Yellow School Bus

• Call 212-584-3160 or email transportation@unis.org should you have any questions or concerns.

Student's Metro Cards

Student Metrocards are coordinated through transportation@unis.org

School Bus for JA Students

JA parents are invited to complete the form on the "Getting Ready JA" page. This will let us know that your child is ready to ride the bus.

Click on the link below to access more information about transportation.

JS teachers will only dismiss at the end of the day to a parent, authorized caregiver, after school teacher, or bus supervisor. JS students are not permitted to leave the front gate of the campus without adult supervision. Only a sibling in grade M3 or above may be given permission to escort their sibling from campus.

We follow the Dept of Health guidelines for outdoor play: "New York City Department of Health Guidelines regarding outdoor play in cold weather policy states “Children benefit from vigorous exercise and should be given the opportunity to play outside whenever possible. Unless it is snowing or there is ice on the playground low temperatures should not be a barrier to outside play, as long as children are appropriately dressed. The City’s Health Department strongly encourages principals to maintain outdoor play periods on the vast majority of winter days.”

Recommendations are as follows: If the wind chill factor is above 20 degrees, it is safe to play outside. If the wind chill factor is 0-20, outside play is advised provided that students are appropriately dressed and under observation to make sure that they are wearing their coats, hats and gloves." From: New York City Department of Education and New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

JS teachers are best contacted by email. They do not have phones in their classrooms. The email address is usually the first initial of the first name, the entire last name, followed by unis.org. For example, Bonnie Smith would be bsmith@unis.org. Note that during the school day our teachers are working with students and may not be able to read emails.

If you need to inform the school about changes regarding your child’s dismissal on any particular day, School Dismissal Manager (SDM) is the sole method of communicating dismissal plans to the UNIS JS, After School and Athletics Programs.

Between 1:00 - 2:30pm, if there is an urgent last minute change, you may phone the JS Office at 212-584-3190, and a note can be sent to the homeroom teacher. However, it is the expectation that any dismissal plan changes will be entered in SDM directly by the family prior 1:00pm. After 2:30 the School cannot guarantee that dismissal changes will be relayed to all relevant departments in time for dismissal.

To authorize a new caregiver to enter UNIS to pick up or drop off your child, please log in to the Veracross Parent Portal at myunis.vc:

• Log in Veracross

• Click on Household Information

• Update Household Profile by clicking on Contacts for My Children and +Add New

• Enter that caregiver’s details under the Contacts section (add as many additional contacts and caregivers as you need)

• Then grant Pickup Authorization to your Contacts as needed by clicking on Pickup Authorization on the right and +Add New.

After you enter that information in Veracross, your caregiver can have a UNIS ID made that will allow him/her access to the school to pick up and drop off. In the interim, until the caregiver information is populated by IT to the Security Access card system, fill in this ID Authorization Form, print and sign it, and have the caregiver carry this form along with a photo ID to present to Security at the front gate until a physical UNIS ID card is printed.

Please note that during the 2022-23 school year, JS dismissal is between 2:45-2:55, depending on grade. Parents and caregivers are expected to arrive at UNIS by the time that their child's grade is dismissed. If parents or caregivers are not able to arrive at that time on a regular basis, please contact our Office of Special Programs to register for the Care Program.

If you or your caregiver is running late in unusual circumstances and will arrive late, please phone the JS Office at 212-584-3190 to inform the school so that special arrangements can be made.

Parents are asked to retrieve and turn in ID cards issued to caregivers who are no longer employed.

Requesting Early Dismissal for Your Child: UNIS JS utilizes SDM’s Leaving Early option so that parents can let the school know when their child is being picked up early. Select the day on the calendar that your child will be picked-up early, then select Add Exception, and choose Leaving Early, NOT Coming Back. You will immediately be asked if your child is coming back to school. Select Yes or No and then fill out the remaining information. Depending on whether you answered yes or no, SDM will create the appropriate dismissal exception or notification to the office once you click Submit. Once you have updated the dismissal on SDM, confirm the early pick-up time directly to your homeroom teacher and copy the Junior School Attendance (jsattendance@unis.org).

An early dismissal for students is strongly discouraged. Parents are encouraged to make their child’s appointments and travel plans outside of school hours. Early Dismissal should be reserved for urgent circumstances only.

Arriving to class on time is the first step in preparing for a successful start to the JS student’s day. It better ensures that students are prepared for learning and informed of daily announcements. It allows students to make important connections with their community.

Junior School students are expected to attend all assemblies, classes, and curricular trips.

The day starts with Responsive Classroom morning meetings, calendar routines, and other important grounding and skills building endeavors. Children who arrive late disrupt the beginning of the day.

JS faculty record and report attendance data; in order to do so accurately and for your child to have the best possible educational experience we ask that you are aware of the following information:

• For safety reasons, JS students may not arrive at school prior to the time indicated below or be left at the front gate unattended by a parent or guardian.

