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Dear Prep Families,

This week the College welcomed wellbeing expert and New York Times bestselling author Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky to campus as our Casey Fellow. For two decades, Dr. Lyubomirsky has studied happiness and practices we can incorporate into our daily lives to increase our happiness and wellbeing. While at the College, she delivered sessions for students, faculty, and the wider community. We were particularly fortunate to have Dr. Lyubomisrky join us at the Prep to speak with our Year 6 and 7 student leaders about three particular skills that her research shows are additive to our wellbeing: connecting with one another; helping one another; and showing gratitude. It was a lively discussion, with Allyship Council members and Colour House Captains asking many questions about the research methods and findings.

These practices of connection, helping others and gratitude align well with our focus this year at the Prep on looking for ways to build each other up. Every day we see examples of students putting these skills into action—just this week we spotted a Year 1 classroom greeter offering guests a warm welcome, Year 3 students in their art class reminding each other of how to use the colour wheel to select complementary colours for their work and Year 7 students thanking their science teacher for one-to-one support as they practiced balancing chemical equations. Dr. Lyubomirsky’s research shows that over time small actions like these make a significant difference to our individual and community wellbeing and happiness. 

You will see in this issue that students are actively engaged in learning across the Prep. There is also much anticipation and excitement about forthcoming festive celebrations. Thank you for your ongoing support and partnership in these last few weeks before the winter holidays.

Your partners in learning,

Julia Kinnear, David Girard and Gareth Evans

The Prep Leadership Team

Year 3 | Update

This past week, Year 3 has been buzzing with activity as students prepare for our Forces Fair on Thursday, Dec. 7. It is an exciting way to end our science-focused Inquiry unit into the forces of friction, magnetism and gravity. Year 3 families can join us at 2:45 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 7. The Forces Fair will happen in 3O, 3G and Bitove Lounge. Your children will share the games they built as part of our Forces unit. 

Our next Inquiry unit focuses on perspectives. We will be looking at how people express themselves. To explore this, we will read a class novel, Planet Omar and the Accidental Trouble Magnet. This book explores themes of bullying and friendship. At the start of the novel, one character expresses some racist views toward Omar’s family. We will be having age-appropriate conversations to explore how this kind of behaviour can be incredibly hurtful and harmful for those individuals and groups of people who are targets. This book will undoubtedly springboard many conversations. At home, please talk to your son about the book and even ask him to read it aloud. It is a beautiful story and a worthwhile read for any age. If your child has questions about racism, an underlying theme in the book, you might find this resource useful for your conversations at home. 

In math, we wrap up our unit in multi-digit addition and subtraction. Students demonstrate their learning in class quizzes, centre work and unit tests. Our upcoming unit will focus on multiplication and division facts. To learn these facts, we will look for patterns within the different fact families and play numerous games that reinforce understanding. Our goal for students is that they can accurately and fluently recall their multiplication and division facts, with a focus on the fact families from one through nine. If you want to help your son accurately recall his facts, here are a few examples of dice games to practice math facts. 

In language, we are finishing up reading our novel, Iron Man. Students enjoyed this fairy tale. We used this novel to discuss the plot and characterization. In our Writer’s Workshop time, students have completed their narratives. Every student wrote about a small moment in their life. We used the writing process —from brainstorming, pre-writing, planning, drafting, revising and finally, publishing! Students will be sharing these stories with their classmates, and we will send them home so you can enjoy their writing. 

Kathryn O’Brien and Christie Gordon
Year 3 Form Advisers

Language and literature | Update

Year 7 language and literature is winding toward the end of 2023. The students have completed a novel study and are now embarking on a summative writing assignment. The first term saw the students explore a number of narratives and they will be asked to bring their learning to an original creative writing piece. Many of the authors we studied do a wonderful job of “showing” rather than “telling” and that will be the challenge for the students.

