A Message From the Head of the Junior School – Friday, May 15, 2022

On By havergaljuniorschool

Dear Junior School Family,

What a wonderful week of sunshine and heat! Our Track and Field Trip had another fabulous day competing at York University, and made us all proud, not only by their skills but by how well they represented themselves and the school!

I also wanted to say thank you for taking the time each week to carefully read the  JS blog.  This is one of our primary means of communicating with you, so that you are up to speed on all of the “need to know” information. We do this to help keep all the information in one place, parents are not inundated with multiple emails, and information is easily found, as opposed to searching through your inbox. Many families have found it helpful to bookmark the link for ease of reference. As always, please feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns.

Warmly, 

Kate White – Head, Junior School

Today’s blog contains information on the following:

UPDATES

Student Wellbeing Survey – Feedback and Next Steps

On May 3, students in Grades 2 to 5, 6 to 8 and 7 to 12 participated in three separate wellbeing surveys – known as the School Resilience Survey – designed to collect information to help us assess the future needs of our wellbeing programming. 

Thank you to those parents who reached out to engage in conversations and share feedback on the survey. We sincerely appreciate your feedback and will bring these key learnings forward for future initiatives.

Purpose of the Survey

The goal of the survey was to: 

  • Assess student perceptions and experiences 
  • Identify strengths and weaknesses of key grade-level wellbeing indicators 
  • Better understand the concerns of children growing up in our community
  • Learn how best to continue promoting positive development among our students

To help support us in our journey, we worked with an independent third-party team of industry-leading scientists, clinicians and consultants at Authentic Connections, who are committed to helping high achieving schools measure, track and improve wellbeing and resilience. 

Authentic Connections and Survey Measures 

The School Resilience Survey is an extension of the work of Dr. Suniya Luthar – Co-Founder and Chief Research Officer of Authentic Connections – to study and promote positive youth development. Dr. Luthar is Professor Emerita at Columbia University’s Teachers College, where she served as professor and senior advisor to the Provost. She was also previously on the faculty at Yale University’s School of Medicine. 

The Authentic Connections surveys (Children’s Resilience Survey and High Achieving Schools Survey) measured how our students are doing on important indicators of mental health,  learning efficacy, sense of community connectedness, risk-taking behaviours and relationships such as student-parent, peer to peer and student-teacher. 

All individual responses were entirely anonymous; no identifying information – including IP addresses – were sent to the Authentic Connections research team or Havergal.We are not able to share a copy of the surveys due to the fact that we do not own the rights to share or distribute the survey.

Survey Findings

The survey findings will provide us with a list of next steps to drive meaningful improvements at Havergal and help us determine programming that will meet the specific needs of our students. We believe the themes will offer valuable insights to both parents and teachers when identifying and addressing issues and concerns.

If you have any further questions please reach out to Dr. Meagan Yarmey, Director of Wellbeing. 

Amazing Race – Sunday, May 15 (1:00 pm – 4:00 pm)

  • Event Day Itinerary
    • 12:30 pm – Registration and swag pick up in Brenda Robson Hall 
    • 1:00 pm –  Opening Ceremony
    • 1:20 pm – Race begins
    • 3:00 pm – Race ends and party begins
    • 3:30 pm – Race results announced 
    • 4:00 pm – Event concludes
  • Please note the following:
    • Please park in the Upper School parking lots, and if possible, on the surrounding streets, or walk if you can.
    • There will be no food served before the event, so please try and have some lunch beforehand.
    • Professional photographers will be set up in the hall to take a picture of you and your child(ren) as a keepsake from the event. Please ensure you take your photos before 1 pm as the booth will close when the race begins. Your photos will be ready for pick-up following the race.
    • Wear running shoes, moveable clothing and please bring sunscreen. Washrooms will be available to use inside the Upper School.
    • Be Green and please bring your own re-useable water bottles. 
    • Lastly, leave your humility at home. We expect some great dancing and participation from everyone! Let’s all celebrate a return to in-person gatherings and the arrival of spring with some great Havergal spirit.
  • Questions? 

GO-VAXX Mobile Vaccine Clinic at Havergal on May 21

  • On Saturday, May 21, GO-VAXX mobile vaccine bus will return to Havergal’s Upper School parking lot (1451 Avenue Road) from 10 am to 6 pm to provide Pfizer first, second, third and booster doses for those ages 12 and up, as well as paediatric Pfizer vaccines for children ages five to 11. Vaccinations are available to everyone—students, parents, faculty and staff, Old Girls/Alums—as well as friends, neighbours and beyond. All are welcome!
  • GO-VAXX is a partnership between the Ontario government and Metrolinx, whereby GO buses have been converted to serve as mobile vaccine clinics to provide a safe, reliable and convenient option for people to receive their COVID-19 vaccine.  
  • Walk-ins are available, while supplies last. To book an appointment, visit the COVID-19 vaccination portal or call the Provincial Vaccine Contact Centre at 1-833-943-3900. Bookings are available starting Friday, May 20. Visit Ontario.ca/vaccinebus for more information.
  • Go-Vaxx Flyer 

Library Book Returns

  • It’s time to start thinking about returning our library books! The official due date for all student check outs is Monday June 6th, but it would be very helpful if any books that students are finished with could be returned sooner rather than later.
  • If you would like a list of your child’s check outs, please email Ms. Rodd.

REMINDERS

Chartwell’s Ordering Form 

  • For the week of May 23, you are invited to submit your lunch orders by Wednesday, May 18 at 12 noon: Chartwell’s Order Form

Before & After School Co-curricular Schedule & Highlights

DATES ON THE HORIZON

Amazing Race 

  • Sunday, May 15 (details above)

Victoria Day Weekend

  • Monday, May 23 –  No School

House Shout – House Dress Down Day

  • Tuesday, May 24 @ 1:00 pm
  • This is a much-beloved tradition at Havergal that we are happy to bring back! The whole school comes together outside and presents cheers in their houses.
  • Arrival and Dismissal times remain the same.

Grade 6 Celebration – In Person, Grade 6 families invited

  • Tuesday, June 14 (4:00 pm – 5:00 pm) 

JS Closing Ceremony – In Person, JS families welcome to attend

  • Wednesday, June 15 
    • Students at school 8:25 am – 12:00 pm
    • Ceremony takes place in Brenda Robson Hall from 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
    • 12:00 pm dismissal

Leave a comment