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Dear Prep Families,

This week at the Prep and the Upper School we observed International Holocaust Remembrance Day, which is on January 27. It serves as the official date of commemoration of the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust and millions of other victims of Nazism, and is a time to honour the victims and survivors of the Holocaust. 

Today at the Prep, we held a special International Holocaust Remembrance Day (IHRD) assembly for Year 5–7 students.  In the younger grades, teachers have facilitated age-appropriate discussions centred around celebrating Jewish identity and the importance of respecting different cultural and religious beliefs. The assembly program for Years 5-7 included a presentation from Mr. Evans, Assistant Head of the Prep and one by Year 6 Form Adviser Bob Cooper sharing his family’s personal connection to the Holocaust and photos of travel to Latvia and Poland. Complemented by video resources, this program focused on learning about why we have International Holocaust Remembrance Day, key historical facts and the IHRD theme this year— recognizing the courage of victims and survivors. We concluded with reflections on the importance of combatting hate and steps we can all take to be upstanders — a theme we have been exploring with Prep students over the last few years linked to our focus on being a kind, caring and inclusive community where all can feel safe and that they belong. We learn about how to do this in the classroom and in assemblies and community time. In addition, we have over 20 students in Year 6 and 7 who are a part of our Prep Allyship Council, a group that works on taking action against all forms of hate and oppression.

This week the Upper School had the opportunity to host Holocaust survivor Elly Gotz during Assembly to share his experiences during the Holocaust and the life he built for himself after being freed. He has been a visitor to the school over many years and we are fortunate that students have been able to have a Holocaust survivor speak with them in person. Mr. Gotz was asked by a student to identify the most important thing he wanted students to learn from his talk, and he highlighted the destructiveness of hate and the importance of combatting it towards all groups. He called for embracing our common humanity and approaching others who are different from ourselves with curiosity, compassion and a desire to learn. 

This was a poignant reminder of the importance of the ongoing age-appropriate learning opportunities we provide in the classroom and through special programming in support of students' understanding and appreciating different experiences and identities and the ways that we can combat hate in all its forms. In alignment with this strand of student learning, we have additional upcoming opportunities at the Prep. A January 31 assembly for Year 3-7 students will address Islamophobia, with older grades engaging in learning related to observation of the National Day of Remembrance to Acknowledge the Quebec City Mosque Attack. We will explore antisemitism more deeply in the February 22 assembly. In February there will also be a celebration of Black Excellence Month, with Upper School students visiting their Prep peers for a special community time. 

As you will read in this edition of Heads Up, students and teachers are in full swing of the winter term’s learning. The school is a vibrant, busy and joyful place these days as students continue to grow their confidence, knowledge and skills and discover new interests. Please enjoy the highlights our teachers have shared. You will also see that report cards are forthcoming and there are some great upcoming opportunities for parent learning through sessions offered by our Prep academic leaders and the PPO.

Your partners in learning,

Julia Kinnear, David Girard and Gareth Evans

The Prep Leadership Team

Year 1 update

Students are engrossed in our current unit of inquiry, Tell Me a Story. Through our investigation of the elements of a story, we have read many different fairy tales. A few class favourites include, The Three Billy Goats Gruff, The Three Little Pigs and The Gruffalo. 

Mark your calendars! This unit will conclude with a play performed by the Year 1 students. The performance will be on Thursday, Feb. 1 from 2:30–3 p.m. and believe me, you do not want to miss it! We look forward to having you join us in Weston Hall so we can show you how performances are a means of storytelling.

In Writers Workshop, students are working with commendable focus to write their very own fairy tale! This guided writing process has us writing one story element at a time. Students have written the setting and are beginning to introduce their characters. Stay tuned for an author's celebration in the future.

Last Friday we had the pleasure of visiting Norval and engaging in the Wolf Trackers program. Through a literary lens, the students helped a character named Ranger Riding and utilized critical thinking skills while meeting forest characters throughout the day. We explored clues based on the characteristics of our forest ensemble (raven, rabbit, raccoon, coyote and wolf) to find a mysterious pie-eating suspect accused of creating problems for other forest creatures. We conducted a mock courtroom and jury to find if the accused is guilty (or not). See below for some photos from the day!

Thank you to the Year 1 families for your continued support and collaboration,

Riley Carter

Year 1 Form Adviser 

Primary music update

Dear Prep families,

Happy New Year! We hope you have had a fun-filled and restful break with family and friends. We are looking forward to seeing the students and sharing the amazing music making experience together, once again. According to the Chinese zodiac, 2024 is the year of the dragon, which symbolizes power, nobility, honour, luck and success. Students in Primary Music will focus on continuing to strive for their personal best and growth. 

Across the primary grade levels, we will continue to play musical instruments and sing songs connected to various topics. We have discussed different types of instruments and the mechanics of each category. We discussed how instruments can be cared for and maintained in order to elevate the quality of tone possible in their performances. 

In SK to Year 3, students are focused on understanding a variety of rhythmic symbols and patterns. This knowledge is then applied to singing songs and the playing of their Orff instruments.

