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UCC Winterfest 2025

The Prep is participating in UCC’s Winterfest tomorrow, Friday, Jan. 17! Winterfest is an opportunity for all members of the UCC community to display their school spirit and support for the numerous winter athletic teams. Students and faculty will be attending games scheduled throughout the day and wearing blue and white casual clothing to school. We're looking forward to celebrating our school spirit with the Prep community! 

A full game schedule is available under Whole Shool, Athletics.

We hope to see our students celebrating their school spirit during Winterfest. 

David Girard and Gareth Evans

Update | Form 1

Happy 2025! It was wonderful to welcome the students of 1M back into the classroom. They were thrilled to have the opportunity to reconnect with their peers and share stories about their winter holiday. We have launched right back into learning and inquiring. 

In math we have just started our new unit, Numbers to 20! Students are first exploring how 10 can work together with small numbers to build our “teen” numbers. This builds on students' understanding of number bonds to recognize larger numbers. 

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 Gingerbread Man, 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 Tuesday, Feb. 4 from 2:15 - 3 in Weston Hall and you don't want to miss it! We look forward to showing you how performances are a means of storytelling.

In Writers Workshop, students have just begun work on writing their very own fairy tale! This guided writing process has us writing one story element at a time. Students have started to develop their main character; working to ensure there is something special about their character and a detailed outline of what they look like. Ask your learner what detail they will add to their story to ensure that it is a fairy tale!

During the winter season, the students of 1M have been delighted by all of the special events taking place. We had the chance to watch a few minutes of the Year 6 hockey game recently and we are eagerly looking forward to Winterfest and our debut as the Ice Chips during Friday’s varsity hockey game! Go blues! 

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

Anna Marshall

Year 1 Form Advisor

Update | Primary Music

Dear Prep Families,

Happy New Year! We hope you had a fun-filled and restful break with family and friends. We are so excited to welcome the students back and look forward to another wonderful term of music-making together.

Across the primary grade levels, we are continuing to reinforce our classroom routines and expectations while engaging in playing musical instruments and singing songs connected to various themes. Students have already explored different types of instruments, learning about their mechanics, and discussing how to care for and maintain them in order to produce the best possible sound.

In Senior Kindergarten through Year 3, students are working on understanding a variety of rhythmic symbols and patterns. This knowledge is then applied to singing, as well as playing both non-pitched and pitched percussion instruments.

Year 4 students have been learning to play the recorder. They are mastering a range of new notes, applying them to songs, and practicing the correct fingering technique for each new pattern.

Year 5 students are making great progress on the ukulele. They continue to develop their ability to read and play chords while focusing on proper posture and playing technique.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. I look forward to an amazing term ahead!

Musically,

Caroline Heo

SK-Year 5 Music Teacher 

Update  | Middle French

The Year 6 and 7 students have demonstrated incredible dedication over the past month and a half, completing their second units of study: Bon Appétit for Year 6 and Les Vêtements Autour du Monde for Year 7. As we embark on a new year, exciting new units are underway.

In Year 6, students are beginning a unit titled Ma Journée Typique. This unit focuses on describing their typical day, covering themes such as times of day, telling time, and activities both in school and extracurricular settings. Through this theme, students will develop their grammar skills and expand their thematic vocabulary. Assessments will focus on Criterion C: Speaking and Criterion D: Writing), allowing students to apply their learning in meaningful contexts.

Year 7 students are diving into the passé composé with the unit Le Temps Libre. This unit challenges them to describe family events, holidays, and vacations in the past, present, and future tenses. By exploring the intricacies of French grammar, they will enhance their ability to express themselves across different time frames. Similar to the Year 6 unit, Year 7 students will be assessed on Criterion C: Speaking and Criterion D: Writing. This aligns seamlessly with the IB MYP Key Concept of Time, Place, and Space, enriching their understanding of these fundamental ideas.

