October 5, 2023

Written By UTS

Fostering Brilliance

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was announced this week. It was awarded jointly to Dr. Drew Weissman and Dr. Katalin Karikó for their invention of the modified mRNA technology used in Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccines. If you’ve been following the story, you’ll know that Dr. Karikó’s experience at the University of Pennsylvania was vastly different from that of her colleague Dr. Weissman. 

While we know there is always more than one side to every story, let’s just say that the story currently running in the media about Penn’s treatment of Dr. Karikó does not shine a favourable light on the University. It is accused of hypocrisy for suggesting that it supported the development of a scientific accomplishment it once actively discouraged. In 1995, the University demoted Dr. Karikó, telling her she wasn’t “faculty-worthy.” It cut her salary, a move Dr. Karikó saw as an effort to push her out, and laughed when she announced she was leaving for a company called BioNTech. All this happened in the same week she received a cancer diagnosis and her husband was unable to return from Hungary because of Green Card issues. 

This part of Dr. Karikó’s story, albeit important, isn’t the one that touched me most. It was an article written by Dr. Karikó’s daughter, Susan Francia, a two-time Olympic Gold medal winner in rowing who penned a tribute to her Nobel Laureate mother. To quote Susan,  “...perseverance is pretty much my family's life in a nutshell ‒ defying the odds, trying to keep forging ahead, even when all sorts of challenges are being thrown your way.” She recalls a Hungarian song her mother used to sing to her as a child when she was feeling discouraged. The song’s message taught Susan that if something precious is handed to you, “it's just another thing ‒ but if it's something you fought for, it means that much more.” Reading Susan’s moving tribute, I thought about what it was like for her, growing up in a household with a brilliant mother whose potential success was impeded time and time again. I thought about the lessons Susan learned from watching her mother persevere through hardship, discrimination and likely multiple false starts in her research as she fought for the thing that would mean so much more.

Whether we realize it or not, we are role models to the children around us, whether as parents, family members, teachers or coaches. They watch us every day and learn how to navigate life from us. Through our actions, perhaps more so than our words, they learn how to agree and how to disagree, how to care for others and how to care for themselves, when to rest and when to push on. We teach them how to win and how to lose, and perhaps most importantly, we teach them through our own actions what to do when loss feels immense but we need to find a way to recover, reset and try again. 

Being a role model is a privilege and a responsibility. As someone who is surrounded by watchful children every day, this thought is never far from my mind. I am immensely grateful for the opportunity to work with our students at UTS and also appreciative that I get to do this work alongside caring staff and faculty, and also our dedicated parents. I hope that we can together model for each other and for our children what it means to work hard, care deeply for others and to fight for the precious things we each hold dear in our lives. 

Dr. Leanne Foster

Principal, UTS

UTS Calendar

Late Start - October 6

There is a late start tomorrow Friday, October 6.

All students should arrive between 10 and 10:25 a.m. unless they are involved in the M4-S5 PSAT Digital Session.

Plumbing Repairs

Please be advised that school will be closed at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, October 6 as contractors to be on site to conduct plumbing repairs.

Sorry for any inconvenience that this may cause. 

Keynote Address from Jesse Wente

On Friday, September 29, Ojibwe broadcaster, Indigenous advocate, and pop culture philosopher Jesse Wente delivered profound and a compelling keynote address to UTS students and staff at the school’s National Day for Truth and Reconciliation assembly. We are fortunate to be able to share it with you here. Please take the time to review it and consider its messages.

Please note this video will only be available until the end of October. It is intended for members of the UTS community and should not be shared.

Parent-Teacher Interviews

The first round of Parent-Teacher Interviews will be held online on November 9 (day and evening) and November 17 (during the day).

Parents will receive the instructions on how to book an appointment in the UTS Update on October 19.

The Pick-a-Time appointment system will be open for parent appointments from October 26 to November 3.

If you require translation services please complete this form.

October Lunch Menus

We offer two daily lunch ordering options. Please find the daily options for October lunches here.

Please find the Zero-Waste options here.

F1 Organization Workshop

F1 students are invited to an Organization Workshop run by Ms. Marcella, one of our Student Success Teachers, on Wednesday, October 11.

It will focus on organizing email, Google Drive and Classroom materials. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to catherine.wachter@utschools.ca.

Photo Retake Day

School photos have been distributed to students this week.

Online orders can be placed here.

Photo retake day is scheduled for Tuesday, October 17 and students have been invited to sign up.

If you wish to confirm your child’s appointment, please contact  main.office@utschools.ca

Postsecondary Application Updates

S6 students will be working with Counsellors on their Ontario Universities' Application Centre and Canadian applications during our scheduled Guidance Seminar class this week.

Families are also reminded that U.S. applications must be submitted by the student (through the Common Application or college portal) by the institutional deadline (typically November 1 for early applications).

Counsellors will submit early U.K. applications through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service portal by October 13.

Parent Volunteers Needed for Open House

On behalf of UTSPA, the M4 Grade Reps are hosting a reception for incoming parents during Open House on Saturday, October 21.

If you are available to speak with other parents about your experience at UTS, you would be a wonderful volunteer host for this reception! Please fill in this form by Friday, October 13. Thanks in advance to our generous parent volunteers.

Also, parent volunteer opportunities like this are available throughout the year. If you are not available for this event, but interested in volunteering at future events, sign up to become a member of the Parent Volunteer Group.

Toronto Public Health School Vaccination Clinic for Foundation Students

Toronto Public Health will be on site on Monday, December 4 to provide mandatory school vaccinations to F1 students. F2 students who haven’t received their school vaccinations will also have the opportunity to participate.

Please read this letter to learn about the vaccines provided.

Consent forms will be sent home in November. More details will follow closer to the date.

Check out the UTS Shop

Make visit to the UTS Shop! Whether it’s a UTS pencil case, backpack, or hoodie, we have what you need to show your school spirit. 

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