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Dear Upper School Families,

Please allow me to extend mid summer warm wishes, I hope you're enjoying the summer so far and enjoying quality time with family and friends. 

This edition of Heads Up is intended to provide planning information for the new academic year. Although the information will be provided again in late August, we know that some families prefer to plan at this stage of the summer. 

You will note the major dates referenced includes the major term dates, but also early dismissals, three-way conferences (where students may not be required in school) as well as the first curriculum evening of the year on Monday, September 11 at 6:30 p.m.

Please note the family calendar with all dates will be live to the community on Thursday, Aug. 31. 

The Upper School staff and faculty are looking forward to welcoming the students back to school for the 2023–24 academic year. 

All the best,

Jeff Aitken

SAVE THE DATE | New Student Orientation Day on Sept. 5, 2023

We look forward to welcoming all day and boarding students new to the Upper School on Orientation Day, Tuesday, Sept. 5. Please check the New Student Orientation Schedule for an overview of the day’s program and additional resources. In addition, see the Key Information and Contacts for answers to popular questions.

New students will obtain access to their lockers on Orientation Day. Their Senior House Adviser will assign them a locker in their House locker room next to their mentor’s locker. It's recommended that they bring a combination lock with them in order to keep their belongings secure. 

Schedule | Return to school 

The first day of school is Wednesday, Sept. 6, and will follow the usual timetable, beginning with Period 1 at 8:30 a.m. Detailed programming for the first week will be sent in the August 31 Heads Up. Please reach out with any queries or concerns to anyone, and especially those on the Upper School Leadership Team.

Dress Code for 2023–24 

Students will be in Warm Weather Dress beginning on the first day of classes (Wednesday, Sept. 6). Information on the Upper School dress code is available here. 

Upper School athletics

Welcome to Upper School Athletics — one of the largest high school athletic programs in Canada with numerous opportunities for students to compete in both interscholastic and intra-school sports. The following is an overview of our program:

Age Group Terminology:

U14 (under the age of 14 as of January 1, 2023 or in Year 8)

Students in Year 8 must play at the U14 level of competition unless exceptional circumstances dictate otherwise.  

NOTE: In the fall term, all Year 8 students MUST be on a school team or participate in the Year 8 intramural program (basketball or tennis) after school three days per week. All activities will be advertised in the first week and a half of school. 

U16 (under the age of 16 as of January 1, 2023)

JV (no age restriction)

Varsity (no age restriction, but predominantly students in Years 11 and 12)

Tryouts

Tryouts for all teams are held at the beginning of each school term as posted by the coaches on their Bluenet team pages. Some teams will have cuts and team roster limitations. Other sports are “non-cut” teams and as long as the student demonstrates the dedication required and attends regular practices and competitions, he will remain part of the team. Tryouts for varsity level teams are held in advance of lower age-group team tryouts in order to allow students to filter down to the age group teams if they are cut from the varsity team. 

Fall 2023 Varsity Tryouts Schedule

Varsity Football: Starting Saturday, Aug. 30 at 10 a.m., (Oval Field); please contact coach Geoff Mohtadi for details. 

Varsity Soccer (New Boys only): Tuesday, Sept. 5  to 8 from 4– 6 p.m. (Oval Field); contact coach Christos Paschalidis for details.

Varsity Volleyball: Tuesday, Sept. 5 to 8 from 4 – 6 p.m. (Lett Gymnasium); contact coach Brett Sontag for details.

All other team tryouts will start on Thursday, Sept. 7 or Friday, Sept. 8. Tryout schedules will be posted on screens in the main hallway and on team pages on Bluenet.

Commitment

All students, who are on a team are expected to attend all scheduled practices and games as posted by the coach unless there is illness or injury. All players and parents will sign a Commitment Letter prior to the season, which will stand as their dedication to the team throughout that season.  Failure to live up to this Commitment Letter could result in that student being ineligible to play on a team the next school term or other terms. There is also a clear understanding that students and their parents will have potential family commitments. This does not include outside club team commitments. It is vital that the students and their parents communicate any potential family conflicts with the coach well in advance.

All Upper School teams compete in the very competitive CISAA league and travel will be necessary for game competition. Teams play games from Monday to Saturday with the exception of Thursdays. Only Varsity teams practice or play on Thursdays with rare exceptions, which will be communicated to the students with as much advance notice as possible. Practices run from 4 p.m. to approximately 5:30 p.m. daily when no games are scheduled. There is an Athletic Participation Fee that will be billed to your account at the end of each school term. The fee includes transportation costs, uniform/equipment rental and, where necessary, facility rental.   

Students playing on “outside club teams” and their families, must have a full understanding of their commitment to UCC Athletic teams as per above before trying out. Students are not permitted to come and go as they wish based on their outside club commitments, whether that be missing school practices or games for outside club commitments. Each commitment letter will clearly spell out what is expected from their UCC coach. There is some latitude given by UCC coaches in their commitment letters with the understanding that students have other things going on in their lives. However, the past few years have taught us that some of the outside club coaches have little flexibility with their players and families, often dictating that the student cannot practice or play games at school on days when their outside club team has an event. This is unacceptable, controlling behaviour for an adult coach who does not have the best interests of the student in mind. If you have any questions in regard to this section, please contact the specific UCC coach directly.

If you have any questions, or if I can assist in any way, please feel free to contact me.

Best regards,

David Brown

Director of Athletics 

Upper School textbook ordering information for 2023–24 

The Canadian School Book Exchange (CSBE) is the College's textbook supplier and can be accessed here. 

Please read this information page for instructions on ordering your student's textbooks.

The page includes important information on how to fill out the order forms, payment and delivery options and key dates.

It’s important for you to place your order as early as possible to help ensure your student has the textbooks needed to start the school year. Ordering early gives you the best selection of used books. 

For assistance in using the website or to answer any questions, email or phone CSBE at 905-828-7200 or 1-800-335-5043.