November 5, 2021
Dear UA Parents,
What a week it has been. The various Diwali activities throughout the school truly made it feel bright, colourful, and celebratory, especially given the wet weather outside. Thank you to the staff, students, and parents who had a hand in teaching all UA students about the celebration of the triumph of good over evil!
Looking ahead to next week, there will be a change to our pickup procedures on Tuesday as our construction crews will be working late to complete a significant concrete pour. The equipment being used will require a lane to be closed in front of the school along Rousseau. There will be flaggers and alternating one-way traffic. We will send a reminder text in advance of pickup, but for Tuesday if you could park throughout the neighbourhood and walk in, or if you are picking up your Grade 6-12 student in the underground after 3:40 pm, please use the laneway to exit onto Brunette and drive around the block to access Braid. Give yourself a little extra time Tuesday afternoon as we work with our construction team to support the progress on the 5th floor construction.
And a big thank you to everyone who has already given to help us reach 40% of our goal on the Finishing Touches Appeal. Given our progress, we have purchased and begun installing Apple TVs in a few of our current classrooms to make our teaching spaces more interactive for our students and staff. I would like to encourage you to participate in the appeal if you haven’t already as we will be needing that furniture for the 4th and 5th floor in the not-too-distant future!
As progress continues on our 5th Floor construction project our contractors will now be moving to work on the east side of the school. As a result, our 3rd floor deck on the east side of the school will be closed. It is likely that this work will continue until the winter break. We will be shuffling our decks around so that students still have access to outside space. Staff and students have done such an excellent job adapting to the changing routines as our construction project continues through the different phases. Thank you all.
Finally, thank you again to the growing group of parents who have volunteered to help with traffic safety. It alleviates some of the pressure on staff when we are able to share the responsibility throughout the community. There are still lots of opportunities to help if you would like to join the team. On a side note, please respect the traffic supervisors who are out there keeping everyone safe – please do not speed (at any time) around the school, or be on your phone while waiting for your turn or while waiting to drop off. As always, please respect the neighbourhood parking signs.
Next week is a short week with Remembrance Day on Thursday. We will have our Remembrance Day ceremonies on Wednesday which means that all students should be wearing their formal school uniforms that day. Have a wonderful weekend.
Yours in education,
Mr. Slinger
