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The Week Without Bells wrapped up last week providing memories, learning, and a lot of fun for our entire student body. Students in Years 9–11 enjoyed outdoor bonding activities, experiential learning, and some pretty nice — albeit a little bit chilly — weather. Year 12 students continued their Week Without Bells by touring the University of Toronto, and attending special “Eat-Sleep-Move-Think” sessions focusing on proper sleep, executive functioning, exercise and nutrition. On Thursday they completed their IB interdisciplinary science projects, exploring the global issue of access to clean water and what that looks like in the local context. They completed a design challenge to build their own water filtration systems, with the winning group receiving a pizza party for their house. The week was capped off on Friday with a Theory of Knowledge field trip to the AGO. 

Year 8s, similarly on campus, further engaged in their programming aimed at developing awareness of self and community through sessions aimed at service and advocacy. A number of students volunteered at the Prep (helping students as well as faculty), while others engaged in performance practice, and another group took part in a special session on microaggressions. We closed the week with a special assembly with guest speaker, alum Jake Bradhsaw ’16, who spoke about the difference between teasing and bullying, and building confidence in one’s identity.

Initial responses from both students and faculty about the Year 9–11 camp trips continues to highlight the value of these excursions. The opportunities for relationship-building and fostering community have been outstanding.

Graduation Pathways Parent Night

Dear Year 8, 9, and 10 families,

Thank you for your interest in learning more about UCC’s Graduation Pathways. 

Please join us for an overview of all three pathways on Wednesday, Oct. 23 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Zoom. Following a brief presentation about each of the three pathways, we will be pleased to take your questions.

If you would like to submit any questions in advance, please do so here.

Warm regards,

Dr. Jeff Aitken

Head of the Upper School

Dr. Julia Kinnear

Vice-Principal, Learning and Academic Innovation

Photo day

Please mark your calendar for our photo days next week on Wednesday, Oct. 23 (Years 8 and 9) and Thursday, Oct. 24 (Years 10 and 11). While our photos do not go into the yearbook, they are used for internal purposes such as preparing Prize Day or Election Day slides and appearing on our security cards. It is important for students to have their photo taken.

Dress code for photo: While First Dress is recommended, a UCC-crested golf shirt is acceptable.

If a student is away on their photo day, our make-up date is on Friday, Oct. 25.

Please see the schedule here (shared with students and all faculty via email).

Years 11 and 12 Stewards' Dance 

We are thrilled to be hosting the Stewards’ Dance for all Year 11 and 12 students this year on Friday, Nov. 1. The Stewards’ Dance is hosted and planned by the Board of Stewards with faculty supervision. The dance will take place on UCC campus from 8–10:30 p.m. and the theme is “Hollywood.” 

Each UCC student in Year 11 or 12 may bring one guest from another school, but by no means should they feel like they have to. 

If your child plans on attending the Stewards’ Dance, parents must fill out this form. Guests from another school need to fill out the guest form. Students will be billed $25 per ticket. Students will also be receiving a copy of these forms through their school email.  

Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns. 

Sincerely,

Andrew MacDougall
Assistant Head of the Upper School—Student Life and Leadership

Community and Belonging Survey

Dear Upper School Families,

UCC has agreed to participate in Lookout Management Inc.’s Community and Belonging Survey of Year 9–12 students in more than 100 schools across Canada and the U.S. Participation in this survey will provide valuable information about our students’ sense of belonging within the UCC community, which is closely related to wellbeing and learning. As we launch our refreshed wellbeing framework and action plan, this data will help us further refine our student-focused wellbeing initiatives.

The survey will be administered on Tuesday, Nov. 5 during advising time. It will take students approximately 10 minutes to respond and is completely anonymous. Responses will be collected and held by Lookout Management and cannot be linked back to any individual student. We will share a summary of key learnings later this academic year.

Because the survey questions are common across more than 100 participating schools, some questions or response options may be less relevant to your child. For those questions, students have the option not to respond or to write in a response if the options offered are insufficient.

If you have any questions or would like to opt your child out of this survey, please contact principal@ucc.on.ca.

