We are excited for the Year 8 special WAC-Day excursion on Wednesday, Feb. 25.

All Year 8 students will be heading to the Norval Outdoor School for a Winter Leadership Fun Day.  They'll enjoy Norval’s famous maple syrup-themed lunch, participate in leadership activities indoors and winter fun activities outdoors. The day will include:

• Self-Management Leadership Session 

• Giant Marble Run 

• Cross-country skiing

• Snow shoeing

• Tobogganing

It is important that students dress appropriately (i.e. snow pants, hats, gloves). Please reach out to any of us if you are in need of one or more of these items.

• Norval Winter Fun Day Information

• Winter fun day trailer and what to pack video

• Norval winter clothing list

Students will depart by bus at 8 a.m. from the north parking lot. We will return to UCC between 3 and 3:30 p.m. If the buses are going to be more than 15–20 minutes late, we will send out a communication to families. 

Students are permitted to bring their phones on the bus, though our gaming policy still applies and they will be asked not to use them during programming at Norval.

Many thanks for your support,

Mr. Evans, Mr. Jugoon, and Ms. Levene

It'8jm7s a pleasure to share this mid-year update as our Year 11 students move into a pivotal season of growth and discovery. This term is a significant time for our boys as they balance the academic rigours of the Diploma Programme with thoughtful reflections on their future paths and personal wellbeing. We remain deeply committed to partnering with you to ensure every student feels supported and encouraged as they navigate these milestones. Please click here to read the full update regarding our upcoming seminars, university planning initiatives and the special events we have planned to celebrate their transition into school leadership.

We’re excited to invite you to our Systems Transformation: Innovation for a Better World winter showcase. Please join us on Wednesday, Feb. 18, as our pioneer cohort of students presents their final projects from their latest module on water.

Students were tasked with studying the impact of water on a microcosm of Toronto and then designing an intervention to improve the current situation. Each team will present a model of their proposed intervention and share their stories about why this part of Toronto is so important to them.

Date: Wednesday, Feb. 18

Time: 1 to 2 p.m.

Location: Foster Hewitt Foundation Lounge (in the Wilder Arena)

If you''[re able to attend, please register here. 

We thank you for your continued support, and hope to see you there!

The Systems Transformation Teaching Team

The Medical Society will be hosting a short presentation for students interested in pursuing medicine. This session will focus on IB subject choices and academic pathways that can help prepare for medical studies. 

Students in Years 8, 9 and 10 who are beginning to consider future academic pathways are encouraged to attend. The session is designed to provide general guidance and an overview of common routes into medicine, including both direct-entry and undergraduate pathways. 

Date: Thursday, Feb. 19 

Time: 1:30 p.m. (Flex Time) 

Location: Room 317  

All interested students are welcome. 

The Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) is a provincial assessment that measures whether students are meeting the minimum standard for literacy across all subjects up to the end of Grade 9. Successfully completing the OSSLT is one of the 33 requirements for earning the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD). 

OSSLT Assessment details:

• Date: Thursday, April 9

• Time: 8:30 to 11:45 a.m.

• Location: Hewitt Athletic Centre

• Arrival: Students are asked to arrive by 8:15 a.m. to ensure a smooth start.

What to expect on the test

The OSSLT is a computer-based assessment consisting of two sessions (Session A and Session B). The test includes a mix of “selected-response” (multiple choice, drag-and-drop, and drop-down menus) and “open-response” (written) questions.

The sections include:

• Session A (65 min) Reading: Students will interact with real-life narratives, information paragraphs, news reports, and dialogues. They will be asked to understand explicitly stated information and to make connections and inferences.

• Session B (75 min) Writing: Students will demonstrate their skills through multiple-choice questions on grammar and punctuation, as well as longer written pieces, such as an opinion essay supported by reasons and relevant examples.

How we are preparing students

To ensure that all students feel confident and prepared, targeted instruction will be integrated into two MYP Seminars and two English classes. Our preparation focuses on:

• Skill development: Analyzing various text types and practicing structured opinion writing.

