This year, we have 151 new students joining us in the Prep School! 

Creating a welcoming culture is important to us, and we intentionally design a thoughtful transition for new students joining our community. As part of that plan, new students (excluding the JK and SKs) will participate in New Student Orientation Day on Tuesday, Sept. 8. 

This is a partial day, which allows students a soft entry to their new school and their new school year. They will meet their form adviser and fellow new students, see their classroom, tour the school, and participate in a variety of team-building activities. 

In addition, students in Year 6 and 7 will meet student leaders who are eager to share their insights and experiences at UCC. These student leaders will also continue their mentorship of their new classmates throughout the upcoming weeks as they learn to navigate the Prep and establish new friendships. 

In Primary classrooms, form advisers are thoughtful and intentional about ensuring the new students have mentors and guides throughout their first few days and weeks. 

We are confident that our orientation will support students with their transition to our school community.  

Year 1 to 4 students should wear regular dress uniform. Year 5 to 7 students should wear warm weather dress. Please see the Family Handbook for the uniform description.

Arrival for New Student Orientation Day is between 8:30 and 9 a.m. Please enter the Prep at the entrance to the Eaton building by the main office.

Dismissal from Orientation Day is 11:30 a.m. for new Year 1–6 students. 

Dismissal from Orientation Day is 11:45 a.m. for new Year 7 students.

Your partners in learning,

Gareth Evans, David Girard and Michael Bushey

Tuesday, Sept. 8: New Student Orientation

• Please see notes above.

Wednesday, Sept. 9: First full day of classes for all students in Year 1 to Year 7 

• Please arrive between 8 and 8:30 a.m.

Uniform:

• Year 1 to Year 4 students wear regular dress

• Year 5 to Year 7 students wear warm weather dress

• See the Family Handbook for a description of the uniforms 

• JK/SK students: Family interviews will be conducted on Wednesday, Sept. 9 and Thursday, Sept. 10, with a half day of school for JK/SK students on Friday, Sept. 11.  The school will be reaching out to schedule family interviews.  

Regular arrival/dismissal times

• The Prep arrival time for students during the 2026–27 school year is  8–8:30 a.m.

• The Prep Dismissal times for the 2026-27 school year are as follows:

  • JK–Year 2: 3:10 p.m.

  • Year 3–4: 3:25 p.m.

  • Year 5: 3:40 p.m.

  • Year 6–7: 3:50 p.m.

Wednesday Late Starts

• Beginning on Wednesday, Sept. 16, classes at the Prep will have a start time of 9:20 a.m. on Wednesdays, with student drop-off beginning at 9:10 a.m. 

• We offer a supervised Before School Program on Wednesday mornings (with student drop-off from 8 to 8:30 a.m.) for families who may need an earlier drop-off. This program will be offered at no additional cost to families. However, registration is requested which you can access here. 

Uniform

• The Prep School Dress Code is outlined starting in the Family Handbook.  

• You can view illustrations of the Preparatory School uniform items: JK–Year 4 and Years 5–7.

• Other ordering options are available here.

Textbook Ordering

• Year 6 and 7 families should follow the instructions included in the whole school section of this edition of Heads Up to order textbooks. An email with instructions was also sent to families when the textbook site opened.

Class lists

• During the latter half of the week of Aug. 31, and before the long weekend, families will receive notification of your child’s class by email 

Curriculum Nights

• Year 6 and Year 7 Curriculum Night: Monday, Sept. 14 from 7–8:30 p.m., in Weston Hall

• JK to Year 5 Curriculum Night: Thursday, Sept. 24 from 7–8:30 p.m., in Weston Hall

On Wednesdays, the school day begins with a later start time. Students have homeroom time with form teachers from 9:20–9:30 a.m on Wednesdays. This late start time allows whole school professional development for faculty and staff, and a wellbeing sleep-in time for students.

Please drop off your child between 9:10 and 9:20 a.m. on Wednesdays.

For families who cannot accommodate the late start, the Before School Program (BSP) is offered at no charge. 

In order to plan effectively for numbers and to keep accurate safety lists, we ask that if you are going to regularly use BSP, you register here.  

If your child will only require it occasionally, we will be able to accommodate on a drop-in basis, and you do not need to register.  

Participants in BSP should arrive between 8 and 8:30 a.m. to allow for organized activities and consistent programming. Anyone arriving between 8:30 and 9:10 a.m. will be joining programming in progress, which can be disruptive, so we appreciate your consideration.

