Newsletter #03

Dear JS parents,

This coming week, on Wednesday, September 22, we will welcome parents for our "traditional" JS Back to School Night. And, before going further, I will address the few parents who will question the usage of quotation marks around the word "traditional".

The quotation mark, also known as quotes, quote marks, speech marks, inverted commas, or talking marks, are punctuation marks used in pairs in various writing systems to set off direct speech, a quotation, or a phrase. They are also used to inform the reader when you've used written material from other sources. Additional uses of quotation marks can be:

• to distance yourself from an offensive term or expression (quoting someone else).

• to refer to a word as a word.

• to indicate a nickname written as part of a formal name.

In the sentence above, only the second occurrence of the word "traditional" used the quotation marks properly, to refer to a word as a word. But the first occurance is not. Because these are not quotation marks, but scare quotes.

The first time a "scare quote" was used was in 1956 by Elizabeth Anscombe, a young colleague of Ludwig Wittgenstein (a Philosopher who I believe had a real impact, indirectly, on the progressive teaching and learning practices in place in the best schools around the world...to be discussed in another Newsletter).  In an issue of the journal Mind Anscombe wrote of Aristotle’s text: “So nothing is or comes about by chance or ‘whichever happens,’”. She then clarified: “‘Whichever happens ’: the Greek phrase suggests both ‘as it may be’ and ‘as it turns out.’

The Online Encyclopedia Wikipedia defines the "scare quotes" as quotations which may imply skepticism or disagreement, belief that the words are misused, or that the writer intends a meaning opposite to the words enclosed in quotes. But it is more complex than this. In a fascinating article "The Scare Quote: 2016 in a Punctuation Mark", the journalist Megan Garber says:

"Scare quotes aren’t just about distance; they’re also about disruption. They are a little bit belligerent, and a little bit anarchic. They want to destabilize, to make us question the things we thought we shared—indeed, to question who the “we” really is in the first place. Scare quotes suggest that the atomic unit of democracy—the word, with a meaning that is commonly understood—may no longer be fully stable."

And so when I use the marks around "traditional" Back To School Night, it is because I may disagree with the word "traditional", as the pandemic has forced upon us a redefinition of what formerly seemed to be immutable, as other traditions would be. These Back to School Nights will not be "traditional" because we are, again, unable to welcome parents on campus. However, our Back to School Nights remain designed to respect this tradition: they will be a true representation of our Junior School teachers as they are each day with their students, your children: they will be informative, joyful, colorful, useful. 

Below you will find important information concerning the Back to School Nights we are organizing. Hoping to see you all, connected remotely, this coming Wednesday!

Pascal Vallet, Junior School Principal

Alessandra Camilo, Junior School Assistant Principal

• • Monday, September 20 | 1st Day Yellow Bus Service for J1-J4 & JAs with older siblings

  • Monday, September 20 | PA Meeting (Webinar & In Person) 6:30pm |  LINK Password: UNISPA21 (details in this newsletter)

  • Tuesday, September 21 | International Day of Peace

  • Wednesday, September 22 | JS Back to School Night - Homeroom and Mother Tongue Teachers 5:00pm (details in this newsletter)

• • Monday, September 27 | 1st Day Yellow School Bus for JAs without older siblings

  • Wednesday, September 29 | Webinar JS Back to School Night - Specialist Teachers 5:00pm | BTSN Specialist Webinar (details in this newsletter)

  • Monday, October 4 | After School Classes Begin

  • Tuesday, October 5 | JS Parent Coffee - Student Support Team 7:00pm | Parent Coffee Webinar Link (details in this newsletter)

  • Monday, October 11 | No Yellow Bus Service 

  • October 25 - October 29 | October Break - No Classes for Students (see travel requirement message from Dr. Brenner in this newsletter)

To help you plan ahead and make note of UNIS vacation days and special JS events, you can view the full UNIS website's calendar page here:

 UNIS CALENDARS

To download our Small Calendar at A Glance or Calendar Dates, please click the links below:

2021-2022 Small Calendar at a Glance | 2021-2022 Calendar Dates

Please note that there are two dates during this school year when yellow bus service will not be available:

• Monday, October 11

• Friday, April 15

Please mark your calendars and plan ahead for alternate transportation.

