Newsletter #31
All JS students are expected to arrive at the UNIS front gate no later than 8:20 each day.
Arrival after 8:20 is considered late & interrupts the start of the school day.
REMINDER:
Update School Dismissal Manager (SDM)
with your child's dismissal instructions for Athletics, After School, Language, Care Program & Bus.
If your child is in an activity after school, please clarify in SDM where you child should be escorted after the class (for example: Care Program or Pick Up).
When Your JS Child is Sick
When your child is sick with runny nose, cough, stomach ache, fever, headache, etc. there is no expectation from the school that they should attend school in person or attempt to learn remotely.
If your child has symptoms that would normally have kept them at home prior to COVID-19, we ask that families not send their children to school or request to join classes remotely.
We hope that time will be taken for your child to rest and recover at home as the school believes that children recover more quickly when they are permitted to disconnect and rest, and when care is taken by everyone to avoid spreading communicable illnesses.
Face Masks are Optional
The State of New York lifted the mask mandate in schools, effective Wednesday, March 2, 2022. This was made possible by the fact that the positivity rate has fallen to a historic low, while vaccination has become widespread in the city.
As indicated in a message from the Executive Director to the UNIS community, UNIS lifted its mask mandate as well, also begining March 2. The school will continue to pool test.
We understand that members of our community may have different views on wearing face masks. It is critical that each family be free to choose their own face-mask practice for their JS children, without feeling pressure to change their practice, or without being questioned about it.
Masks are now OPTIONAL for Yellow Bus Riders: OPT has informed UNIS that the mask mandate on yellow school buses has been lifted and masks are now optional for students and drivers alike. Please feel free to reach out with any questions you may have about yellow bus service to transportation@unis.org
Dear parents,
The final JS Parent Coffee will be held on Tuesday, May 24th at 6:00 pm on campus and also streaming. Parents are invited to join in person, on campus, for the Parent Coffee and will also be able to participate in parent-led school tours with an opportunity to peek inside your child's classroom. A JS Parent Social will be held outside in the tents following the Coffee. Space is limited to 250 parents (adults only please). Please claim your spot and RSVP here. Note that proof of COVID vaccination will be required. Masks will also be required when indoors.
When you are on the first floor, make sure you pause to look at the beautiful piece of art displayed by the Equity & Inclusion Board (EIB). The painting Black Lives Matter is based on and with the permission of Brooklyn-based French artist Quentin Monge, and recreated by Rokhaya Ndiaye, Afomiya Kassie, Sarrah Taheraly, Ma-Sadio Faye, Sumita Lacey, Nina Ranjan, Eve Geissmann and David Sobola. Many thanks to Ms. Colette Murphy who supervised the artistic process, and Mr. Alcy Leyva who advised the students in getting artist's permission.
We are looking forward to welcoming you to campus!
Pascal Vallet, Junior School Principal
Alessandra Camilo, Junior School Assistant Principal
IMPORTANT DATES
THIS WEEK
Jacket or Sweatshirt Needed Every Day
Spring weather can be changeable and we encourage all JS families to continue to send their child to school each day with a jacket or sweatshirt. Students are outside on the playground twice a day and we have noticed many who are not warm enough because they don't have an outer layer with them for chillier days.
And, once the weather heats up, the air conditioning will be on. There may be days when your child will need an extra layer indoors as well.
