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New Student Orientation Day

This year, we have 133 new students joining us in the Prep School! 

Creating a welcoming culture is important to us and we intentionally design a thoughtful transition for new students joining our community. As a part of that plan, new students (excluding SKs) will participate in New Student Orientation Day on Tuesday, Sept. 3. 

This is a partial day which allows students a soft entry to their new school, and their new school year. They will meet their Form Adviser and fellow new students, see their classroom, tour the school, and participate in a variety of team-building activities. 

In addition, students in Year 6 and Year 7 will meet student leaders who are eager to share their insights and experiences at UCC. These student leaders will also continue their mentorship of the new classmates throughout the upcoming weeks as they learn to navigate the Prep and establish new friendships. 

In Primary classrooms, Form Advisers are thoughtful and intentional about ensuring the new students have mentors and guides throughout their first few days and weeks. 

We are confident that our orientation will support students with their transition to our school community.  

Please have students arrive in Regular Dress uniform (see Family Handbook for description) for the New Student Orientation Day.

ARRIVAL between 8:30 a.m. and 9 a.m.   

DISMISSAL (on this day) is 11:30 a.m. for new Y1–Y6 students

DISMISSAL (on this day) is 11:45 a.m. for new Y7 students  

Helpful reminders for September

Tuesday, Sept. 3: New student orientation. See notes above.

Wednesday, Sept. 4: First full day of classes for students in Year 1 to Year 7.

Please arrive between 8 and 8:30 a.m.

• Uniform:

Year 1 to Year 4 students wear primary regular dress

Year 5 to Year 7 students wear warm weather dress

• • SK students: Family interviews will be conducted on Wednesday, Sept. 4 and Thursday, Sept. 5 with a half day of school for SK students on Friday, Sept. 6. The school will be reaching out to schedule family interviews.  

Dismissal

The Prep Dismissal times for the 2024–25 school year are as follows:

• • SK–Year 2: 3:10 p.m.

  • Year 3–4: 3:25 p.m.

  • Year 5: 3:40 p.m.

  • Year 6–7: 3:50 p.m.

Wednesday Late Starts

• Beginning Sept. 11, classes at the Prep will have a start time of 9:25 a.m. only on Wednesdays, with student drop-off beginning at 9:10 a.m. 

• We will offer a supervised Before School Program on Wednesday mornings (with student drop-off from 8 to 8:30 a.m.) for families who may need it. This program will be offered at no additional cost to families. Please see registration info below. 

Uniform

• The Prep School Dress Code is outlined in the Prep section of the Family Handbook.  

• You can view illustrations of the Preparatory School uniform items: SK–Year 4 and Years 5–7.

• Ordering options are available here.

Textbook Ordering

• Year 6 and 7 families should follow the instructions below to order textbooks.

Class lists

• Families will receive notification of their child’s class by email at the end of August. 

Lunch Information

With the cooperation of Aramark, our food services provider, we offer all students the following three options at lunch:

1. The hot lunch program (includes beverages)

• The menu, which operates on a three-week cycle, offers soup, one main entrée, one vegetarian entrée, a sandwich/salad bar and dessert every day. Milk and water (and chocolate milk as an occasional treat) are included. 

• Bag lunches will be prepared for field trips as required for hot lunch participants.

• Registration and fee information below.

2. The milk program (for those who bring their lunch from home)

• Students may bring their lunch and enrol in the milk program, which offers milk and chocolate milk on occasion.

• Registration and fee information below.

3. Lunch from home

• Parents may opt to send lunch with their child. Thanks to the Prep Parent Organization, microwave ovens are available for all students. 

• A reminder that we are a peanut/nut free school and ask that lunches are shellfish free as well.

SK–Year 3 (lunch begins at 11:40 a.m.)

• All SK students eat lunch in their classroom

• Year 1–3 students will eat in Weston Hall

• Home lunches must be nut/peanut, and shellfish free

• There is also a snack program available to SK students

Year 4–5 (lunch begins at 11:40 a.m.)

• Students will eat in the Dining Hall

• Home lunches must be nut/peanut, and shellfish free

Year 6–7 (lunch begins at 12:15 p.m.) 

• Students will eat in the Dining Hall or Weston Hall

• Home lunches must be nut/peanut, and shellfish free

Register | Hot Lunch Program

Fees for the Hot Lunch Program, Milk program and snack program are listed below.

To register, please sign up via your child's student profile page. To access the profile page, follow the instructions here.

Please note:

If you subscribe to one of the programs, the fee is added to your child’s account on a term-by-term basis. Once registered at the beginning of the year, students remain registered unless the parents advise the Prep Office by email.

There will be no credit for days remaining in a term if a parent withdraws from the program during the term or days missed because of any absence.

Students cannot sign up part way through a term.

