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This week saw some exciting events take place at the Upper School. Most significantly, on Friday we held our annual Terry Fox Run in which students from both Prep and Upper Schools joined together to raise funds and awareness for the Terry Fox Foundation. Our Houses entered their top runners in a Prefects’ Cup 5 km race while other students participated in a 2.5 km walk on campus. The school's youngest runners, in SK–Year 3, were accompanied by the varsity football team around the oval. To cap off a spectacular day, students enjoyed a BBQ lunch. 

Our Principal’s Assembly on Monday made space to honour the multitude of celebrations that occur in autumn, including Thanksgiving, Rosh Hashanah, and Sukkot which share common themes of reflection, forgiveness, and gratitude. Our Pluralism and Head Stewards introduced students to the Affinity Groups that exist within the Upper School, and students also learned about Rowan’s Law, strengthened by the reflections of a Year 12 student who has been impacted by concussions. 

Year 8 students also had a special advising session with the Toronto Public Library and students in Years 9–11 learned more about their exciting upcoming Week Without Bells.

Tomorrow Will Be Better event on Sunday, Sept. 29

This weekend two Year 12 students are hosting a charitable event called “Tomorrow Will Be Better”, benefiting Kids Help Phone, which includes the chance to watch a Blue Jays game in a 250-person box. 

If your child has purchased a ticket for this event, please be aware that this is not an official school event and therefore there will not be supervision present from the school. 

With thanks,

The Upper School Leadership Team 

Message of Support

Dear Upper School Families, 

As we settle back into the routine of the school year, we want to thank you for the partnership in support of the College and our students. We also want to recognize that members of our community may be feeling the weight of geopolitical events, devastating violence and uncertainty in political and social contexts and that this may have a deeply personal impact.  

A reminder that the following supports are available to our students who may be impacted by events occurring around us:

• Student Affinity Groups

• Health Centre support and counselling — students may drop in or book a session with:

  • Geoff Sorge  

  • Caitlin Dobie (Upper School) 

  • Alicia Versteegh (Upper School) 

  • Martha Boyce (Prep School)

  • Kayla Gosse (Prep School) 

Drawing on our values, particularly in support of community, let us offer support, care, kindness and empathy to each other now and throughout the year. 

Warmly,

Jeff Aitken

Years 9, 10 and 11 | Week Without Bells trip information and permission forms

Please note that families currently receiving financial assistance for the 2024–25 academic year will receive prorated assistance for this program fee.

Our host camps are eager for UCC’s arrival at Week Without Bells. Staff has been hired and food orders have been received as we are merely weeks away. Unfortunately, we’re unable to accommodate last-minute cancellations at this time unless it’s an emergency.

Student information sessions have taken place during Advising and Year Level Meeting times. Please note that updated trip information will be live on the new Week Without Bells Tile on the BlueNet Resource Board.

Year 8 | October 7–11: Special Programming

Please click here for updated details as to how the Year 8 students will be spending the week on campus from Oct. 7–11.

Year 12 | October 7–11: Special Programming

Please click here for more detail as to how the Year 12 students will be spending the week on campus from Oct. 7–11.

Year 12 | Grad photos

Grad photos will be taken on October 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11. Please remind your child to sign up for their grad photo (the sign-up sheet has been shared with the Class of 2025).

Year 8 | Toronto Public Health Student Immunization Clinic 

Just a reminder that Upper Canada College will be hosting a Toronto Public Health (TPH) vaccination clinic on Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, at UCC Preparatory School, during school hours for all students in Year 7. 

Important for Year 8 students: For any Year 8 students who are missing a dose, they will not be able to receive their vaccine until after Oct. 28, 2024 due to the timing of the previous vaccine clinic. However, please note that TPH will be able to administer their dose during the second clinic scheduled for next year in the spring, as it will be too early to vaccinate them on October 7. Alternatively, you can also obtain these vaccines within the community (see below to book community appointments).

Vaccinations that will be made available at the clinic for Year 7s: 

● Meningococcal — to prevent meningitis
● Human papillomavirus — to prevent cancers
● Hepatitis B — to prevent liver cancer

Important reminder for parents that immunization against meningococcal disease is required by law for all children attending school in Ontario, unless exempted. For more information about the updated immunization requirements for school attendance, please visit Ontario, Ministry of Health.

For questions regarding the TPH School Immunization clinic, please contact the health centre at health.centre@ucc.on.ca. Please address your son’s name and year in the title of the email.

For students in Years 9 to 12

If your son is in Years 9 to 12, this is a reminder that your child may be eligible for one or all of the vaccines listed above. These vaccines are free of charge at a community TPH Vaccination Clinic. See additional information below regarding TPH community clinics:

Eligible students: 

● All students in Year 7 and higher who have not received any or all of these vaccines. 

● Students who have started but not completed their series may also book an appointment. 

