Select a link to jump to an article.

Dear Upper School Students and Families,

As the halls around me buzz with the excitement of students settling into the school routine, I am thrilled to be writing to welcome you to the 2025 - 26 academic year! 

The Upper School faculty and staff have been working hard for some time to launch this new academic year, and it has been such a pleasure to be able to welcome students into our hallways this week. 

The start of the school year is one that brings a host of emotions to the forefront for our students; excitement, hope, nerves, and many more. It was a thrill on Tuesday to meet our students new to the Upper School. Two observations made me incredibly optimistic about the year to come. Firstly, the diverse range of personalities, interests, and talents that our new community members are bringing into our community is impressive and a wonderful complement to our student body. Secondly, how smoothly and proficiently our senior students stepped up to mentor our new students. They served as tour guides, teammates in games, and most importantly a trusted friend as our new students learned the ropes. 

I had the pleasure to welcome back all of our students in our opening assembly this week, and seeing our opening classes, advising sessions, and house meetings take place, it is clear that we are in for a great year ahead!

Now of course, I wish not only to welcome back our students this week, but our families as well. School, students, and families are partners in each boy’s learning journey and on behalf of all of our faculty and staff in the Upper School, we look forward to working together to ensure the best year possible inside and outside of the classroom. Please stay engaged with the resources and supports available to you as the year progresses, and communicate openly in the spirit of partnership. 

I hope to be able to meet or catch up with many of you during this week’s curriculum night, or during the virtual parent information evenings next week.

Sincerely,

Andrew MacDougall

Head, Upper School 

The school was filled with positive energy as students and colleagues returned to the College following their summer vacation. Students new to the Upper School participated in orientation day, where they became more comfortable with the building, learned about their schedules, and had the opportunity to connect with their peers, Senior House Advisers, mentors, and student leaders. The opening Principal’s Assembly welcomed all to the start of a new beginning, and our community heard messages from our Head Steward, Head of School and Principal. Students also learned about upcoming co-curricular activity information and participated in their first advising session. House Meetings began this week and take place on Thursday mornings. They're a cornerstone of student life at UCC, fostering community, school spirit, and leadership across year levels. They provide time to share updates, celebrate achievements, and strengthen relationships, ensuring every student feels supported and connected within their House.

The Week Without Bells

Hello Upper School Parents,

As a reminder as we head into the fall, one of the major experiences in our school calendar is The Week Without Bells, an experiential learning program in which all students in Years 8–11 travel, collaborate, and explore curricular and co-curricular themes.

For the 2025–26 academic year, UCC has partnered with ALIVE Outdoors, our Norval Team, and AdventureWorks, to deliver an exciting week of camp programming for students in Years 8–11, scheduled from Tuesday, Oct. 14 to Friday, Oct. 17.

ALIVE Outdoors works with well-established camps familiar to UCC, including Camp Timberlane (for Years 8 and 11) and Camp Wanakita (for Year 10). Meanwhile, the Norval Team and AdventureWorks will deliver exciting programming for Year 9 students at Olympia Sports Camp.

During this week, Year 12 students will remain on campus, focusing on completing Diploma Programme-specific tasks and working on their university applications.

Please note:

• A non-refundable deposit of $575 will be billed to Year 8 - 11 student accounts on Sept. 15.

• The balance of the program fees (approximately $575) will be billed after the trip concludes.

• All students are expected to attend. If your child is unable to attend due to medical reasons or a mandatory prior commitment, please contact Gillian Levene (Year 8), Joe Smith (Years 9 and 10), or Damion Walker (Year 11) by Sept.12.

• Year 8 to 11 families: permission forms are now live in BlueNet with a Sept. 30 completion deadline

Please be aware that there will be no alternative programming on campus during The Week Without Bells as the faculty will also be at the various camps. We're excited for the busy months ahead as we kick off the school year and look forward to the many opportunities of 2025–26!

*Please note that families currently receiving financial assistance for the 2025–26 academic year will receive prorated assistance for this program fee.

Kind regards,

Joe Smith, Gillan Levene and Damion Walker
Assistant Heads, Upper School

2. Scroll down to your child's Curriculum Night Timetable. Click to download, view or print the PDF.

Upper School Curriculum Night

6:30 p.m.  — Meet in your child's advising group location

6:45–9 p.m. — Follow all classes as per your personalized schedule. For convenience, the bell will ring after each “class” to remind you to move to your next class.
*Empty spaces in your timetable represent a spare or a break.

Each course’s slide deck presentations can be found on your child's BrightSpace course page in case you are not able to join Curriculum Night this year.

*If you have more than one child in the Upper School, we suggest you review their timetables to determine the teachers you wish to visit.

If you have any questions prior to the evening, please do not hesitate to reach out to Joe Smith, Assistant Head, Upper School-Student Life & Programming.

Course change requests

Please note the following key dates and information about the course change process for the 2025–26 academic year. 

Students should reach out to a university counsellor to begin a conversation. See contact information below.

There is also a late course change process that begins after the end dates below. At that point, students will have spent more time in their courses, and therefore, the request to move from one course to another can be more complex. A discussion centred on potential impacts will be led by the university counsellor and will involve the student and parent, course teachers, adviser and the Wernham West Centre for Learning (WWCfL) as required.

Course change dates

Students in Year 9 and 10

Begins: Day 3 (Sept. 5)  

Ends: Day 2 (Sept. 17)

Students in Year 11

Begins: Day 3 (Sept. 5)

Ends: Day 2 (Oct. 14)

Course changes must be approved by a parent/guardian and a student’s university counsellor.

University Counselling Office:

Mr. Hanna — Jackson’s

Ms. Isaacs — Orr’s, Scadding’s and Martland’s(A-K)

Ms. Rose — McHugh’s, Mowbray’s and Martland’s (L-Z)

Mr. Turner — Seaton’s, Wedd’s

Ms. Champ — Howard’s, Bremner’s

Co-Curricular Theatre:  2025–26 Season

Auditions for the fall play and musical will be held next week at UCC and BSS. Information about the other plays in the 2025-26 season will be shared later this month.

RSVP | Welcome Back Parent Coffee Mornings

The UCC Parents’ Organization is once again hosting year-level Welcome Back Parent Coffee Mornings.

Please join us in the Foster Hewitt Foundation Lounge (second floor in the William P. Wilder ’40 Arena & Sports Complex) from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m., for coffee, tea and snacks. You’ll have the opportunity to meet new parents in your son’s year, and catch up with those you already know.

Please RSVP using the links below:

Year 12, Monday, Sept. 15 – RSVP here 

Year 8, Monday, Sept. 22 – RSVP here 

Year 10, Monday, Sept. 29 – RSVP here 

Year 11, Tuesday, Sept. 30 – RSVP here 

Year 9, Tuesday, Oct. 7 – RSVP here  

We look forward to seeing you there! 

Sign up | Volunteer with the UCC PO

The UCC Parent’s Organization (PO) is a great way to become more involved in the school community, and there are many occasional volunteer roles to choose from. For example, take a shift at our used uniform sale, A-Day, Festive Marketplace, or in The Used Blues Shop (TUBS). Sign up to be an Arts Booster Club (ABC) or Blues Booster Club (BBC) parent. Or, volunteer in the library. 

Occasional volunteer role descriptions can be found here. If you’re interested in volunteering, simply complete this form. Choose your area(s) of interest, and we’ll take it from there.

Thank you!