Select a link to jump to an article.

Dear Prep Families,

We've had an eventful week at the Prep with lots of travel for athletics (we have students playing hockey and basketball currently in Winnipeg and Montreal!), and we're excited to share a few highlights of the past week with you, as well as look ahead to a few key events that are occurring next week.  

Celebrating Winterfest!  

We kicked off the weekend last Friday with our Winterfest whole school connection point. The whole Prep joined Year 8 students at the Year 7 versus Year 8 hockey game. Students were cheering, the band was playing, and there was a festive and celebratory feel. The game ended in a tie! Then, Years 4 and 5 students went to the Upper School to enjoy the varsity basketball game. They cheered, watched the halftime show and ate cotton candy. On Friday night, our Year 1s participated in the annual Ice Chips game, which is a scrimmage during the first intermission of the varsity hockey game. We love these opportunities to come together as a community to build school spirit, support our classmates and honour this special tradition.  

Lunar New Year

This week we've marked Lunar New Year with beautiful decorations around the Prep, a special red pocket that has been delivered to every child, and a lion dance that occurred during Prep lunch time. After school today, families are welcome to head up to the Student Centre in the Upper School to experience the Lunar New Year celebration there! I also had the privilege of attending the Boarding Lunar New Year dinner on Tuesday evening, where I heard many stories and traditions from our Upper School students about how they celebrate Lunar New Year in their families. Many classes this week also had students share celebrations and stories so that all students could learn about the holiday through their classmates.  

Coming up

Looking ahead to next week, we will be observing Holocaust Remembrance Day on Monday, and welcoming our CAIS and IB accreditation visitors to the school Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. A January 30 assembly for Year 5-Year 7 students will address the National Day of Remembrance to Acknowledge the Quebec City Mosque Attack and action against Islamophobia. 

As you will read in this edition of Heads Up, students and teachers are in full swing of the winter term’s learning. The school is a vibrant, busy and joyful place these days as students continue to grow their confidence, knowledge and skills and discover new interests. Please enjoy the highlights our teachers have shared. You'll also see that report cards are forthcoming and there are some great upcoming opportunities for parent learning through sessions offered in collaboration with the PPO.

Your partners in learning,

Sarah Fleming, David Girard and Gareth Evans

The Prep Leadership Team

Year 2 | Update

Dear 2C Community,

As we move full steam ahead into the new year, I'd like to share an update on our recent learning and upcoming focuses in 2C.

For our inquiry unit, we have transitioned from exploring Simple Machines to an engaging unit on mapping. Our central idea is that “maps help us to understand our connections to places and people.” This unit will cover various map reading and creation aspects, including key map features, different map types, and practical applications. Students will have the opportunity to create maps of our school campus. They will culminate the unit by designing a map of a fantasy place, individually or with a partner.

Our Language Arts instruction has focused on possessive and plural nouns. Students are learning to differentiate between these forms and apply their understanding in their writing. While some students have demonstrated proficiency, others are still practicing this concept. To reinforce this learning at home, I encourage you to engage your son in discussions about using apostrophes to show possession in everyday contexts. Examples found in restaurant names, venue signage, and product packaging provide excellent real-world learning opportunities.

We're also continuing to develop spelling and writing skills through the Really Great Reading program. Our current focus is the vowel-consonant-e (VCe) rule. A practice reading page related to this rule was included in the January 13 homework folder. I encourage you to review this with your child.

In mathematics, we are progressing beyond basic one and two-digit addition and subtraction to explore regrouping (carrying and borrowing). The unit will conclude with students applying their addition and subtraction skills to solve word problems. Many students have already demonstrated a strong understanding of these operations, and we will continue to provide extension activities to challenge and engage them.

Finally, I sincerely thank you for your ongoing support in ensuring the boys are appropriately dressed for the weather and prepared with their skating equipment. Managing hockey practices and ensuring everyone has hats, gloves/mittens, and proper PE attire requires significant effort, and I appreciate your dedication.

Well done, 2C!

Carly Crippin
Year 2 Form Advisor

Wilder Library | Update

It’s hard to believe that the holidays are behind us and our February Break is around the corner! The library has been fortunate to have our parent volunteers in the new year and we do have a few spots still open for weekly shifts. If this is something you would like to get involved in please let us know and we can connect.

I would like to take this opportunity to tell you about ways you can interact with the library from home!