Thank you,

Dr. Jeff Aitken
Head of the Upper School 

Week Without Bells | Camp Wanakita, Camp Pine Crest, Olympia Sports Camp

We are thrilled to be able to report that the Years 9, 10 and 11 had an absolute blast last week at camp! The relationship-building and sense of camaraderie was incredible. 

Please feel free to take a look at the photos of the trips below:

Y9 Olympia Sports Camp

Y10 Camp Pine Crest 

Y11 Camp Wanakita

Holocaust education trip to Poland | Years 10–12

We are excited to announce that UCC in conjunction with G-Hardy Tours, will be offering our fourth Holocaust education trip to Poland.

The trip will run for the first week of March break, visiting the cities of Warsaw, Lublin, and Krakow. Students will have the opportunity to visit many important Holocaust sites, including, but not limited to: Treblinka, Tykocin, Majdanek, and Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Ms. Rachel Metalin, a former Upper School English teacher who is trained at the sites, will be the lead educator on the trip complemented by other professional guides in Poland.

The trip will be available for students in Years 10–12, however, Year 9 students will be considered on a case-by-case basis. The trip is non-denominational and open to all students interested in learning about this time in history and the lasting impact it continues to have today.

An Informational session will be held via Zoom on Tuesday, Oct. 22 from 7–8 p.m., however, if you have an immediate question, please contact Rachel Metalin.

Building a Culture of Consent

For the past two years, UCC has collaborated with external experts to deliver engaging, activity-based programming for Upper School students to deepen their understanding of the concept of consent as we work to build our students’ emotional intelligence and capacity to develop and sustain healthy relationships. The goals of our program are to: 

1. Develop skills to foster, promote and maintain a culture of consent amongst students. 

2. Challenge negative social expectations related to consent and masculinity. 

3. Develop advocacy and ambassadorship to enhance leadership in our community.

This term, we will provide developmentally appropriate consent education to all students in Years 8–12:

There will also be a presentation for parents and guardians of students in Years 11 and 12 on safe transitions to post-secondary life and sexual violence prevention on Oct. 28 as per details below.

Please join us on Monday, Oct. 28 at 7 p.m. in the Manucha Bellamy Theatre for a presentation and conversation with Lexi Koster on building a culture of consent and deepening our understanding of sexual violence. Lexi Koster is a Child Life Specialist and Certified Clinical Trauma Specialist, passionate about creating spaces for open dialogue. Over the past seven years, Lexi has spoken with more than 20,000 students internationally to foster safer and more compassionate communities. Lexi's work has been recognized by the University of Toronto, The Ohio State University and several independent schools across Canada which revisit her programming annually. This talk is aimed to support our senior students to build their emotional intelligence and capacity to develop and sustain healthy relationships.

Please RSVP if you plan to attend.

Uniform purchasing

DGN-Kilters will be conveniently stationed on campus with their Mobile Sales Van, located just outside the William P. Wilder ’40 Arena & Sports Complex on Wednesday, Nov. 6 from 11 a.m.–4 p.m.

Upper families will have the opportunity to purchase winter dress uniforms and facilitate exchanges or returns. 

Patti Cawker-Chiang 

Blues Shop Manager 

Three-way conferences 

We are excited to introduce our new Upper School Three-Way Conference platform, SchoolCloud, for next month's sessions. With SchoolCloud, families can easily customize their schedules for either in-person or virtual meetings. Key features include an integrated schedule, automatic reminders, a countdown timer, and an "up-next" notification. The platform also offers built-in video conferencing, ensuring greater privacy for your family. Look out for communication next week with instructions on how to book your meetings.

Upper School Three-way conferences will be held on:

• Tuesday, Nov. 12 — Virtually. No classes for students on this day.

• Wednesday, Nov. 13 — In-person starting at 2 p.m. Students will have an early dismissal from classes at 12:20 p.m.

Save the date | "Take Our Kids to Work Day" 

UCC supports "Take Our Kids to Work Day", an annual career exploration event, held every November, where Year 9 students across Canada spend the day in the life of a working professional. 

This year it will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 6.