keyboard_arrow_left Back to News Centre

Pond School - Spring Edition

This past week University School students took learning outside again to further our connection to community and place. Going to the pond every day encourages learning on the land by noticing changes all around us. Building an appreciation of our community leads to understanding and acknowledging the land that we live and play on. 

Each day students had a different focus for the walk to the pond and an activity at or near the pond. Below are some examples of activities that classes participated in:

  • Viewing 2D and 3D shapes in nature
  • Create a nature frame and close up sketching
  • Looking for signs of spring and collecting data on birds
  • Pond dipping
  • Sit spots and pond reflections
  • Human impact scavenger hunt

We are grateful for the land where we live and learn and for what it teaches us about our world and ourselves.


Chicks, Ducklings, and Goslings, Oh My!

The Grade 1 and 2 classes have been engaging in a special learning experience by using incubators to help hatch chicks, ducklings, and goslings right in their classrooms!

This brings the science curriculum to life as students explore life cycles, the needs of living things, and the process of animal growth and change. By observing eggs daily, tracking their development, and witnessing hatching, students are thinking like scientists through observation, prediction, and recording data.

Beyond science, this experience is also a powerful lesson in empathy and care. Students were tasked with the responsibility for monitoring the incubators and caring for the hatchlings, supporting them in being gentle, attentive, and compassionate. 

We are happy to provide opportunities like this that connect curriculum with social emotional learning, helping our young learners grow into thoughtful, curious, and kind individuals.


Grade 6 Farewell - Save the Date

We are celebrating our Grade 6 students as they transition to junior high with a Farewell Assembly at 1:30pm on Tuesday, June 24, followed by a celebration in the Learning Commons. Information will be shared with Grade 6 families in the coming weeks.


Registration for the 2024-25

Registration for all new students to University School remains open! 

Information for registering your child for kindergarten can be found on the CBE website or by accessing the following link Kindergarten - Great Learning Starts Here. Registration can be completed online through School Engage.

We look forward to welcoming you and your child to University School!

If your child is already a student of University School and will be returning next year then there is no need to register as you are automatically re-enrolled.


This Week

Monday, May 19

  •  No School - Victoria Day

Tuesday, May 20

  • Sir Jon Franklin Band Performance
  • Miniature Painting Club

Wednesday, May 21

  • Lapbook Club

Thursday, May 22

  • Gr. 6 Visit to Queen Elizabeth School
  • Miniature Painting Club

Friday, May 23

  • Flex Friday - School Assembly


Month Ahead 

May 28 - Grade 6 PAT - English Language Arts and Literacy - Part A

May 30 - Flex Friday - Buddies

June 6 - No Kindergarten - 2025-26 Kindergarten Visit

June 12 - Grade 6 PAT - English Language Arts and Literacy Part B

June 12 - Fun Lunch - Mary Brown’s Chicken

June 13 - Grade 6 PAT - Mathematics - Part A

June 17 - Grade 6 PAT - Mathematics - Part B

June 17 - Grade 1 Field Trip

June 18 - Grade 6 PAT Social Studies

June 19 - Sports Day


Dates of Significance

May - Asian Heritage Month

May - Canadian Jewish Heritage Month

May 26 - May 31 - National AccessAbility Week

June 1 - Shavuot

June - National Indigenous History Month

June - Italian Heritage Month

June - Filipino Heritage Month

June - Pride Month

June 7 - Eid al-Adha

June 8 - Polish-Canadian Heritage Day

June 20 - World Refugee Day

June 20 - Summer Solstice

June 21 - National Indigenous Peoples Day