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Dear Prep Families,

Though the weather outside has been damp and chilly, it has been warm and bright inside the walls of the Prep. Most notable to us over the past week have been the many ways our students have been busy putting our College values into action. 

• We’ve spotted the excitement of learning, with some highlights including: our Year 2s investigating simple machines and interviewing community members about the role of machines in their lives; our Year 3s applying their understanding of forces to the making of their own marble runs and Beyblades; our Year 4s heading to the library to choose new books for the week; and our Year 7s developing practice plans to help them master their instruments.

• The celebration of differences and cherishing of similarities which we value as a part of our commitment to pluralism were well reflected in our Primary classrooms and at our Year 4-7 assembly last week as we acknowledged and celebrated Diwali with the generous involvement of Upper School student leaders and parent volunteers.  

• Our youngest learners in SK have been directly involved in fostering a sense of community. They recently completed a mission to help ensure our school feels like a welcoming place, designing and colouring welcoming posters and selecting places to put them up around the school. Please enjoy them when you are visiting.

• As you will see elsewhere in this edition of Heads Up, the school is in the midst of a drive to support the Churches on the Hill Food Bank. It has been wonderful to see our Prep students arriving in the morning with their donations and a clear intention to be of service to our community. 

• Finally, we have spotted teachers working with students to enhance their wellbeing skills and habits of mind, including through intentional gratitude practices and actively sharing strategies for managing the stress that can arise for all of us when completing tests and other performance tasks.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all Prep families for your ongoing partnership with the school and your support for our students and for one another. It has been very evident, especially in recent days, that ours is an incredibly strong and caring community. 

Your partners in learning,

Julia Kinnear, David Girard and Gareth Evans

The Prep Leadership Team

General reminders:

Thank you for all of your support. If possible, please consider sending additional snacks to school. Many students are hungry after their skating class with Mr. Green. As there is not a snack program in Year 2, it would be really helpful to have a little something to snack on after PE.

Carly Crippin

Year 2 Teacher

Goal setting with technology usage

As our students are reflecting with you and their teachers about their schoolwork this week, please also consider having a discussion about their use of technology. Our phones, tablets and computers often feel like an extension of ourselves, but it’s so important for our students to learn to effectively manage their screen time and technology use. 

Year 7 students recently participated in an HLS class reviewing some of their digital habits. Here are some great habits that were shared by our students:

• I wait until a teacher asks me to open my laptop in class

• Turn on the Focus / Do Not Disturb setting on my phone when doing homework

• Charging my laptop every night

• I check my calendar each day before going to school

There were also some worrisome habits that students shared:

• Scrolling TikTok until it’s way after my bedtime

• I respond to people as soon as they text me

• Playing games to procrastinate from doing homework

Students were asked to choose one habit that they might like to change and anticipate some of the challenges they may face when trying to make that change. Please discuss your child’s goal with them and see what you might do to help them make a positive change in the use of their device(s).

We will be working with our Year 6 students in the coming weeks to help them organize their digital selves more effectively and to introduce a few key tools to help them stay organized and focused in class. As you discuss their overall school goals, consider having a discussion about how they use their device(s) in class and outside of school. What goals might they set for themselves to develop more healthy habits when using their technology?

Please note that all Year 6 and Year 7 students were supplied with a small set of earbuds at the beginning of the year. Please check with your child—if they have misplaced or broken their headphones, please help them find a set that will easily fit into their laptop case so they are prepared for class each day. They are an essential piece of equipment for many classes.

Sarah Barclay

Middle Technology Integrator

Martha Boyce

Health and Life Skills Coordinator

DONATE | COTH Food Drive

A friendly reminder our food drive for the Churches on the Hill (COTH) Food Drive is now running until Friday, December 8. The COTH Food Bank located just around the corner from UCC, is currently providing food parcels to between 1,100 to 1,200 people per week. The vast majority of their clients are families (including 30 babies per week) unable to manage the high cost of housing and food. The COTH Food Bank has provided us with a list of items that will best support their current demands. Please see below for a list of items and help us help the COTH Food Bank. Initiatives are taking place at school to discuss and promote our Food Drive. As we all know, it feels good to help others.

SK—Baby formula and canned fruit

1C—Diapers Size 4 - 6 and canned tuna

2C—Peanut butter and canned salmon

3O—Dry pasta and canned chicken

3G—Salted crackers and dried beans

4F—Peanut butter and white or brown rice

4B—Peanut butter and white or brown rice

5H—Baby formula and low sugar cereals 

5F—Baby formula and low sugar cereals 

5B—Baby formula and low sugar cereals 

6C—Diapers size 4-6 and dried pasta 

6T—Diapers size 4 - 6 and canned fruit

6F—Diapers size 4 -6 and canned tuna

6L—Diapers size 4 - 6 and canned salmon

7F—Baby formula and large flake oats 

7G—Baby formula and dried beans

7C—Baby formula and dried pasta 

7B—Baby formula and canned chicken 

7S—Baby formula and salted crackers 

7P—Baby formula and large flaked oats 

Many thanks in advance for your support of the Churches on the Hill Food Bank.

The Year 6/7 Community Service Leaders 

Riley Carter 

Community Engagement and Service Learning Coordinator

Festive Marketplace — calling all bakers!