The much-anticipated Prep School MYP Project Week will take place next week from Tuesday, March 3 to Friday, March 6 and offers students the opportunity to participate in an interdisciplinary unit examining important global topics. Year 6 students are exploring the topic of the UN Sustainable Development Goal #13, Climate Action, and Year 7 students are examining the UN Sustainable Development Goal #3, Good Health and Well-being, through a series of speakers, special guests, field trips, and group activities including trips to Norval, bouldering, puppy yoga, curling, service opportunities, rowing, skating and featuring guest speakers environmentalist Grant Linney, pro triathlete Lisa Bentley and Clinical Director of Straight Up Health, Jake Ernst.

Teachers and team leaders have prepared extensively for this dynamic learning experience, and will continue to set students up for success by introducing key topics, terms and skills. Everyone is really excited about this unique educational and collaborative event.  

The regular school day timing will not change, and drop off and pick up are not impacted. Student attendance is very important during this immersive experience.

A permission form for Year 7 students was emailed to parents last Friday.

A permission form for Year 6 students was emailed to parents this week.

Please note that if students are away for a portion of the week, they will still be responsible for producing and sharing a culminating activity with their form adviser for it to be assessed and included on their June report card.

During Project Week from Tuesday to Friday, Year 6 and Year 7 students can wear UCC spirit wear.

Sincerely,

Gareth Evans

Assistant Head of the Preparatory School: Middle Division

Dear Year 7 families,

A gentle reminder that families must complete the Graduation Name and UCC Legacy Information Google form — shared by email this morning. This marks the beginning of our planning for the Year 7 transition to the Upper School and their graduation in June. Please ensure you complete the form by Thursday, March 5.

Thank you for your support.

Gareth Evans

Assistant Head of the Preparatory School: Middle Division

To allow for proper cleaning and maintenance of College facilities, all Prep athletic lockers need to be emptied by Friday, March 6. Depending on when boys have their last Games/PE period, they will empty their athletic locker and have it inspected during the week of March 2. If your child is leaving early, please have them make arrangements to empty their athletic locker with their form adviser. We will notify and remind the students of this arrangement. It’s a good idea to send your child to school with an extra bag for carrying home the contents.

To ensure that students don’t mistake each other’s lockers upon their return after March Break, we ask each student to secure their lock to the latch of his athletic locker, with the locker door in the open position to allow access by our housekeeping staff.

Book lockers will be inspected by form advisers to ensure only books are left over the break (and nothing perishable). Any athletic lockers that are still locked shut by the end-of-day on Friday, March 6, will have their locks cut off and the contents removed.

Thank you in advance for your support.

It is hard to believe that we are nearly at March Break and nearing the last semester of Year 1! The students have accomplished so much these past few months and have approached all aspects of learning with great enthusiasm and determination. From their role as actors in the 1M plays, to authors of fairytale stories and inquirers about the Earth and sun, there has been no shortage of learning in 1M. I could not be prouder of their growth and accomplishments!

This week, we celebrated the 100th day of school with the SK class. We engaged in various activities centred around the number 100. From exercise and building challenges to art activities, students proudly celebrated 100 days of Year 1 and loved the opportunity to visit their old stomping grounds, the SK classroom.

We're currently engrossed in our fourth unit of inquiry: The Earth and Sun. We have over 50 student questions to answer, and the buzz of learning is alive as we inquire further. 

We've just begun our study of cycles produced by orbit and daily revolutions. This connection will allow us to better understand how the Earth’s position can impact climate, time zones and seasons depending on where you are located.

In math, we are learning all about Ordinal Numbers! Sparked by the 2026 Olympics and Canada’s great success, we are breaking down the difference between cardinal and ordinal numbers and recognizing where we see this in real life. Students are discussing stories from their own life, and understanding how ordinal numbers play a part in this. We also see this in our review of the calendar each morning! 

Project season has officially arrived in the Language and Literature department. While our curriculum is always rooted in critical analysis, this is the time of year when we trade traditional essays for scripts, storyboards, and camera rigs.

The goal for both Year 6 and Year 7 is to bridge the gap between classroom theory and the digital world our students inhabit every day. By taking "big ideas" — like ancient story structures or classical Greek rhetorical devices — and applying them to modern media, students aren't just learning about communication, they're mastering it.

Year 6: The Transparency Takedown

Our Year 6 students are currently stepping into the roles of both critics and creators with their Transparency Takedown videos.

In an era where the line between "content" and "advertisement" is increasingly blurred, we’ve been diving deep into the world of social media influencers. Students have been studying Aristotle’s rhetorical appeals, specifically how influencers leverage ethos (credibility) and pathos (emotion) to build "parasocial relationships", those artificial, one-sided friendships that make us trust a stranger’s product recommendation as if it came from a best friend.

Working collaboratively, students are scripting and starring in parody videos that expose these covert advertising tricks. By deconstructing the difference between persuasion and manipulation, they're learning to spot sneaky marketing in the wild. Their goal is to teach their peers how to be savvy consumers rather than just passive viewers. It's media literacy with a side of satire.

Year 7: From Ancient Tales to the Big Screen

Meanwhile, our Year 7 students have been traveling through time. After a fascinating study of plot archetypes, they’ve discovered that whether it’s a myth from ancient Greece or a folk tale from East Asia, humans have used the same storytelling "blueprints" to share our experiences for generations.

To bring these global stories into the 21st century, Year 7s are working in production teams to transform these ancient narratives into modern movie trailers. This project requires them to distill complex, cross-cultural themes into high-impact visual storytelling.

