The SK to Year 5 parent welcome-back information evening will take place on Thursday, Sept. 18 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Members from the school leadership team will be presenting in Weston Hall. Afterwards, families will move to their child’s classroom to hear from their form adviser, then  we invite you to join our subject specialist faculty in our dining hall to ask about programming while enjoying some refreshments. Information evenings provide families with an overview of the Prep’s academic program, general expectations and student supports.

In addition, an optional mix and mingle event from 6:15 to 6:55 p.m. will be available for families who are interested in connecting with other UCC families. This session is entirely optional and will be held in the Bitove Lounge.

Please see the table below for a snapshot of how the Primary information evening will unfold.

If your child is attending the Before School Program, please arrive between 8 and 8:30 a.m. as usual. Otherwise, please only arrive after 9 a.m. to wait in the Bitove Lounge. 

Thank you.

DJ Rossi

BSP Coordinator

Student and class photos will take place for all Prep students throughout the day on Friday, Sept. 26 in Weston Hall. 1M will have their photo taken before they leave for Norval.

Students in SK to Year 4 are expected to be in Primary regular dress, while students in Year 5 to 7 should be in First Dress, including black dress shoes. Please refer to page 21 of our Family Handbook for details regarding the uniform.

We're excited to invite you to our Hopes and Dreams Conferences, which will be running virtually or in person, on Thursday Oct. 3.  This is an opportunity for families to meet with their child’s form adviser to discuss how the year has started and begin to build the family-teacher partnership. Please note, there is no school on Oct. 3, and students do not attend the conferences.  

SchoolCloud, the application parents will use to book their appointments, opened on Monday Sept. 15, at 9 a.m. and will close at 4 p.m. Monday, Sept. 29. If you don't sign up for a conference during this window, you will need to reach out to your child’s form adviser personally to choose a remaining time slot. 

Click here for instructions on how to use SchoolCloud. 

SK

On their very first day of French class, our SK students immersed themselves in 40 minutes of language learning. They practiced simple introductions and learned how to pronounce their teacher’s name, “Monsieur Dupré!”

They listened to the story of a young boy starting his first day at school—a story that felt familiar to many of them. They counted from 1 to 12 in French, showing their eagerness to discover more.

As we move through our first unit, our young learners will expand their vocabulary and develop an awareness of the French language through engaging books, songs and games.

Bienvenue à UCC, les élèves de SK!

Year 1

Our Year 1 students have embarked on an exciting journey into French learning. To build their foundational vocabulary, we're using the AIM Gesture Approach—an engaging method that pairs gestures with words to support comprehension. With gestures, collaboration, and repetition at the heart of each lesson, students are fully immersed in the language. Because gestures connect directly with meaning, this approach avoids the need for translation and helps students retain new vocabulary more easily. These skills will provide a strong foundation as they begin working with their first story later this term.

Bonne chance à tous en première année!

Year 2

Our Year 2 students have settled into the classroom, where we've been focusing on building confidence and fluency in oral communication.

We're kicking off the school year with a lively review unit on colours and place prepositions through interactive games and songs. Students are actively reviewing key vocabulary and language structures in a variety of engaging activities. In each activity, our goal is to maximize exposure to the language while strengthening their ability to communicate orally.

Je vous souhaite une bonne année dans la classe de français, les enfants de deuxième année!

Year 3

Our Year 3 students have had a fantastic start in French class! For many, this is their first time exploring a new language, and we are focusing on an essential skill—embracing the challenge of not understanding everything immediately. Already, our young learners have begun developing listening comprehension strategies. They are learning to be patient and persistent, recognizing that language acquisition is a gradual process.

In our first unit, students will explore the geography, climate, and culture of Senegal, setting the stage for an engaging story called L’Arbre Ungali.

Bienvenue et bonne année scolaire à tous !

Year 4

Our Year 4 French program began with fun icebreaker activities, where students worked in teams while revisiting basic vocabulary and language concepts. Building on this, the class is now starting the story L’aventure de Stéphanie.

Stéphanie is an 11-year-old girl from a small town in northern Quebec, where the community decides to host a Festival du Voyageur. This cultural setting will guide a project highlighting this special aspect of Canadian Francophone life.

Over the course of Term 1, students will also strengthen their reading comprehension strategies and communication skills through our reader, Le Voleur, and new episodes of our audiovisual program, Rémi.

Nos élèves de 4ᵉ année sont prêts à s’amuser et à apprendre en français!

Guillaume Dupre
Primary French Teacher

Curriculum

Students in Year 6 are exploring concepts involving variables and patterns. Year 7 students are engaged in a mini-unit to review and solidify their number sense, including operations with rational numbers and integers.

Year 6 

Students are excited to start to learn their chosen band instruments, although this is a slow process in the beginning. This has included instrument assembly, instrument care, holding the instrument, proper posture and appropriate embouchure. Then it was on to answering such inquiry questions such as how to make the initial sounds? How to breathe properly? How to articulate on our instruments? How to read a variety of notes? Students then apply these skills to making those first sounds. Albeit interesting sounds to say the least, as they try to figure out these new concepts. 

Students should now be starting to develop a regular practice routine to further develop their skills. With regular practice, muscle memory will start to develop and their reading skills will start to improve as they repeat over and over and over again. They have learned new exercises and will soon start working on their first playing summative assessment.

