UTS UPDATES
September 10, 2026
Human Flourishing in the Age of AI
We hope you and your students are enjoying an exciting first week of school at UTS! We look forward to seeing many of you tonight at the Welcome Back Social, which promises to be a wonderful gathering for our community.
As the school year begins, the impact of generative artificial intelligence on education is one of the most pressing issues on our minds. UTS is stepping forward to shape this conversation in middle and secondary school education, exploring key questions such as: How will we know students have successfully learned? How can we prepare students to use AI ethically? What does it mean to safeguard human cognition?
UTS Events
Welcome Back Social - September 10
Get ready for the UTS Welcome Back Social on Thursday, September 10 hosted along with the UTS Parents' Association. This free event invites the UTS community to reconnect and celebrate the new school year. Join us after school for an afternoon of great food, lively student performances, a fun photo booth, and engaging activities. It's the perfect way to kick off the academic year.
Social Work Parent Talks
Welcome to the 2026-27 school year from the UTS Social Work team! The Social Work Department is pleased to invite parents/guardians to a series of upcoming gatherings designed to build community and support student well-being both at school and home. These online sessions will be held on:
F1 parents: Monday, September 28 at 12 p.m.
F2 parents: Wednesday, October 21 at 12 p.m.
M3 to S6 parents: TBD
Please watch your inbox for invitations closer to each date with full details and registration information. To collectively normalize the experiences of young people, share how to access mental health support and foster overall well-being, “Key Takeaways" will be shared via UTS Updates after each session.
We hope you can join us for meaningful conversations with UTS social workers that will include exploring strategies and resources to support your child’s UTS journey.
We welcome you to connect directly with our team would like to consult at anytime: social.work.staff@utschools.ca
PSAT/NMSQT: Sign up by 6 p.m. today
The Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) will be offered at UTS on Monday, October 26 from 4:15 to 6:45 p.m. Only UTS students in M4 and S5 can sign up to take the PSAT/NMSQT.
The deadline for signing up to write the PSAT/ NMSQT is Thursday, September 10 at 6 p.m. All M4 and S5 students have received an email link to sign up for the test, and students must register using their UTS email.
There is an additional, non-refundable cost of $50 for the PSAT/NMSQT. Students who sign up for a copy of the PSAT/NMSQT will receive an invoice from UTS Finance within two weeks after registration closes.
Coffee Mornings for Parents and Guardians
Come and enjoy a cup of coffee at UTS! We’ve scheduled these events, for parents and guardians, around student camp drop-off times for your convenience, but please feel free to sign up for whichever day works best for your schedule. Each session will be in the Multi-Purpose Room from 8:15 to 10:15 a.m.
Reserve your spot now using the links below. We hope to see you there!
Be a UTS Host Family: Register by September 14
Registration deadline: Monday, September 14
Homestay dates: Wednesday, September 30 to Sunday, October 4
Help welcome Danish visitors to UTS! We have the pleasure of hosting a class of grade 12 global citizenship students and two teachers from September 30 to October 6. We require several more families to be homestay hosts. Your assistance will allow our guests to engage in great intercultural learning with our students, including the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation Assembly, a drama workshop and performance, and visits to UTS classrooms.
Please use this form to sign up to be a host family.
Please see this program description for more information.
Contact Richard Cook, the UTS Global Citizenship Coordinator at racook@utschools.ca with any questions.
Save the Date for Curriculum Night on September 22
Curriculum Night, where families can learn what teachers have planned for the year in their child’s courses, is scheduled for the evening of September 22. Your children are welcome to stay in the Evans Library and/or the Learning Stairs. However, they cannot accompany parents/guardians to the actual class sessions for the teacher presentations. More details will follow.
School Photos
School photos will take place on Tuesday, September 22. Teachers will bring their classes down to the photographers throughout the day. If you have questions please contact mainoffice@utschools.ca.
Competitive Debate Team Tryouts: September/October
Students interested in joining the UTS Competitive Debate Team are invited to participate in our fall tryouts, beginning Monday, September 21. Tryouts will run on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays over three weeks.
To participate, students must:
- Attend at least two of the three weeks of tryouts; and
- Choose one of the three days (Monday, Wednesday, or Thursday) and attend consistently on that day throughout the tryout period.
Interested students should fill out this form.
We look forward to welcoming interested students and getting the new debate season underway!
An Intention for the 2026-27 School Year: Empathy and Collaboration
The strength of our school community makes UTS such a special place.
We want all of our new UTS students and staff to feel like they belong and are welcome at our school. Every year during our opening assembly, we come together in the Withrow Auditorium to ‘clap in’ all new students and staff as they enter Withrow Auditorium for the first time, giving them a standing ovation! This year, as well as our incoming class of F1 (grade 7) students, we welcomed a few new M3s, M4s and S5s (grade 9, 10 and 11), as well as two exchange students from France and our new staff.
During the assembly, Principal Dr. Leanne Foster set an inspiring intention to guide our students into the year ahead: emphasizing the power of empathy and collaboration as we rise to meet new challenges together. She shared the example of how UTS alum Jacob Tsimerman '06, a University of Toronto math professor who won the 2026 Fields Medal – the highest honour in mathematics – spoke in a podcast about the importance of collaborating and human interconnection to his work. “Mathematics at his level is a team sport,” Dr. Foster told our students. “He very rarely worked on things alone – empathy and the ability to work with others were vital to his success.”
Principal Foster challenged our students: “If empathy and collaboration propelled Dr. Tsimerman to the highest heights of mathematics, what can being a team player do for your learning?”
Here’s to a foundation of working together, supporting one another and learning together. Welcome back, UTS! It’s going to be a great year.
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