NEW FAMILIES 2023-24
Dear New Families,
The Junior School is delighted to welcome your family for the upcoming school year!
By joining UNIS, your child embarks on a journey guided and shaped by the principles of the United Nations. Inspiring our students to become an active force in shaping a better world is at the heart of everything we do. As did Kofi Annan, we believe that “knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family.”
By joining UNIS, you demonstrate a shared understanding of the essence of learning with us: a process that leads to a sustained and demonstrable consolidation of concepts, competencies, and character for our learners. To support our students’ success, our goal and yours, UNIS teachers focus, beyond the content of our curriculum, on necessary lifelong skills: thinking skills, communication skills, social skills, self-management skills, and research skills.
By joining UNIS you join a partnership, one that you and we together will nurture and foster during the school years ahead.
The entire Junior School team is looking forward to welcoming our new families for a year of learning, understanding, and discovery. With your collaboration, our students, your children, will grow as inquirers, knowledgeable thinkers and communicators, principled, open-minded and caring risk-takers, balanced and reflective students determined to make the World a Better Place.
Pascal Vallet, Junior School Principal
NEW FAMILY CHECKLIST
UNIS Security Request Form for UNIS Photo ID
Magnus health forms at Nurse
Veracross Parent Portal for family contact information at myunis.vc
School Dismissal Manager (SDM) for daily dismissal plans at Dismissal
Supply Lists for each grade at Getting Ready
PE Uniform at PE FAQ and Getting Ready
Swim Permission Form for students entering Grades 2, 3 and 4 at Getting Ready
Yellow bus service, private bus, and MetroCards at Transportation
After School and Care Programs and Athletics after school at Athletics
UNIS ID cards for caregivers at Security
Language Selection (see below)
Welcome from the UNIS PA and Link to Mentor Request Form (see below)
UNIS calendars of holidays and school events at Calendars
LANGUAGE SELECTION
At UNIS we celebrate the many cultures and languages we have within our community, promote the appreciation of diversity, and encourage students to maintain the fluency of their Home Languages while valuing the acquisition of other languages.
The Junior School language program offers two options based on the student’s language profile:
French or Spanish as a Language B (Foreign language acquisition)
French or Spanish as a Language A (Mother Tongue level)
Note that enrollment in the Junior School Language A Program is subject to a placement test. In the French Language A Program, students learn Language, Math, and Humanities in French.
In the Spanish Language A Program, students learn Language and Humanities in Spanish.
Please consider language selection very carefully as this choice represents a long-term commitment through High School.
Please indicate your preference for French or Spanish instruction for your child in the form you have received by email. Please fill out one form per new student. If you already have a child enrolled at UNIS, you do not need to complete a form for the returning student.
Note regarding ELL and/or Learning Support:
ELL or Learning Support for Students in French / Spanish Foreign Language
Students who are deemed as possible English Language Learners (ELL) or in need of Learning Support will be assessed during the first weeks of school. If these students do not meet the criteria for the assessment, they will not be eligible to join a language class, but instead will attend English Language Learning (ELL) or Learning Support depending on the student's need.
ELL or Learning Support for Students in French / Spanish Language A program
Students who are deemed as possible English Language Learners (ELL) or in need of Learning Support will be assessed during the first weeks of school. Based on the assessment results, the number of hours in French or Spanish may vary until the student meets the exit criteria for ELL or Learning Support.
We appreciate your prompt return of the form sent by email and look forward to welcoming you to UNIS.
Paco Barba-Morán
Director of Modern Languages
NEW STUDENT ORIENTATIONS
Our New Family Orientations will be held on campus.
New Students from J1 through J4 will be welcomed in person, along with their parents, for their orientation on Friday, September 1 (date subject to change). Note that new students in PreK and JA will have their orientation on their first day of school, Tuesday, Wednesday 6 (see upcoming dates below).
9:30-10:00: UNIS photo IDs for parents will be distributed in the lobby
10-10:15: New J1-J4 students and parents gather in the 2nd Floor Theater to meet the Junior School team.