Year 6 Language and literature students are also working on a summative assignment. They are honing their writing skills by drafting and revising a personal narrative. Students have the option to write a narrative in text, graphic novel, or photo essay format. They are working on incorporating all of the elements of a narrative they have learned, such as setting, problem, rising action, climax, and denouement while also including sensory detail and other literary devices to engage the reader.

As the winter holiday approaches, the Language and Literature department wishes everyone a wonderful break filled with family, friends, and fiction.

John Berney, Tia Chambers and Max Perren
Language and Literature Teachers

Health and life skills and student support | Update

Health and life skills classes in SK to Year 4 continue to focus on recognizing, naming and regulating emotions, kindness and empathy, problem solving and the impact of choices. Year 5’s have been talking about wellbeing, leadership and are just beginning to look at healthy eating.  

In Year 6 we have primarily been working on communication, collaboration and problem solving skills through a variety of group challenges. The Year 7’s have used the results from a character strengths survey completed in HLS to create a design in art and their current Personal Safety and Injury Prevention unit addresses technology use, digital habits, cyberbullying and sexting.  Among other things, we are looking at decision-making and the potential personal and legal impacts of technology choices.  

Student support 

Counsellors Kayla Gosse and Martha Boyce are always available to support students who would benefit from some one-to-one time to talk about concerns and build skills to help them manage. Teachers are most often the ones who refer students, but parents can as well and sometimes classmates will bring their friends by for help. Please speak with your child’s Form Adviser or connect with us directly if you are interested in accessing support for your child. 

Nurse Gina, Ms. Boyce and Ms. Gosse have been meeting with new students to check-in with them about their first few months of school. We have heard about highlights and challenges, have reminded them of the academic and other supports available at the Prep and gathered their ideas for ways to help new students transition to UCC. 

Activities

To provide opportunities for students to get to know others, practice social and problem solving skills or just have a different option for recess, we offer optional indoor recess activities for students in Years 2 to 7. 

• On Mondays at morning recess, Year 2’s can stay inside to build with Lego or craft materials or play a game.  *Year 1s will join in the new year.  

• Tuesdays and Thursdays Year 3 students who signed up, come in small groups for lunch and lunch recess.  We sit and chat while we eat and then have activity time. 

• Fridays at morning recess Years 4-7 have the opportunity to come to the dining hall for ‘Games Mania’ and play cards, board games, build with Lego or with games they bring.  Pokemon has been quite popular lately!

Martha Boyce
Health and Life Skills teacher

Visiting Festive Marketplace

Dear Families,

SK to Year 4 classes will be performing and visiting the Festive Marketplace at the following times. 

Please feel free to attend when your child is performing. After the performance, you may take your child around for a short visit to shop before the class returns to the Prep together. Those families that cannot attend may send a small amount of money ($10-20 is suggested) with their child for purchases. Items purchased at Festive Marketplace can be enjoyed at home. 

Year 5 to 7 classes can also bring some money as they will be visiting the Festive Marketplace, but they will not be performing.

They will be visiting at the following times:

• Year 5s will visit Festive with their form adviser at a convenient time during the day

• Year 6s will visit Festive during morning recess

• Year 7s will visit Festive during lunch recess / FLEXtime

Please find guidelines below regarding Festive Marketplace visits to the Upper School on December 8:

1. Students are only permitted to purchase from the Bake Sale table and Snowball Grab.

2. Also:

1. $10.00 - $20.00 is a suggested amount for students to bring to school 

2. Faculty will accompany students during their Festive Marketplace visit

David Girard

Assistant Head of the Prep School - Primary Division

DONATE | Holiday Hamper program

This year, we are thrilled to introduce a new initiative, the Holiday Hamper program, aimed at bringing the joy of the festive season to those in need. We have committed to sponsoring twenty families at Sprucecourt Public School. Each UCC form class will take on the heartwarming task of sponsoring a family, ensuring the magic of the holidays becomes a reality. Emphasizing the spirit of giving without seeking recognition, our donations will be carried out anonymously. We believe in instilling a sense of fulfillment in our students, teaching them that the joy of giving back is a reward in itself. Together, we aim to make a meaningful impact and spread the true essence of the holiday season. 

