A Warm Welcome to the New School Year!

Welcome students and families to the start of another year at UTS!

September always carries a special energy. There’s a freshness to new supplies, new shoes, and a perfectly ordered pencil case – the sense of possibility that comes with a blank page. At this week’s opening assembly, I asked our students: When you picture that brand new notebook, how do you want to fill its pages this year?

It’s not about grades or courses, but about aspirations: making new friends, joining a club, stepping into leadership or finally trying something that feels a tiny bit daunting but exciting. Each page is theirs to write, and I hope they fill this year with moments that bring both joy and growth. Because at its best, learning is and should be joyful.

Also during our assembly, we celebrated one of our beloved UTS traditions: welcoming our new students through our clapping-in ceremony. As music filled Withrow Auditorium and our new UTS mascot (fittingly, a wise owl) led the way, cheers rose in recognition of each new member of our community. It was a powerful reminder of the energy and excitement that fills the halls of UTS all year round.

At UTS, our mission is to ignite the brightest minds to make a difference in the world. This week is just the beginning. I look forward to seeing our students collaborate, question, experiment and discover – and most importantly, find joy in their learning and in one another.

We hope to see you at tonight’s Welcome Back Barbecue, co-hosted with the UTS Parents’ Association, and thank all our families for helping us get the year off to a strong start.