As a reminder, please be sure to pack a healthy snack for your J1 - J4 child each day. 

In 1824 the term curriculum was defined as "a course, especially a fixed course of study at a college, university, or school". But the first known use of the term curriculum in an educational context can be found in the “Professio Regia”, a document published in 1576 by Petrus Ramus, a French philosopher, logician, and rhetorician.

In the 16th century, some aspects of what students learned at the University in Paris, such as logic and metaphysics, or the characteristic of the medieval arts, were becoming obsolete. Petrus Ramus was concerned that students were spending too many years learning “too little of use for them” in a very inefficient way. By supporting a more accessible, practical, and shorter program of instruction, Ramus wanted to ensure that everyone, including students coming from humble families, could more quickly study, reach their goals and use tomorrow what they had learned today. Being an enthusiastic Latinist, and inspired by what he was trying to achieve, he called this program a “curriculum”, from the Latin word  “currere” (to run) and “curricle” (a light, open, two-wheeled carriage pulled by two horses side by side).

The University of Delaware attempted to list the many different definitions given to the term curriculum:

• a combination of instructional practices, learning experiences, and students' performance assessment that are designed to bring out and evaluate the target learning outcomes of a particular course.

• a course of study that will enable the learner to acquire specific knowledge and skills.

• what a school is attempting to teach, which might include social behaviors as well as content and thinking skills.

• a selection of information, segregated into disciplines and courses, typically designed to achieve a specific educational objective.

• guidelines for course instruction with attention to content, teaching style, and academic standards.

• etc...

At UNIS, our curriculum is driven by the UNIS mission, our definition of learning, and our common approaches to teaching and learning. We define learning as follows: Learning is a process that leads to a sustained and demonstrable consolidating or extension of conceptual understanding, competencies, or character.

This coming week, our Back to School Nights will be held in the Junior School, an opportunity to bring teachers and parents together and to introduce our curriculum.

“Back to School Night? But what about the traditional Curriculum Evening?”

It is true that in the past we referred to this event as the “Curriculum Evening”.  However, we realized that while we surely explore the UNIS curriculum during this evening, teachers also take this opportunity to go beyond it by sharing daily routines and answering general questions about the functioning and the philosophy of the Junior School. It is therefore not only about curriculum.

But this is not the only reason for changing the name of this event. There is something inaccurate in calling this one specific event the “Curriculum Evening”. A curriculum is essential to any school: the curriculum is its heart. And so it is the center of our attention every single day, and not only one!

Therefore, we welcome you for our Back to School Nights on Wednesday (PK-J2) and Thursday (J3-J4) this week, and together we will kick off a year of celebrating our curriculum!

Pascal Vallet, Junior School Principal

Susan Scullin, Junior School Assistant Principal

Sources:

• Britannica encyclopedia

• Stanford University

• University of Delaware

• Wikipedia

Join us for the First All-School 

UNIS Parents’ Association Meeting

Monday, September 20, 2021

6:30PM-8:15PM

Location: UNIS Manhattan Cafe

RSVP by Thursday, September 16 and submit your questions in advance here..

Welcome back to school!  

For our first meeting of the academic year, we are gathering in-person at UNIS Manhattan to share the goals of this year's Parents' Association (PA). We will also discuss how all parents can volunteer at the school with short presentations by the current members of the Executive Committee of the PA. Our special guest for this month will be Dr. Dan Brenner. He will be providing updates and a look ahead to the coming months here at UNIS. Dr. Brenner will also participate in a question and answer session with parents.

As the meeting will be in-person, capacity will be limited. The first 125 parents to RSVP will be permitted to attend in person. Light food and refreshments will be served.

Please RSVP here by Thursday, September 16 at 5:00PM for in person attendance. 

