February 3, 2023
“Withstanding the cold develops vigor for the relaxing days of spring and summer. ”
Have a quote you would like to submit for next week’s Staff Update? Click here to share the words of wisdom that inspired you most recently.
Staffing Announcement
Rebecca Harrison will be returning from her parental leave on Monday, February 6, to resume her Alumni Advancement Officer position in the Office of Advancement. We welcome Rebecca Harrison back to the team and thank Rebecca Broderick for her stellar coordination of our Back to Bloor events and support of our alumni relations over the past 18 months during Rebecca Harrison’s absence. Our thanks to both Rebeccas for sharing the same first name, making the transition almost seamless!
After working in the Main Office for the past six months and learning about UTS, Hijab Ahmed will formally change roles on February 7, 2023 to take on the role of Senior Officer, Equity Projects and Implementation. Hijab comes to the role with a degree in Women and Gender Studies and Community Outreach experience.
We are also pleased to announce that Rebecca Broderick will continue working at UTS in the Main Office. She will be replacing Hijab as the Interim Administrative Assistant to the Main Office, starting February 7. Rebecca’s familiarity with the UTS community will make for a smoother and easier transition in the Main Office.
Finally, on Monday, February 6, Hany Mehari will be joining the Finance Team as a Senior Accountant. He is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) and has worked as a Senior Accountant and Comptroller in several industries. Hany holds a Post-Graduate Accounting Diploma and a Bachelor of Commerce Degree. We look forward to having him join the UTS community. We will also have Masooma Raza joining the Finance team through Robert Half Placement, for additional interim accounting support while we search for the right candidate to take on the position of Finance Officer. Masooma comes with experience from both EY and KPMG. She holds a Master's Degree in Finance and a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting. Masooma has experience with end-to-end Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable.
Please welcome our new staff and introduce yourself if you see them!
Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Rebate Program
UTS Alumnus and Board Member, Tony Lundy '79, is a passionate advocate of decarbonization and has generously offered to fund a rebate program to support UTS employees with the purchase or lease of zero-emission vehicles. The program will provide a $5,000 rebate per staff member. The program would be open to UTS employees in permanent positions, who purchase or lease an electric zero-emission vehicle.
The ZEV Rebate Program will run until December 31, 2024. A $5,000 rebate will be awarded as a non-taxable payment directly from Tony Lundy to UTS employees in continuing positions, who provide proof of purchase, or a 3-year lease of a zero-emission vehicle.
The objective of the program is to support the use of zero-emission vehicles so to the extent that Ontario follows the lead of BC and Quebec and provides infrastructure for hydrogen fuel cell cars, they would also qualify along with battery electric vehicles.
We hope that this initiative encourages you to consider investing in a zero-emission car. UTS employees in permanent positions who would like to access the program should contact Lily McGregor for more information. Please note that UTS is not responsible for the program and employees are encouraged to seek out the advice of their accountants in terms of the treatment of the lump sum payment on their income tax.
Social Work at UTS - Updates and Access
Earlier this week students received an email about how to access Social Work at UTS and information about changes occuring. Steph will be starting parental leave shortly, please join us in welcoming Rachel MacEwan who will be filling Steph’s leave. Marleen and Joelle remain available to support students as needed.
To book an appointment, students can email social.work.staff@utschools.ca, email any Social Worker directly, and/or visit their appointment calendar and choose a time that works.
We remind students that like physical health, we all have our mental health to care for and consider.
If you have any wonders or questions about the changes, please do not hesitate to connect.
Student Life Display Screen - L1
The Student Portal has a link for the submission of 16:9 ratio aspect slides for promotion of co-curricular clubs, activities and events. Please direct students to Student Life in the Student Portal (bookmarked for both staff and students in the UTS bookmark tab).
Click here to view the form directly or share the link.
The page on the Student Portal is here.
Socially Responsible Digital Citizenship Virtual Forum
Socially Responsible Digital Citizenship: Intimate Images & Consent (virtual forum @ WesternU)
Virtual forum: Not Yours to Distribute! Intimate Images and Consent
February 9 (1:00-3:30 p.m.)
This free learning opportunity is open to anyone who is concerned about non-consensual distribution of intimate images, and interested in learning about the reporting of such incidents, as well as supports for survivors. This learning is applicable in our personal lives, work, teaching, and parenting. The event is hosted by Western University’s Centre for Research on Violence Against Women and Children.
AEDI - Whole School Student Completion of Panorama Equity & Inclusion Survey
On February 9, period 2 teachers will be asked to distribute and supervise students as they complete the 2023 Panorama Survey.
As done in 2020, this equity and inclusion climate survey is designed to give us a sense of and pulse on how students are feeling, relative to equity and inclusion in the school community.
The online survey should take no more than 30-40 minutes to complete. Hijab, will provide more details to period 1 teachers in the coming days.
Please let Kim know if you have any questions or concerns.
Thank you in advance for your support as we continue to implement the Glaze recommendations and work to make UTS an even more inclusive space.
Athletics Calendar
Student Vaccination Clinic
Toronto Public Health will be on site on March 1st to offer a catch-up clinic for mandatory school vaccinations to M3-S6 students.
Please do not schedule any assessments during that day.
COVID-19 Case Counter
COVID numbers are updated every Thursday and can be found here in this document.
UTS Updates
In this update you will find information on our updated inclement weather plan, a reminder about parking on Washington Street, an update from our Social Work team, SHOW performance times and tickets, a call for parent volunteers for Day of Pink, and more.
Silver Linings
Have a silver lining you would like to submit for next week’s Staff Update? Click here to share something that brought you joy recently.
This week’s share comes from Negar Shayan.
