A Message From the Head of the Junior School – Friday, April 21, 2023

On By havergaljuniorschool

Dear JS Families,

What a wonderful week it has been! It was such a pleasure to celebrate Founder’s Day yesterday at St. Paul’s Bloor Street with students from Grade 1 to 12! This was an opportunity for us to come together as a community in celebrating the laying of the cornerstone of our present Upper School building, which was laid on April 23, 1926.  For a full playlist of the event, please visit Havergal’s YouTube Channel.

The first message of the service came from the Chair of the Board of Governors, who spoke about the many ways that Havergal students, past and present go about “making a difference.” She shared a story that is very familiar to us in the Junior School, entitled “How Full Is Your Bucket – For Kids?” by Tom Rath and Mary Reckmeyer. This is the story of a young boy named Felix, who ​​begins to see how every interaction in a day either fills or empties his bucket. Felix then realizes that everything he says or does to other people fills or empties their buckets as well. 

Dr. Samson, also shared a story about how a group of our Grade 5s who recently became aware of an environmental issue here in Toronto. They learned that the black plastic containers that are so often used by restaurants are not recyclable. Why? Put simply, it cannot be sorted mechanically at the recycling facility because the optical sorting technology cannot recognize it. Curious if they could come up with a solution to this big problem, this group of students started to think, and came up with a Black Plastic Sorting Solution. They reached out to the Mayor’s office with what they came up with, and are excited to meet with Deputy Mayor McKelvie next week to further discuss how their solution might help solve this problem.

These two messages acted as powerful reminders that when our students start from a place that is grounded in our values – compassion, courage, integrity and inquiry – there is nothing stopping them from fulfilling Havergal’s mission, to prepare young women to make a difference, no matter how big or how small.

With this in mind, we look forward to celebrating Earth Week, starting on Monday. Please be sure to carefully review the schedule for the week, which is outlined below, so that you are aware of everything you need to know.

Wishing you all a happy and healthy weekend.

Sincerely,

Kate

Today’s edition of “The Weekly” contains information on the following:

LATEST

Junior School Ramadan & Eid al-Fitr Prayers Reception

Please join us on Tuesday, April 25 for our Ramadan & Eid al-Fitr Prayers Reception by RSVPing HERE.

The Junior School will be holding a reception for parents following Ramadan & Eid al-Fitr Prayers. At 9 am, parents are invited to the JS Dining Hall for coffee, tea and refreshments. Parents and students are welcome to wear traditional celebratory attire.

Paws up, Havergal – We Need Help with Costumes for 101 Dalmatians!

 Our performance of 101 Dalmatians is fast approaching and we need your help! We are looking to our community to see if anyone has the following items to loan out:

*All items should be child sized (Grades 4-6)

  • 4 plaid kilts (preferably red) 
  • 4 pink tutus
  • 4 costume crowns
  • 4 pairs of boxing gloves
  • A police costume (size small-medium)
  • A cat costume (size small-medium)

Thank you so much for your support! We look forward to seeing you at the show! 

