December 12, 2024
Progress Reports Available Next Week
Your child’s Progress Report will be posted on MyUTS early next week.
Course Selection for the 2025-26 School Year
Course selection materials are now posted for families in MyUTS. Families are encouraged to review course selection documents with their child over the holidays!
Have questions? Bring them to the Virtual Parent and Guardian Evenings. Zoom links will be posted to MyUTS in January.
Save the date for the Virtual Parent and Guardian Evenings:
F1/F2: January 20, 2025
M3: January 21, 2025
M4/S5: January 16, 2025
Coretta Sampson on Temporary Leave
Head of Senior School Coretta Sampson is on temporary leave effective this week. Until her return in the new year, if you have any questions or require assistance for senior school students, please direct them to Deputy Principal Dr. Kimberley Tavares.
UTS Spirit Week
Get excited for Holiday Spirit Week next week, with daily themes leading up to our epic Holiday Breakfast on Friday at 9 a.m., followed by our annual Holiday Assembly!
UTS Winter Concert
Tuesday, December 17, 6 to 8:30 p.m.
Doors open at 5:45 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, which will open on December 1 and close at noon on December 17. Tickets purchased at the door are $10.
For online tickets, please show receipt of purchase at the door to be admitted
All families are encouraged to bring an item to donate to Covenant House such as small toiletries and personal hygiene items, gently used clothing and non-perishable food items.
Winter Donation Drive
December 9 to December 17
The Student Outreach Coordinators are inviting families to donate items to support Covenant House, one of Canada’s largest agencies serving youth who are homeless, trafficked or at risk.
Urgently needed items include personal care and hygiene items, new socks and undergarments, gently used clothing (sized to fit age 16-24) and non-perishable food items. Collection bins are located in the Fleck Atrium and Main Office, and we are also accepting donations on the evening of yjr Winter Concert.
Thank you for supporting Covenant House!
Spring Break Camps Registration Opens Next Week
Next week, UTS will be launching registration for March Break camps, taking place the first week of the break (March 10-14). Designed for students currently in Grade 4 to Grade 9, programs include Introduction to Parliamentary Debate, Hands on Math (explore the relation of math to origami and logic puzzles) and World Games (explore the history of sport through a spectrum of international sports). Camps run from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. with complimentary extended care available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
UTS Partnership with CALIPER (SickKids)
Wednesday, December 18, 2024
UTS is excited to once again partner with the SickKids CALIPER Project. The CALIPER Study is a nation-wide initiative at SickKids that seeks to improve the diagnosis and care of children with medical concerns. The goal is to establish reference intervals (normal ranges) for blood test interpretation in children.
Click here for more information.
Caliper will be at UTS on Wednesday, December 18. Participation in this initiative is voluntary for UTS students. If your child is interested in participating, please complete and submit the forms at this secure link (the secure link will take you to SickKids consent page).
Children and adolescents up to age 18 are eligible to participate. Parent/guardian consent is required for an individual under the age of 16.
CALIPER participants will receive:
$10 honorarium
Two community service hours
Choice of a CALIPER t-shirt or teddy bear.
Participation takes ~15 minutes and requires:
A small blood sample (~ 1 tbsp)
A short health questionnaire
Informed participant and parental/guardian consent (if less than 16 years of age).
For questions, reach out to school nurse Adi Sood.
Addressing Problematic Statements and Jokes
It has come to our attention that some students have been making inappropriate and/or problematic statements in classrooms and in the hallways, specifically relating to suicide. This has been noticed while students are discussing stressors such as academic performance, grades and past or upcoming assessments.
Though suicidal jokes are known to be a common way for students to cope with stress, the impacts on those who hear them can be very harmful.
It is important to address the inappropriate nature of such language when it is noticed, so that it does not become normalized.
Some ideas for response include:
Acknowledging the language and educating on why it is harmful
Jokes about suicide create an unsafe and unsupportive environment
Normalizing harmful jokes makes it difficult to notice genuine distress
Offering students healthier ways of managing their stress, such as talking to a trusted adult, social worker or supportive person in their life
If you have any further questions around this topic, please connect with social.work.staff@utschools.ca.
Staff In Honour Donations to UTS
Monday, December 16 is the deadline for you to make a donation to UTS in honour of your student's teacher this holiday season. Personalized notification messages will be sent to the honoured staff members. Please make your gift online. All gifts received by December 31 will be eligible for a 2024 charitable donation tax receipt.
Session for Parents and Guardians:
Cyberbullying, Social Media and Strategies for Online Safety
January 9, 2025
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.
Summer Experience Program Virtual Information Session
January 13, 2025 from 6:30 to 8 p.m.
UTSPA is hosting the annual Summer Experience Program this summer 2025, which provides UTS students with a brief experience of your work environment and shares your knowledge, thoughts and enthusiasm about your profession.
Interested in learning more about the responsibilities of the hosts? Do you have questions for the program organizers? Attend our online information session on Monday, January 13 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. to learn more!
December Lunch Menus
Please see the lunch menus for December below:
