Newsletter #08

Dear parents,

After our one week October break, we are looking forward to welcoming your children tomorrow. In the meantime, we are pleased to be able to share the digital resources we used during our UN Day celebrations to capture images of our students in photos and videos. We hope you enjoy viewing them with your children before heading back to school.

You will find also in this newsletter very important information about the school's procedures in case of quarantine or sickness. A group of J1 parents shared very useful and constructive feedback to improve this process in terms of communication. We anticipate that this new process will provide better clarity if your child does need to quarantine at some point or is absent due to sickness.

Finally, you will find important information regarding the upcoming Parent Teacher Conferences. Online registration for the conferences opens this Thursday, November 4. 

Pascal Vallet, Junior School Principal 

Alessandra Camilo, Junior School Assistant Principal

• Monday, November 1 | Halloween Dress Up Day (optional / details in this newsletter)

• Monday, November 1 | JS After School Sports Program Begins (update SDM & email doconnor@unis.org and jwhyte@unis.org with any questions about the program)

• Wednesday, November 3 | JS Parent Coffee Webinar 7:00pm Special Parent Teacher Conferences | LINK 

• Thursday, November 4 - Monday, November 8 | Parent Teacher Conference Online Registration is Open (sign up instructions in this newsletter)

REMINDER:

Update School Dismissal Manager (SDM)

with instructions for Athletics, After School, Care & Bus ridership

• • Wednesday, November 10 - Friday, November 12 | Parent Teacher Conferences for PK - J4 (details in this newsletter)

    • • Wednesday, November 10 (Evening 5:00-7:00pm)

      • Thursday, November 11 (Day 8:30 - 3:00 - No School for Students)

      • Friday, November 12 (Day 8:30 - 3:00 - No School for Students)

  • November 10 - November 12 | After School Programs are Cancelled during Parent Teacher Conferences (Wednesday through Friday):

    • • JS After School Program Classes Cancelled

      • JS Francophone, Portuguese and Mandarin Classes Cancelled

      • After School Athletics for JS students Cancelled

      • On Campus Private Music Lessons for JS students Cancelled

      • Note: Care Program will be available from 3-6pm Wednesday, Nov 10 only

  • November 14 | UNICEF Fundraiser Ends (details in this newsletter)

  • November 24 - November 26 | Thanksgiving Break - School Closed

  • December 20 - December 31 | Winter Break - No Classes for Students

  • Monday, January 3 | Classes Resume

The Junior School Office in collaboration with the Nurse's Office and Security Team has updated the process for contact tracing in the event of a positive case and for informing the family:

1. Parents are asked to inform the Nurse's Office schoolnurse@unis.org and the Junior School Office jsattendance@unis.org in the event that their child tests positive for COVID or is a contact of a positive case.

2. The Nurse's Office and the Director of Security, in collaboration with the Junior School, identify the students who may need to quarantine

3. The Nurse's Office and the Director of Security call the parents of any students who need to quarantine and give any information related to the quarantine over the phone.

4. The Principal sends an email containing important information about the quarantine (reiterating the phone call) and all the information needed to connect remotely to the student's class. However, students who are not feeling well are expected to rest and not to connect remotely to their class until they feel better.

5. The Junior School Office informs the student's teachers so they can be ready to connect the student(s) remotely during their quarantine. 

6. The Parents send their child's PCR test results by email to jsattendance@unis.org with a copy to schoolnurse@unis.org. The Junior School Office will collect test results submitted by families.

7. The Principal sends an email acknowledging receipt of the negative test to the family with the updated return to campus date.

8. The Junior School Office informs teachers of student return dates.

We hope that this new process will keep parents better informed in the even that  their child needs to quarantine.

The Junior School Office in collaboration with the Nurse's Office and Security Team has updated the process for clearing students to return to campus after an absence due to illness.

1. Parents are asked to inform the Junior School Office at jsattendance@unis.org if their child is sick.

2. The Junior School Office sends an email containing important information about the protocol in order for the student to return to campus.

3. When the student feels better and has tested negative for COVID, the parents send the rapid test results by email to jsattendance@unis.org with a copy to the schoolnurse@unis.org. The Junior School Office will collect test results submitted by families.

