September 5, 2025
Curriculum Night is on September 16, 2025
All on-site staff supporting Curriculum night are invited to pick up dinner at the Buffeteria across the street at 4 p.m. on Sept 16. See here for the Curriculum Night Schedule.
Student Support
Teachers and staff who work directly with students, please bookmark and review the Student Support Guide for Staff for reminders about student names and pronouns, as well as who to contact if you have questions or concerns about a student. The guide has been updated to include a link to the Children’s Aid Reporting Checklist. Please contact Nancy if you would like anything added to the Guide.
Late and Missed Assessments
Teaching staff, please review the updated Procedures for Late and Missed Evaluations, with a focus on who to contact when (i.e., student, parent(s)/guardian(s), Head of School). Note that flexible deadlines for students with ESPs should fall within the timeframe outlined in the ESP.
Timetable and Course Changes
We strive to keep student timetable changes to a minimum once classes begin. Thank you for your flexibility and understanding as we finalize any lingering changes over the coming week.
UTS Finance
A reminder to please follow instructions found in the Staff Portal for guidance when making requests for payments and orders from Finance. Thank you!
Schedule Changes - House Track is October 27
U of T confirmed this week that Varsity Stadium is only available during their reading week due to increased demand from other field closures. As a result, House Track Day is rescheduled to Monday, October 27 (Day 1), and the October 6 (Day 1) Assembly will move to Wednesday, Oct 8 (Day 2) to better balance the impact on class time, as House Track was originally on a Day 2. Note that the week of October 27 also includes the Undergrad Assembly and PSAT, which were factored into this planning. All changes will continue to be documented here and the special schedules have been updated here. IT will be updating Google Calendars over the next week accordingly.
First Fire Drill will be September 18, 2025
We will have 3 Fire Drills in the Fall and 3 in the Spring in accordance with the requirements of the Ministry of Education of Ontario. The first fire drill is scheduled for 10:50 a.m. on September 18, 2025 (Block E). Please follow the following emergency evacuation procedures and line up in the parkette by grade. Teachers please take the red folders with attendance from your r classes, take attendance in the parkette and send a student with your attendance to the main office staff on the hill in the parkette. Staff on the west side of 371 Bloor should evacuate through the Bloor Doors and meet at the parkette.
Instructions given to Students in Mixed Grade classes during Experiential Education
Students who are in mixed grade classes where most of the rest of their class is away at an experiential education camp have been advised to sign in at the Main Office and proceed to sign in to the Evans Library for a study period. Also note that any student in a grade that is away at Experiential Education should not be at school while their grade is away.
Standby Coverage During Experiential Education
Teachers who are not away on Experiential Education and whose classes are away, not teaching the students in a mixed-grade class, and who are not assigned morning standby coverage, are kindly asked to remain in their workrooms during class times so the Main Office can easily reach them if needed.
Co-Curriculars and Room Bookings
For those staff who know they will be a staff advisor for any co-curricular groups, please send an email to studentlife@utschools.ca with the list of groups. Room bookings for before school, lunch and after school will once again be going through Sean Hayto in the Student Life Office. He can be emailed directly, or feel free to come by the new Student Life office in 350.
UTS Library Updates
UTORids/Passwords/TCards
If you have no idea what these might mean, or if you have questions about using our vast library services, please consult our handy new decision tree.
Please also help spread the word to our new UTS students: they are welcome to check out materials from the Evans Library before they get their TCards!
University of Toronto Libraries (UTL) Site and Catalogue
If you’re a power-user of the UTL site and catalogue, you’ve likely noticed that they’re beta testing a new look. The goal was to make the site and search process more intuitive/user friendly, but if you have questions/concerns, feel free to reach out to us, or provide feedback directly to the UTL team through the link on the site.
Monica and I are still testing the site and catalogue ourselves, but it seems that there might be a greater need to sign in with your UTORid/password, even when you’re at UTS, than there previously was. We’ll continue testing and let you know what we find, but having your UTORid/password will ensure you’re able to access full results in the catalogue, and access all digital content seamlessly, both at school and at home.
Let’s Collaborate!
Are you incorporating inquiry, research, critical literacy, digital literacy, media literacy and/or information literacy into your courses? If so, I’d love to collaborate and support you and your students! I’m happy to chat to brainstorm ideas or to provide examples of how we might be able to work together. We’d love to have your classes come into the Evans Library, or I can come to you. Please note that it would be ideal to have at least two weeks of lead time if you’re looking to have me plan or co-teach a lesson or lessons this year. I’m also happy to discuss other library-related learning opportunities!
Replacement Nametags
If your name or title has changed, or you have misplaced your nametag, please complete this form by Monday, September 8. We will do our best to get your nametag delivered before Curriculum Night.
Referring to University of Toronto / U of T
Did you know that your UTor ID allows you access to some great resources, including U of T’s branding guidelines?
One of the responsibilities in our affiliation agreement is to maintain alignment with the U of T brand.
X Please avoid using UofT. The letters must be spaced apart.
Looking for photos?
Go to the UTS Logos, Letterhead and Templates folder, found under the UTS folder in your Chrome bookmarks bar.
There you’ll see the 00. Good Photos folder, organized (loosely) by subject area. These are great as long as what you are working on will not be publicly available.
There is even a Public Friendly Photos folder in there, where student faces are hidden or obscured, perfect for your upcoming Curriculum Night presentations, which may be shared with parents and guardians digitally after the event.
Looking for a template?
Go to the UTS Logos, Letterhead and Templates folder, found under the UTS folder in your Chrome bookmarks bar.
Please be sure to use the updated Slides Template, and avoid using our light blue on a dark blue background!
Professional Learning Opportunity: EduForum: Advancing K-12 School Improvement
OCTOBER 21-23, 2025 • OISE, UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO
Join us for a transformative 3-day conference in Toronto, designed for K-12 leaders and aspiring leaders who are committed to driving meaningful school improvement. EduForum brings together evidence-based workshops, immersive field visits to leading schools in the Greater Toronto Area, and robust networking opportunities. Gain actionable strategies aligned with the Ontario Leadership Framework, connect with peers, and build a roadmap for impactful, sustainable change in your school community.
Registration deadline is October 3rd. Sign up now to avoid disappointment – spaces are limited! See here.
Mindful Munch
Staff Yoga - Coming Soon
Fiona will resume staff yoga on September 25. Please join us every Thursday in the Jackman during lunch for a bit of relaxation and restorative yoga.
West Side Staff Room - A Work in Progress
If you haven’t already discovered the little oasis on the west side, please drop by rooms 113 and 116 for refreshments, relaxation and connecting with colleagues. The mail machine and a photocopier can also be found in the semi-enclosed space.
This is a work in progress and the new staff room will evolve as we receive more furnishings for the space.
Staff Book Club
We are looking to start a staff book club and we want you to join! If you’re interested in meeting up with some of your colleagues once a month, please fill out this interest form so we can plan our first book club meeting!
Upcoming AEDI Learning Opportunities
In September, you can take a walk in the village to hear about 2SLGBTQ+ history, learn strategies to address transphobia, and consider how a school can stop hate speech. CLICK HERE.
AEDI Dates to Take Note of in September:
Sept 15 to Sept 19 Consent Awareness Week 2025
Sept 21 to Sept 27 Gender Equality Week Resources for all
Got great news about your classroom and/or co-curricular?
Add it to UTS Updates before the weekly deadline at noon on Wednesdays!