Year 4 students have been playing their recorders. They have learned to play some holiday songs and will learn to play a variety of new notes, and the appropriate fingering technique for each new pattern.

Year 5 students have been making progress on their ukuleles. They continue to learn how to read and play chords, as well as learning to play with proper posture and technique. 

If you have any questions please feel free to contact me.

Musically,

Caroline Heo

SK–Year 5 Music Teacher

Year 6–7 Choir Director

Health and Life Skills update 

With the return from holidays and the feeling of a fresh start with the new year, most of our Health and Life Skills (HLS) classes are starting up again with a focus on reflecting and goal-setting.  

Thinking about their academic, social and activity experiences students are considering what they would like to work on between now and the March Break. This might mean reflecting on previous goals, conversations and feedback or challenging themselves to try something new. 

Looking ahead, primary classes will continue to work on relationship-building, especially how to preserve our connections with others when things are not going as smoothly as we would like or there is a temporary bump in the road. Perspective taking, problem solving, conflict resolution and safety will be an ongoing focus. 

Years 5–7 will be talking about stress — how to recognize it in themselves and how to respond to it. We will be looking mostly at ‘everyday stressors’ that students can often learn to manage while acknowledging there are more difficult situations that might require further support. We will consider what is within and outside a student’s control and the importance of how we think about stress and how it might impact us.  

These lessons are just one part of how we address mental health and wellbeing at the Prep. At this time when many in the larger community are talking about mental health, here is an overview of some of the things we do on an ongoing basis to raise awareness about these topics:  

• Regular check-ins during HLS classes that help build self-awareness, review supports available and reinforce the importance of each person within our community and our potential impact on others

• Links to mental health literacy through the Ontario Health and Physical Education curriculum and the ‘Life Skills’ components of the HLS program

• Explicit teaching about emotions and coping skills

• Theme days and weeks in which wellbeing is an element e.g. Pride Week, Rowan’s Law Day and Pink Shirt Day

We are looking forward to observing ‘Mental Health Awareness Week’ in May with Prep and school-wide activities.  

Martha Boyce

Health and Life Skills Teacher

Prep Counsellor

REMINDER | Exploring the IB PYP and MYP Programmes

Dear UCC Prep Families,

We are excited to invite you to a special virtual evening where Dianne Jojic and Emilia Martin, our Primary Years Programme and Middle Years Programme coordinators, will provide valuable insights into these two integral International Baccalaureate (IB) programmes.

Date: Monday, Jan. 29

Time: 6–7 p.m.
Platform: Zoom meeting link

The agenda will include an overview of the International Baccalaureate programmes, emphasizing their unique features, philosophies and the benefits they offer to students.

We will discuss the curriculum framework and the inquiry-based approach that fosters a love for learning from an early age. Through examples, we will explain the intra- and interdisciplinary nature of the programmes, the emphasis on holistic development, and the transition from the PYP to the MYP and beyond. 

Through a review of the MYP Assessment, families will gain insights into the assessment process, including the various assessment forms, grading criteria, and how we support your child's academic progress. We will analyze the MYP report card so that families can continue to be great partners in the learning journey. 

A Q&A session will follow the webinar. Please mark your calendars and join us for this informative evening. We believe that a strong partnership between school and home is crucial for the success of our students, and we look forward to sharing more about the IB programmes with you.

Thank you, and we look forward to your presence at this enriching event!

Best regards,
The Academic Program Team

See a play in French

The children's play Et on Campera sur la lune will be presented by the Alliance Française de Toronto on Saturday, Feb. 3. Click here to learn more about this French language family activity.

PPO Valentine’s Day bake sale

The Prep is celebrating Valentine's Day with a bake sale on the morning of Wednesday, Feb. 14 in Bitove Lounge. Please have students bring in baked or store-bought donations during morning drop-off. To ensure inclusivity, please ensure all baking is nut-free, and we'll also feature a dedicated gluten-free table of treats. If you know what you are bringing/purchasing please let us know here.

Would you like to volunteer at the bake sale and spend a few hours with us? Click here to sign up.

Parents, don't forget to send your child with some money for the bake sale. A budget of $2–$5 should secure them a delightful treat or two!

Should you have any questions or need further information, feel free to reach out via email to bakesale@uccprepparents.ca. Thank you!

DONATE | UCC’s annual Mother’s Day Drive

Last year your donations meant more than 170 women at Ernestine's Women's Shelter and Women's Habitat received much-loved gift bags of toiletries from their children on Mother’s Day.

Students will be once again collecting full and travel/hotel sized:

• soap and body wash

• shampoo and conditioner 

• body lotion and skin care 

• cosmetics and nail polish

• hair care products

• toothbrushes and toothpaste

• antiperspirant and sanitary products

• beauty samples/perfumes

• small gift sets 

Your donations will be beautifully wrapped for children at shelters to give to their moms on Mother’s Day, so that together they can celebrate this special day.    

Donations can be dropped off at the reception desk in the Upper School or main office of the Prep. Please contact Linda Carvalho if you have any questions about drop off, or Samantha Dugas if you have questions about donations.