UTS UPDATES
September 24, 2026
The Habits We Build in September
September has given us many ways to come together as a community at UTS. At the Welcome Social and Coffee Mornings, I’ve enjoyed the chance to meet and reconnect with familiar faces. This week at Curriculum Night, you heard about teachers’ inspired plans and expectations for the year ahead. These conversations build trust and a sense of community that help students feel known and supported throughout the year.
Curriculum Night Presentation Summary
There are two types of student absences: excused absences, which do not impact a student’s attendance mark, and unexcused absences, which can have an impact their mark.
Excused Absences and the New Absence-Reporting Tool
Please report your child’s excused absences to the Main Office using the new absence-reporting tool in MyUTS [link], which replaces email reporting that was used last year.
Instructions on how to report.
Parents should report excused absences and include the specific reason:
- IIlness
- Medical appointments
- Compassionate leave
- Religious observances
UTS Events
Translation Service for Parent-Teacher Interviews
UTS offers Parent-Teacher Interview Dates on November 5, 6 and 9 and also in February 2027. Pick-A-Time will open for parents/guardians in mid-October. If you will require translation services, UTS needs to arrange them ahead of time. Please fill out the Translation Service Request form by October 6.
Social Work F1 Parent and Guardian Chat: September 28
Further to our previous announcement, the UTS Social Work Department is pleased to invite F1 parents to next week’s online Social Work Parent/Guardian Chat on Monday, September 28 at 12 p.m.
The Social Work team will be hosting a series of parent talks for each student cohort designed to build community and support student well-being both at school and home throughout the school year. These sessions invite parents/caregivers to come together and discuss what’s top of mind. 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!
F1 parents and guardians, please check your inbox for full details and Zoom information.
Club-O-Rama on September 28
Our annual Club-O-Rama takes place immediately after school on September 28. All of the school’s co-curricular activities set up booths to advertise their offerings to students. To support meaningful engagement in clubs or co-curricular activities, students and families may wish to consider committing to one or two clubs of interest. Students can also keep an eye on meeting schedules by looking at the Co-curricular Calendar, available in their Google Calendar.
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation at UTS: September 30
On Wednesday, September 30, UTS will take time as a school community to honour the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and reflect on the harm committed through Canada’s Residential School System and its inter-generational impacts.
At 10:40 a.m., students will attend a school-wide assembly in the Withrow Auditorium, escorted by their Period 2 teacher. In alignment with our shared commitment to Truth and Reconciliation, all students are asked to attend and take part in this important community gathering. The assembly will include testimonies from Residential School survivors, reflections from students and staff, and an opportunity to hear from our Indigenous consultant, Dr. Kiera Brant-Birioukov.
Born and raised on the Ridge Road in Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, Dr. Kiera Brant-Birioukov is a Mohawk educator, researcher, writer and scholar within Indigenous education. Kiera has been working closely with UTS leadership and educators to guide discussions on UTS history and support embedding Indigenous ways of knowing and being into the curriculum.
After the assembly, students and staff will return to their Period 2 (Block I) classes for a guided reflection and sharing activity. All students on spare are assigned a room (See calendar). Students will require their laptops for this reflection activity.
Students are encouraged to wear their orange t-shirts on Wednesday, September 30. All F1 students will be given an orange shirt in class on Tuesday, September 29. New M3, M4 and S5 students can pick up an orange shirt from the Student Life Office (350) on Monday.
To support your child’s participation, preparing in advance can be helpful. Discussing the history of residential schools and exploring resources together prior to the day can help students feel prepared. Opening up this space for dialogue at home creates a sense of security when discussing hard topics at school.
Some tips for parents and guardians can be found here, on talking about residential schools with your child.
Hearing about the residential school history and further specific harms experienced by people in these institutions can be challenging for some. Bringing awareness to emotions, breath and surroundings can help manage a young person’s experience. For additional strategies, read this article by Kids Help Phone.
Having some additional background for your conversation can help. Here are some resources to draw on:
House Track and Sports Event: October 1
Our annual House Track and Sports event will take place on Thursday, October 1, at Varsity Centre Stadium, from 1:30 to 3:45 p.m.
Students will be escorted to Varsity Stadium by their Period 5 teachers at 1:15 p.m. and will be supervised by UTS staff throughout the event.
Please note: Students will be dismissed directly from Varsity Stadium and may not leave the stadium before the event concludes. If you are picking up your child that day, please make arrangements to meet them either at or around Varsity Stadium or back at the school, as appropriate.
House Track is a wonderful outdoor community event, and we expect all students to attend and participate in at least one of the events offered. Students may also cheer on their friends from the bleachers and enjoy the outdoors with their classmates.
Students should check their emails for information about signing up for track and sports events.
We look forward to a fun afternoon of community, participation, and school spirit!
Student Hot Lunch Orders
UTS is excited to offer hot lunches, through our trusted provider. See menu options and order forms below.
Deconstruction Work at 160 & 162 St. George Street May Impact Your Family's Commute
Deconstruction work is underway and scheduled to last approximately 16 weeks. The most impactful item to the UTS community relates to the traffic control plan developed by the contractors, CLC Infrastructure. CLC will be accessing the site via Huron Street and Nichol Lane. The frequency of vehicles is approximately two scheduled truck visits per the working day hours of 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Entry and exit of trucks will be controlled utilizing traffic control persons (TCPs). The TCPs will manage the intermittent control of traffic to protect students, parents, teachers, staff, motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians for brief, controlled holds during each truck movement. There will be no continuous lane closures, sidewalk closures, public-right-of-way storage or traffic diversions.
Quandary in the Classroom – Researching How a Digital Game Effectively Teaches Ethics
University of Toronto Schools (UTS) endeavors to teach students ethical thinking and moral reasoning that creates strong global citizens, but how do we know we are succeeding?
Enter Dr. Lydia Cao, an assistant professor at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE). She worked with UTS Geography Teacher Mike Farley to research how his use of the digital game Quandary effectively teaches ethics. Lydia also delved into how Mike – a seasoned teacher with 24 years’ experience – maximizes the impact of the lesson for his students.
Mike uses Quandary’s “Water Wars” episode, set on the fictional planet of Braxos where students play the leader tasked with finding a solution when the community’s well water goes bad. There's no one right answer. Instead, students score points through the depth of their thinking.
Amplifying research in the field of learning and education is part of the UTS mandate. This project received practical and logistical support from the Eureka! Research Institute at UTS, one of only a few research institutes based on-site at a school in Canada.
What's been happening at UTS