We will send a confirmation email to all the attendees by Saturday, September 18, 2021 and will have a stand-by list if necessary.

Per UNIS policy, all parents will need to show proof of vaccination to enter the school.

Please note that this event is for parents only. Please do not bring your child/children with you as they cannot be accommodated.

If you RSVP and your plans change, please contact us at unispa@unis.org so we can release your seat to another parent to be able to attend in-person.

The meeting will be recorded and posted on the Parents' Association section of the UNIS website for those who are unable to attend. 

The meeting will also be live streamed   here. Password: UNISPA21 

*** 

Junior School News: For parents and families of the Junior School community, please see below. Upcoming news about other school socials are forthcoming from Middle School and Tut House coordinators.

Junior School Parent Welcome Coffee Socials

Welcome to a new school year! Join us for a chance to get to know other parents in your child's grade and class. All socials are Bring-Your-Own-Coffee and will be held following drop off at 8:45AM. Location is St. Vartan Park in the large green turf area at 35th Street and 1st Avenue, which is a 15 minute walk from school. 

Additional details have been sent by email to all parents. 

• PK/JA Parents: Wednesday, September 15th at 8:45AM

• J1 Parents: Monday, September 20th at 8:45AM

• J2 Parents: Tuesday, September 21st at 8:45AM

• J3 Parents: Wednesday, September 16th at 8:45AM

• J4 Parents: Friday, September 17th at 8:45AM

New2UNIS: Calling all new families and current families! New2UNIS has weekly programs to support and educate all families. To get on their mailing list, email new2unis@unis.org. On Tuesday, September 14 they are hosting a virtual “Welcome to NY!” Live Q and A session at 7:00PM. Send them an email in order to receive the registration link.

General PA News: Want to learn more about the PA? Interested in getting involved and socializing with other parents? 

Read our annual report at https://www.unis.org/school-life/parents-association. 

You can also reach out to us at unispa@unis.org. 

We are very much looking forward to welcoming everyone back this year!

You can also reach out to any of these contacts below or email us at unispa@unis.org. 

PA Committee/Area

Leads/Committee Chairs

Point of Contact Email

President (Manhattan)

Angela Tolosa

angela.tolosa@pa.unis.org

Vice Presidents (Manhattan)

Dilshad Marolia; Hongtao Wu

dilshad.marolia@pa.unis.org

President (Queens)

TBD

Secretaries

Marie Libeson; Nicole Kim

marie.libeson@pa.unis.org

Arts

Amanda Dubois; Peter Blumen; Tali Harel

amanda.dubois@pa.unis.org

Bridge2UN

Vesna Golic; Maria Borisova

vesna.golic@pa.unis.org

Cultural Events

Sabrina Zancan; Abhilasha Mahan

sabrina.zancan@pa.unis.org

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Cynthia Muffuh; Lamson Lam

cynthia.muffuh@pa.unis.org; lamson.lam@pa.unis.org

New2UNIS

Shweta Ganesh Kumar; Marie Libeson

shweta.kumar@pa.unis.org; new2unis@unis.org

Social Responsibility

Abhilasha Mahan; Giulia Celli; Melissa Chow

abhilasha.mahan@pa.unis.org

UNIS Athletics Association

Caroline Moses; Anke Jacobs

caroline.moses@pa.unis.org

Junior School Coordinators

Erin Russell; Melissa Hernandez; Jen Fiorese

erin.russell@pa.unis.org

Middle School Coordinators

Hong Xiao; Valeska Von Schirmeister; Vesna Golic

hong.xiao@pa.unis.org

Tut House Coordinators

Shipra Das; Yvonne Brown

shipra.das@pa.unis.org

Thursday, September 16, 2021 

Dear UNIS Community,

On Tuesday, I wrote to you regarding rules surrounding travel Quarantines. In my communication I cited both the NY State and CDC regulations and recommendations. Referencing their guidance, I indicated that anyone traveling domestically who were unvaccinated were required to quarantine for 7 days.