Through May 22 | Book Fair Fundraiser Online Ordering is Available (details in this newsletter)
Tuesday, May 24 | JA Concert from 9:00-10:00 (dress-up/festive/traditional clothing in which students can easily dance and move + mask optional) In Person for JA parents + Recorded
Tuesday, May 24 | End of Year In Person & Streaming JS Parent Coffee + Tours + Social 6:00-8:00pm (details in this newsletter)
Friday, May 27 - Tuesday, May 31 | Memorial Day - School Closed
REMINDER:
Arrive no later then 8:20 and
Update School Dismissal Manager (SDM) for Semester 2
with your child's dismissal instructions for Athletics, After School, Language, Care Program & Bus
UPCOMING EVENTS
Friday, May 27 - Tuesday, May 31 | Memorial Day - School Closed
Wednesday, June 1 | Information Webinar for Rising M1 Families 6:30pm (details and link in this newsletter)
Thursday, June 2 and Friday, June 3 | MAP Testing for J3 and J4 (details in this newsletter)
Friday, June 3 | TH Graduation (11:45-11:55 dismissal for JS Students / Yellow bus departs at 12:15)
Monday, June 6 and Tuesday, June 7 | MAP Make Up Testing
Thursday, June 9 | J4 Graduation 4:30pm (1/2 day dismissal for all J4 students)
Friday, June 17 | Last Day of School for JS Students (11:30 1/2 day dismissal for all JS students)
Friday, June 17 | 2nd Semester Report Cards Available
JS Sports Week (a special morning of outdoor games from 9:00 - 12:00)
Monday, June 6 - PK & JA
Tuesday, June 7 - J1
Wednesday, June 8 - J2
Thursday, June 9 - J3
Friday, June 10 - J4
THE NEWS
IMPORTANT: LAST DAY OF SCHOOL IS A 1/2 DAY
JS Dismissal at 11:30am on Friday June 17
The school calendar has been updated to schedule Friday, June 17, the last day of JS classes, as a half day. JS students will be dismissed at 11:30 am. Yellow Buses will depart around the same time, more information will be shared. Please mark your calendars and alert your caregivers about the earlier dismissal time. Note that the Care Program is not available that day and all JS students are expected to depart campus no later than 12:15 when the yellow buses leave.
IMPORTANT: JA SPRING CONCERT
JA Concert: Tuesday, May 24 from 9:00-10:00 . The JA concert will take place outdoors, on the playground. JA parents are invited to attend in person if they are available.
Update: For those parents not able to attend in person, the JA concert will also be recorded and shared at a later date.
Please have your children dress-up or wear festive/traditional clothing in which they can easily dance and move. JA students do not need to wear a mask because they will be spaced apart and outside on the playground. If you have any questions regarding the JA concert, please reach out to Truike Boekholt at tboekholt@unis.org.
Gratefully,
Kim Bruno
Director of Arts
IMPORTANT: AFTER SCHOOL CLASSES ARE ENDING
ATHLETICS
Update Your Child's SDM Dismissal Plans
Semester 2 Athletics classes After School are ending:
Mondays - Multi-Sports, Gymnastics, Running Club - Last Class was May 16
Tuesdays - Gymnastics, Dance, Soccer, Basketball - Last Class was May 17
Wednesdays - Gymnastics, Dance Club, Soccer, Badminton - Last Class will be May 25
Thursdays - Soccer, Basketball - Last Class will be May 26
Fridays - Badminton, Girls Soccer, Zumba - Last Classes will be June 10 (no After School on May 27 & June 3)
Please review your JS child's School Dismissal Manager (SDM) account
For each weekday when an Athletics class is ending, update your dismissal plans for the remainder of the school year (choose Pick Up, Bus, Care Program, etc.)
Your child's teachers rely on the instructions that parents enter in SDM to ensure that your child is escorted to the correct location
No student is permitted to take the Yellow Bus unless SDM reflects that instruction so please be sure to make those updates now
AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES
Update Your Child's SDM Dismissal Plans
Semester 2 After School Activities classes are ending:
Mondays - Last Class was May 16
Tuesdays - Last Class was May 17
Wednesdays - Last Class will be May 25 (Exception is one make-up class: J1-J4 Garden Club on June 1)
Thursdays - Last Class will be May 26 (Exception is one make-up class: J1-J4 Arts & Crafts on June 2)
Fridays - Last Classes will be June 10 (no After School on May 27 & June 3)
Please review your JS child's School Dismissal Manager (SDM) account
For each weekday when an After School Activity class is ending, update your dismissal plans for the remainder of the school year (choose Pick Up, Bus, Care Program, etc.)
Your child's teachers rely on the instructions that parents enter in SDM to ensure that your child is escorted to the correct location
No student is permitted to take the Yellow Bus unless SDM reflects that instruction so please be sure to make those updates now
MANDARIN AFTER SCHOOL
Update Your Child's SDM Dismissal Plans
Semester 2 Mandarin After School classes are ending:
Thursday, May 26th
Please review your JS child's School Dismissal Manager (SDM) account
For each weekday when your child was in Mandarin, update your dismissal plans for the remainder of the school year beginning June 1 (choose Pick Up, Bus, Care Program, etc.)