DJ Rossi

BSP Coordinator

For the new families joining our UCC community, welcome! The After School Program runs from Kindergarten dismissal (3:10 p.m.) to 6 p.m. daily. Pre-registration for extended care, excluding fall clubs, is not required. Please see the Family Handbook for more information. 

Here at the ASP, we are busy planning a combination of new and exciting clubs to complement some past favourites. Please find information about our clubs here. Fall term clubs will run for 10 weeks (excluding holidays), from Monday, Sept. 21 to Friday, Nov. 27. 

Brent Crawford
After School Program Coordinator

Dear Primary Families,

Upper Canada College commits to ethical, purposeful, and evidence-informed technology use to deepen learning, foster creativity, collaboration and critical thinking, and expand our capacity to meaningfully engage in our world. Central to this mission is our well-utilized Brenda & Reid Chen Innovation Lab. This vibrant, engaging hub empowers students to seamlessly integrate technology into a wide range of subjects, diving hands-on into coding, robotics, 3D printing, and design-and-construction projects.

All students in the Prep school receive a school-owned device for the duration of their time at the College. Students in JK - Year 4 will receive an iPad for use at school while students in Year 5 receive a laptop to use at school. None of these devices go home. Technology is an important tool in the day-to-day life of our students.  All software on these devices is appropriate for student learning outcomes and the devices are fully managed by the Information and Innovation team.

Students are expected to use technology as guided by the Family Handbook and the Prep School: Acceptable Use Policy for Technology (JK–Year 5). Students will also be provided with a formal digital citizenship program exploring topics such as online interactions, cyberbullying, and digital privacy.  We also want to share the  Technology Guide for Parents at the Prep School, which outlines key logistical information for September as well as suggestions for managing technology and setting healthy expectations in your home. Please review each of these documents as a family prior to the start of the academic year.

A reminder that you will be asked to sign the Prep School Acceptable Use Policy for Technology, which will be available on Bluenet in the coming weeks. Please review the Family Handbook in conjunction with the Acceptable Use Policy for Technology as a family prior to the start of the school year

Best Wishes,

David Girard, Assistant Head, Primary 

Joanna Martin, Innovation & Technology Coach, Primary

Kathleen Peak, Executive Director, Information and Innovation

Upper Canada College commits to ethical, purposeful, and evidence-informed technology use to deepen learning, foster creativity, collaboration and critical thinking, and expand our capacity to meaningfully engage in our world.

School laptops are an important tool in the day-to-day life of our middle division students. It is critical that the laptops are used appropriately as a tool for learning. In order to ensure the smooth functionality and security of the laptop, the College manages the Year 6 and 7 laptops with restrictions against non-academic software use. The laptop assigned to the students is equipped with all of the necessary software to successfully support their learning. Any additional software that is required for academic purposes will be made available through the College’s software distribution process. Students have the access rights to connect the laptops to their home wifi and printers.

Students are expected to use technology as guided by the Family Handbook and the Prep School Acceptable Use Policy for Technology (Year 6 and 7) and with support from the Prep Administration and the Information and Innovation Team. Students will be supported with a formal digital citizenship program exploring topics such as online interactions, cyberbullying, and digital privacy. We also want to share our Technology Guide for Parents at the Prep School, which outlines key logistical information for September as well as suggestions for managing technology and setting healthy expectations in your home. Please review each of these documents as a family prior to the start of the academic year.

Year 6 and 7 students will sign a copy of the Prep School Acceptable Use Policy for Technology. Their teacher will review it with them. In addition, parents must also sign the Prep School Acceptable Use Policy for Technology which will be available on Bluenet in the coming weeks. Please review the Family Handbook and the Acceptable Use for Technology as a family, before the beginning of the school year.

Best Wishes,

Michael Bushey, Assistant Head, Middle 

Sarah Barclay, Innovation and Technology Coach, Middle

Kathleen Peak, Executive Director, Information and Innovation

As we prepare for another exciting year at the Prep, we invite all parents to be a part of our vibrant school community by joining the team of dedicated volunteers.

This is a wonderful way to build new connections, directly impact your child's UCC experience and contribute to the overall growth of our school. There are several fun and diverse volunteer opportunities available at the Prep to suit your schedule. To explore current opportunities and sign up, please click here.

Thank you for volunteering!