Ironically, NY State reissued guidance later that evening that I first became aware of after my communication was sent to you. The document states:

“Asymptomatic domestic travelers coming to New York State are not required to quarantine, however quarantine is still recommended for domestic travelers, consistent with CDC guidance for international travel, for either 7 days with a test 3-5 days after travel, or 10 days without a test.”

As a result UNIS will not require a 7-day quarantine following domestic travel. The 7-day requirement will however remain in effect for international travel.

I am sorry for any confusion I might have caused with my previous email.

Sincerely,

Dan 

Who is on the Approved Remote Learners List?

Only the following three categories of students are on the approved Remote Learners List:

• Students who have been registered by their parents as remote learners for the entire marking period.

• Students who are unable to return to the United States at this time

• Students who are quarantined as a result of a COVID-19 (Note: vaccinated people do NOT need to quarantine if in contact with someone testing positive with Covid-19)

Can students Zoom in during a sick day?

No, JS students who are sick will be marked absent. There is no expectation that sick students participate in lessons remotely.

Can students view recorded lessons if they're absent?

No, UNIS lessons are meant to be synchronous, with discussions and student engagement.

If a student is not on the Remote Learners List, can he/she still access the Zoom class from the link shared?

No, only students with active UNIS Zoom credentials will be able to access online classes. Students who are not on the Remote Learners List are expected to learn on site. 

What do I do if my child can't get into a class? 

Please either email the JS Office at jsoffice@unis.org or call them directly at 212 584 3113 and someone will notify the appropriate homeroom or specialist teacher. 

What do I do if my child needs academic technology support with the tech tools used for teaching and learning? 

Please reach out via email to our Academic Technology Coordinator, Francesca Zammarano, fzammarano@unis.org.

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, parents should not request to join classes remotely. We hope that time will be taken for them to rest and recover as the school believes that children recover more quickly when they are permitted to disconnect and rest.

Learning Model Consistency

The expectation is that Junior School students attend school consistently, through the end of this marking period, in accordance with the learning model the family has opted for at this time (either fully in person or fully remote). Inconsistent in person attendance is disruptive for the class as a whole and for the individual student. 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. 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. 

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. JS students are expected to arrive no later than 8:20 and the front gates should be closing no later than 8:30. Please ensure that you arrive at the time assigned for your child's grade.

3. Masks: Be sure you have packed 2 or 3 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 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. Days with Appointments or 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. 

Please support the school by arranging appointments and travel outside of school hours.

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

5. Returning to Campus After Illness:  

We appreciate your cooperation in keeping the community safe!  

Please use this guidance in coordination with your physician to address any illness.

We ask if your child is exhibiting symptoms consistent with COVID to follow the guidance below. 

These symptoms include but are not limited to:

• Fever above 100F

• Respiratory symptoms (cough, difficulty breathing) not due to a previously diagnosed condition (ie. allergies)

• Vomiting

• Diarrhea

• Body aches

• Rash

• Pink Eye

• Contagious illness

Return Requirements:

• According to the Commissioner’s testing determination issued pursuant to 10 NYCRR 2.62, all school students, teachers, and staff with new or worsening symptoms of COVID-19 must be excluded from school, regardless of vaccination status, and either 

• (a) provide a negative COVID test result, or 

• (b) remain excluded from school for a minimum of 10 calendar days from symptom onset, prior to returning to school. 

• If student, teacher, or staff symptoms are improving AND they are fever-free for at least 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medicines, they may return to school with a copy of the negative test result submitted to schoolnurse@unis.org. 

*A lab-based molecular test (PCR) is required to rule out COVID-19 if a person is symptomatic.

• Given the growing prevalence of breakthrough infections among vaccinated populations nationwide, there is no recommended exemption for symptomatic vaccinated people. 

Thank you!

For health related questions please email: schoolnurse@unis.org and mrivera@unis.org

6. 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.

7. 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 regularly on campus.

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 and fzammarano@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 work hard to address the glitches we face. 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. 

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 your child has 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 school bus at dismissal if their SDM account does not authorize their ridership on that date.  They will be placed in the Care Program instead.