Have you ever wondered what we have in our library? We have a collection of over 14,600 books and you can access our catalog from home at this link. We call this our OPAC which means, Online Public Access Catalogue. Immediately you will see our carousel of new books added to the system. Otherwise you can use our search bar to locate books we have. 

Along the top we have quick links to the Macintosh Library (the Upper School library), Tumblebooks (free books for lower elementary students), our Libguides and more! Students can log in using the part of their email address before @ucc.on.ca and their student number as their password. From here they can see what they have currently checked out. This is a great way to look into some books you’re interested in outside of library class!

Are you looking for book lists of ideas for reading materials? Please check out our LibGuide with several lists for different age groups. Our blue lists are composed of new and classic recommendations, our green lists are books published in the last 1-2 years only, and our sunshine lists are summer reads recommendations. We are also open to suggestions to purchase books. Please feel free to connect with Ms. Chauhan or I and we will happily purchase appropriate materials that we do not currently have in our library.

Many are familiar with the variety of resources in our space but we want to make sure that you are aware that the Libraries at UCC collect resources in the following formats: print, digital, audio, and video. We will use the following resources to accommodate any request for a person with a disability requiring converted materials:

• In-house assistive technologies: Mountain Lion, Google Read/Write

• Library Systems

• Vendors who currently or could supply the above mentioned formats

• AERO service when subscribed to by UCC

As a reminder, aside from the scheduled class time the library hours are as follows:

Monday: 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m.

Tuesday: 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m.

Wednesday: 8 a.m.–4 p.m.

Thursday: 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m.

Friday: 8 a.m.–4 p.m.

Students in Years 5, 6, and 7 are welcome to use the space (work on projects, return and borrow books, read) after school without a parent present. All students in Year 4 and under must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Laptops/iPads are permitted to be in use during this time but we do not allow gaming. 

Mallory McKinney

Teacher Librarian

Physical Education at the Prep

Physical and Health Education (PHE) Canada recently released their new Strategic Plan, including their updated Mission, which states, “PHE Canada empowers the Canadian Physical and Health Education Community to ensure students have the knowledge, skills and attitudes to lead resilient, active, and healthy lives.” 

The release of this document offers a reminder to us in the Physical Education Department to reflect on the role we play in the broader community; to think about what we are striving to achieve in our work with the younger students at the College. This is something we reflect on regularly as we consider changes to our programme, and our basic philosophy is this: students should be active and engaged in meaningful activities as much as possible in order to facilitate the development of their physical literacy.

As I describe our approach, it is useful to make a contrast with what are considered ‘traditional’ approaches in physical education (frequently criticised as being too performance-centred and, consequently, favouring those students who are already competent, and marginalising the less experienced). As I expand upon the ideas that are central to our philosophy, I will contrast these with the ‘traditional’ approaches.

We believe that the development of Physical Literacy involves students being able to react to their environments in a variety of contexts (as opposed to the traditional approach of teaching isolated skills practice and then expecting students to apply these skills effectively). For example, in our Year 6-7 gymnastics units, we ask our students to devise a sequence based on their own preferences and capabilities (while developing their understanding of concepts such as form, control and dynamism); in the younger grades, the entry point for team games are the games themselves, with students developing applied skills (e.g. throwing and catching) while they play, rather than in isolation.

The activities we choose to include in our programme are made more meaningful when they are considered to be vehicles for learning rather than the object of learning. The Year 6 Gaelic Football unit, for example, focuses on the nature of skill development which can be applied broadly, rather than a traditional approach which seeks to teach students how to play a specific sport; low-organisation games in the younger grades are vehicles for the development of co-operative and organisational skills as well as providing the repetition of basic skills (e.g. locomotion, sending and receiving). Activities that are specific to one particular sport (which a student might never play again) can feel meaningless; activities with broader applications can feel relevant and engaging.

Finally, the idea that students should be active and engaged in a physical education class is an obvious one, but we are conscious of trying to maximize this. Where traditional approaches might have students waiting in line for a turn, or playing in 10 versus 10 games (in which some students will rarely touch the ball), we seek to use activities that increase student involvement, e.g. 6-net soccer with a large number of balls in the younger grades, or playing multiple small-sided games as the students get older. The way we group students also serves to increase engagement, changing them regularly to encourage the expansion of social connections, sometimes choosing similar-ability groups to allow a suitably challenging environment, and sometimes encouraging leadership by having ‘experts’ supporting their less-experienced classmates.

