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Dear Prep Families,

This week, we took time to recognize the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. On Tuesday, students and faculty wore orange shirts to acknowledge the legacy of residential schools and commit to the process of reconciliation.

Specifically, our Year 4 students had a powerful learning experience at the McMichael Gallery where their visit and focused work centred on themes of historical and contemporary Indigenous perspectives. This trip served as an important, tangible way for students to engage with this significant national observance. We also had assemblies for SK–Year 2 and Year 5–7, where students had the opportunity to hear stories and messages acknowledging this important part of Canadian history, and consider actions they could take moving forward.  

A quick reminder that Hopes and Dreams Conferences will be taking place tomorrow. There will be no school tomorrow for students, and they will not attend the conferences with their parents. Form advisers are looking forward to meeting with you to discuss your child's goals and how we can best support their learning journey this year! Whether in person or virtual, please ensure you arrive on time for your scheduled slot.

Your partners in learning,

Sarah Fleming, David Girard and Gareth Evans

Update | Physical Education

After the excitement of the opening weeks, our students have settled into the routines for their respective year levels. After an initial focus on student organization, specifically around wearing the correct clothing for PE, we have been impressed with the students’ attention to this (and we appreciate your efforts to support them).

The broad focus for our SK-Year 3 curriculum is for the students to be active and engaged in games that develop their basic movement skills and help them to develop the capacity to cooperate with one another. In Year 4, the students have been engaged in an Invasion Games unit that focuses on soccer to complement their first exposure to representative school teams within the athletics program. In Year 5, students are exploring Invasion Games concepts through modified forms of football, handball and basketball.

In Year 6, Gaelic football is the vehicle through which our students develop their understanding of practice design. Having had an introduction to the rules and skills required in this sport, they're about to embark on their first attempts to design practice activities that will help improve their performance. We take this idea a step further in Year 7, where groups of students are designing an entire Invasion Game, working collaboratively in groups to plan, perform, and reflect on the quality of their product as they work towards sharing it with their peers.

Mark Baxter

PE Teacher

Update | Wilder Library

It’s hard to believe that September is behind us and October has arrived! The library has been fortunate to welcome our parent volunteers this year, many of whom are brand new! We really appreciate the interest which has filled most shifts as well as providing some alternates as well. 

In the library, we're in the midst of honouring National Day for Truth and Reconciliation with lots of related read-alouds and vibrant discussions surrounding how our students can play a part in recognizing what happened in the past and how we might become changemakers in line with the Truth and Reconciliation calls to action. We're also looking forward to taking the opportunity to learn more about the 7 sacred teachings as related to our beautiful mural from local Indigenous artist, Philip Coté.

We'll be celebrating Islamic History Month by recognizing the significant contributions that Muslim communities have made to Canadian society. We have related books pulled for classroom teachers to explore and to have on display in the library. This is also a time where we enjoy read-alouds to learn more about the culture and lively celebrations during library time. 

For those who are new to our school this year I welcome you to explore our Libguides, especially our page of recommendations. The blue lists are a mixture of classics and favourites over the years, the green lists are typically new releases which people may be interested in around the holidays, and the yellow sunshine lists are summer reading lists. These recommendations are updated yearly and should provide many suggestions for reading materials that are appropriate for each grade level.

As a reminder, aside from the scheduled class time, the library hours are as follows:

Monday: 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Tuesday: 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Wednesday: 10:25 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Thursday: 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Friday: 8 a.m - 4 p.m.

Students in Years 5-7 are welcome to use the space (work on projects, return and borrow books, read) after school without a parent present. All students in Year 4 and under must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Laptops/iPads are permitted to be in use during this time but we do not allow gaming. 

We also wanted to remind you that we are open for morning recess for both middle years and Year 4 and 5 to read quietly.

Mallory McKinney

Teacher Librarian

Update | Year 2 

We've had an exceptional start to Year 2! Our students have returned with enthusiasm and have quickly adapted to familiar school routines while embracing new ones. I'm delighted to share some exciting developments with you.

