Student Life
LUNCH AND RECESS
Lunch
Here at Unity Charter School, our mission is to produce a more ecological world, and our vegetarian, zero-waste lunch program is no exception. Our delicious school lunches are served family style, and are freshly-prepared, nutritionally-balanced and vegetarian, with some vegan, gluten-free and 100% organic alternatives available. Rooted in the principals of sustainability, we’re proud to use ceramic tableware, cloth napkins and tablecloths, and stainless-steel utensils to eliminate waste. Plus, any and all meal leftovers are discarded in a compost bucket to use as fertilizer in the school’s organic teaching garden, helping to reinforce our mission for a more sustainable world.
Unity Charter School is dedicated to creating healthier lifestyles for our children through this program, and the support and dedication of parents through donations and volunteerism is essential for its continued success.
Vegetable Education & Local Farm Partnerships
In everything we do, we aim to inspire a new appreciation of our earth and the beautiful resources it provides. That’s why every week in our kitchen, we highlight a new, fresh vegetable for our students to learn about and try. Grown in the Unity Charter School garden or sourced from local farms, all featured vegetables are incorporated into our tasty school lunches. Each vegetable is prepared on its own and in several dishes, giving students an opportunity to sample the produce in exciting varieties, while a write-up educates the children around the food’s origins and benefits.
Recess & Outdoor Play
Unity Charter School is one of the first public schools in New Jersey to recognize that recess and play are an integral part of student life. Students play outside everyday regardless of the weather (with appropriate gear, of course!). At Unity, recess is never taken away for discipline, and all students from K-8 have a daily recess period. Along with Physical Education periods, field trips and outdoor classroom activities, our students participate in outdoor activities on a regular basis.
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The Meadowlands Environmental Center, to study the New Jersey Meadowlands as an ecosystem
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Pyramid Mountain, to study geological formations
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The Franklin Mineral Museum, to study rocks and minerals
- The NJ Audubon Center, to study stream ecology
Plus, we’ve explored museums in Philadelphia, Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, went whale watching in Cape Cod, and explored biology at the Wetlands Institute at Sandy Hook.
Unity Charter’s Middle School students also attend yearly, overnight camping trips to Camp Speers and Frost Valley, where they focus on nature, sustainability, team-building and exploration.
DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE
Democratic Governance (DG) is an opportunity for students, together with staff, to focus on non-academic operations, offering students the experience of self-governance and self-management. Agenda items are generated through class meetings, and students are guided through a process to reach a consensus and take action. Additionally, all students ages 10 and up have voting privileges at our General Assemblies on governance issues.
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“Learning is contagious when you allow students to do it through extrinsic motivation. For many children, this means allowing them the time and opportunity to learn more about their passions and strengths. Our students carry these opportunities and memories for a lifetime, and it helps build their self-esteem. Offering them an opportunity to showcase their talents and passions to our community is imperative.” |
CLUBS & ACTIVITIES
Our Unity Charter School clubs complement our academic programs, while bringing passionate students together in a fun, social setting. All clubs are student-led with assistance from teacher mentors, encouraging leadership, enterprise and collaboration among like-minded peers.
We’re proud of our programs, which represent a variety of interests and topics to appeal to our diverse community.
Our clubs and activities include but are not limited to:
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ATHLETICS
Athletics are a valuable and fun way to extend the development of the whole child through physical mastery, and we encourage Unity students to get involved! Sports allow children to collaborate with peers, practice teamwork and stay active in an exciting, welcoming and energizing setting. We support a dynamic student life through our energetic, competitive sports program that competes against other local schools.
At Unity Charter School, we offer a variety of spring, fall and winter sports, helping to foster ongoing social connections and year-round, winning school spirit.
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THE ARTS AT UNITY CHARTER
PERFORMING ARTS
Through performing arts, Unity Charter celebrates creative expression, providing a fun, engaging environment for students to explore theatre, develop self-confidence, and collaborate with others.
Annual Spring Play
ENVIRONMENTAL ART
Unity Charter students continuously explore the possibilities of using natural and recycled materials to make art and/or create unique green spaces. Some of our most recent student-initiated projects include the creation of a wooden outdoor bench and a recycled bike tire-encapsulated quiet space.
ARTISTS CAFÉ
Our Artist Café gives students an opportunity to explore and showcase their talents to peers and parents in a less formal environment. For these occasions, Unity Charter School’s Common Room is converted into a café, complete with open mic nights and art exhibits.
CREATOR SPACE
Unity Charter School’s new Creator Space is a 1,500+ square-foot dedicated space that makes room for larger-scale projects and learning in fine and applied arts, engineering, science and more. It is a flexible, open studio where students, teachers and visiting artists can create, invent and learn.
SPECIAL EVENTS
In addition to our arts and clubs, special events round out our vibrant student life at Unity Charter
From our student-led Bike Swap to making soup with vegetables sourced from our Unity Charter School garden for game night, our goal is to promote socialization and fun, creating lasting memories among students and families alike.
Special Events at Unity Charter include, but are not limited to:
- Solar Sprint Competitions
- Physics Day at Six Flags Great Adventure
- Hoopla
- Unity Charter Annual Gala
- Spiritwear Swap
- Souper Game Night & Potluck
- Family Skate Night
- Family Outdoor Movie Night/Bike Swap
- Middle School Fall Dance
- Middle School Winter Formal
- Middle School Spring Fling
- 7th & 8th grade End-of-Year Formal
- Harvest Happening
- Field Day
- Take Your Families to Lunch Day