• JS students should arrive:

  • • 8:15 AM for J2, J3, J4

    • 8:20 AM for PK, JA, J1

• Junior School attendance is taken at the beginning of the day and students are recorded as Present, Absent or Late.

• Students who do not arrive on time will be recorded as Late.

  • • A late arrival for students is strongly discouraged as it disrupts the morning routine for all of the students in the class and pulls school personnel from other tasks. Parents are encouraged to allow for adequate commuting time in the morning, and to make their child’s appointments outside of school hours. Late Arrival should be reserved for urgent circumstances only. In that case, JS utilizes SDM’s Late Arrival feature so that parents can let the school know when their child will be arriving late to school.

    • Select the day on the calendar that your child will be arriving late, then select Add Late Arrival, fill out the reason, and click Submit. For a last minute notification of lateness please email your homeroom teacher and jsattendance@unis.org, or leave a message at 212-584-3190.

• Requesting Early Dismissal:

  • • An early dismissal for students is strongly discouraged as it disrupts all of the students in the class and pulls school personnel from other tasks. Parents are encouraged to make their child’s appointments and travel plans outside of school hours. Early Dismissal should be reserved for urgent circumstances only.

    • In that case, JS utilizes SDM’s Leaving Early option so that parents can let the school know when their child needs to be picked up early. Select the day on the calendar that your child will be picked-up early, then select Add Exception, and choose Leaving Early, NOT Coming Back. You will immediately be asked if your child is coming back to school. Select Yes or No and then fill out the remaining information. Depending on whether you answered yes or no, SDM will create the appropriate dismissal exception or notification to the office once you click Submit. Once you have updated the dismissal on SDM, confirm the early pick-up time directly to your homeroom teacher with a copy to jsattendance@unis.org

If your child will be absent, late to school, or needs to be collected early, it is essential that no later than 8:00am you:

1. contact your homeroom teacher by email with a copy to jsattendance@unis.org

2. and report your child's absence or early dismissal through School Dismissal Manager (SDM)

If email or SDM is not available to you, you may leave a phone message before 8:00am at 212-584-3190 to let the JS Office know and a note will be sent to the homeroom teacher.

To ensure the safety of students, the JS Office staff will contact the parents of children who are absent without having notified the school.

ID Cards will be distributed to all new parents/guardians by our Security Team. For caregivers, please see Caregivers Access to UNIS below. Lost Cards can be reported to Security at elentini@unis.org and paaron@unis.org. You will receive a "Replacement ID Card Authorization Form" which must be completed and returned to Security and a new ID card will be issued. The replacement cost is $15.00.

Please review your family profile and contact information to ensure that your cell phone numbers, email addresses and home address are up to date. You may update your information throughout the year. All departments at UNIS, including the Nurse, rely on the information that you provide here to contact you.

After logging in to the Veracross Parent 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.

To give permission for a new caregiver to enter UNIS to pick up or drop off your child, please log in to the Veracross Parent Portal at myunis.vc:

• Log in Veracross

• Click on Household Information

• Update Household Profile by clicking on Contacts for My Children and +Add New

• Enter that caregiver’s details under the Contacts section (add as many additional contacts and caregivers as you need)

• Grant Pickup Authorization to your Contacts as needed by clicking on Pickup Authorization on the right and +Add New.

After you enter that information in Veracross, your caregiver can have a UNIS ID made that will allow him/her access to the school to pick up and drop off. In the interim, until the caregiver information is populated by IT to the Security Access card system, fill in this ID Authorization Form, print and sign it, and have the caregiver carry this form along with a photo ID to present to Security at the front gate until a physical UNIS ID card is printed.

However, in temporary situations, there is no need for a UNIS ID card to be issued or a temporary authorization form to be carried. If your caregiver is temporary, or a visiting family member will be picking up or dropping off, please follow the same procedure by adding their name to your Household information in Veracross and have that person(s) be prepared to present a photo ID at the security gate.

In either case, in order to alert your child’s teacher and school security that a new or temporary caregiver has permission to pick up your child, the new or temporary caregiver's full name should be entered in School Dismissal Manager (SDM) as either a "Default" dismissal, "Recurring Exception" or one-time "Exception".

The Junior School Library fosters a community of learning. It is a powerful intellectual and welcoming social space where students and teachers gather to read, share ideas, exchange points of view and learn together. The Library is open to all students throughout the school day. Additionally, the Libraries' Homepage, online catalog, and digital resources may be accessed by the UNIS community directly from the school's website under the Quicklinks tab.

School Dismissal Manager (SDM) is the required method of communicating dismissal plans to the UNIS JS, After School and Athletics Programs. It is the expectation that any dismissal plan changes will be entered in SDM by parents prior to 2:00pm.