We are nearing the completion of our first unit of inquiry, Healthy Me. Throughout this unit, our students have been exploring strategies to promote overall wellbeing. Topics such as quality sleep, regular exercise, emotional regulation and making healthy dietary choices have been central to our discussions. By making informed choices in these areas, our students are discovering how they contribute to their emotional wellbeing. 

Last week was quite rainy, so after much anticipation, we were finally able to get into the UCC Learning Garden to harvest vegetables. We will use these vegetables to spark a piece of procedural writing in class. 

In mathematics, we have launched our program using the Dimensions Math curriculum, which is inspired by the Singapore Math approach. We have already witnessed positive outcomes within our community. Our first unit of study revolves around place-value concepts up to the hundreds.

Wishing you all the best,

Carly Crippin 

Year 2 Teacher

The Year 6 and Year 7 Design programs explore three main strands: Digital Media, Coding and Product Design. Students will actively engage with each area throughout the year. To begin, both grades are concentrating on Digital Media.

Year 6 | Media and My Message

The Year 6 students have kicked off their MYP Design journey with a graphic design unit, following the design cycle closely. After researching the elements of compelling videos and developing key skills in photography, photo editing, colour, type, and layout, they will soon be ready to begin their main project: creating engaging slideshows that champion physical, mental, or social wellness for our community.

Over the past few weeks, students have made impressive strides, particularly in photography and photo editing, and are now diving into the fundamentals of graphic design. The learning garden provided the ideal setting for them to develop and practice their photography skills.

After exploring colour theory and refining their layout techniques, students will use the graphic design platform Canva to produce their final well-being slideshows for our community. These slideshows will be showcased on various screens throughout the school, highlighting the creativity and skills our students have developed.

Year 7 | Illuminating Identity — Designing My Story

In this unit, our Year 7 students will apply core design principles to create a wooden, laser-cut luminary. This project requires them to use graphic elements to visually communicate their personal journey: who they have been, who they are today, and who they aspire to become.

The first few weeks have been spent preparing students by focusing on vector graphics and 3D design skills. Through hands-on projects, such as creating personalized keychains and bookmarks, they developed confidence in both Affinity Designer and Tinkercad. Please ask your child to share their new skills with you at home.

Our Year 7 students are also exploring the cutting edge of design by using Generative AI to develop inspiration for their luminary projects. They are working within a secure, supervised environment, Flint, to ensure a safe and controlled learning experience. The core focus of this work is specific prompting skills, teaching students how to effectively communicate their vision to the AI to generate unique and relevant images that will then inspire the graphic elements that form their final laser-cut designs.

As our students continue to work through the MYP design cycle, we look forward to witnessing the innovative solutions and creative expressions that emerge from their efforts. We encourage them to share their work with you and to celebrate the journey of inquiry, problem-solving, and positive impact.

Sarah Barclay, Kathy Tran, Michael Schmidt, Kerry Dupuis and Jordanne Chan

Prep MYP Design Team

Enhancing Digital Wellbeing

Now that the school year is underway and students may be using their devices more frequently for completing school tasks, we thought it would be a good time to redistribute the Technology Guide for Prep Parents. 

In addition, here are a few reminders about how we can all help manage device usage to keep the children in our community happy, healthy and safe.

Device use at home

• Develop a Family Media Plan together (Example of a Family Shared Agreements Contract).

• Devices shouldn't be used behind closed doors. 

• Supervise device use whenever possible.

• At school, we have filters in place to block inappropriate sites and games. At home, we encourage you to monitor and discuss the sites your child accesses. If needed, your home router can be configured to block specific sites. Check with your internet provider.

• Tip: Consider setting up a separate wifi for children, which you can easily turn on and off at specific times.

RSVP | PPO Prep parent social

The Prep Parents' Organization is thrilled to invite you to the first annual Blue Crew Night.

We hope you’ll join us to connect with fellow Prep parents (both new and familiar faces), while taking part in a fun, interactive activity guaranteed to bring out some laughs and create great memories. Come out and unwind, build community and kick off a new tradition in true Blue Crew style.

Trust us — you won’t want to miss it.

Thursday, Oct. 23
7–9 p.m.
Weston Hall
Dress code: UCC swag or your finest blue and white attire 

RSVP here