September 25, 2025
OISE MT Candidates
A reminder that the OISE teacher candidates will be on site Thursday, Oct 2, 2025. Please share any noteworthy activities in your class that you would like to highlight to the TCs. You can also let us know if it's not a good day for a visit. Please see them as an extra set of hands in your classroom if there are things they can help you with!
Open House
Open House takes place on Saturday, October 18, 2025. For those who have yet to experience a UTS Open House, it is a day that truly reflects the multitudes that is our busy school. Visiting families learn about each department, hear about curricular and cocurricular opportunities, and meet with staff and students. Last year, we welcomed over 3,000 visitors.
Open House hours this year will be 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. As we were last year, we should be ready to receive the first arrivals at 9:45 and to be ushering families out until about 2:15. Families will follow a self-guided tour route and may also head directly to spaces or presentations of interest.
This week, Charline will connect with department coordinators and some PORs to initiate discussions among teams regarding plans for Open House, including staffing, materials, activities, and setup. To support Open House preparations, classroom bookings on the Friday afternoon before have been closed. The Monday following Open House has also been designed as a school holiday.
Next week's details will include event overview, student volunteer recruitment, and more! Have ideas to share? Questions about this year? Feedback you didn't get a chance to include in last year's form? Please drop by the admissions office in 254!
Attendance for Meetings out of Class Time
The new form for meetings with students taking place outside of class time can be found here. The form is open to all UTS emails, so can be completed either by staff leads or student executives. The data will be used both in case of emergencies and by the Lit Awards Committee at the end of the year, so staff should ensure it is completed regularly. The link will also be placed in room booking google invites.
Outdoor Education - Winter 2026
A reminder to fill out this Google Form if you are interested in attending one or more of the Winter Outdoor Education programs in January and February. The F1s, F2s, M4s and S6s all have excursions, and it is a good opportunity to connect with students.
Undergrad Awards
A reminder to fill out this Google Form if you are planning on attending the Undergrad Awards Ceremony on October 28. The reception starts at 5:30 p.m., with the ceremony beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Upcoming AEDI Learning Opportunities
Imagine ways to thoughtfully and respectfully include Indigenous histories, perspectives, worldviews in classrooms, organizations, communities, and everyday life. CLICK HERE for updated links to online courses and conference opportunities. This week, there are free ‘lunch and learns’ hosted by the Centre for Truth & Reconciliation along with resources to support in-class learning.
UTSPA Funding Requests
The UTSPA request form is open to school activities that would like support for funding. The form can be found HERE and the deadline for this submission period is Thursday, October 9, 2025. Good luck to all the applicants!
Staff Social
First Staff Social Event of the Year!! Please join us on Thursday October 9, starting around 4:30 p.m.(although someone from the Committee will be there starting at four) at the Fortunate Fox, right across the street on Bloor. Join us for scintillating conversation, community building, and free food. The Committee will pay for snacks, and you can buy your own beverages. No need to rsvp - just come join us! More exciting events to come.
Measles Policy & Procedures Reminder
A reminder that teachers and staff born after 1969 must have readily available proof of full MMR immunization or proof of immunity.
Teachers and Staff who are unable to locate their proof of MMR immunization or proof of immunity should consider proactively completing a two-dose MMR immunization. MMR immunizations are available at your family doctor or a Walk-in clinic.
Effective September 1, 2025, Teachers and Staff must be equipped to provide proof of immunization or immunity to TPH in the event of a measles outbreak at the School upon request from TPH.
UTS March Break Camps
Call for teachers and coaches!
UTS March and Summer Camps are one-week programs featuring an academic-adjacent theme. Campers range in grade from 3 to 9 and run with the support of UTS student counsellors and MT candidates. This year, March Break camp will run from March 16-20. For March Break, we aim to run five camps: science/engineering, math/coding, creative expression, debate/public speaking, and special interest. Programs should build towards a showcase for the families at the end of the week or include take-home components.
Additional compensation is provided to camp leads. This opportunity is open to both returning and new teachers. Interested in running a camp? Please email Sean and Charline with:
your proposed camp theme
preference in grade (camps should span three or four grade levels)
a descriptive paragraph on the camp (ie. what campers will learn and do, as though you are marketing this program to families)
a description of what students would show and share on Friday OR a description of take-home tangibles
Second Fire Drill is Friday, September 26, 2025
Last week’s fire drill marked the quickest exit from 371 Bloor on record: 3 mins 47 seconds. Thank you for all your work to make the drill efficient, quickly take attendance, and notify the administration that students were present or missing through the use of the red or green cards. In order to minimize the impact later in the term and get all of the required fire drills on record for the fall, the second fire drill for the 2025-2026 school year will be on Friday, Sept 26, 2025 at 2:30 pm. All Block G teachers should go through the fire drill and evacuation protocols with students on Sept 26, 2025, before the drill. On this date, please feel free to share with the class that there will be a drill at 2:30 p.m. and that artificial barriers to egress may be in place to practice what might happen in a real situation.
As a reminder for your planning purposes - Please do not share this with students at this time.
The first lockdown drill will be Tuesday, Oct 14, 2025 at 2:30 p.m. (block I)
The third fire drill will be the week of Oct 20, 2025.
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Tuesday, Sept 30
At 10:40 a.m. on September 20, 2025, students will attend a school-wide Assembly in the Withrow Auditorium, escorted by their Period 2 teacher. In alignment with our shared commitment to Truth and Reconciliation, all staff are asked to attend and take part in this important community gathering. The Assembly will include testimonies from Residential School survivors, reflections from students and staff, and a special appearance by our Composer-in-Residence, Cris Derksen. After the assembly, period 2 teachers will escort students back to their classrooms for a time of reflection, supported by an additional teacher for guided reflection and discussion. One or two MT Candidates will be joining each class. Here is the schedule of staff and MT assignments. Please check the schedule on the morning of Sept 30 in case there are changes in teacher support assignments.
On Friday, September 26, there is a drop-in session in room 235 at lunch about the NTDR post-assembly activities, pizza provided.
Club-O-Rama is Happening Monday, October 6, 2025
Staff supervisors, please ensure you have checked in with the clubs you are supervising to support them in their Club-O-Rama activities.
Staff meeting Wed October 8, 2025 from 4-5 p.m.
Please contact jpittlainsbury@utschools.ca if you have any staff meeting items.
Submitting Coverage requests
Please remember to submit coverage requests on the Data Hub before 7:00 a.m. on the day you will be away. If you know about an upcoming absence in advance, please submit your request in the system as early as possible. If you do not have your work computer at home, you can access the hub through https://hub.utschools.ca (great to bookmark in your Chrome Browser!)
Tech Tip: Use a “smart chip” when submitting news items in Staff Updates and UTS Updates
In Google Docs, type “@” and then your name to add a “smart chip” next to the title of your news items, making it clear who is submitting items to Staff Updates and UTS Updates. It’s a gentler and more consistent approach and can help staff get to know each other better (and are quicker to understand than the four-letter codes).
Staff and Student Washrooms
Staff washrooms are on the second floor.
