On Dec. 1, we hosted the third and final information evening on the Graduation Pathways for Year 10 Parents. Please click here to view the slides, and here to view a recording of the evening.

This past week, our Year 11 students had an opportunity to meet with Dr. Brendan K. Hartman, this year's Casey Fellow and expert in the social-emotional development of boys and young men. 

Dr. Hartman emphasized that boys are capable of experiencing and expressing a full range of emotions, yet societal norms often discourage this very human part of themselves. Through his work on expansive masculinity, he discussed the importance of building emotional awareness and vocabulary, exploring practical strategies for staying emotionally connected while developing healthy relationships and resilience. Students engaged authentically with the session, asking thoughtful questions about topics. 

We encourage you to ask your son about his experience and what resonated with him from this important conversation. 

Maria Gauthier

Year 11 Coordinator

We are excited to announce that Upper Canada College will once again be hosting its annual Year 8/9 Interschool Cookie Decorating and Skating Social on Wednesday, Dec. 10, from 4 to 6 p.m.

This year, we look forward to welcoming students from The Bishop Strachan School and Branksome Hall to join our Year 8 and 9 students. This event is an excellent opportunity for students to meet new friends and enjoy a fun, community-building afternoon with peers from other COSSOT schools.

• Date: Wednesday, Dec.10

• Time: 4-6 pm

• Location: William P. Wilder ’40 Arena & Sports Complex

• Cost: $10 per student (charged to individual student accounts) 

An interest form has already been sent to all Year 8 and 9 students. Families of all students who signed up should have also received a parent/guardian permission form via email.

Please note the following important safety requirement:

• While students who do not wish to skate can still enjoy socializing and cookie decorating in the Foster Hewitt Foundation Lounge, to be allowed on the ice, students must have appropriate safety equipment, including an approved helmet.

We look forward to a fun and festive afternoon on the ice and in the lounge together!

In case of any questions, please contact:

• Year 8 Coordinator: Mr. Alvin Jugoon 

• Year 9 Coordinator: Dr. Katherine Maloney 

Dear Parents and Guardians of Year 10 Students,

We are pleased to inform you that our annual Year 10 Skating and Cookie Decorating Event will take place on Dec. 11, from 4 to 6 p.m. at the William P. Wilder ’40 Arena & Sports Complex. This event is open to UCC and Branksome Year 10 students only and is a fun way for students to connect and celebrate the end of the term.

The registration fee is $10 per student, which includes skating, cookie decorating, pizza, and access to board games. 

Follow the link to RSVP. We hope to see you there. 

For more information, please contact Ms. Sarah Khalanski, Year 10 Coordinator.

Dear Families,

I'm excited to announce that Upper Canada College is partnering once again with the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Social Impact Strategy and Schoolyard Ventures, an organization that develops university-level, real-world learning opportunities for ambitious high school students, to offer The Social Innovators Program for grade 10 and 11 students. The 12-week virtual program allows students to learn about social entrepreneurship and experience it first-hand, while earning a Certificate in Social Entrepreneurship from the University of Pennsylvania. UCC is one of only forty schools worldwide invited to participate in this unique initiative.

During the program, students learn how to launch ventures of their own that create value and a positive impact on society. Students learn in small online classes and through engaging interviews and case studies with young entrepreneurs, with personalized one-on-one guidance and support along the way. Because students choose their own projects, each student's experience in the program is unique. Learn more about the program here.

The application deadline is Thursday, Jan. 22, and the program runs this spring from the week of Feb. 16 through the week of May 11, with classes meeting virtually one evening per week, in addition to regular one-on-one advisor check-ins. At the end of the program, students will have the opportunity to present their work and learnings. 

A virtual information session for interested parents and students will be held on Thursday, Jan. 8 at 7 p.m. ET. The registration link for the information session can be found here.

Boys, please consider this exciting opportunity. If you have any questions please contact me.

Sincerely,
Paul Miskew
Faculty Chair, Design Department

Dear UCC Community,

We are proud to announce our continued support for our broader community by collecting food donations for the Churches On-The-Hill Food Bank (COTH). This year’s drive will run from Nov. 21 to Dec. 12. 

This time of year often brings joy and abundance, but for a significant portion of the Forest Hill community, it is a time of scarcity and worry.

Our goal: 1,200lbs of food for the 1,200 people that COTH supports weekly. 