On the document below, please scroll across the bottom and find your child’s form class. You will then see a shopping list for the family they are sponsoring. If you would like to support this initiative, please sign up on the document. Important notes:

• Please involve your child in this initiative, have some fun with them! Take them shopping for someone else, let them pick out the item!

• Gifts must be in your child’s form class no later than Friday December 15

• Please attach a gift receipt to the gift

• Please send the gift in wrapped (gift cards do not need to be wrapped)

• If all gifts have been accounted for on your child’s class page, please do not hesitate to buy extra grocery gift cards to Loblaws — the Principal has shared there is an immense need for this

Lastly, I am looking for parent volunteers to help deliver the gifts on Monday, Dec. 18. If you are interested please email me.

UCC Holiday Hampers 2023

Many thanks in advance for your support of this initiative. It feels good to give, especially around the holiday season!

Riley Carter

Community Engagement and Service Learning Coordinator 

SAVE THE DATE | Year 7 dance is Friday, Dec. 15

The Prep is hosting a dance and activities on Friday, Dec. 15, from 7 to 9 p.m. All Year 7 students are strongly encouraged to attend. The Prep also invites students from Havergal, BSS, Branksome Hall, St. Clement’s, St. Mildred’s and Trafalgar Castle. Students must not invite their own guests.

To ensure the safety and appropriate conduct of students, UCC Year 7 form advisers and stewards from the Upper School will be chaperoning the dance. Please arrange your child’s transportation to and from this event within this timeframe. The pickup time is very important.

While all Year 7 Prep students are invited, we must receive a completed permission form to generate our guest list and collect relevant information in case of an emergency. 

If you haven’t already done so, please fill out this permission form for your child.

Sincerely,

Gareth Evans

Assistant Head of the Preparatory School: Middle Division

Festive Auction is live!

Auction Highlights

Festive Auction includes dozens of spectacular items!  Highlights include courtside Raptors tickets, a 600 level suite for a Leafs game, a weekend in the country near Blue Mountain, a rowing machine and a Mitch Marner signed Leafs jersey!

Please visit the Festive Auction Catalog to see all of the items.

Help make Snowball Grab a success

Everyone’s favourite Snowball Grab is back this year thanks to our sponsor Pizza Pizza!

The Snowball Grab fun starts at 10 a.m. during Festive Marketplace on December 8. For only $5 students will be able to play and win gift cards and prizes. Everyone wins, every time!

We are still looking for donations. The more gift cards we have, the more students will get to play! Please donate gift cards (a few ideas are Pizza Pizza, Dairy Queen, Freshii, Shoppers Drugmart, Five Guys, McDonald's, Chick-fil-A, Indigo, Best Buy, Starbucks, Loblaws, Apple, Cineplex, etc.) by December 1 for the exciting and nail-biting Snowball Grab. 

Donated gift cards can be delivered to Prep reception or e-transfers can be made to treasurer@uccpo.ca (and we will buy the gift cards for you!).

Festive Marketplace — calling all bakers!

Please click here and let us know what you are planning on making or bringing. We are very grateful for any items, homemade or purchased. 

Our amazing volunteers will collect items directly from your car at  the following times:  

Thursday, Dec. 7
7:30–9 a.m. and 3-4:30 p.m. at the Prep Peacock Arch, Prep Forest Hill Entrance and Upper School Front Steps. 

Friday, Dec. 8

7:30–9 a.m. at the Prep Peacock Arch, Prep Forest Hill Entrance and Upper School Front Steps.

We are also looking for volunteers to help out on the day of the Bake Sale. If you’re available to help, please click here to sign up.

Questions? Please email the Festive Bake Sale Team.

Happy baking!