning. 

• At least 24 hours symptom free.

WITHOUT COVID TEST: 

• • Must have a physician note. Must explicitly state that the student or employee is cleared to return to school. Physicians must also document an alternative diagnosis if symptoms are due to illness (ie- lab confirmed influenza, strep throat) or preexisting diagnosis and not COVID.

  • 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.

* Note: a signed note by the health care provider documenting unconfirmed acute illness, such as viral upper respiratory illness (URI) or viral gastroenteritis will not be accepted. If this is the physician indicated diagnosis, please know a negative COVID test will also be required to be cleared for on campus learning.

We kindly ask if your child is exhibiting symptoms consistent with COVID to 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.

Mt. Sinai are our consulting physicians and can help find a Mt. Sinai practice that will offer expedited results. You are also free to utilize any testing practitioner you are comfortable with.

For anyone who needs confirmatory testing, please email AccessDowntown@mountsinai.org or call 646-531-1504 and identify yourself as a part of the UNIS community. If there are any issues, please reach out to their team directly at BusinessHealth@mountsinai.org and they will assist.

If you are a parent and you are having your child tested at Mt. Sinai, please know you will need to create a MyChart account to access your minor child's test results. You will also need to ask the practice manager to upload the results to the mychart account, as it doesn't happen automatically for minors.

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.

9. When Your Child Learns From Home For A Medical Reason:  If you elect to keep your child home for a medical reason (allergies, running nose, etc.) but your child feels well enough to engage in learning remotely, please inform your teachers as far in advance as possible, and certainly before 8:00am.

Of course, when your child is sick there is no expectation that they should log in to class - we hope that time will be taken for them to rest and recover. 

However, if you plan to have your child engage remotely at any point during the school day, it is crucial that your teachers are aware before the school day begins for them at 8:00am, and preferable the day before, by emailing your teacher directly and using SDM to alert the office. Informing your teacher in advance allows them to anticipate and prepare to support your child as a remote learner. Appearing on the screen when they are expected in the classroom can be disruptive for the class and divides your teacher's attention.

Thank you for your support.

• • 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.