November 17, 2023
Wise Words and Big Ideas
Vince Dannetta shared this insightful podcast for this week’s Wise Words and Big Ideas:
Where Everybody Knows Your Name
The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos
Cheers was a sitcom hit in the 80s thanks to a theme tune promising that the fictional bar was a place "where everybody knows you name." Venues like pubs - away from our homes and workplaces - are vital for building our social networks and making our lives richer, easier and more fun. But these so-called "Third Places" are in danger. Neighborhood hangouts are closing and membership of clubs, associations and unions is falling. Harvard political scientist Robert Putnam has been watching this worrying decline across a lifetime and warns that we need to act before it's too late. Robert is author of Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community, The Upswing: How America Came Together a Century Ago and How We Can Do It Again. He also inspired the 2023 film Join or Die.
Coffee Klatch
Our second Staff Coffee Klatch will be Nov 23 at 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. for all staff in the kitchen area on L1.
Please join your colleagues for a chat, coffee, tea, cinnamon coffee cake and fresh fruit.
Student Late Start
November 23 will be a student late start and teacher time to complete overflow PTI or work in course teams on moderation or planning.
Operations Staff do not have any specific PD during this student late start unless notified by their Department Head.
Staff Holiday Party: December 14
Please use this form to RSVP by December 4.
Magnets for Customizing the UTS Learning Environment
Thanks to the work of Nat Cannistraro and the Innovation Lab Team, the Comms Team and Adnan Zuberi, there are signature, UTS round magnets on and above lockers which will help teachers and students leverage vertical hallway spaces for active learning! Teachers and students can use the magnets to easily post classroom activities on student lockers. Students (and teachers) can then easily remove the activities for submission, class review or to keep in their notes.
There will be a note going to students about the magnets and we also ask that teachers mention the purpose of the magnets to students in their classes to coach students in allowing these magnets to be used for their intended purpose.
International Association of Laboratory Schools Call for Conference Proposals
As you know, UTS is part of the International Association of Laboratory Schools (IALS) community.
The IALS annual conference will be April 24 to 26, 2024 at Burris Laboratory School in Indiana, USA.
Their call for conference proposals is now open and closes December 4. If you are interested in submitting a conference proposal either alone or in collaboration with a UTS colleague(s), feel free to connect with Cresencia Fong and/or Kim MacKinnon for proposal development support.
Can you Light Up our Life?
Do you have an artificial light-up tree similar to the one pictured that you are willing to lend to Advancement on December 5 to be returned on December 6?
We are hosting a parent appreciation breakfast on December 6 and are looking for a non-denominational tree as a display.
We will take very good care of it! If so, please email Martha Drake at mdrake@utschools.ca.
Silver Lining
Thanks to Negar Shayan for providing this week’s Silver Living. If you would like to share a Silver Lining for a future Staff Update, please submit your content here.
