Newsletter #32

Dear parents,

While we are approaching the end of this school year, we still have some important celebrations ahead of us: 

• Celebrating our Tut House students with the T4 graduation on Friday, June 4.

• Celebrating our J2 students with their famous Wax Museum on Friday, June 4 that will be documented as much as possible in order to share their talented realizations.

• Celebrating the J4 students with the J4 graduation on Friday, June 11, broadcast for everyone to see.

• Celebrating our community and a year unlike any other with a special project in which the J4 students and the Junior School Faculty and Staff worked together on, which will be shared very soon...

Please note that due to the T4 graduation, this coming Friday, June 4th is a half-day for our students. The JS will follow their regular morning schedule with some adjustments for Dismissal and Lunch only.

Dismissal will follow the staggered times below:

• Pre-K & JA - 11:40 am

• J1 & J2 - 11:45 am

• J3 & J4 - 11:50 am

Note also:

• The Care Program and After School and Language Classes will not be running that day so please be sure to arrange for your JS child's pick up no later than 11:45am.

• UNIS Transportation has arranged for Yellow Buses to depart the campus at 12:00pm.

• Pre-K, J1, J2, J3 and J4 students will eat at school, following their morning schedule as usual.

• JA students will not eat lunch at school, also following their usual morning schedule, in order to avoid impacting learning time (JA lunch is normally scheduled for noon). Snack time will be kept.

Pascal Vallet, Junior School Principal 

Alessandra Camilo, Junior School Assistant Principal

• • Tuesday, June 1 - Classes Resume

  • Wednesday, June 2 - JS Parent Coffee 7:00pm    JS Coffee Link

  • Friday, June 4 - 11:45 Dismissal for all Junior School (details in this newsletter)

  • Friday, June 4 - Yellow Bus departs at 12:00 (JS Dismissal is at 11:45)

  • Friday, June 4 - No Care Program, After School or Language Classes (all JS students dismissed at 11:45)

• • Tuesday, June 8 - PA Meeting 7:00pm (Save the Date)

  • Friday, June 11 - J4 Graduation 9:00 - 10:30 

  • June 17 and June 18 - All Students Return School-Issued iPads and Chromebooks to Campus (details in this newsletter)

  • Friday, June 18 - JS Last of Classes (Full Day)

• INFORMATION: TRIBUTE TO MR PARDEY

• PARENT ASSOCIATION CORNER: JS PARENT COFFEE on JUNE 2

•  BIT OF NEWS: J4 EXPERT TALK SERIES

• REMINDERS: CHROMEBOOK & iPAD RETURN

• REMINDERS: WHEN YOUR CHILD IS SICK / LEARNING MODEL CONSISTENCY

• REMINDER: TRANSITIONING BETWEEN MODELS OF LEARNING

• REMINDERS: HEALTH AND SAFETY

• REMINDERS: REMOTE LEARNERS

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

• REMINDER: UPDATE YOUR PARENT CONTACT INFORMATION

We would like to collect these items by June 4th.  These items can be e-mailed to Rachel Barbee at sungirlrmb@aol.com.  If you need assistance creating digital copies, please e-mail me directly and we can arrange to have the items left with junior school administration and I can digitize them for the book.

Please join us in expressing our gratitude to such a gifted and wonderful teacher for his many years of service!

Kind regards,

J2MP Class Parents

Please join us on Wednesday, June 2 at 7:00pm for our Year End Review.

JS Parent Coffee

June 2 at 7:00pm

JS Coffee Link

Webinar ID:  92795821755

Passcode: 623071 

J4 Expert Talk Series: How and Why do Citizens Take Action?

The J4 Expert Talk series is an opportunity for our J4 students to learn from experts in the field or people who have experience with the content, questions and concepts we are exploring. We are enormously fortunate to have such a knowledgeable and caring community, and so most of our speakers are members of the UNIS community and include parents, grandparents, other relatives, current students, and alum. The J4 Expert Talk Series happened during all three Humanities units this year and we are thankful for all of our guest speakers. 

This term, during our Humanities unit, How and Why do Citizens Take Action?, the J4 students have been learning about young, modern-day changemakers, the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals, and what it means to be a global citizen. Our learning is underpinned by the IB Learner profile attributes: inquirer, principled, communicators.  To support our learning we invited three guest speakers, and members of the UNIS community to Zoom in as part of our J4 Expert Talk Series:

• Hali, Zazie (M1), and Zuela (J3CM) Besmertnik, founders of Peeps with Purpose and Feel Good, Girl!

• Ahunna Eziakonwa, leading development and humanitarian specialist with over 20 years’ experience in the United Nations, including her appointment by Secretary General Antonio Guterres to serve as UNDP Assistant Administrator and Director, Regional Bureau for Africa (RBA), at the rank of Assistant Secretary General. Ms Eziakonwa spoke to J4 students about the SDGs, poverty and inequality linked to the Covid-pandemic.

