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Dear Prep families, 

Rowan’s Law Day and National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

Today we acknowledged Rowan’s Law Day and wore purple to raise awareness for concussion safety. Students partnered with their buddy class for the first time this year to participate in a community time activity where they learned about concussions, talked about ways to keep their brain safe, and got to know their learning buddy!

Tomorrow, we will be honouring the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation by wearing orange shirts, and having a virtual special morning message to start the day with special guests from our Norval campus. In order to support conversations at home, we are providing two resources that provide information about residential schools, and strategies for engaging with your child as well as suggestions for learning more about the history and culture of Indigenous communities in Canada.

• Residential schools

• Talking to you child about Orange Shirt Day

Upcoming partnership opportunities

We also want to draw your attention to three upcoming partnership opportunities. There is more information below about each of them, but we want to be sure they are on your radar!  

Hopes and Dreams Conferences: The first conferences of the year will be held next Friday, Oct. 6. These are foundational conversations between parents/guardians to discuss how your children are settling in, and what your hopes and dreams are for your child’s experience this school year. These conferences are being offered both in person and virtual. There will be no school for students on this day.  

Community Reads Book Club: The Prep Leadership team is partnering with the PPO to launch a Community Reads Book Club! The fall book selection is Boys: What It Means to Become a Man by Rachel Giese and will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 14 from 6:30–8 p.m. in the Prep's Wilder Library. We are delighted to have author Rachel Giese join us at this session! Please read the article below for more information about getting a copy of the book; the Prep will have several copies available for purchase. We look forward to an engaging evening of conversation together!

SK–Year 7 parent education evening: This year we will be offering a series of parent education evenings across the school year where we will share with you more about our approaches to learning and ways you can support your child at home. Our first session will be literacy-focused, and it will be occurring with a guest literacy consultant, Colleen Ackford from Erin Kent Consulting, on October 12 from 7–8:30 p.m. in Weston Hall. The session will focus on what matters most for growing readers and ways we can support learning at home. Our evening will include a keynote presentation and then smaller group breakout sessions in grade-level bands to provide some practical takeaways for readers within different age groups.  Mark your calendars!

Your partners in learning,

Sarah Fleming, David Girard and Gareth Evans

The Prep Leadership Team

Year 1 | Update

Year 1 is off to a fabulous start! It has been a pleasure to get to know your children. They are adapting well to the new school year, are asking thoughtful questions and are incredibly enthusiastic towards learning.

In our first unit of inquiry Choices, students are exploring how people can make a difference through thoughts, words, and actions. This unit establishes beginning-of-the-year routines while focusing on developing their social-emotional skills. The students are investigating friendships, problem-solving, and cause and effect relationships. 

In Math we are increasing our understanding of number sense. Students are recognizing, reading, and writing numbers as well as counting beyond 10. We are using pictures, manipulatives, and number sentences to express our thinking. We will always consolidate our learning through independent and group work as well as fast finisher tasks that will help to practise and extend skills. On Tuesdays, we start the day with Math Talks Tuesday (see image to right) which promotes group work, engaging conversations, and utilizing mathematical language.

We continue to establish the various classroom routines that keep 1C organized. Thank you for your support in ensuring the first few weeks of homework and Friday Letter were complete. We will be launching our at home reading program soon. With teacher assistance, your learner will be selecting a book that they feel comfortable reading to bring home in their agenda. They are welcome to keep the book at home for as long as they need. Here is some guidance on home reading:

• Make it a pleasurable experience; do not fight over ‘sounding out’ words. If they are struggling with a word, give it to them. Reread the book again the next night and watch how they pick up the word. If there are too many tough words, bring back the book and I will help them find the right book. 

• Be the parent (not the teacher), have fun and enjoy the books. Share moments, and laugh.

Thank you to the Year 1 families for your support and collaboration. I look forward to a wonderful year together!

Riley Carter
Year 1 Form Adviser

Primary music | update

We are very grateful for the opportunity to learn and grow with your children each day and we love seeing and interacting with the students at the Prep school.

Across the primary grade levels, we have started the year by playing musical instruments and singing songs connected to Terry Fox, Remembrance Day, and Canadian veterans. We have talked about how songs are created and how they are sung in order to remember a specific person, a group of people, or a specific event. 

In Senior Kindergarten to Year 3, students are focused on understanding a variety of rhythmic symbols and patterns. This knowledge is then transferred to the singing of the Terry Fox song and Remembrance Day songs, and the playing of their Orff instruments.