Last year, Festive Marketplace FOOD DRIVE donations were a significant source of necessary items that we were able to deliver to our Daily Bread Food bank partner.  Again this year, members of our FOOD DRIVE student team will manage a table outside of Lett gym on Friday, Dec.12th to help receive and organize your donations. 

This year, COTH is especially in need of baby formula and diaper donations, but all contributions of the items below will also make a profound impact: 

• Baby diapers: Sizes 5 and 6

• Baby formula (Kirkland brand): Stage 1

• Baby Formula (Good Start Plus): Stage 1

• Canned tuna, crackers, canned salmon (for breastfeeding moms)

• Low sugar cereal: 900g family size

• Dried beans/lentils

• Peanut butter: 1kg family size

• Toilet paper 

• Dry pasta: 900g family size 

• Kirkland canned chicken 

• Tetra packages of shelf stable milk, Ensure High Protein – vanilla, chocolate or strawberry (6 x 235 mL)

We truly appreciate all your support for this drive and everything it represents. Together, let’s make this year’s food drive the most impactful one yet and ensure that everyone in our community is supported. 

Please consider how you can give! 

With thanks,

Max Dingwell, on behalf of the COTH Food Drive Leaders

Class of 2028, McHughs House

Is your son missing clothing, bags, water bottles, or shoes? All lost and found items are on display now in the corridor outside the Lower Dining Hall until tomorrow, Friday, Dec. 5. Parents and students are encouraged to drop by during school hours to take a look and see if anything is theirs. Any remaining items not collected by 3 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 5, will be donated to TUBS and charity. 

If you have any questions, please email the TUBS team.

Festive online auction begins tonight

The Festive Auction begins tonight at 8 p.m. and ends Friday, Dec. 12 at 8 p.m. To view and bid on auction items, click here.

Donate auction items 

Year after year, the success of our auction comes from the generosity of our community. We're still accepting auction items and are updating the online auction daily.

Do you have items or experiences you’d like to donate? We're looking for auction items at all price points. If you have something you'd like to donate, we'd love to hear from you. Send us an email. If you’re ready to donate an item now, please donate here.  

Monetary donations

You can now donate money to the auction via the UCC donation page and receive a tax receipt for any donations of $20 or more.

At UCC Giving, once you’ve entered your gift amount, select “Other” in the "Designation" field, and then type “Festive Auction” in the "Other Gift Designation" field. Our Festive Auction Team will pool donated funds to buy popular auction items, like electronics. Donate money to the auction here.  Thank you for donating to Festive!

Festive Marketplace is next week, and one of many highlights is our Festive Bake Sale. We’re looking for cookies, cupcakes, squares, brownies, loaves or anything else you’d like to contribute, including gluten-free baked goods. All items should be nut-free.

For those who don’t have time to bake, reach out to your local bakery. We’re grateful for any and all homemade and store-bought baked goods.

Please complete this form to let the Bake Sale Committee know what you’re planning to bring. 

For further information about the bake sale, including volunteering and drop off information, please see here.

Don’t miss the chance to win an incredible gingerbread UCC Clock Tower, or a pair of Toronto Maple Leafs hockey tickets.

Get your tickets on Friday, December 12, all day, at the PPO table at Festive Marketplace.

Tickets are $5 each, or 3 for $10. Winners will be announced at Festive Marketplace on Friday, Dec. 12 at 4 p.m.

An annual Festive Marketplace favourite! Tickets are $5 each, and every “snowball” is a winner with gift card prizes in the $5 to $50 range, as well as the grand prize of Apple AirPods. We are collecting gift cards for the Snowball Grab at the Prep Reception and the Upper School Reception. Please drop off gift cards in the collection boxes marked “Snowball Grab”. 

A special thank you to Jennifer MacGregor and Michelle Way of Chestnut Park Real Estate Brokerage, our key sponsors for this year's Snowball Grab. Thank you for your generous donation!

Always a highlight, UCC’s student musicians will be performing holiday songs and musical arrangements they’ve been preparing for Festive. Plan your visit around the following student musical performances:

• 9:45 to 10 a.m. Year 3 singing

• 10:40 a.m. to 12 p.m. Year 6 and 7 various performers

• 12:35 to 12:50 p.m. 5F and 5V singing

• Check back soon on our Festive website for the Upper School performance schedule