10:15: New J1-J4 students join their homeroom teachers to visit their new classrooms. Parents remain in the Theater to learn about the Flik cafeteria food plan and Parents Association.
10:25: Parents have refreshments in the 2nd Floor Garden with opportunities to speak to various UNIS personnel about transportation, After School, New to UNIS group, Athletics, etc.
11:00: Teachers return their new students to the garden and say goodbye. Parent UNIS IDs will be distributed in the lobby.
MODIFIED SCHEDULE FOR FIRST WEEK OF SCHOOL ONLY
Friday, September 1
J1 - J4 Families of New Students: On Campus Orientation (see above)
Wednesday, September 6
First Day of School - Full Day for J1-J4
8:20-2:50 for J1
8:15-2:50 for J2
8:15-2:55 for J3 & J4
PK In Person Orientation 9:15 - 11:00 (subject to change)
JA In Person Orientation 9:30 - 12:00 (subject to change)
Thursday, September 7
PK and JA ½ Day 8:20 - 12:00
Friday, September 8
PK ½ Day 8:20 - 12:00
JA First Full Day 8:20 - 2:45pm
Monday, September 11
PK First Full Day 8:20 - 2:45 pm
Wednesday, September 13 (To be confirmed, based on New York City Department of Education)
Yellow Bus Service begins for J1-J4
Monday, September 18 (To be confirmed, based on New York City Department of Education)
Yellow Bus Service begins for JA students whose older sibling(s) rides the bus
Wednesday, September 20 (To be confirmed, based on New York City Department of Education)
Yellow Bus Service begins for JA students without a sibling who rides the bus
WELCOME LETTER FROM THE PARENTS ASSOCIATION
January 2023
Dear New UNIS Families,
Welcome to the UNIS community! We are pleased to introduce you to the UNIS Parents’ Association (UNIS PA).
All UNIS parents are members of the UNIS PA. We have a thriving, vibrant parent community that partners with school administration, faculty and staff. We are here to cultivate a community that engages all parents and families and actively support the mission of UNIS. We support the parent body and help build strong home-school connections. We strive to be a resource for information and a conduit between the parents, faculty, administration and staff to foster open communication between all members of the school community. We do this through our all school PA meetings, division coffees, committee work, and communications in partnership with volunteer class parents and grade representatives.
The UNIS PA organizes events that promote cultural interchange and community-building for our children and our families. Parent volunteers are essential in making these events successful. Volunteering is a wonderful way to make new friends, meet fellow parents and get involved and connected to UNIS. You could join one of the UNIS PA committees that focus on topics such as the arts, cultural events, diversity/equity/inclusion, bridging to the UN, UNIS athletics, and social responsibility. You could also volunteer as a classroom parent! There are a myriad of opportunities for any parent or guardian, including those who work full-time. We hope you will consider participating in whatever way possible. To learn more about how to volunteer, visit our page here or email us at unispa@unis.org.
The UNIS PA is also an important source of information for new families coming to UNIS and/or newly arrived in New York. All of us have experienced this transition and look forward to sharing our knowledge and helping you become part of the UNIS community!
We run New2UNIS, a parent meetup group that is open to all UNIS parents. New2UNIS is a group within the PA that typically meets on mornings with the goal of making new friends, touring the city, and learning about life in NYC and its surrounding areas. All new families are included in our opt-out database. Once the school year begins, you will receive invitations via evite for their weekly events. In the meantime, follow them on Instagram (Follow New2UNIS on Instagram), or visit their Facebook page to see what kinds of great activities they host. New2UNIS hosts an annual welcome breakfast for all new parents to UNIS during the first week of school. Information on that will be emailed to families in the summer.
Please feel free to contact us at any time with questions or if we can be of assistance in any way. You can email us at unispa@unis.org.
We look forward to meeting you!
Best regards,
Angela Tolosa, President
Parent of Children in Class of 2026 and Class of 2029
angela.tolosa@pa.unis.org