4. The Principal sends an email acknowledging receipt of the negative test result to the family.

5. The Junior School Office informs the student's teachers that the rapid test result has been received.

6. With a rapid test negative result, and without any symptoms, the students is welcome back on campus.

Following the message from Dr. Brenner last month concerning access to fully remote learning, we would like to remind everyone that this option is only offered to students from PK to T4 who have opted in for fully remote for a full marking period, or those who need to quarantine due to direct contact with a positive case, or in the case of a student who tested positive and is asymptomatic. Online learning may also be offered in exceptional or medical circumstances. Students who have returned from an international trip and are required to quarantine due to travel, do not have access to fully remote learning. Thank you for your understanding.

For families with a JS child connecting remotely to class while under quarantine, a daily Academic Tech Support session has been scheduled.

Junior School Remote Student Live Support for ACADEMIC TECH

Monday - Friday from 8:20 - 8:40am

Join Zoom Meeting

https://unis.zoom.us/j/9673245905

Meeting ID: 967 324 5905 

Francesca Zammarano & Javier Alvez, JS Design Engineering Teachers, and/or a member of the JS office, will be available for the support or guidance that you and your child may need regarding connecting to the JS academic technology learning tools such as Seesaw, Dreambox, etc. 

SIGN-UP PROCESS: DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS

Registration is open from Thursday, November 4 until Monday, November 8, for the Parent Teacher Conferences to be held on November 10 - November 12. Please review the instructions for signing up for appointments. If you have questions or concerns about sign up, please reach out to veracross@unis.org as soon as possible.

CONFERENCE DATES

• Wednesday, November 10 (5:00 - 7:00pm Evening) - PK/JA - J4 Parent Teacher Conferences

• Thursday, November 11 (8:30 - 3:00 Day - No Classes for Students) - PK/JA - J4 Parent Teacher Conferences

• Friday, November 12 (8:30 - 3:00 Day - No Classes for Students) - PK/JA - J4 Parent Teacher Conferences

SIGN-UP PERIOD

• Opens: Thursday, November 4 at 5:00pm

• Closes: Monday, November 8 at 5:00pm

ACCESS TO CONFERENCE SIGN-UP

• Sign-up is available only through the Veracross Portal (myunis.vc).

• Without access to Veracross, you will not be able to book conference times with your children’s teachers.

• If you have not yet received notifications regarding your Veracross login credentials, send an email message now to veracross@unis.org to retrieve them.

• If you have received your credentials you must log in to Veracross to access the Parent Teacher Conferences sign up.

• When you log on to your portal, you will be able to sign up for conference slots for each of your children.

SCHOOL WILL NOT BE IN SESSION ON THURSDAY AND FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11 and 12

CHILDCARE AT UNIS WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE DURING CONFERENCES

PLEASE PLAN AHEAD

Melissa Hernandez, who generously participated in Germain's new video (see above), shares a new campaign launched by UNDP. Don't Choose Extinction!

Your 100% tax-deductible donation to UNICEF USA will help UNICEF support ACT-A, the global Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator, which provides vaccines, diagnostic tests, therapeutic medicine, and community engagement around the world. The 2021 fundraising campaign runs through November 14, 2021.

UNIS families can make their donation by visiting this link.

Halloween will be held in Junior School this year. It will take place on:

Monday, November 1 - Optional Halloween Dress Up Day

Halloween is a regular school day and dressing up is optional. While we want our students to enjoy dressing up, we also want to ensure that the day is focused on learning.

• All students who choose to dress up should arrive at school fully dressed in costume. Time will not be provided for students to change into their costumes at school.

• Please be sure your child will be comfortable in their costume for the full school day.

• If students have PE on that day, they should have their PE clothes under their costumes.

• Costumes should not insult a particular ethnicity, religion, or gender.

• Costumes should be safe.

• Props or costumes that simulate a weapon or promote violence are not permitted.

• Students need to remember that it is a regular school day.

And, of course, students must still wear a mask aligned with our Covid-19 Protocols. A Halloween mask is not a substitute for the mask they wear on regular days for safety purposes!

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 your child 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 the guidance shared by our Nursing Staff in this newsletter in coordination with your physician to address any illness.

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