Between 2:00 - 2:30pm, if there is an urgent last minute dismissal change, you may phone the JS Office at 212-584-3190, and a note can be sent to the homeroom teacher. After 2:30 the School cannot guarantee that dismissal changes will be relayed to all relevant departments in time for dismissal.

Any JS child not picked up at the dismissal time designated for their grade, or registered in an After School or Athletic activity, will be placed in the Care Program for supervision. Families who have not already registered for the Care Program will be billed at $25 per hour (or the current rate) beginning at 3:00pm.

Children attending extra-curricular activities should be picked up promptly at the end of the activity. They should not be left on campus unattended. Children not picked up promptly at the end of their activity will automatically be placed in the Care Program and parents will be billed accordingly.

Please label all jackets, coats, school supplies, water bottles, lunch boxes, athletic gear, etc. with your child’s first and last name and homeroom before they are brought to school.

Lost and Found protocols have been updated to maintain the health and safety of UNIS faculty and staff.

Students are expected to be accountable for their own possessions and we encourage clear labeling on all of your child's clothing and school supplies (both first and last names) including coats, sweatshirts, athletic gear, backpacks, pencil cases, lunch boxes and water bottles.

Families should note that:

• Families may have limited opportunity to search for and reclaim lost items

• Clothing will be periodically collected and donated by the school

• All other items will be discarded

• Your reinforcement of this at home with your children is encouraged

Please label all jackets, coats, school supplies, water bottles, lunch boxes, athletic gear, etc. with your child’s first and last name and homeroom before they are brought to school.

Lost and Found protocols have been updated to maintain the health and safety of UNIS faculty and staff.

Students are expected to be accountable for their own possessions and we encourage clear labeling on all of your child's clothing and school supplies (both first and last names) including coats, sweatshirts, athletic gear, backpacks, pencil cases, lunch boxes and water bottles.

Families should note that:

• Families may have limited opportunity to search for and reclaim lost items

• Clothing will be periodically collected and donated by the school

• All other items will be discarded

• Your reinforcement of this at home with your children is encouraged

JS students are not permitted to bring toys from home, including electronics, balls and trading cards. Aside from often being lost, these items are a distraction from learning in the classroom, and a cause of conflict at play and during after school programs.

The temperature is monitored throughout the winter to decide if it is appropriate for our students to play outside, and we may make a different decision for our Pre-K and JA students. We follow the Department of Health guidelines but also know that the wind chill on our river playground may feel colder than the actual temperature. Please make sure your children are dressed warmly for outdoor play, wearing hats, gloves, and scarves, all labeled with their name, when they come to school.

New York City Department of Health Guidelines regarding outdoor play in cold weather policy states “Children benefit from vigorous exercise and should be given the opportunity to play outside whenever possible. Unless it is snowing or there is ice on the playground low temperatures should not be a barrier to outside play, as long as children are appropriately dressed. The City’s Health Department strongly encourages principals to maintain outdoor play periods on the vast majority of winter days.”

Recommendations are as follows:

If the wind chill factor is above 20 degrees, it is safe to play outside. If the wind chill factor is 0-20, outside play is advised provided that students are appropriately dressed and under observation to make sure that they are wearing their coats, hats, and gloves.

Roger Platt, M.D., Director of School Health, New York City Department of Education

As the weather becomes cooler, please remember that we follow the Department of Health guidelines for outdoor play and your child should be dressed to spend time outdoors accordingly and comfortably.

Students will be required to wear PE uniforms in class during the upcoming school year. The PE uniforms consist of a blue, white, or grey UNIS PE t-shirt, blue or black shorts, track pants or yoga pants, and athletic sneakers. We recommend students bring a sweatshirt/jacket for lessons taking place outside. The only item you need to buy from either store is the PE shirt as the other items do not need to have the UNIS logo.

Metro sports are also selling UNIS branded athletic gear for students, parents, family members, and alumni. You can access the stores by clicking on the links below. The links will also be accessible on the parent portal and the athletics section of the UNIS website.

JS PE Uniform Store - Lands End

MS & TH PE Uniform Store - Metro Sports

Junior School children should not bring money to school and they are not permitted to purchase food in the Cafeteria. If they forget their lunch from home one day, they can ask the JS Office to help arrange for school lunch for that day. Parents are expected to send payment of $8.00 cash for the Food Service Director the following day in an envelope with their child’s name and homeroom.

The Junior School will offer Curriculum Evenings for each grade level and specialist sessions when parents meet their children’s teachers and receive information regarding course objectives and expectations, during the month of September. Please refer to the school calendar for the dates. In addition the Junior School Principal holds “Parent Coffees” several times throughout the year. Please see the school calendar and newsletters for the exact dates and location. Note that during 2022-2023 the Coffees may be held remotely, as Webinars, or in person on campus.