November 28, 2024
Late Start on December 4
A reminder: there will be a late start next week on December 4. Students should arrive at UTS at 10 a.m.
Classes begin at 10:10 a.m.
UTS Winter Concert
December 17, 6 to 8:30 p.m.
All co-curricular music ensembles and the M4, S5 and S6 music classes will be performing an assortment of music to celebrate the end of the term and the winter holidays.
For families and guests to the school, tickets are $5 when purchased through SchoolCash Online. Sales will open on December 1 and close at noon on December 17.
Tickets purchased at the door are $10.
M4 Outdoor Education Program
The M4 Outdoor Education program will be taking place January 22 to 24 at Camp Wanakita.
Families of M4 students will receive the consent form by email on Friday. Next week, students will receive a form for cabin mate and accommodation requests. This covers cabins, medical, dietary and any other accommodation requests. At UTS, most cabins/rooms will be assigned based on single-gender configurations. In alignment with the Ontario Human Rights Code, UTS will also provide a gender-inclusive cabin/room option for students with accommodation needs that relate to gender. We will work with students individually to provide support.
Safety Reminder When Dropping Students off at School
To keep our students and community safer, please avoid dropping off or picking up students on Huron Street or Washington Street near the UTS entrances as these streets do not provide enough space to stop safely without impacting traffic.
Instead, please make use of nearby streets such as Sussex Avenue to the south, or Washington Street closer to Spadina where there is space to safely pull over.
Frankfurt Exchange Program
M3 to S6 students are invited to take part in the Maximum City program with our partner school in Frankfurt, Germany from June 18 to 28, 2025. Students live with host families and attend the program with German counterparts. A unique cross-cultural learning experience, the program engages with pressing challenges facing communities through award winning, hands-on, expert-led learning. The approximate cost ranges from $3,800 to $4,000
There will be a Zoom information meeting for interested (or simply curious) parents on Tuesday December 10 at 6 p.m. Complete this Expression of Interest form to receive your calendar invitation and Zoom link.
For more information, view our 2023 Program Video, or contact Richard Cook at racook@utschools.ca or Nicola Townend at ntownend@utschools.ca.
December Lunch Menus
Please see the lunch menus for December below:
Session for Parents and Guardians featuring Paul Davis
UTS and UTSPA are pleased to co-present Paul Davis, an IT expert with over 33 years of experience, to speak to our parent and guardian community about online safety. Join us on Thursday, January 9, 2025 at UTS for this in-person event.
This session will cover important topics such as social media, digital footprints, smartphones and online security. Paul provides essential knowledge to help young people make informed and safe choices online. We are excited to offer this important learning opportunity for UTS families. Click here to register.
Diet Culture Workshops
Diet culture impacts us all. Diet culture invites us to understand and examine conditions that create a climate where body dissatisfaction, body dysmorphia and eating disorders are more likely to take hold. At UTS, part of our inclusion and diversity work includes being mindful of how we talk about dieting, exercise and/or weight.
As a way to start the conversation around dismantling diet culture, the Social Work team and the school nurse have collaborated and will be presenting a workshop to all F1 classes, that will take place between between Wednesday, November 27 and Friday, December 6. Students will be educated on diet culture, how social media/media influence our ideas around food consumption, and explore how to navigate challenges related to diet.
For more information, consider checking out these resources:
The National Eating Disorder Information Center
Child Mind Institute: How to support your child who may be struggling with body image
This poster providing suggestions around How to support your friends has been distributed at UTS.
Coping with Stress: Foundation Workshop
Stress is a normal part of life, and how we manage it can significantly impact our well-being. Year 3 Nursing students conducted workshops with Foundation students on this topic. The focus was on building awareness around stress management, discussing challenges like imposter syndrome, and comparing harmful vs. helpful coping mechanisms.
Some takeaways from the workshop:
Stress serves a purpose and can be caused by various factors
Stress can affect each person differently
Imposter syndrome affects everyone
Positive coping mechanisms can assist in managing stress
Here is an infographic that highlights the content of the workshop and provides some points for at-home conversations.
Giving Tuesday
Tuesday, December 3 is Giving Tuesday, a worldwide giving movement built upon shared humanity and generosity. It’s where communities come together to support the charities that are important to them.
Join the UTS community to help raise $35,800 to fund a full student bursary.
All gifts received between now and Tuesday will be counted toward this goal. You can help change a student’s life with your generous support!
UTS Bursary Fund
’Tis almost the season! Honour your child’s teachers! Are you looking for the perfect way to honour a UTS staff member this holiday season? Make a gift to the UTS Bursary Fund in their honour and help UTS students at the same time.
Personalized notification messages will be sent to honorees – please make your donation by December 16!
Gifts of Securities
Making a gift of publicly traded stocks, bonds and other securities is a tax-smart and easy way to support UTS. All direct gifts of securities are exempt from capital gains tax which makes them a popular donation vehicle. As a reminder, the Office of Advancement will be closing on December 20 and will reopen on January 6, so if you are planning to make a gift of securities in 2024, we encourage you to send your completed donation form by December 6 to ensure settlement before year's end.
UTS Shop: Order in Time for the Holidays
Support the UTS Shop on November 30, Small Business Saturday!
Place your order by Friday, December 6 for shipping or by Monday the 16th for in-school pick-up.
Note that labour action by Canada Post may impact these deadlines.
Study Recruitment
Our Summer Camps partner, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital is looking to recruit participants for a study (adults and children age 8+). Please see their recruitment poster for more details.