Year 6 students will soon begin learning the basics of the musical language (theory) by naming notes in both treble and bass clefs and have already been introduced to basic musical symbols. They will continue to further their understanding of the musical language, develop their instrument fundamental skills, and make the connection between the language and their instrument.

Year 7

The beginning of the year has seen Year 7 ‘new students’ begin their journey learning their chosen band instruments with the ‘Jump Start Program’ —3 phases of accelerated learning. This included instrument assembly, holding, proper posture and an appropriate embouchure, or how to hold their sticks. Then, along with the veteran music students they all started to review and learn answers to such inquiry questions such as how do we make an appropriate sound? How do we breathe properly? How do we play a variety of articulations on our instruments? How do we play with enunciation, how do we read notes, and translate that to knowing our fingerings? Then students apply this new knowledge to playing various exercises and joining a series of chromatic notes, thus combining all of these necessary skills leading them to their first assessment — the chromatic scale.

Students should start to develop a regular practice routine. They will start to rapidly advance their understanding of the musical language and develop their instrumental skills through the learning of new chromatic concepts, developing fundamental skills of pitch and control, and applying these skills to musical repertoire. Currently, new students continue with phase 2 of the Jump Start Program, working in master class sessions with private teachers on Thursdays 12:35 - 1:35 p.m. All students will soon be reviewing the basics of the musical language (music theory). They will be naming notes in both treble and bass clefs, counting various rhythmic patterns, studying time signatures, stem direction, and numerous musical symbols to further their knowledge and understanding of this universal language. 

Arts co-curricular

Bands and choir started on Sept. 9 and groups may still be accepting new students. Please inquire directly with Mr. McGarr or Ms. Heo. The Year 7 Jazz Band rehearses on Thursday mornings from 7:35 - 8:25 a.m. The Year 7 Concert Band rehearses Tuesday afternoons from 12:35 - 1:30 p.m. The choir rehearses on Friday mornings from 7:40 to 8:25 a.m. Stay tuned for more.

Paul McGarr

MYP Music Teacher 

Dear UCC families,

This year, students in Years 3 through 10 will write the International Schools’ Assessment (ISA) test. 

Please note there has been an update to our ISA testing schedule. This standardized test will be administered to students in Years 3-7 on two mornings as follows: Monday, Sept. 22 (math literacy and writing task A) and Thursday, Sept. 25, (reading and writing task B). 

The ISA is based on the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) frameworks for reading, writing and mathematical literacy. The aim is to gather baseline information for students as a cohort to assist faculty as they consider instructional strategies that can be used to support learning. Regular ISA administration allows us to observe cohort growth and progress over time, inform ongoing improvements to teaching and learning, and compare UCC’s performance internationally. 

The ISA will be administered through the ISA online portal in your student’s classroom by their teacher and in collaboration with the Wernham West Centre for Learning. Please refrain from scheduling appointments or other absences during the period of ISA administration. No make-up testing is available due to the test’s confidential nature. Testing can only be administered at the school. 

It’s important to note that no preparation is required ahead of writing the test. It's meant to capture a snapshot of student skills and does not form any part of report card grades. The information gathered is for internal use only by faculty and administrators to inform teaching and learning at the College. ISA’s privacy statement is available here. We will work with the boys to ensure this is a positive experience. Families can assist by reinforcing that message and ensuring students are well-rested on testing mornings.  

Should you have any questions, please contact Liz Kennedy, Director of the Wernham West Centre for Learning and Student Services.

Yours sincerely,

Liz Kennedy, Director,

Wernham West Centre for Learning and Student Services

Julia Kinnear

Vice-Principal, Learning and Academic Innovation

A-Day is our biggest community celebration of the year, bringing together students, families, alumni and friends for a day of fun and UCC spirit. To make this day unforgettable, we need your help!

Every single volunteer role, no matter how big or small, plays a vital part in creating a welcoming and vibrant experience for everyone. Your support ensures that our various stations from the KidsZone to the BBQ run smoothly, allowing our entire community to enjoy the festivities.

Please lend a hand and join our team of dedicated A-Day volunteers! Sign up here to support a station and choose a time that works for you.

Thank you for your commitment to our community and for making A-Day a success. We can't do it without you!

If you ordered the Prep T-shirt bundle from the PPO, they will be distributed to your son’s home form by end of day Monday, Sept. 22.

Seesaw serves as our digital student portfolio platform for students from SK to Year 5. This platform provides an insightful glimpse into your child's educational journey, allowing them to express their creativity by sharing a wide range of activities, videos, and assignments assigned by their teachers. To help you get started, we invite you to watch Seesaw’s Get Families Started Video.

Connecting

You can download the Seesaw app onto your device, or visit the web portal and sign in to connect with your child’s class account. If you are not already connected, please follow the link and instructions that your child’s teacher has sent to you.

Contributing

Once you are connected, you will receive notifications every time your child shares their work in their digital journal. You also have the opportunity to provide feedback by commenting at the bottom of their posts. We encourage families to leave meaningful and constructive comments to support students in becoming reflective learners.

Student Use at Home
If your child needs to access their Seesaw account from a home device, please follow these steps:
1. Go to https://web.seesaw.me/

2. Press Login 

3. Click "I am a student" 

4. Click "Sign in with Google" 

Should you have any questions or require assistance, please contact Joanna Martin.