Expectations

Prior to registering for the hot lunch program, we would ask you to review a sample menu here and consider which option best meets your child’s needs. Students will be encouraged to make sound nutritional choices and will be expected to finish with little or no food waste. 

Register | Before School Program

On Wednesdays, classes at the Prep will have a late start time of 9:25 a.m. 

For those who cannot accommodate the late start, we offer a supervised Before School Program at no additional cost to families. The programming will be structured and age-appropriate. 

To register, please do so via your student's profile page. Instructions on how to access the profile page can be found here.

This program will begin on Wednesday, September 11, and registered students must arrive between 8 and 8:30 a.m.

Years 6–12 | 2024–25 Textbook ordering information

New and used textbook purchases can be made directly through the University of Toronto (U of T) Bookstore’s online ordering system, purchased in person at their downtown location, or ordered and shipped to another U of T campus. Click here to check the hours and addresses.

If your course is not listed, there is no required text to be ordered. Any course materials needed will be communicated by your student’s teacher during the first week of school.

Please place your order as early as possible to ensure deliveries are made before the start of the school year. Orders will be shipped by UPS, so please include a delivery address where someone will be able to receive the package (deliveries can be made to personal offices if no one will be home). 

Other information 

A stock of UCC books will be carried by U of T Bookstore throughout the academic year and may be ordered at any time, and returns are available if a student changes courses (books must be unmarked and in pristine condition for a full refund). There will be no restocking fee on books returned by Friday, October 11. 

For assistance, please contact U of T Bookstore directly at uppercanadacollege@uoftbookstore.com.

Best wishes,

Patti Cawker
Blues Shop Manager

SK–Year 5 | Technology

Dear Primary Families,

At Upper Canada College, we use technology to nurture creativity, spark imagination and learn from failures. We strive to develop highly effective, self-directed, and ethical learners who make a positive difference in their life or the lives of others. The opening of Prep’s new Innovation Lab will empower students to utilize technology across various subjects as they engage with design and construction, coding, robotics, 3D printing, and other innovative tools. We are excited to welcome students into this new vibrant and engaging learning space. 

The College will continue to issue an iPad to each student in SK to Year 4 and a laptop to each student in Year 5 for at-school use. These technologies are an important tool in the day-to-day life of our students. We work to ensure that all of the software on these devices is appropriate for their classroom learning. Students will be guided by faculty and staff when using these devices to ensure smooth functionality and security.  

Students are expected to use technology as guided by the Family Handbook and the Prep School Acceptable Use Policy for Technology, and with support from the Prep Administration and the Information and Innovation Team. Students will also be provided with a formal digital citizenship program exploring topics such as online interactions, cyberbullying, and digital privacy. Our Technology Guide for Parents at the Prep School outlines key logistical information for September as well as suggestions for managing technology and setting healthy expectations in your home. 

A reminder that you will be asked to sign the Prep School Acceptable Use Policy for Technology which will be available on Bluenet in the coming weeks. Please review the Family Handbook in conjunction with the Acceptable Use Policy for Technology as a family prior to the start of the school year.

Best Wishes,

David Girard, Assistant Head, Primary 

Joanna Martin, Technology Integration Specialist, Primary

Kathleen Peak, Executive Director, Information and Innovation

Years 6 and 7 | Technology 

At Upper Canada College, we use technology to nurture creativity, spark imagination and learn from failures. We strive to develop highly effective, self-directed, and ethical learners who make a positive difference in their life or the lives of others. School laptops are an important tool in the day-to-day life of our middle-division students. It is critical that the laptops are used appropriately as a tool for learning. In order to ensure the smooth functionality and security of the laptop, the College manages the Year 6 and 7 laptops with restrictions against non-academic software use. The laptop assigned to the students is equipped with all of the necessary software to successfully support their learning. Any additional software that is required for academic purposes will be made available through the College’s software distribution process. Students have the access rights to connect the laptops to their home wifi and printers.

Students are expected to use technology as guided by the Family Handbook and the Prep School Acceptable Use Policy for Technology and with support from the Prep Administration and the Information and Innovation Team. Students will be supported with a formal digital citizenship program exploring topics such as online interactions, cyberbullying, and digital privacy. Our Technology Guide for Parents at the Prep School outlines key logistical information for September as well as suggestions for managing technology and setting healthy expectations in your home. Please review each of these documents as a family prior to the start of the academic year.

Year 6 and Year 7 students will sign a copy of the Prep School Acceptable Use Policy for Technology. Their teacher will review it with them. In addition, parents must also sign the Prep School Acceptable Use Policy for Technology which will be available on Bluenet in the coming weeks. Please review the Family Handbook and the Acceptable Use for Technology as a family, before the beginning of the school year.

Best Wishes,

Gareth Evans, Assistant Head, Middle 

Sarah Barclay, Technology Integration Specialist, Middle

Kathleen Peak, Executive Director, Information and Innovation