October 2, 2025
Staff Meeting October 8
This is a friendly reminder that the Staff meeting on October 8 will be in the MPR 4 p.m. If you are away on this date, for Operations staff, please let your supervisor know and for teachers, please let jpittlainsbury@utschools.ca know.
PD Day - October 10
We are looking forward to a Professional Development Day on October 10. Please see our plans for teachers here. Business and Operations PD will be shared closer to the day.
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, 2026. 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
OISE MT Candidates
A reminder that the OISE teacher candidates will be on site Thursday, October 9.
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! Note: No TC visits on Oct 16.
Staff Social
First Staff Social will be on Thursday October 9 at the Fortunate Fox starting at 4:30 p.m. Everyone is invited for an afternoon of conviviality, community, and yummy snacks. Please come join us.
Salary Details on ADP
Salary details for all staff are now available directly on ADP, and can be viewed on the 'My Documents' page under the "Myself" menu.
Details for teaching staff have been completed and are now available and live on ADP. Details for operations staff are currently being uploaded and will be ready by end of day tomorrow.
If you have any questions, or notice any discrepancies, please reach out to the HR email and let us know.
Drone Filming at UTS on October 10
Please be advised that there will be drone filming of interior and exterior spaces at UTS on Friday, October 10 from approximately 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. No footage will capture identifiable individuals.
Flu/COVID Vaccine Clinic
UTS has partnered with the local Shoppers Drug Mart to offer a Flu Shot/COVID booster clinic to all staff. The clinic will be held on November 5 in the Lang Innovation Lab.
You can choose to get both vaccinations or just one. Please indicate your interest here.
If you have any questions, reach out to Adi Sood.
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, 2026. 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
OISE Virtual Open House: Information on Graduate Programs Offered
OISE is hosting a virtual open house this weekend (Saturday October 4) if you are interested in learning more about the different graduate programs that they offer. Information and the registration link can be accessed here.
Updates from the Evans Library
A friendly reminder to please complete the Evans Library Staff Survey by 9 a.m. Friday, Oct 3, 2025. We appreciate your time and feedback!
We accidentally omitted what is arguably the most important question from the Staff Survey. Please complete this poll (just click on your preferred name to log your vote) to help us name the library closest (ie. staff work room).
Did you know?
Digital Citizenship Week is October 21 - 24 (Common Sense Media - Middle School Ideas - High School Ideas)
Media Literacy Week is October 27 - 31 (MediaSmarts)
To celebrate, we’ll host passive activities in the Evans Library for students to voluntarily participate in to support learning in these areas. It’s also part of my role (an exciting and meaningful part) to collaborate with you and support you and our students in meaningful ways in the classroom. I respect that time is at a premium! If you’re interested in incorporating digital citizenship or media literacy into a lesson (or lessons) in October, I’d love to discuss and develop a plan. There are many great lessons, ideas, and resources in the links above. Alternatively, if we leave ourselves enough planning time, we can find a more natural way to integrate these topics into the work you’re already doing with your students. Happy to chat! rebecca.courtney@utschools.ca
Art Museum at the University of Toronto
Just around the corner from UTS is the Art Museum at the University of Toronto, which presents incredible free art shows, perfect for lunchtime strolls.
On now is a stellar exhibit on the theme of Indigenous rights and environmentalism. It’s a great way to explore the themes of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and continue our practice of Indigenous solidarity.
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.
Classrooms Available for Meetings and Testing at Lunch
As shared in Staff updates in August, this is a friendly reminder that during lunch, rooms 321 and 318 are available for one-on-one or small group teacher-student meetings and room 214 is available as a silent space for teacher supervised assessments. Teachers can sign up for times in the spaces using this spreadsheet. If you have used these spaces and not recorded your use, please take a moment to record your use of the room so that we can plan appropriately for the future and release rooms to co-curriculars if they are not being used. Please address any questions to jpittlainsbury@utschools.ca. Suggestions welcome!
First Lockdown Drill Will Be October 14
Thank you for successfully completing the second fire drill. We exited the building in just 15 seconds more than the first drill and there was a barrier to egress on the third floor. At the staff meeting, we will address questions about procedures and discuss what to do if a fire alarm occurs at lunch time, between classes, during an assembly or after school.
As a reminder for your planning purposes - Please do not share this with students at this time.
The first lockdown drill will be Tuesday, October 14, 2025 at 2:30 p.m. (block I)
The third fire drill will be the week of October 20, 2025.
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!
UTSAA Funding Requests Are Open
Could a co-curricular or student activity you supervise use some additional funding? Share this form with your executive so they can apply to the UTS Alumni Association for support! The first application deadline is Tuesday, October 15, 2025. Groups can apply to both UTSPA and UTSAA for funding (but you need to fill out each form).
UTS Staff Book Club
UTS staff book club members decided on our first read: James McBride’s The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store. All are welcome to join us at our next meeting on Monday, December 1 to discuss the book. If you’re interested, reach out to Kelly for details!
