September 15, 2023
Fun Facts & Quick Quotes
We invite staff to submit a Fun Fact, Quick Quote or Silver Lining to add some inspiration to the end of the week!
Today’s productivity tip comes to you from Martha Drake, who subscribes to the “Eat the Frog” approach to tackling the most pressing task of the day first thing in the morning.
This daily ritual is found here.
Late Start - Monday, September 18
Students should not be in the building until 10:15 a.m. on Monday, September 18.
Please avoid asking any students to come in for co-curricular activities. The focus of the late start is guidance and work on university reference letters. This session is for teachers who are currently teaching S6, who taught S5 last year or those who wish to attend. Please bring a laptop and, if you have one, a copy of a U.S. or U.K. reference letter you wrote. This event is hosted by Andrea Stoeckl in the Multipurpose Room and starts at 8:55 a.m.
All other teachers should use the PA time at UTS to meet with course teams, work on their PGDM proposal or meet in their PGDM Professional Learning Community teams.
Assignment Calendars
Teachers, please remember to populate your assignment calendars.
All Staff Survey - Admissions Input
Your input helps to shape the external image of UTS and the internal processes for Admissions.
Please take three minutes to complete this survey by Monday, September 18. Having input from staff from all departments, no matter how long you have been working here, is important.
Thank you!
Staff Social
Please join us at our first Staff Social Friday, Sept 22 at the Madison Avenue Pub at 14 Madison Ave. There will be beverages and snacks from 4-6 p.m.
Facilities Email Reminder
Just a quick reminder to use the facilities.staff@utschools.ca email address when contacting the Facilities Team rather than reaching out to us individually.
Many thanks!
Yoga With Fiona
We are thrilled to be able to offer lunchtime yoga with Fiona for all staff, starting September 28.
The class will run in the Jackman Theatre every Thursday from 12 to 12:40 p.m.
Feel free to arrive late or leave early. Yoga mats will be provided, but also feel free to bring your own.
Personal Pronouns
Asking students to share their pronouns with you is a wonderful, affirming engagement strategy that is fully in line with our commitment to being openly inclusive.
We have not only a right but an obligation to make our school as safe as possible and for many students this means having clarity around pronouns. Know that the Ontario Human Rights Code (which holds primacy) and the Education Act both provide “explicit protection for students from bullying because of gender identity and expression.”
Please see the full Ontario Human Rights Code policy related to Preventing Discrimination Because of Gender Identity and Gender Expression.
Artful Design & Artificial Intelligence: "What Do We (Really) Want from AI?"
Professor Ge Wang from Stanford University, author of Artful Design, and co-founder of Smule will be at UTS to give a STEAM keynote performance on - Artful Design & Artificial Intelligence: "What Do We (Really) Want from AI?" Here’s a teaser. Explore the fascinating intersection of music, coding, art, science, design+making and artificial intelligence; for human connection around the world.
We invite you to join us in the Withrow Auditorium from 4 to 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, September 21 (UTS Day 2). This special event is open to the UTS community, including students, parents, staff, alumni and prospective students/families.
UTS teachers: This is sure to spark many possibilities for post-event classroom discussion! We invite you to bring your class(es) to this unique STEAM learning event, especially if you teach a Day 2 Period 4 Block H class. You can bulk order your tickets at the link below. Some of your students may have already gotten their own ticket ‒ no need to include these students in your bulk ticket order.
STEAM Symposium at U of T’s Munk School
U of T’s Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy is hosting a full-day STEAM symposium on September 20: “Cultivating STEM/STEAM Thinkers: Linking Policy, Research, and Practice.”
For more information and free ticket(s), visit their Eventbrite page.
Professor Ge Wang will also be doing his keynote performance at this event from 3 to 4:30 p.m., which he will repeat at UTS on September 21 from 4 to 5:30 p.m. in the Withrow Auditorium.
Silver Lining
Need a relaxing moment of reflection as you head off for the weekend and missed Isabella Liu’s Lunch and Learn on her trip to the Galápagos today?
You can join again on September 25, 12-12:45 p.m. Room 321.
Isabella muses on the life of these turtles, “Life on the islands is so harsh and competitive that only 1 in 1,000 sea turtles survive. So the ones you see in the ocean are those few lucky ones who survived against all odds, and I can’t help but wonder what stories they have to share with us humans.”