Your child's teachers rely on the instructions that parents enter in SDM to ensure that your child is escorted to the correct location
No student is permitted to take the Yellow Bus unless SDM reflects that instruction so please be sure to make those updates now
IMPORTANT REMINDER: BOOK FAIR ONLINE ORDERING - LAST DAY
UNIS Junior School Book Fair Fundraiser
Online ordering will be available until today, Sunday, May 22 at mainstreetbookfairs.com under the link to the UNIS JS book fair.
Ordered books will be delivered to school for pickup at no additional charge or can be shipped to your home for an additional flat fee.
Additionally, you can contribute to teachers’ classroom libraries by using the eGift card option. Just select the amount of the eGift card and enter the email address of the teacher.
Please join us in support of our Junior School: 20% of the total sales will be donated to the Junior School Fund.
IMPORTANT: J4 FAMILY WEBINAR - JUNE 1 6:30pm
Information Webinar for Rising M1 Families
Dear Current J4 Families,
The Middle School invites you to a webinar on Wednesday, June 1st at 6:30pm. Members of our M1 Team, along with the Middle School Principal and Assistant Principal, will present to you on key highlights of the M1 experience. We will let you know what you and your child can expect as members of the MS Community. We hope to see you there! Please click on the link to join us.
https://unis.zoom.us/j/97631752546?pwd=Z1I3Q3I5bDc3NmtYaGlEb2dnb0xRZz09
Webinar ID: 976 3175 2546
Passcode: 401344
Sincerely,
Elaine Kelly
Middle School Principal
Camelia Perez
Middle School Assistant Principal
IMPORTANT REMINDER: MAP TESTING FOR J3 & J4
3rd MAP Testing on June 2 & 3
We will be administering the third Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) test for J3 to T1 students in the final weeks of May and in early June 2022.
In the Junior School, the tests will be administered on Thursday, June 2 (Reading) and Friday, June 3 (Math), with makeups taking place the following week, specifically on June 6 and 7.
The purpose of MAP Growth is to compare learning growth from one point in time to another. We explored how we use these data at UNIS in a presentation delivered at the March 16, 2022 Parent Association meeting. We will share the results of the third and final testing session of the year once those Family Reports are available.
MAP Growth reports give us an external measure to continue to monitor our student learning. It is one data point among many that we collect in order to inform and adjust our instruction to meet the needs of our students. MAP scores are not factored into student grades; UNIS report cards include information about student learning from both formal and informal assessments, which are conducted in the context of our curriculum.
Your child does not need to do anything special to prepare for MAP assessments. As for all school days, we encourage a good night’s rest the night before and a healthy breakfast on the mornings of MAP.
Thank you.
IMPORTANT REMINDER: WHEN YOUR CHILD IS SICK
When Your Child is Sick
When your child is sick with runny nose, cough, stomach ache, fever, headache, etc. there is no expectation from the school that they should attend school in person or attempt to learn remotely.
If your child has symptoms that would normally have kept them at home prior to COVID-19, we ask that families not send their children to school or request to join classes remotely.
We hope that time will be taken for your child to rest and recover at home as the school believes that children recover more quickly when they are permitted to disconnect and rest, and when care is taken by everyone to avoid spreading communicable illnesses.
PARENT ASSOCIATION CORNER: Thank You for a Successful IFFF
Dear UNIS community,
We couldn’t have been happier to see all the smiling faces of UNIS families at the beloved International Food & Fun Fair this past Saturday.
The day truly represented the multicultural UNIS community - where families got together to enjoy food, fun, laughter and most importantly being in-person, on campus after a long time and for some, it was actually the very first time!
It was a memorable day!
We want to extend our deepest gratitude and offer our heartiest congratulations to everyone involved—everyone who participated or attended—on an enormously successful event. We are very happy that we were able to accommodate as many of you as possible, given all the constraints. All 3 sessions were SOLD OUT!