Looking ahead, we are thrilled to announce the return of French Week at the Prep (called World Languages Week at the Upper School). As part of French Week, we are delighted to welcome David Lane, a dynamic and engaging performer and educator, for a special presentation:

David Lane: Middle Year 6-7 French Week Performance
📅 Date: February 28
⏰ Time: 1:15–2:35 p.m.

David Lane, formerly of the Juno-nominated quartet Cadence, has been captivating audiences with his beatboxing and vocal artistry for over a decade. With degrees in Music Performance and Education, David has led more than 500 educational workshops and performed with Grammy-winning artists. His current group, Duwende, is based in New York City and has garnered over 5 million YouTube views. We are excited for our students to experience his engaging performance and learn about the limitless possibilities of the human voice.

We look forward to sharing these enriching experiences with our students and fostering their love for the French language and culture. Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to explore the world of French at the Prep!

Peter Labancz
Learning Leader, French

Update | Language and Literature

In Middle Language and Literature, our Year 6 and Year 7 students are busy diving into their new units of study:

Year 6: The Power of Persuasion

This term in Year 6 Language and Literature, students are diving into the dynamic world of persuasive writing and rhetoric. Our current unit focuses on understanding and mastering the structure, style, and language that make persuasive arguments compelling and impactful.

Students will explore the building blocks of persuasive communication, starting with the essential writing techniques needed to craft convincing arguments. They’ll learn about the classic tools of rhetoric—logos (logic), pathos (emotion), and ethos (credibility)—which have been used by great speakers and writers for centuries. Beyond writing, students will also sharpen their presentation skills, practicing how to use tone of voice, body language, and other techniques to deliver their ideas persuasively and confidently.

What makes this unit particularly exciting is the mentor texts we’ll be using. Students will analyze award-winning entries from the New York Times Student Editorial Contest, an international competition showcasing the persuasive talents of young writers from around the world. Among these is an editorial written by a former BSS student who achieved recognition in the contest! These mentor texts offer not only inspiration but also practical examples of how young writers can effectively express their opinions and influence others.

The unit will culminate in an engaging project: students will write and present a persuasive speech on a topic they’re passionate about. This final task will allow them to apply all they’ve learned, from structuring their arguments to delivering them with confidence and flair.

Who knows? By the end of this unit, these budding rhetoricians might just be using their newfound skills to craft the perfect argument for why they deserve extra screen time or a later bedtime. Parents, be prepared—your child might soon be the most persuasive person in the house!

Year 7: Global Storytelling: A Study of Universal Archetypes

In Year 7 Language and Literature, students are embarking on an exciting new unit: Global Storytelling: A Study of Universal Archetypes. This unit explores how the stories we love—from ancient myths to modern blockbusters—are rooted in timeless archetypes that transcend cultures, beliefs, and generations.

We’re focusing on five story archetypes that are everywhere in pop culture: Rags to Riches, Rebirth, Overcoming the Monster, The Hero’s Journey, and Tragedy. Through these classic narratives, students will uncover the ways good storytelling connects us all and fosters empathy, helping them grow into stronger global citizens. By examining these universal themes, they’ll see how stories serve as bridges, uniting people across time and place.

To deepen their literary skills, students will study literary devices like allusions—those clever little references to other works that serve as inside jokes for readers and viewers. Understanding allusions not only enriches their appreciation of literature but also enhances their ability to connect with stories on a deeper level.

What sets this unit apart is its emphasis on collaboration. Students will work in project groups to study an ancient tale—whether it’s a parable, fable, or myth—and then bring it to life in an innovative way. Partnering with our technology integrators, they’ll create a digital movie trailer for their chosen story, combining their literary analysis with modern digital storytelling techniques.

This creative, collaborative approach ensures that students gain both a richer understanding of storytelling’s universal power and practical experience in presenting their insights in dynamic ways. By the end of this unit, students will not only see the connections between stories from different cultures but will also gain the tools to craft and share meaningful stories of their own.

Michaela Trelford

Learning Leader, MYP Language and Literature