REMINDERS

Earth Week Schedule: Monday, April 24 – Friday, April 28 

  • Friday April 21st – Prayers – Introduction to Earth Week
    • Learn about the 3Cs: Conserving, Cleaning Up, and Chimining In! 
    • Book Exchange Information: Students are invited to bring in 1 to 5 of their favourite gently used kids books to exchange with their peers. Please drop off books outside the library anytime next Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday. 
  • Saturday April 22nd – Earth Day 2023
    • Celebrate our fabulous earth today with family and friends! What can you do at home or in your community to help conserve, clean up, or chime in? 
  • Monday April 24th – Animals That Matter Monday
    • Students will learn more about at risk land and ocean animals and what we can do to help protect endangered species. 
  • Tuesday April 25th – Take Action Tuesday
    • Students will have opportunities to help conserve, clean up, or chime in. 
    • No Power Hour! Classes will challenge themselves to use no power for an hour.
    • We encourage your family to also choose an hour at home to go power free and help save energy! 
  • Wednesday April 26th – Waste Free Wednesday
    • Paperless challenge day! 
    • We also encourage students to bring snacks that are waste free. 
    • What other small ways can you help reduce waste in your day to day lives? 
  • Thursday April 27th – Thankful Thursday
    • Students will meet with their Houses to share gratitudes for the earth. 
    • BOOK EXCHANGE TODAY! Students who brought in books are welcome to come to the exchange to select a ‘new’ book or two to take home and enjoy. 
  • Friday April 28th – Flourish Friday 
    • We are excited to announce a fabulous workshop called ‘Splash On Earth’ where students from Grades 1 to 6 will be outdoors using paint made from repurposed food waste. We look forward to this opportunity to integrate the arts, environmentalism, and community building. 
    • Grub Day – Let’s work together to reduce fast fashion waste. Students are invited to wear older clothes, hand me downs, or used clothing for the day. 

Pride Week: Monday, May 1 – Friday, May 5

Havergal is excited to be celebrating Pride Week from Monday, May 1 to Friday, May 5. Our theme this year is “Proud to be Me,” and is an important opportunity for us to come together as a community to promote equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging for all. IN preparation for this, our students from JK to 6 worked with our teachers and Upper School students last week to create their individualised squares that will contribute to our first JS Pride Flag. To learn more about the history and evolution of the Pride Flag click HERE.

Our Junior School Library is full of excellent resources. Please feel free to borrow any of our Pride Week Resources

Finally, we are excited to share the finalised schedule for Pride Week in next week’s edition of The Weekly.

Ticket Reservations – Havergal Junior School’s performance of Disney’s 101 Dalmatians KIDS  

For ticket reservations, please complete the ticket form by Friday, May 19, 2023. Tickets will be prioritized for the families of the students involved in the show. 

For any questions, please contact Paula Carson at pcarson@havergal.on.ca 

ATHLETICS

Please refer to the JS Athletics Schedule.

This information is also on your household Veracross Calendar. 

Congratulations to the U12 track team for all participating in their first POD” meet of the season. Every student experienced all of the events in track while trying to improve their personal best. 

HCPA UPDATES

Volunteer for the HCPA or become a Grade Rep

The HCPA general volunteer form for the 2023-24 school year is now available HERE. On this form you can nominate yourself to be a Grade Rep for your daughter’s class or a Community Ambassador. Don’t delay—the deadline for Grade Reps and Community Ambassadors is April 21.

Havergal Frames

Frames, which feature the Havergal crest embossed on a green matte, are available in 5×7, 8×10, diploma and class composite/Marguerite collage sizes. Click HERE for more information and to purchase. 

Moms’ Night Out – May 24

Save the date for a fun night out for Moms. Tickets will go on sale soon!

YOUR CHILD’S PERSONALIZED CALENDAR

Use this link to see a personalised summary of your child’s activities next week, on the Parent Portal.

END OF YEAR EVENTS TO MARK ON YOUR CALENDARS 

With the end of the year right around the corner, I wanted to be sure to highlight some event Whole School, and Junior School specific events:

Sunday, April 30 – JS A-mazing Race 

  • 12:30 pm – 2:30 pm (if you have registered for this event, you will be receiving more information from the planning committee next week)

Thursday, May 18 – House Shout 

  • 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm on Ratcliffe Field

Monday, May 29 and Tuesday May 30  Havergal Junior School’s performance of Disney’s 101 Dalmatians KIDS 

  • Monday @ 8:30 am – Legacy Theatre
  • Tuesday @ 8:30 am & 4:30 pm – Legacy Theatre

Monday, June 12 Grade 6 Crossing the Bridge Leaving Ceremony (Grade 6 Families Only)

  • 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm – JS Gym

Wednesday, June 14 Junior School Closing Ceremony 

  • 11:00 am – 12:00 pm

WHAT’S ON THE MENU NEXT WEEK

JS Menu for April  24 – April 28 

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