• Jay Patel (T4) founder of Funding Bright Futures 

In sharing the stories of UNIS changemakers, and raising awareness of certain issues, we hope our J4 global citizens will be inspired to embark on action blossoming from their knowledge of the many problems our world is currently facing: both local and global. The speaker series, opinion writing focus, and exploration of the themes in fantasy books where small characters take on large challenges, make this Humanities unit truly dynamic and transdisciplinary. We are so proud of the passion and caring attitudes displayed throughout this unit as we tackle issues that affect many people in profound ways.

Thank you again to all of our speakers. #unisproud

Student Chromebooks & iPads Must be Returned no Later than June 18

All iPads and Chromebooks assigned to students by the school will be collected at the end of this term on Thursday and Friday, June 17 and June 18.

If your child is learning remotely, or your family is leaving New York and your child will not be attending school in person on June 17 or June 18, please contact your homeroom teacher, with a copy to fzammarano@unis.org, to coordinate the return of your child's school issued device to the campus on a date no later than June 18.

When Your Child is Sick

When your child is sick with stomach ache, fever, headache, etc. there is no expectation from the school that they should attempt to learn remotely. If your child has symptoms that would normally have kept them at home prior to COVID-19, please do not have your child log in to classes. We hope that time will be taken for them to rest and recover. It is difficult for teachers to engage students who are not feeling well, they distract their classmates, and the school believes that children recover more quickly when they are permitted to disconnect and rest.

Learning Model Consistency

And, the expectation is that Junior School students attend school consistently, through the end of this school year, in accordance with the learning model the family has opted for at this time (either hybrid, fully in person or fully remote). Inconsistent in person attendance is disruptive for the class as a whole and for the individual student. It is extremely challenging for your child's teachers who need to plan lessons and have materials ready in advance. The school believes that a consistent schedule reinforces learning and appropriate classroom behavior, and reduces anxiety.

Dismissal for Parents and Guardians

At dismissal please stay in motion, circling through the tents as you wait to pick up your children, or wait outside the main gate between pick ups. Despite the warmer weather, the school has not relaxed it's policies regarding gatherings. Please do not linger or sit down in the tents to wait for a second child, or gather within the school gates to speak with other parents or teachers. At dismissal our goal is to have as few people on campus for the shortest time possible, and always in motion. Thank you for understanding and support as we work to keep our community safe. 

Following recent changes with CDC guidelines and NYDOH rules, UNIS is welcoming many of our students on campus every day.

Three Models of Learning are now offered to UNIS families:

• • Option 1: on campus every day

  • Option 2: hybrid schedule (continuing the yellow & blue group rotation)

  • Option 3: fully remote learning

UNIS will continue offering the hybrid model through June, as a transition path for remote families, and to help reduce the logistical challenges associated with the return of a large number of students on site.

If you would like to request a learning model change for your JS child, please send an email to both jsoffice@unis.org and your homeroom teacher with a minimum of 2 school days notice.

Note that fully remote students requesting a transition to on campus learning (either hybrid or full time) require health clearance from the Nurse as the first step. Please follow these directions to initiate the process:

• If you decide to opt for in person learning, either hybrid or 100% in person, please inform these departments at a minimum of 2 full school days in advance of the date that you would like to have your child return (for example, no later than Wednesday afternoon of the week prior to a Monday return):

  1. 1. 1. • jsoffice@unis.org

           • mrivera@unis.org

           • schoolnurse@unis.org

           • your homeroom teacher

• The first step will be for the nurse to confirm that all of your child's health forms are in order and that they are cleared to return to campus.

• After you have the nurse's health clearance, please coordinate directly with your homeroom teacher the best date for your child's return to learning in person.

• Inform jsoffice@unis.org about the agreed upon in person start date.

• When your child returns to campus, you'll need to complete the daily Ruvna Health Screening that you will begin receiving by text and email each morning at about 5:00am.

• You'll also need to update School Dismissal Manager (SDM) with your dismissal plan for each day that your JS child attends school on campus. The dismissing teachers will rely on the information you provide in SDM to escort your child to the correct location at the end of the school day (for example: pick up / care program / yellow bus).

• Note that your child will not be permitted to take the bus unless the SDM report printed for our Transportation Department each day indicates your choice of that dismissal option. Please contact Charles Umbach at transportation@unis.org as soon as possible if you want to arrange for yellow school bus service.

We look forward to welcoming your child back to campus!

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 students are expected to arrive no later than 8:30 and the 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 either late arrival or 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 late arrival or early dismissal.

Instead of requesting an early pick up or notifying of late arrival, 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. For those families electing to change their current model during the remainder of this 2020-21 school year:

• Moving from Fully Remote to Hybrid / Fully in Person - Families give at least 2 full school day’s notice to the homeroom teacher, schoolnurse@unis.org and jsoffice@unis.org that they would like their child to attend on campus. Health clearance from the nurse is required before any student can attend in person. The expectation is that the student will then remain learning on campus for the remainder of this school year on a consistent schedule, either in the Hybrid model or Fully In Person.

• Moving to Fully Remote from Hybrid / Fully in Person - Families give at least one day’s notice to the homeroom & jsoffice@unis.org so that teachers have an opportunity to send the student home with necessary materials to learn from home. The expectation is that the student will remain remote for the remainder of this school year.

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. It is challenging for your child's teachers because they need to plan lessons and have materials ready in advance. 

Note that 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. 

If you do 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.