Vaccines available: 

● Meningococcal — to prevent meningitis 

● Human papillomavirus — to prevent cancers 

● Hepatitis B — to prevent liver cancer 

For more information, you can access the School Immunization Program Fact Sheets.

Next steps for community appointments: 

● Review the parent package and consent form. 

● Book an appointment prior to attending the clinic. Appointments can be booked at the TPH booking site.

For more information about these vaccines, please talk to your doctor or call Toronto Public Health Appointment Booking System To Public Health at 416-338-7600.

Thank you for your ongoing support to keep our students and UCC community healthy.

UCC Health Centre

Helpful links: 

Grade 7 and up TPH School Vaccination Program

Ontario’s Publicly Funded Immunization Schedule

Year 10 | Personal Project (2P) Update

Dear Year 10 Families,

We are excited to share that we are well underway with the Personal Project (2P) in Year 10, which we launched in the spring of last year. As you may know, the Personal Project is an essential and transformative component of our MYP program, and, as a culminating project, it should be challenging enough to showcase a student's skills and knowledge. It is a unique opportunity to dive into interesting topics that our curriculum may not cover. It encourages students to take ownership of their learning, apply their skills, and showcase their ability to inquire, plan, create, and reflect in a meaningful way. The 2P challenges students to explore their passions and develop essential life skills like time management and critical thinking by fostering independence, creativity, and self-direction.

During the nine-day cycle, students have one MYP Seminar block and one Independent Study block. Our associate teachers, Mr. Luke Griese, Ms. Teagan O’Holloran, and Ms. Autumn Wouda, lead MYP seminars, guiding our students through the phases of the Personal Project. Independent Study blocks allow our students the time to work on their projects and meet with supervisors. 

At this stage, students have selected their topics, brainstormed ideas, and begun to plan their next steps/action plans. As parents, your role is crucial. We encourage you to regularly check in with your child about their progress. Ask them about their chosen focus and how they feel about their project. Your interest and engagement will not only support their confidence and motivation but also make them feel more responsible for their work. The 2024–25 2P Project Guide (Reading Document) and the 2024–25 2P Project Journal (Writing Document) have been shared with each student to make navigating the 2P a breeze. 

To provide further support, students have been paired with a supervisor who will guide them through the next phases of their project development, leading up to the Feb. 6 showcase and the final report. 

If you have any questions or would like to know more about the 2P process, feel free to reach out. We look forward to continuing this exciting journey with your child and appreciate your support in making it a rewarding experience for them.

Warm Regards,

Emilia Martin, MYP and Personal Project Coordinator
Personal Project Team: Mr. Luke Griese, Ms. Teagan O’Holloran, and Ms. Autumn Wouda

A-Day LEGO Drive

Every year at A-Day, we have a LEGO booth for younger students and community members to enjoy.

This year, the booth will be indoors in Room 127, run by student volunteers. In order to make this a huge success, we need LEGO from community members to share at the booth. Please bring any spare LEGO you may have collecting dust at your homes.

If you're interested, please drop off any LEGO until Tuesday, Oct. 1 in the collection boxes located in the foyer at the Upper School. 

Thank you for all of your help and see you at A-Day on Oct. 5! 

Kyle Au-Yeung, Class of 2026 

David Suzuki in What We Won't Do For Love

As you may have noticed in previous editions of Heads Up, the play What We Won't Do For Love is on campus and has one more performance tonight, Sept. 26. In particular, Year 12 students will view the matinee performance on Friday, Sept. 27 as an in-house field trip for their Theory of Knowledge course. A charge for the ticket, $40, will appear on their accounts.  

Save the date | Three-way conferences

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.

China trip for Mandarin students | March Break 2025 for Years 9–12 

We are thrilled to announce that we have planned a 2-week China trip during the March break of 2025 for our Mandarin students from Year 9 to Year 12. We will spend one week in Taipei, Taiwan, and another week in Hangzhou, Mainland China, for language and culture learning. Click here for the itinerary.

We believe this exclusive trip will allow for first-hand exposure to traditional and modern Chinese ways of living, speaking, and thinking. It will also give students valuable real-life experience of customs in using both traditional and simplified characters. The intensive language learning, enriched activities, and selective sightseeing will help the students gain a more profound appreciation for the diversity of Chinese languages and cultures.

Our tour operator is G-Hardy, UCC's long-term educational/service trip partner, and we are very grateful that the expenses for the second week will be generously covered by the university who will be hosting us. 

If you are interested in this trip, please add your name to this Pre-registration Google Form so that we can provide the travel agency with an estimated number of participants. If you have any questions or would like to know more about the trip, please come to our trip information night on Sept. 30 from 6:45 to 8 p.m. The meeting will be held in Room 127, Upper School building.

Looking forward to an exciting and enriching experience for our students!

Holocaust education trip to Poland | March Break 2025 for 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 in March 2025. 

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.

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