Work for the PA's signature event began back in December. It required meticulous attention to detail and countless hours of planning, organizing and cajoling. And, it was all worth it to see the community come together, in a spirit of camaraderie!!!
Thank you all and looking forward to many such gatherings!
Please find some photos here: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjzQMQW
Please share your photos and videos with us and we can upload them here. Thanks.
With Gratitude
Abhilasha & Sabrina
International Food & Fun Fair Co-Chairs
REMINDER: STUDENTS WHO MAY CONNECT TO CLASS REMOTELY
STUDENTS WHO MAY CONNECT TO CLASS REMOTELY
Following Dr. Brenner's direction, access to fully remote learning is an option offered only 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.
REMINDER: QUARANTINED STUDENT ACADEMIC TECH SUPPORT
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.
REMINDERS: WHEN YOUR CHILD IS SICK / LEARNING MODEL CONSISTENCY
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.
REMINDERS: HEALTH AND SAFETY
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: If you want your JS child to be masked at school, 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.
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. If it is necessary for your child to attend an appointment during school hours, the expectation is that they are absent for that full day.
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.
REMINDERS: REMOTE LEARNERS
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
If you have technology issues, please send an email to tech.support@unis.org
If you have academic tech questions, please contact Ms. Zammarano at fzammarano@unis.org
All other times: If you are having trouble logging in at any other time, please call 212-584-3100 for technology support.
REMINDER: UPDATE YOUR CHILD’S DISMISSAL PLANS in SDM
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.
School Dismissal Manager (SDM) is the sole method of communicating dismissal plans to UNIS JS.
JS Parents are asked to use School Dismissal Manager (SDM) to keep the dismissal process safe and orderly for all of our JS students. Emails, notes or verbal instructions to inform the homeroom teacher and the JS Office (except after 1 pm, see below) of dismissal plans are not accepted.
Parents have been issued a username and temporary password by email. Please use these to log in to SDM and set up your JS child's account. If you cannot locate the email sent to you by SDM, contact jsoffice@unis.org to have your login info re-sent to you.
Parents are first required to set their “Default Dismissal” for the remainder of the school year.
Parents can set “Recurring Exceptions” if needed.
Parents can set any “Exception” to the default dismissal if needed.
Parents are required to check every week to confirm that the information provided on SDM is accurate for the week ahead.
The cut-off to add a one-time “Exception” to any day’s dismissal is 1:00 pm. If a change in your plans occurs after 1:00 pm on any day, you may phone the JS Office up until 2:30 pm. But the expectation is that all changes will be made by parents directly in SDM before 1:00 pm.
After 2:30 pm the School cannot guarantee that dismissal changes will be relayed to all relevant departments in time for your child's dismissal.
Parents are encouraged to download the SDM Apps for Apple and Android and update their child's dismissal instructions with a click or two from their phone.
REMINDER: UPDATE YOUR PARENT CONTACT INFORMATION
Please take the time to review your family profile and contact information to ensure that your cell phone numbers, email addresses and home address are correct and are entered in the correct fields. You may update your information at any point throughout the year, but if you have not reviewed your information recently, we encourage you to do it today.
All departments at UNIS rely on the information that you provide in the Veracross Parent Portal to contact you. The only way you can be reached in an emergency, or when there are school wide announcements, is through the information that you have entered in the Portal.
After logging into the Portal at myunis.vc , you may review and update all of your family contact information by:
Going to Veracross
Clicking on Household Information
Updating Household Profile -> Contacts.
If you need support in order to make your updates, please email veracross@unis.org
This means that students, families, faculty and staff are respectfully asked to refrain from bringing peanuts, nuts, and seeds of any kind or foods processed with these items or their by products, such as oils, into the school. This includes products which state "may contain traces of nuts/peanuts/tree nuts” or "manufactured in a facility which processes" nuts/peanuts/tree nuts.
For example, tree nuts (such as almonds, pistachios, pine nuts, cashews, brazil nuts, pecans, walnuts, etc.) and foods associated with them (such as nutella, pesto, granola bars, marzipan, macaroons, hummus (containing sesame), etc.) may present a risk to others.