April 14, 2022
COVID-19 Update
UTS reported 2 confirmed COVID-19 cases among in-person staff and students during the week of April 4 - 8.
These numbers are updated every Thursday and can be found in the document below.
Farewell & Congratulations
The UTS community would like to say farewell and congratulations to Forough Shafiei. Forough has accepted an exciting new role as the Fundraising Manager at WCS Canada. Thankfully, WCS Canada is only a few steps away from 371 Bloor.
Forough wrote to say:
“It has been a great honour to be part of the UTS team over the past four years and I am very grateful for the opportunity to serve our community during such a pivotal time in the school's history. Thank you for your kindness and support over the years. I wish UTS and our wonderful staff all the best.
I am sad that I am leaving UTS but the good news is that my new workplace will be at 344 Bloor West, right next to Tim Horton's, and I look forward to running into UTS staff occasionally and hope to be able to keep in touch.”
Forough’s last day at UTS will be May 6th. Please join us in wishing Forough great success in her new role at WCS Canada.
Hello & Welcome
Please join us in extending a warm hello and welcome to Emily Di Nunzio.
Emily supported the Science Department for a short period this past winter. She holds a BSc with Distinction from McGill and is a recent graduate of the OISE MT program with Biology and General Sciences qualifications, and has experience in lab management systems
Emily rejoined us this past Tuesday as an Associate Teacher and Lab support. She will be working closely with Sarah Cescon and the rest of the Science Department to get the Science prep room and labs set up.
Emily’s UTS email is emily.di.nunzio@utschools.ca Her desk is located in room 358. Please join us in welcoming Emily to the UTS community!
Spring Parent-Teacher Interviews
Parent Teacher Interviews will be held virtually on the afternoon/evening of May 11 (3:30 p.m. - 7:15 p.m.), and throughout the day on May 12-13 (9:00 a.m. - 3:15 p.m.).
Access to the pickAtime system will open to UTS Teachers on April 19 to protect scheduled breaks.
Please look out for an email with pertinent information next week.
Updated Guidance for COVID-19 Rapid Tests
The Ministry of Health has released guidelines for individuals that are wanting to do oral and nasal testing with their rapid test kits.
Data is suggesting that the combined method (oral swab followed by nasal swab) is more effective in picking up the virus at present rather than the nasal method alone.
Here is a great infographic with step by step instructions for the oral/nasal collection.
You can also continue utilizing the nasal method solely if you wish to do so.
Social Media Spotlight
Check out these videos and photos from our wonderful Pink celebration this week.
Special thanks to everyone involved for making this event (out first back at Bloor) so great!
Staff Spotlight: UTS Teachers Contributing Authors on New Book
Congratulations to Nicola Townend and Jennifer Kelly for their collaboration and contributions to the new book, “Activating Linguistic and Cultural Diversity in the Language Classroom” that has just just been released by the Educational Linguistics series of Springer Publishing.
The UTS community is proud of both Nicola and Jennifer for making important contribution to a very vibrant field.
Coping with Loss and Grief
We recognize that we as a community are still grieving the loss of one of our students. This includes holding space for challenging conversations, and ongoing support of students.
In doing this work, it is important to take time to care for ourselves as well.
Responding to death and coping with grief is an individualized experience and will impact people in different ways.
A reminder that there are resources for staff to access, including this information from CAMH on Coping with Loss and Grief, and the Employee and Family Assistance Program.
Parent Update
New in this update, you will find a link to UTS Summer Camp registration as well as information on one of our featured camps Global Health Mini-Masters, an updated calendar from our Music Department featuring new concert dates, an invitation to parents interested in joining the 2022-23 UTSPA Executive Committee, and more.
Silver Lining
Every week, we will close the Staff Update with a little silver lining that highlights the lighter side of life. So far the theme has been pet photos, but any cheerful content is welcome!
Submit Silver Linings here or in the Staff Updates Google Doc.
This week’s submission is from Kara Lysne-Paris:
