May 5, 2023

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.

Facilities at UTS

We are pleased to announce that ACML (Angus Consulting Management Ltd.) has been contracted through an RFP process to oversee the mechanical and electrical systems for our new building. Under our new Real Property License with the University of Toronto, UTS is fully responsible for all equipment and elements of our renewed building throughout our 50 year lease period. The license also provides UTS with the right to attain our own contractors as opposed to using the University of Toronto for all services. We will be maintaining the University of Toronto for such services as Elevator, Fire Prevention, Campus Police, Grounds, Recycling and Hazardous Waste Disposal.

ACML staff at present include Hassam Amjadi and Jamil Khan P. Eng, PMP. Hassam is working on site each day and Jamil will be on site, at times, several days each week. Jamil oversees facilities management at the Toronto French School, Sterling Hall School, Royal St. George's College, and Upper Canada College. Hassam will be developing a full preventive maintenance program for the school as well as servicing all mechanical and electrical equipment or arranging for third party contractors as required. ACML will also assist with any building alterations and some aspects of general maintenance.

Many thanks to Liane Wylie who has worked tirelessly to address building issues since our return to Bloor and as construction continued, with the support of our Project Manager, Andy Kerr, JLL, and Eastern Construction, as well as their subcontractors, and also the Capital Projects and Facilities Teams at the University. Liane's persistence, diligence and attention to detail has ensured that issues were addressed as quickly and thoroughly as possible, which has not always been easy! The entire Facilities Team (Darlington Ibe, Calvin Liang, Paula Jack and Bert Horvath) under the leadership of Julie Martin, Director of Human Resources and Facilities, has provided exceptional service in ensuring that the UTS building supports exemplary teaching and learning, co-curricular activities, and community events. While ACML will now take the lead in the electrical and mechanical domain and building projects, our Facilities Team will be managing all other aspects of facilities related work.

As a result of the new arrangements with the University of Toronto defined by our Real Property License, the UTS Board has established a Building and Facilities Committee of the Board, chaired by UTS alumna, Meg Graham '89. Meg is an architect and a partner in her firm Superkül.

All aspects of Facilities report to the Principal.

Privacy Policy

We have completed a new Privacy Policy Covering the Collection and Security of Personal and Electronic Information. The new Policy consolidates relevant content from other policies that deal with privacy and reintroduces guidelines regarding the collection and security of personal and electronic information to be better aligned with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (“PIPEDA”).

Whether PIPEDA actually does apply to independent schools remains an unclear point at law. However, in general, it is considered a “best practice” for institutions to aim to be PIPEDA-compliant. In the face of the Privacy Commissioner’s strong encouragement to have Independent Schools be PIPEDA-compliant, UTS is opting to act within the framework of best practice, as if it is subject to the requirements of PIPEDA.

The new Privacy Policy applies to School visitors, current, past, and prospective students and their families; current and former volunteers; suppliers and contractors; governing board members, donors and supporters; and any other stakeholders from whom we collect personal information. It provides details about the type of personal information collected by the School, how the School collects, uses, and discloses the personal and electronic information of its community members. Areas addressed in this Policy include:

The Personal Information That We Collect
How We Use Personal Information
How We Share Personal Information
How We Protect And Store Personal Information
Changes Of Personal Information
Contacting The Privacy Officer
Updates To This Policy

Section 1: The Personal Information That We Collect, includes a set of sub-sections covering:

Network Monitoring
Cookies and Other Technologies
Information You Share Socially
Video Surveillance
Links to Other Websites

On the topic of Video Surveillance, we would like to highlight that the new video surveillance system on School premises, has been installed for safety and security reasons. The cameras are installed in strategic locations around the school’s hallways, street/exterior entrances and exits, to discourage vandalism and other criminal activity.

We are in the process of placing prominent signs in areas that are under video surveillance to notify individuals that they are being video recorded. Access to the video surveillance is restricted to the Principal, Vice-Principals, Security Guards who are on duty, IT, the Director of Facilities and Chief People Officer.

We will be reviewing this Policy at the next Staff Meeting in May. Please take the time to review it and bring any questions or concerns you may have to the May 18 Staff Meeting.

Staffing Announcement

Congratulations!

We are pleased to announce that Catherine Wachter is re-appointed as New Student Integration Coordinator. Her new 3-year term begins September 2023.

Welcome!

Please join us in welcoming back Thomas Nachshen ‘16. Thomas will be covering Adam Gregson’s Math and Computer Science classes, starting Monday, while Adam is on leave. Thomas will continue to lend his support to the Math Department after Adam returns, until the end of June.

Thomas has just completed his Master of Teaching. His Master's research looks at how current mathematics curriculums in Ontario support teachers in the incorporation of social justice and culturally relevant and responsive pedagogy in classrooms. He comes back to UTS with experience teaching in public and independent middle and secondary schools in Ontario and is familiar with AP and IB programs.

Employee and Family Assistance Program

Our EFAP provider has gone through some rebranding. Morneau Shepell is now LifeWorks and will in the next few weeks be operating under Telus Health. Access to EFAP services remains unchanged. The details are outlined on the Staff Portal HERE. You can also download the LifeWorks Brochure for an overview of the services provided.

When accessing the EFAP services online through workhealthlife.com, you will need to identify yourself by the name of our organisation: University of Toronto Schools (UTS). You will also be asked whether you are a full-time or part-time employee. If you are accessing the services by phone, please do not mention any union affiliation (e.g. OSSTF or USW), as this will only confuse their ability to identify you as a UTS employee.

Any service issues should be taken up with Human Resources, so that we can follow them up with our client representative.

Toronto Public Health Vaccine Clinic

Toronto Public Health will be returning to UTS on May 17 to complete the second doses of school vaccinations for the Foundation students.

Teachers, please do not schedule any assessments for Foundation students on May 17.

Gifts for Speakers and Volunteers

This is a reminder that if you would like a gift for a speaker or volunteer, please contact David Haisell .

Before you email David, please view the options in the UTS Shop.

And don't forget to include your account number in your request.

Your gift will be confirmed once it's ready, wrapped and waiting for you.

Micro:bit Maker-in-Residence Series @ Lang Innovation Lab

Please join the Innovation Team after school on May 16, for the second session of the second Maker-in-Residence series in the Lang Innovation Lab.

Tess Butler-Ulrich is working towards her Masters in Education at OTU, with a focus on making and STEAM education.

The subject of this series is microprocessors such as micro:bits; this second workshop, we will continue working with the micro:bit and go over how to connect it to a device, inputs, outputs, and setting up micro:bit and explore coding through a series of challenges and debugging activities. (E.g., create a simple shape using the LEDs on the micro:bit, write a short message using the LEDs)

Missed the first session? No worries! We’d love to see you there!

Please sign up here if you are interested in joining us.

Invitation to a Learning Conversation with Dr. Rie Kijima

We (Kim M, Cresencia, Rosemary) invite you to join us as Dr. Rie Kijima shares about Education Policies Needed for Schools to Support Equitable Approaches to Deeper Learning, in the K-12 context (Canada & Japan). Rie is an Assistant Professor, Director of Peace, Conflict and Justice Progam; as well as Director of Munk One at UofT Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy. She is also Director of the Initiative for Education Policy for Innovation at the UofT Centre for the Study of Global Japan.

This is part of the Learning Conversation Series that is hosted by the Eureka! Research Institute & UTS: Perspectives on Fostering Equitable Approaches to Deeper Learning in K-12 Education. Recordings and materials from these conversations are archived here.

All UTS staff are welcome to attend! We know you may be commuting during this time and if you need to mute your mic and webcam, that's totally fine!

Please note that Eureka! has been supporting a partnership with researchers and educators in Japan (CoREF) and hopefully this partnership will develop into educator exchanges between our two countries. Our Japanese colleagues will be visiting UTS on June 15.

F2 YLLT Excursion to Evergreen Brickworks

As part of the F2 Sustainability Year-Long Learning Theme (YLLT), all F2 students will engage in outdoor learning activities at Evergreen Brickworks, to explore the Don Valley watershed for signs of watershed management, and ways to mitigate human impact. Students will also explore Indigenous land connections.

All F2 students are asked to arrive at UTS on May 10 by 8:30 a.m. and to meet in the Jackman Theater. Further details will be shared with students via the F2 YTL Google Classroom, and have been included in the permission form which was emailed to all F2 parents and guardians last week.