• Platform familiarity: Ensuring students know how to use the online tools, such as the built-in text-to-speech, high-contrast view, and digital "rough notes" area.

• Test-taking strategies: Time management and strategies for breaking down complex prompts.

Student readiness checklist

• Fully charged laptop: As the test is entirely online, students must bring their laptops with a full charge.

• Practice at home: EQAO provides an official Online Practice Test that mirrors the actual platform. We highly encourage students to explore this at home to become familiar with the digital tools.

• Watch the intro video: You can view a short overview of the assessment here: What to Expect on the OSSLT.

• Save the date: If you have any commitments scheduled for Thursday, April 9, we kindly ask that you consider rebooking. Students who miss the OSSLT will not have another opportunity to write the test until the following year. 

We are committed to supporting your child through this milestone. If you have any questions about readiness, please do not hesitate to reach out to the Upper School office.

The Academic Team 

Jordan Small, Director of Academics 

Liz Kennedy, Director of the WCfL 

Leigh Berndsen, Registrar
Emilia Martin, MYP & Personal Project Coordinator 

Last week, the Student Centre was transformed into a vibrant hub of innovation, creativity, and deep personal inquiry as our Year 10 students hosted their Personal Project Showcase.

The Personal Project is a significant milestone in the IB Middle Years Programme. It is a year-long exploration that asks students to step outside the traditional classroom structure and follow a "gem" of an idea from its initial spark to a finished product.

Watching our students present was a powerful reminder of how frameworks like systems and design thinking help young people organize complexity. We saw students move through the iterative process: beginning with empathy to identify a genuine need in their community, building and testing prototypes, and constantly refining their ideas until they found a successful "unlock." This cycle of trial and error is where the deepest learning happens, as students move from a simple idea to a sophisticated, real-world application.

Beyond the physical products, the showcase highlighted a beautiful sense of interconnectedness. Projects ranged from technical engineering and environmental sustainability to deeply personal explorations of identity and culture. In every conversation, it was clear that our students are beginning to see themselves not as separate observers of the world, but as integral parts of the social, biological, and political systems they live in.

The entire Upper School community is incredibly proud of the hard work and resilience these students have shown. Moving a project from a vague concept to a public showcase requires a high level of self-management and “signal attunement,” learning when to push forward and when to pivot based on the feedback they receive.

Relive the highlights: If you were not able to join us in person, or if you simply want to revisit the energy of the day, we have curated a small collection of photos in this video from the event.

What’s next for Year 10?

While the showcase was a moment of celebration, the “closed circuit” of the project is nearly complete. Students are now finalizing their formal reports, with a final submission deadline of February 23. Please encourage your son to incorporate the feedback he received during the showcase into his final reflection.

Congratulations to all our Year 10 students. You have brought your energy and passion to the school community and we are so proud of your work!

All Year 9 parents and guardians are invited to the rescheduled Year 9 coffee morning on Tuesday, March 3, from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. in the Wilder Arena Lounge.  Please RSVP here.

The self-nomination process for the 2026–27 Parents’ Organization (PO) is now open! Volunteering is a great way to meet other parents and guardians, stay current and support our students. In-person meetings give you the opportunity to connect with volunteers from Years 8 to 12. Plus, joining the PO is a great way to stay current on what’s happening in the Upper School.

PO Goals and Initiatives 

Our primary goal is to foster community engagement through social, informational and fundraising initiatives — from planning speakers of interest to our community, parent get-togethers and sales of used uniforms, spirit wear, grad frames and rings, to organizing Festive Marketplace. There’s a volunteer position for everyone!

Show your school spirit at games and events with UCC Blue Army clothing and gear, for sale on UCC Marketplace. Our online shop is stocked with hoodies, toques, t-shirts, trucker hats and water bottles. 

Get Blue Army gear here. 

All items are sold by the PO with proceeds going back to the school to enhance student experiences.