April 17, 2025
Staffing update
We are excited to welcome Mary Paula (MP) Lizewski to the Facilities Department, starting Tuesday, April 22.
MP will be stepping into the role of Facilities & Events Services Officer.
She brings with her over 10 years of experience in property maintenance and construction site coordination, along with eight years in stage production and event coordination. Her diverse background makes her a welcome addition to our team and the school!
If you're near the Facilities Office on Tuesday, please be sure to stop by and extend a warm UTS welcome to MP!
No access to the building April 18-21 and April 26-27
UTS will be closed for the long weekend and the weekend of April 26-27.
Fire Drill Report
Thanks to everyone for the efficient exit from the building during the April 15th Fire Drill. We took just over five minutes and the Fire Marshall indicated that was good.
For the next fire drill, please bring your red envelopes to the parkette, ensure all students are on the lawn and hold up your yellow “all students are present and accounted for” once you have submitted your attendance.
Please also review with your classes that:
Students they should not be visiting their lockers while exiting the school during a fire drill.
Students who are in the washroom during a fire drill need to exit the building quickly and meet their classes at the parkette.
Thanks again ‒ our next fire drill (the fifth of six that are required) is on May 1 at 10 a.m.
Student Vote ‒ April 28
We are excited to share that on Monday, April 28, UTS will be hosting student elections through Student Vote Canada. This initiative provides a valuable opportunity for all of our students to engage in the democratic process and experience elections firsthand.
Student Vote is a program developed in 2003 by CIVIX, an organization dedicated to civic education. Through this program, students will learn about democracy, government and the role of elected representatives, helping them become informed and responsible citizens. Before election day, they will explore these topics in an assembly as well as a lunch and learn focused on how to register to vote in this election or future elections if eligible.
On election day, student volunteers will take on the roles of election workers, assisting in organizing and running the voting process under staff supervision. This hands-on experience encourages civic engagement and builds the habits of active citizenship. Once all ballots are cast, the school, along with hundreds of thousands of student voters across Canada, will tally the votes.
This year, UTS Polls will be open to students from 8:15 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. in the Evans Library. Students will vote on their own time (before school, at lunch, on spare). Teachers may also bring their whole class down, if they wish, or send some students down to vote during class time. Our goal is to create a more realistic voting experience and ensure classes aren’t disrupted, unless teachers opt in.
To learn more about Student Vote, please visit their website here.
Click here to learn more about Student Vote Canada ‒ 2021 results summary.
Thank you for your support, UTS staff!
Standby coverage for classes during M3 Ottawa and grade-wide trips
Please remember that when your regularly scheduled class is away taking part in grade-wide activities, you are required to be on standby coverage.
If you will be on a class field trip with another grade and not available for standby coverage, please indicate that you are unavailable in the data hub as soon as possible.
If you are not supporting field trips or experiential education, please be sure to be available during your standby coverage. We will do our best to ensure teachers know their coverage assignments prior to the periods they are needed. You may be called for coverage during all of the classes you normally teach if you are not already assigned to supporting other programs. Thank you for your support of the UTS experiential learning, trips and co-curricular programs!
For teachers whose M3 class is on the Ottawa trip, but also have students in other grades in their classroom, there are two options:
Let Jenny Pitt-Lainsbury (jpittlainsbury@utschools.ca) know you will be working with the non-M3 students in your classroom while the M3s are away and will not be available for standby coverage.
OR
Consult with Director of Library Services Rebecca Courtney to see if there is enough room in the library for your students. If there is, please provide the list of students to Rebecca and the Main Office, and then ask your non-M3 students to sign in at the Main Office and report to Ms. Courtney for a library study period.
Thank you!
Finance is here for you!
The finance department wants to make it easier for staff to get things paid.
Please visit the Resources and Forms page of the Staff Portal for a summary of instructions for any future Finance requests.
Measles update
Measles is on the rise in Canada and Greater Toronto Area TA. Cases have been linked with increased travel and the reduced uptake of the measles vaccine.
Symptoms can include
· Fever
· Runny nose
· Red eyes
· Cough
· Red rash which starts on the face and spreads down the body
· Small blue-white spots can appear on the inside of the mouth and throat
If you or your family member is experiencing a rash and fever, speak to your health care provider before you seek out care about testing. To learn more about measles and how to protect yourself and others, click here.
If you have questions, contact Toronto Public Health at publichealth@toronto.ca or 416-338-7600, Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. for more information. Service is available in multiple languages.
