March 24, 2023

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Staffing Update

Today is the last day of the March Break, and Sean Hayto’s last day before he takes his parental leave. On Monday, March 27 we will be welcoming Natalie (Nat) Cannistraro, who will be taking over the oversight of the Lang Innovation Lab from Sean.

Our deep gratitude to Sean for getting the Innovation Lab started and sparking a maker culture among students and staff! His research into the tools and equipment for the lab; his professional learning into various maker activities and approaches; and his community outreach within UTS, CIS, and beyond, to expand UTS' educational/research maker connections has given us a solid start.

Natalie (Nat) Cannistraro will continue the work Sean has begun, to further a culture of making and design in collaboration with students and staff. Nat comes to UTS from TL Kennedy SS (Peel DSB), where she has built maker labs and developed and taught hands-on project-based student programming which include leatherworking tools and industrial leather sewing machines, woodshop machines and hand tools, 3D printers, laser cutters, digital lathes and mills, and industrial t-shirt printing equipment. She has developed programming in design, construction and manufacturing. At her previous school, Nat was Curriculum Lead of the Tech, Art and Business Department. She was also Team Lead of 2 Regional Programs: Graphic and Design Management (GDM), and International Business and Technology (IBT). She also led the school's Business and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Specialist High Skills Majors. Prior to obtaining her OCT, Nat has 16+ years of professional experience and formal training in architecture, graphic design, and jewellery design/fabrication. Nat will be stationed in the Lang Innovation Lab as of Monday, please make sure to drop by to welcome her to UTS.

We wish Sean well as he embarks on his paternity leave, and look forward to his return in mid-August. Sean will continue to support our March and Summer programs, on his return, as well as the UTSPA Summer Experiential Program. In addition, he will be supporting Student Life programs, with a focus on debate activities, co-curricular clubs and groups, and student supervision.

Have a great weekend!

Coffee Klatch for All Staff - March 27

Please join your colleagues for coffee and light snacks starting at 8:30 a.m. (until 11 a.m.) in the art alcove outside the Academics office.

Welcome back to teachers, we would love to hear about your adventures! Thanks to operations staff who were here for all of their hard work over the March Break!

Reporting Day for Teachers

There are no classes for students or teachers on Friday, March 31.

Many teachers may prefer to work from home on reports.

All teaching course teams should ensure that they make time to do moderated marking for all summatives and moderated grading for all classes before submitting reports at 9 a.m. on April 5.

Teachers who would like to work from 371 on March 31, should contact Yogita Patel to book a room.

Over 250 students will be writing the OSSLT in the morning and students will be writing Mock Exams in the afternoon

Phones in Class

Teachers, please remind students that their phones should be turned off and in their bags during classes.

We have had several student complaints about other students distracting them with phones during classes.

Several teachers have also raised this as an issue affecting student attention.

Technology should be used to enhance and contribute to a student’s developing executive function skills and social interaction. In our teaching and learning environment, the need for students to use their phones to enhance their learning is very limited and should only take place when the teacher is involved in mentoring and coaching the students on how to use the tool they will be using for learning.

Our UTS practice vis a vis students not using phones in class is reinforced in our Acceptable Use of IT policy which states that phones should not be used inside classes without express direction to do so from a teacher.

Please discuss the consequences of using a phone without permission with students and reinforce the policy in classes.

UTS Charity Week Silent Auction

UTS Charity Week is a week-long fundraising drive that brings together the UTS community in support of an important Canadian charity.

This year, the Charity Week will take place from April 24 to 28 in support of Interval House, as voted upon by the student body.

Please click here to learn more about the work that Interval House does to support women survivors of domestic violence and their children.

We are looking for donations for the annual Silent Auction and would love your support! See last year's auction offerings here.

Please complete this form before April 5 with information about the items you'd like to donate. Donations and/or cheques can be dropped off to the Admissions Office (Room 254) from now until April 7. Please fill out the form more than once if you are donating more than one item.

Thanks for your support!

Charline Wan + SOCs (Akshita, Curtis, Daniel, Fiona, Maya)

Integrative Thinking with Students

Teachers, have your students experienced Integrative Thinking (i.e. Pro-Pro Chart, Ladder of Inference or Causal Model) at any point in their K-12 experience? They're eligible for I-Think's RJS Scholarship.

Successful candidates are able to describe what they learned from Integrative Thinking, how their behaviour and thinking has changed, and why that is important to them.

The scholarship provides $4,000 for each year of a student’s undergraduate program at the University of Toronto.

Past winners have pursued a variety of programs including biochemistry, computer engineering, political sciences and art history.

Applications due here by April 24, at 11:59 p.m. For more information, please see this website.

NEW BOOK: Handbook of Research on Teachers of Color and Indigenous Teachers

American Educatonal Research Association (AERA) recently released a first-of-its-kind book, the Handbook of Research on Teachers of Color and Indigenous Teachers, edited by Conra D. Gist and Travis J. Bristol.

The Handbook addresses key issues and obstacles in ethnoracial diversity across the life course of teachers’ careers, such as recruitment and retention, professional development, and the role of minority-serving institutions.

Including chapters from leading researchers and policy makers, the Handbook is designed to be an important resource to help bridge the gap between scholars, practitioners, and policy makers. In doing so, this research will serve as a launching pad for discussion and change at this critical moment in our country’s history.