UTS is pleased to be undertaking our first Canadian Accredited Independent Schools (CAIS) Accreditation visit from December 1 to 4, 2024. This visit marks a significant milestone in our ongoing commitment to excellence.

The CAIS Accreditation process provides our school an invaluable opportunity to reflect on our educational practices, share our successes and identify areas where we can continue to grow…

Last Monday, Canada lost a great leader and an even greater man: Murray Sinclair C.C., an Anishinaabe whose legacy touched millions across our country. A champion of Indigenous rights, Sinclair was a former senator and judge who led Canada's landmark Truth and Reconciliation Commission into the country's residential schools. Through hearings across Canada, he gathered firsthand testimony from survivors of the schools, and developed the 94 Calls to Action that are helping to guide our country towards meaningful change in relations with our Indigenous peoples.

Throughout his trailblazing life, Murray Sinclair bravely broke ground…

"We can't predict the future. We don’t know what will happen in the next five years. We need to educate our children for unpredictability." These words from Sir Ken Robinson's landmark 2006 TED Talk, "Do Schools Kill Creativity?" resonate even more powerfully today. Robinson, who passed away in 2020, championed creativity over conformity in education, urging schools and school leaders to think beyond the constricts of traditional schooling …

When we implemented our device-free policy this fall, the changes were straightforward: phones stay in lockers, social media is blocked on school Wi-Fi, and gaming isn't permitted during school hours. Though we were uncertain about enforcement challenges, we believed it was the right direction for our students.

I’ve always believed that feedback is a gift. Whether positive (always lovely to receive) or negative (sometimes difficult to hear), feedback is essential to growth and improvement. As a doctoral student, I remember many meetings with my advisor, sitting together to review my research, pouring over mounds of data and pages of writing.

Yesterday, our entire student community came out to University of Toronto’s Varsity Stadium in full House spirit ‒ not at all dampened by a little bit of rain! ‒ to take part in the decades-long UTS tradition of House Track for some friendly competition, fun and fresh air.

On Monday, we came together in Withrow Auditorium to mark the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Students and staff wore orange shirts in recognition of the more than 150,000 children forced to attend residential schools. Our speaker, Dr. Niigaan Sinclair, shared that September 30th was chosen as Canada’s National Day for Truth and Reconciliation because it was historically the day when First Nations, Inuit and Métis Nation children were taken from their homes.

UTS is a community that is passionate about learning, not just for our students but for everyone. Coming next month, we are so pleased to offer you an opportunity to learn from visionary U.S.-based educator and author Dr. Paul Gorski. The author, co-author or editor of 12 books including his most recent, Fix Injustice, Not Kids and Other Principles for Transformative Equity Leadership, Paul is an inspiring speaker with important messages for our community.

I hope your family is settling into the new school year! The connections between students, families, faculty and staff form the heart of our school, creating a supportive environment where our students thrive both academically and personally.

Excitement was in the air this morning as students and staff came together for our first whole school assembly. Rousing applause accompanied our new F1, M3 and senior students as they filed into Withrow Auditorium, a long standing tradition that formally welcomes them into the UTS family.