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Dear Prep families, 

We are in the middle of a very busy week in the Prep! We've had two days of Open House events for prospective families, a week of professional learning with our onsite literacy consultant, and now we are hosting the CAIS Soccer U13 National Championships!  Below is a picture of some of our Student Ambassadors who toured families through the college on Tuesday and Wednesday. They received rave reviews for being mature, articulate and knowledgeable about the school.

We have had many opportunities to connect with families over the past few weeks at morning drop off, parent coffees and at Hopes and Dreams Conferences. We value the opportunities we get to connect with you and hear about how the year is progressing for your boys. We hope parents and caregivers will join us this evening for our Parent Education evening with Colleen Ackford from Erin Kent Consulting. Colleen will focus on the power of reading in a fast-paced world, and tips for supporting readers at home. We hope you can join us at 6 p.m. in Weston Hall. There is so much you can do to support your child’s literacy development, and Colleen is a wealth of knowledge!  

Next week is Pride Week. At UCC, everyone belongs. Celebrating Pride Week signals that our school is a safe space that is affirming of all students and their families. Pride Week allows us to celebrate love in all its forms, recognize that families look different, commit to being an ally for those who have been excluded, and ensure that all community members who identify as 2SLGBTQ+ feel welcome. Our theme this year is celebrating our authenticity.

In the Prep School, we will be marking Pride Week with developmentally appropriate stories and activities with home form advisers. Key events in the Prep include an SK–Year 7 learning buddies activity during Community Time on Wednesday and an express yourself/rainbow colours casual dress on Friday.  

Your partners in learning,

Sarah Fleming, David Girard and Gareth Evans

The Prep Leadership Team

Year 4 Update

Dear Families,

As we gear up for an exciting few weeks ahead, we wanted to share some highlights of what our students will be exploring. We have an exciting few weeks lined up with a robust curriculum that will not only foster their academic skills but also encourage meaningful discussions at school and home. Here’s a sneak peek:

Inquiry: Ancient Civilizations

We are thrilled to begin our new unit on Ancient Civilizations! Students will explore the fascinating worlds of the Roman, Greek, Nubian, Mayan, Mesopotamian, and Chinese civilisations. To enrich our discussions, we invite families to share any solid connections or engaging resources you may have at home. This collaboration can lead to deeper conversations and enhance the students’ understanding of these remarkable cultures.

During this unit, we will focus on:

• Reading to Learn: Developing research skills and non-fiction text features.

• Paragraph Writing: Structuring and articulating their findings clearly while supporting their arguments and opinions with sufficient details. 

We will also visit the ROM on Nov. 26 to support this inquiry. 

Math: Multiples and Introduction to Multiplication

In math, we will be starting Chapter 3, where students will explore multiples and be introduced to multiplication. Engaging in activities will help them understand these concepts and their applications in real-life scenarios. They will compete in in-class multiplication games and online resources to encourage engagement and enjoyment in their learning. 

Fiction Reading: Wonder

We will continue our Novel Study of Wonder, focusing on character studies that emphasize kindness and acceptance. Students will reflect on the characters' journeys and the importance of treating others with compassion. Additionally, don’t forget about the Bookflix project for 4B! 4F’s next Bookflix is due by the end of November. 

Science: Geology Concepts

In science, students have been investigating geology, exploring what lies beneath the Earth’s surface and how our planet changes over time. They have been asking insightful questions that drive our inquiry and hands-on experiences. It’s wonderful to see their curiosity spark!

Health and Life Skills: Caring Communication

In our health lessons, we are focusing on Caring Communication. We've been discussing the traits of a good friend and how we can demonstrate caring and compassion in various contexts. Students are also designing Caring Stickers, which we hope to print in our design lab soon. Stay tuned for updates!

Writing: Paragraph Development

Writing will continue to be a focus as students practice their paragraph writing skills in both the Oh Canada and Ancient Civilizations units. Encouraging them to express their thoughts clearly will be essential as we progress.

AOB (Any Other Business)

• November Long Weekend: Please note the upcoming long weekend, Nov. 8–11.

• Weather and Clothing: As the weather gets muddier, please ensure your child wears boots and brings a change of shoes to keep our classroom clean and dry. Boys will be reminded to proceed to their athletic lockers first thing in the morning to drop off boots and any winter clothes before making their way up to the classroom. Please be sure to drop them off within sufficient time to accomplish this. 

Thank you for your continued support and engagement. I’m looking forward to a wonderful month of learning and discovery!

Mark Ferley and Michael Bushey
Year 4 Form Advisors

Science Update

Dear Prep Families,

As educators, it's gratifying to have our students back in the classrooms; the buzz in the hallways is a welcome sound as we re-engage with collaborative learning and hands-on activities in our Lee and Lui Science Labs. Below is a summary of our Year 6 and Year 7 programs.

