A Message From the Head of the Junior School – Friday, September 17, 2021

On By havergaljuniorschool

Dear Junior School Parents,

We’ve done it! Today marks the end of our first week back at school! It has been such a pleasure to see our students back in the building, learning and playing together. We are excited for the year ahead and look forward to what is to come.

I would also like to say thank you all for your continued patience and support as we have launched both School Pass and our Food Services Program. Your feedback has been invaluable in our efforts to continually improve. As always, do not hesitate to reach out with any questions you may have.

This week’s blog contains information on topics below. Each of these have been included as anchor links, so that you can jump ahead to each section.

Sincerely,

Kate. White

Your Carpool Number! – Dashboard Signs

  • Starting next week, we will be issuing dashboard signs, much like the signs we used last year, so that parents can display their “carpool numbers” in order to make our routine more efficient.
  • Until then, please have your “Carpool Number” ready on the SchoolPass app, so that your child’s teacher can be alerted to your arrival promptly
    • Here is a screenshot of where this can be located:

Lunch Services Update

Further to our message from Wednesday, September 15, we are pleased to announce that we have made some important changes to our ordering process for the Food Services program.

Effective immediately, the CaterTrax platform will be disabled and will no longer be in use. Any orders that were placed on CaterTrax for the coming weeks will be cancelled. Today we are launching a simpler, less time-consuming method of ordering. You will need to reorder using the new ordering form going forward. Our new order form is intuitive, easy to use, accessible on mobile and can be found HERE. Please note that the order form is best accessed using Google Chrome as your browser.

Your feedback this week has helped us to better shape our offering and process. Below are the key changes to the Food Services program:

  • We are starting the program with a simplified menu of options. We will continue to revise our menus, keeping both seasonality and your feedback in mind. 
  • Menu items are now offered at a fixed price: $6.50 per meal for JK to Grade 2 students; $8.50 per meal for Grades 3 to 6 students.
  • Lunch consists of an entrée, drink and snack.
  • Orders can be placed one week at a time on a single order form per child. You will receive an email confirmation once your order has been placed. 
  • The deadline to order for next week (September 20 to 24) is Sunday, September 19 at noon.
  • Ordering deadlines for subsequent weeks will be on Wednesdays at noon.
  • For order cancellations, please use the email address at the bottom of the order form in the Contact Us section.

Thank you again for your patience this week. Your support is appreciated as we make the necessary adjustments to our process and system. We will share further updates with you as they arise, as we strive to continually improve our Food Services program at Havergal in collaboration with our partner, Chartwells.

  • If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to Chartwells, who would be happy to assist: chartwellsfood@havergal.on.ca

Rapid Antigen Screening

Due to government changes, Havergal needs to pause the rapid antigen screening pilot in the Junior School. We are hopeful that we will get more clarity in the coming week and that we can continue, as planned, with this added health and safety measure for our youngest learners.

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work out the details of the pilot program.

Athletics and Performing Arts Registration Information 

  • We are reintroducing before and after school athletics and arts co-curriculars: please review the options and how to register here.

People and Program Night Recordings and Feedback Form

  • Thank you for your participation in People and Program Night. This is always such a wonderful opportunity for us to gather as a community, and learn about the year ahead. We really value your feedback, and would love the opportunity to hear from you about this night. Please use the  JS People and Program Night Parent Feedback form to share your thoughts with us!
  • If you were not able to attend, please feel free to watch the Opening Webinar by a member of the SLT, as well as the recordings of the homeroom presentations, which can be found on your child’s class website.

Terry Fox Run – Thursday, October 7

This year, the Junior School will be conducting the Terry Fox Run on Thursday, October 7.  Cohorts will run at different times throughout the day in a manner consistent with our COVID protocols. Parents who are interested in making donations are asked to do so via the Havergal College Junior School Fundraising link, at the Terry Fox Foundation’s website, rather than sending in cash donations; this site is a helpful resource for those not yet familiar with Terry Fox’s story.

Number One Dress on Fridays

  • We would like to remind families that students in Grades 1 – 6 should be wearing their Number One Dress uniform each Friday. This aligns with Friday Prayers.

Gator Care is Open! 

  • Please note that entry to and exit from Gator Care is via the dining doors which face the ravine, as illustrated by this map; we have changed this arrangement for safety reasons
  • Morning Gator Care 
    • No Charge
    • Registration required by 8 pm the evening before (gatorcare@havergal.on.ca)
    • Hours of operation: 7:30 am – 8:00 am
  • Afternoon Gator Care
    • $15/hr; this will be charged to your Havergal account
    • Registration required by 9 am the day you would like your child to attend  (gatorcare@havergal.on.ca)
    • Open until 6:00pm
    • Children are to be picked up after 4:00 p.m.

Dates on the Horizon

Thursday, September 30

  • Orange Shirt Day (All students JK – 12 are invited to wear an orange shirt on this day.
  • To learn more about this day, or to order a shirt, visit: Orange Shirt Day

Thursday, October 7 

  • Virtual Harvest Festival – 8:30 am (link to come)
  • Terry Fox Run

Friday, October 8

  • No classes
  • PD day for faculty and staff

Monday, October 11

  • Thanksgiving Monday – No classes

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