Year 4 students have been singing the Terry Fox song and playing their recorders. They have learned the proper rest and playing postures, and effective breathing techniques so far this year.

Year 5 students have sung the Terry Fox song and are making progress on their ukuleles. They are exploring the four open strings - G, C, E, A, and the frets, 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

Year 5 to 7 | French update

The Prep French team is thrilled for the upcoming school year, and we're eager to provide an array of enriching experiences for our students, including concerts, plays, and exciting learning opportunities. Here's an overview of what your child will be learning in French class at each grade level. 

In Year 5, students are in the final stages of a vocabulary and grammar review and will soon delve into studying the book En vacances. This will involve honing their reading comprehension skills and strategies to comprehend the text, answer various types of questions, and expand their vocabulary.

The Year 6 standard students have commenced their first unit, Je me présente, where they'll learn to express themselves, focusing on essential vocabulary and grammar conventions.

The Year 6 enriched students started a unit based on videos from the series Là où je dors. We discuss the daily life of kids from around the world while reviewing regular and irregular verbs at the present tense. Listening and writing will be formally assessed at the end of the unit in early November. 

Year 7 fast track and standard students have initiated their first unit, Où j’habite, centred around describing their neighbourhoods using vocabulary related to cities and grammar conventions. This unit will involve a review of verb groups and unit vocabulary, enriching criterion A listening and criterion C oral skills.

Year 7 enriched students started an adapted version of the novel Le comte de Monte-Cristo. All verbs from the three groups are being reviewed. Reading comprehension skills and writing will be formally evaluated at the end of the unit in early November. 

Peter Labancz

French Language Learning Leader

SIGN UP | Community Reads Book Club on November 14

The Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee of the PPO, supported by the Prep Leadership Team, is excited to launch the Community Reads Book Club! Our hope is that the book club serves as a community builder and an opportunity to share and start discussions around the varied and important values in our community.

Our fall book selection is Boys: What It Means to Become a Man by Rachel Giese, a Toronto-based journalist and regular contributor to CBC Radio. She is also a Deputy National Editor at the Globe and Mail. 

Winner of the Shaughnessy Cohen Prize, Boys takes an in-depth look at the societal myths surrounding masculinity and examines the many challenges facing boys today. The book is available at various community bookstores (Type Books, Another Story and Queen Books) as well as big box stores. The Prep Leadership Team has bought several copies that will be available at the Prep library for borrowing or purchase at cost. Contact Crystal Arruda if you are interested in purchasing a copy. 

Our fall book club discussion will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 14 from 6:30-8 p.m. in the Wilder LIbrary at the Prep. We are delighted to have author Rachel Giese join us at this session!

NOTE: This is a date change from what was sent in the PPO newsletter last week —we hope you are able to join us as there will only be one session for the fall book.

If you are interested in joining the book club, please complete this form by Thursday, Nov. 9! Please contact Samira or Kalesha with any questions.

SAVE THE DATE | Literacy information and parent session on October 12

This year, we are excited to partner with Erin Kent Consulting as we continue to enrich our literacy practices. Our consultant, Colleen Ackford, will be onsite with us the week of October 10-13th, offering professional development workshops, demonstration lessons and coaching opportunities.

Colleen Ackford has worked as an IB classroom teacher, curriculum developer, reading specialist, literacy intervention teacher, and learning coach in Canada, Japan, Thailand, Australia, and Chile. Colleen has extensive experience working alongside teachers to establish responsive literacy programs and utilize research-informed literacy practices that inspire learners to take ownership of their reading and writing lives, express curiosity, and grow their thinking with peers. Colleen has guided teaching teams with developing outcome-aligned units of study, progressions of learning, transdisciplinary units, and assessments. She is passionate about coaching to support teams in reaching their collective goals and studying their impact on student learning. Colleen is based in Singapore.

As a part of our consultant visit, we’d like to offer a parent education session for SK-7 focused on what matters most for growing readers and ways we can support learning at home. Our evening will include a keynote presentation and then smaller group breakout sessions in grade level bands to provide some practical take aways for readers within different age groups.

Please mark your calendar and plan to attend October 12 @ 7 - 8:30 pm in Weston Hall.

We hope to see you there.