The stakes are high: we will be selecting a winning trailer from each Year 7 class to be screened at an upcoming middle assembly during our second Language & Literature Film Fest. It is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate how these "old" stories still resonate in our modern world.

We can’t wait to share the final results with the school community. Stay tuned for some truly impressive student work!

Warmly,

Michaela Trelford

Learning Leader, Language and Literature

French Week at UCC – Célébrons la langue et la culture française!

From Monday, Feb. 24 to Friday, Feb. 28, UCC celebrated French Week, a special time dedicated to appreciating the richness of the French language and Francophone cultures. A variety of engaging activities were planned for students across all divisions, creating opportunities to learn, play, and immerse themselves in French in fun and interactive ways.

Morning announcements
Each morning, students heard a French trivia question and a French song during the daily announcements. Students who emailed their answers to Mr. Labancz were entered into a raffle for a chance to win a prize.

Primary recess: French storytime and Q&A
Students gathered in the Prep Library for engaging French storytime sessions, followed by Q&A opportunities with chances to win prizes.

Middle recess: Kahoot and games competition
Middle School students tested their French knowledge and competed in fun language games during recess for the opportunity to win prizes.

Special guests and performances

On Monday morning, Djenie Laguerre visited our Year 5 students to share a traditional African tale. Students explored the story's structure and identified key elements of its narrative.

Later in the week, Heather Feather visited our SK to Year 3 students to lead an interactive French sing-along, bringing language learning to life through music and movement.

Primary lunch movie
Students enjoyed the beloved animated film Ratatouille.

Middle lunch movie
Middle School students watched Les Blagues de Toto.

French Mini Olympics: Year 6 and 7, Friday, Feb. 27

To cap off French Week, our Year 6 and 7 students participated in a spirited French Mini Olympics. The event included:

• A lively Scattergories tournament

• French sing-alongs

• “Simon Says” challenges

• French trivia competitions
  
  

The week proved to be an energetic and engaging celebration of language and culture for students across the school.

Peter Labancz

Middle French Teacher

Year 5 is the last year of the Primary Years Programme (PYP) and, as such, students engage in the PYP Exhibition. The PYP Exhibition project is a collaborative, student-directed, research-based, and action-oriented culminating learning experience in the final year of the PYP. Students lead their inquiry, connected to a local or global issue they care about. Students have been focusing on issues related to the United Nations Goals for Sustainable Development and the IB transdisciplinary theme Sharing The Planet. 

At the completion of the PYP Exhibition project, we showcase projects and celebrate with our community. This year’s PYP Exhibition Day will be held in the afternoon of Friday, May 8. Families, please mark your calendars. Details of Exhibition Day will be forthcoming.

Year 5 students have been talking about the PYP Exhibition since early this school year. Students have been digging into the IB concepts and using them to write questions in units of inquiry and during exhibition periods. They've been exploring “good news” stories of innovation and optimism in pursuit of taking action to help meet the United Nations goals. They have discussed “stakeholders” — other people or groups who also care about the issues they are curious about. Students have begun their “pre-search” phase of our research, reviewing resources in advance of choosing topics, both in the library and via LibGuides online. 

The PYP Exhibition project is collaborative, completed mostly at school between March Break and Exhibition Day. Please keep non-essential absences to a minimum during this time.

Please find the Parent Guide to the PYP Exhibition and the Exhibition 2026 Calendar, which outline the project flow and transdisciplinary connections for this year. Should you have any questions about the PYP Exhibition, please speak to your child’s form adviser or Jordan Small at jsmall@ucc.on.ca. Mark May 8 on your calendars and keep your eye on Heads Up for project updates.

Dianne Jojic
PYP Coordinator

Please see here for our exciting list of new and returning UCC club offerings running from March to June! 

Warm wishes, 

Brent Crawford

After School Program Coordinator

Our next installment of the PO-PPO Community Reads Book Club is happening on Monday, April 20, from 5:30-6:30 p.m. We will be reading The Tech Solution by Dr. Shimi Kang and focusing on chapters 5-9. The discussion will include effective tech routines and strategies at home. All are welcome, even if you haven't read the book!

Register here. 

The self-nomination process for the 2026–27 Parents’ Organization (PO) is now open. When your child transitions to the Upper School in the fall, you do too. Volunteering is a great way to learn about the Upper School program, meet other Year 8 to 12 parents and guardians, stay current and support our students. We hope you’ll join the PO!

PO goals and initiatives

The PO’s 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, frames and grad rings, to organizing Festive Marketplace. There’s a volunteer position for everyone!

Sign Up Now

Follow these links for PO position descriptions and the self-nomination form. And, if you have any questions or would like to learn more about the PO, please email Mary-Lea Ruscetta, PO Past President. Reach out, describe your interests and we’ll find the best position for you.

We're grateful for your support and hope you’ll join us next year!

UCC Parents’ Organization

Over the years, your donations have brought joy and hope to moms and their children who are celebrating Mother's Day in shelters. Every night across Canada, thousands of women and children bravely seek refuge in shelters.

We'll once again be creating gift bags for children in shelters to give to their moms on Mother’s Day, and are gratefully collecting the following full and travel/hotel-sized toiletries: 

• soap and body wash

• shampoo and conditioner 

• body lotion and skin care 

• unused cosmetics and nail polish

• hair care products

• toothbrushes and toothpaste

• antiperspirant and sanitary products

• beauty samples/perfumes

• small gift sets 

All donations will be packed with care by UCC's Helping Hands Club.

Donations can be dropped off at the reception desk in the Upper School or main office of the Prep. Please contact Linda Carvalho if you have any questions about drop off, or Samantha Dugas if you have questions about donations.  

Thank you for helping to transform lives this Mother's Day.