The Year 6 students are currently studying Pure Substances and Mixtures. Students will explore the Particle Theory of Matter in this unit through various hands-on, inquiry-based lab exercises. The concepts of solubility, concentration and separating mechanical mixtures and solutions will be explored as they develop fundamental laboratory skills and develop safe habits while working with the equipment. 

The second unit, Heat in the Environment, will continue the focus on the Particle Theory of Matter with an emphasis on the effect of heat energy on particles. The Kinetic Molecular Theory will be introduced as the students explore the concepts of heat, temperature, heat transfer (through convection, radiation and conduction), and heat's impact on our environment. 

The Year 7 students are studying the fundamental principles of scientific inquiry in their current unit, Foundations of Science and Measurement. We began the year by discussing the characteristics of scientific inquiry: rigor and curiosity. To spark their curiosity, we explored the following question: “Can we boil water in a paper cup?” As the video below demonstrates, the answer is “YES.” The follow-up activity was to use current knowledge to explain how and why this is possible. Click here to see a video.

In the current unit, we will deepen our understanding of scientific measurement — accuracy, precision, SI units of measurement and experimental error — and the scientific method. We will explore independent, dependent and control variables through hands-on activities and experiments. Students will learn how to design an investigation, measure, collect, analyze and display data to reach meaningful conclusions. To introduce and refresh students' understanding of lab reports, we investigated if hand dominance affects reaction time (i.e., does my dominant hand have a faster reaction time than my non-dominant hand). Below are some photos of our investigation and results.

If you have any questions regarding our curriculum, please feel free to contact your child’s teacher. Best wishes for a year filled with success, happiness, and growth.

Sincerely,

Mr. Kerry Dupuis and Ms. Sydney Frank

Year 7 and Year 6 Science Teachers

Update from IT

• At school, we have filters in place to block inappropriate sites and games. At home, we encourage you to monitor and discuss the sites your child accesses. If needed, your home router can be configured to block specific sites. Check with your internet provider.

• Tip: Consider setting up a separate wifi for children which you can easily turn on and off at specific times, or hold back the password until other tasks are done.

• Not all screen time is the same. Consider what your child is doing online —are they creating or just consuming? 

Social media

We are all aware of Facebook and X, but the following social media sites aim to attract the attention of younger users. The age requirement to sign up for any of these accounts is a minimum of 13 years old. There are benefits and drawbacks to social media. Please discuss with your teen before allowing them to create an account.

• Is Snapchat safe for kids?

• Making Instagram Safer for Younger Members

• Parent Zone: Featured Guide: TikTok

Reminders for families of Y6 and Y7 students

As our middle division students take their laptops home each night, greater responsibility falls on them for maintaining the device and ensuring it is in proper working order for school. Here are a few reminders. Students are aware of these expectations and we would appreciate your help with guiding them to develop these habits at home:

• Nightly charging

  • Power supplies should stay at home to open space in student laptop bags for other school supplies.

  • Student laptops have no problem holding a charge for the full day. If absolutely necessary, charging is available at the help desk during the day.

  • Please allocate a place at home (outside of the bedroom) where the laptop can be stored and charged each night. It should be fully charged when they arrive at school each morning.

• Regular shut-downs

  • Shutting down regularly helps the laptop quit unnecessary background activities and restore the charge to USB ports.

  • The school distributes updates that are often installed only upon restarting the laptop.

  • Please remind your child to fully shut down and restart their laptop at least once a week.

• Actively help them manage distractions

  • Managing distraction is a hard skill for adults to master, never mind for our pre-teens! Our students need your help to develop this self-regulation skill.

  • While working on homework, encourage your child to close any unnecessary tabs in their browser that might distract them from their work. We suggest they keep their mail, calendar, drive and Brightspace tabs pinned in their Chrome browser, but others can be closed and reopened as needed.

  • Check that they aren’t hiding distracting items on a separate desktop with a 3-finger swipe across their trackpad.

Joanna Martin

Primary Technology Integrator

Sarah Barclay

Middle Technology Integrator

Order now | UCC rugby shirts

After selling out at A-day, the PPO is bringing back our popular UCC rugby shirts for a one-week sale starting today!  

Don't miss your chance to order this navy and white striped rugby shirt featuring the UCC crest. Rugby shirts are available in Adult (XS-L) and Youth sizes (6T-12Y) and orders will be available for pick up mid-November. 

The sale ends Wednesday, Oct. 23. Order here for youth sizes and here for adult sizes.

Register | PPO parent evening social

The PPO is looking forward to hosting an evening parents’ social for all Prep parents from SK to Year 7 on Thursday, Oct. 24 from 7–8:30 p.m. The event will take place in Weston Hall and we will have some light nibbles and drinks. We hope you will join us! Click here to register.