January 13, 2023

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Retirement Party

A reminder: To celebrate Linda Coopman’s retirement after over 16 years at UTS, all staff are invited to L’Espresso Bar Mercurio today from 4 to 7 p.m.

Please join us to wish Linda all the best on her next adventures!

Staffing Announcement

Please welcome William Do, a co-op student from University of Waterloo engineering.

William will be splitting his time between the IT department and the Lang Innovation Lab. This means that the Innovation Lab will now be open daily after school for drop-in making and for co-curricular activities.

If you are interested in booking the Lab after school, please use the booking form.

Job-Embedded PD Opportunity for Teachers

Teachers - if you’re interested in 1:1 support through a Critical Making Support Triad - please submit this interest form by January 20 - teachers get support sessions:

Preliminary meeting to discuss curricular ideas for integration of Making and areas of interest
Explore making activities that align with topics discussed in the previous meeting
Design and plan for classroom implementation
Meeting before classroom implementation (if needed)
I-Lab shoulder-to-shoulder support with Aakriti + Sean (as many sessions as needed)
Reflection Debrief sessions with Teachers with Rubaina + Aakriti + Sean + Cresencia

Toronto Public Health Visit

Please note that Toronto Public Health will be on site on March 1.

Teachers are asked not to plan any assessments for M3-S6 classes that day.

Remembering Former UTS Teacher Natalie Kuzmich

We are saddened to share the news that Natalie Kuzmich, former UTS teacher, retired OISE professor, and 2011 UTS Hall of Fame recipient, passed away recently.

Natalie was a pioneer in the revolution in music education, adapting and expanding the subject into educational and personal goals for her students. She possessed a deep knowledge and appreciation for classical music, had a very creative mind for educational thought and had boundless energy. UTS students benefited from Natalie's unique teaching. She introduced strings to the UTS music program and was a very dedicated, respected and enthusiastic teacher. She insisted on excellence in student performance and with her pioneering spirit, she constantly looked for innovation and new classical music challenges for her students. The results included a very accomplished student orchestra, the creation of the Senior Chamber Strings and the development of many outstanding student musicians, many of whom have gone on to professional careers.

Prior to joining UTS, Natalie, who played strings, created a dynamic string program at Lawrence Park, had been an instructor at the University of Toronto's Faculty of Music, and was a revolutionary music education professor at OISE.

Natalie will be fondly remembered by her former colleagues. We extend our condolences to all who knew and loved Nathalie, especially her children and grandchildren. We shall treasure her lasting connection and contributions to UTS and the broader music education community.

Parent Updates

In this update you will find information on next week's course selection nights, a reminder to parents about parking on Huron Street and Washington Avenue, Nocturne auditions, an online sexual harassment workshop for F2 students, registering for an upcoming linguistics competition, and more.

Parent Update