While PHE Canada hopes that students will lead active and healthy lives, our PE and Games programmes ensure that our students are active within the school day every day; our hope is that their experiences will motivate them, and give them confidence, to be active when they leave the Prep.

Mark Baxter
Physical Education Learning Leader

Greetings from Prep Reception

Dear Parents and Guardians,

I would like to take this opportunity to remind you of the essential procedures for notifying us of any attendance matters affecting your child. Clear communication ensures that we can maintain a safe and structured learning environment for all students.

1. Reporting Full Day Absences: Please notify us of any full-day absences by emailing Prepattendance@ucc.on.ca. or by calling 416-488-1125 x 4045 to leave a voicemail message. Additionally, we kindly request that you cc your son’s form teacher in this communication. This allows us to update our records promptly and ensure your child's wellbeing is accounted for.

2. Late Arrivals: For students arriving after 8:30 a.m., (after 9:20 a.m. on Wednesdays) it is crucial that they sign in at the reception desk before proceeding to class. This procedure helps us ensure the safety of all students and minimizes disruption during the school day. By signing in, your child's attendance will be accurately recorded, and you will not receive unnecessary attendance notifications.

3. Early Dismissals: If you need to pick up your child before the end of the school day, please email both the class teacher and Prepattendance@ucc.on.ca in advance. This notification allows us to coordinate smoothly and ensure a seamless transition for your child. Remember, every student must sign out at the reception desk before leaving the campus.

4. Patience and Understanding: We understand that unexpected situations may arise. If you arrive for an early dismissal without prior notification to the class teacher, please wait at the reception desk until both the teacher and your child are notified. This process helps us avoid disruptions to classroom activities and ensures a safe departure for your child.

Your cooperation in following these procedures is greatly appreciated. By working together, we can maintain efficient attendance management and prioritize your child's education without interruptions. Should you have any questions or require further assistance regarding attendance matters, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Thank you for your attention to these important procedures.

Warm regards,

Janet Brock,
Prep Office Team

Prep Report Cards

Report cards will be released to parents via Bluenet on the afternoon of Wednesday, Jan. 29 at approximately 4 p.m. For instructions on how to access report cards please click here.  

The purpose of the report is to summarize learning so far this academic year, with observations on your child’s progress as well as skills and concepts that are being addressed in class. In addition to subject marks, comments on your child’s adoption of the IB Learner Profile and IB Approaches to Learning skills (ATLs) will be included.  While we recognize grades as a snapshot of performance, we ask you to pay particular attention to teachers’ comments, which offer insight into strengths and areas for future growth.  

Report cards are only one element among a number that form our system of communicating student learning, including feedback on assessments, portfolios, conferences and celebrations of learning.   We encourage you to discuss the report with your child to assist with goal setting. The information in the report card will assist students in identifying next steps for their learning, with the support and guidance of their teachers and families.  

For support in understanding the MYP report card, please refer to the MYP Assessment Handbook 2024-25, which outlines the rubrics used in each course as well as the assessment criteria. Here is a link to the slide deck from the PYP-MYP Information Evening delivered in November.   

As always, should you have any questions, you may reach out to your child’s form adviser or specialist teacher directly.

Dianne Jojic
PYP Coordinator

Emilia Martin

MYP Coordinator

Winterfest wrap up 

Winterfest was a great day of school spirit and celebration in the Prep. Students arrived in blue and white to set the tone for a day of cheering on their classmates. 

At the end of morning classes the entire school moved into the Mara Rink to watch the annual Year 7 and Year 8 game. The game did not disappoint. In front of a packed house the Prep team battled hard and, thanks to a goal from Jaxson Hoffman, secured a tie against the older team. 

The atmosphere in the rink was incredible thanks to the entire Prep community in the stands and the band conducted by Mr. McGarr. The brass instruments gave the arena a collegiate feel and put everyone in a cheering mood.

After the hockey game, Year 4 and 5 attended the varsity basketball game at the Upper School. This was a preview for these primary students as they will attend Stewards’ Madness Basketball in February. 

Winterfest was a memorable day of school spirit and community for all!

P. Max Perren
Director of Prep Athletics (Interim)

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 Tuesday, Feb. 4 from 2:30–4 p.m. and Wednesday, Feb. 5 from 8–9:15 a.m. at 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 blazers. While we will have bags at the sale, we ask that families bring their own reusable bags if possible.

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, ripped or non-UCC clothing.

We look forward to seeing you at the sale on Feb. 4 and 5!