Dianne Jojic               

PYP Coordinator      

Melody Thompson

Literacy Learning Leader

CORRECTION | PRIMARY Three Way Conferences

The Primary Three Way Conferences scheduled for November 23 and November 24 will ONLY take place on November 24. All conferences can fit into one day for Primary. November 23 will be a regular, full day of school for SK-5 students.  The Primary conferences will be in person so students can share their work with parents/teachers and offer a tour of subject classrooms. 

Middle students will still only have school until noon (no lunch) on November 23 as their conferences will need to run from 1-8pm on the 23rd as well as all day on the 24th. 

Further details and instructions to book conferences will be sent in a future edition of Heads Up. 

REGISTER | Beaver math contest 

The Beaver Computing Challenge will take place on November 15. Interested students in Years 5 to 7 are encouraged to register. All students will receive a registration form link by email today, September 28, from Mr. Ismail. Please discuss this with your child. Registration will close on October 8.

SAVE THE DATE | PPO Parent Coffee Socials 

The PPO invites parents to connect and enjoy coffee and snacks together in the Foster Hewitt Foundation Lounge (inside the William P. Wilder ’40 Arena & Sports Complex) from 8:30–10 a.m. on the following dates:

• October 2: SK–Year 4 

• October 3: Year 5 and 6

• October 5: Year 7

If you have not yet had a chance to RSVP, please do so by sending an email with your name and your son's form to parentengagement@uccprepparents.ca. 

SAVE THE DATE | Used Uniform Sale on October 4 and 5

Support shopping sustainably! The Used Uniform Sale presents the perfect opportunity to stock up on gently used uniform items for SK to Year 7 students. It will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 4 from 2:30-4 p.m. and Thursday, Oct. 5 from 8–9:15 a.m. in the William P. Wilder ’40 Arena & Sports Complex. This year we have a great selection of pants, polo shirts, dress shirts, ties, sweaters, physical education uniforms and a selection of blazers. While we will have bags at the sale, we ask that if they can, families bring their own reusable bags. 

Donations — Please drop off gently used uniform items in the used uniform blue box which you will find under the main staircase of the lower level of the Prep. Donations are always welcome, but please do not drop off stained or ripped clothing. 

Volunteers — The Used Uniform Sale committee is looking for volunteers with a couple of hours to spare, to help sort and organize donations prior to the events, or to take a shift at one of the sales throughout the year. Please email useduniform@uccprepparents.ca if you can help out. Your time is greatly appreciated!

All proceeds from the sale will go towards the Prep wish list.

Thank you for supporting the PPO!

Last Chance to Order Puffer Jackets!

Orders for puffer jackets must be in by September 30. The navy-blue puffer jacket is made of 100% nylon with a water repellent finish and is filled with a lightweight insulation. Featuring the white UCC crest on the upper left chest, this jacket is recommended for temperatures between +10C and -5C.

Jackets are available in youth XS-XL, women’s XS-2XL and men’s S-4XL. A size chart is available when ordering. Please measure carefully as there are no exchanges or returns. Order your puffer jacket here

REMINDER | TPH student immunization clinic for Year 7

UCC will be hosting the Toronto Public Health (TPH) vaccination clinic for Year 7 students. The clinic will be held on Monday, Nov. 6 at the Prep School.

Vaccinations that will be made available at the clinic:

● Meningococcal* — to prevent meningitis 

● Human papillomavirus — to prevent cancers 

● Hepatitis B — to prevent liver cancer 

A reminder that under Ontario’s Immunization of School Pupil Act (ISPA), all students are required to be up-to-date with Meningococcal vaccines or have a valid exemption. Hepatitis B and HPV vaccines prevent cancers and are voluntary for school attendance. 

Students in Year 7 were given a consent package to bring home this week that included a vaccine pamphlet and a consent form. 

To prepare for the clinic, please remember to:

1. Read the Hepatitis B, HPV and meningococcal vaccine pamphlet.

2. Complete and sign the consent form, and have your child return it to their teacher as soon as possible and before the clinic date. Please complete the form even if you do not want your child to be vaccinated. For more information about how to complete the consent form, please review the SIP Checklist.

3. Return the signed hardcopy to the Prep Health Centre by Friday, Sept. 29.

For more information about these vaccines, please talk to your doctor or call Toronto Public Health at 416-338-7600.

Thank you for your ongoing support to keep our students and school community healthy. For any additional information, please email health.centre@ucc.on.ca.

UCC Health Centre