Today marks our final blog for the 2022 – 2023 school year.
Congratulations to all of our students, families, faculty and staff for another successful end of the school year! It was so lovely to join together today at our Closing Ceremony to celebrate our year, say goodbye, and wish each other well for the summer.
I am very much looking forward to welcoming people back in September! A very special congratulations and best wishes to our Grade 6s who will soon be “crossing the bridge” and starting their Upper School Journey!
Thank you for all of your continued support and partnership throughout the year.
This week’s blog contains information on the following:
In the upper left, select My Children, then select Student Files under the child you wish you view
In the Files section, select Download next to the file you wish to view
Green & Gold Closes this Friday, June 16
The Green & Shop will close for summer holidays on Friday, June 16 and reopen on Tuesday, August 8. It will also be closed on the Friday of the Labour Day holiday, September 1.
Orange Shirt Day – Order shirts by June 16
The Truth and Reconciliation Student Committee has been busy planning for TRC week for September, 2023. The students are partnering with an Indigenous owned, Toronto based company (Resist Clothing Co.), to sell Sept 2023 Orange Shirt Day t-shirts.
Summer Messages – Preparing for 2023-2023 School Year
This summer you will receive two important emails with information for the upcoming school year. The first message is sent on Wednesday July 5 and the second message on Wednesday August 23.
Notes from the HCPA
Mabel’s Labels
Don’t forget to order labels for your children’s clothing for summer camp! Click HERE to order.
Pre-loved Uniforms and Used Books
Thanks to everyone who dropped off items this morning! You will have another opportunity to donate used books in the fall or you may ship or drop off to CSBE directly following the instructions in your CSBE account. Please feel free to drop off gently used uniforms in our Pre-Loved bins any time!
As we head into our final days together for the 2022-2023 school year, I am mindful of all that this year has brought us, and am very much looking forward to the opportunity to come together one last time on Wednesday, June 14. This will be a time of celebration, community, and gratitude.
Many families are eagerly planning for the summer months, and looking forward to more unstructured times, with lots of opportunity for family time and play. With this in mind, we invite you to listen to Dr. Lisa Damour’s podcast titled “How much structure should kids have in the summer.” In this insightful episode, Dr. Damour addresses essential questions such as appropriate bedtime, reasonable expectations for chores, and optimal screen time for students, especially considering the new report from the U.S. Surgeon General.
We are thrilled to announce that we will be welcoming Dr. Damour to speak to our community in November. She is the renowned author of the New York Times best-selling books “Untangled” and “The Emotional Lives of Teenagers,” as well as “Under Pressure.” Stay tuned for more details in the fall.
Please note that our final edition of “The Weekly” will be sent on Wednesday, June 14.
Sincerely,
Kate
Today’s edition of “The Weekly” contains information on the following:
12:00 pm – Regular Dismissal from the Junior School
Dress – #1 Concert Dress:
White long-sleeve dress shirt OR White short-sleeve dress shirt
Tie
Tunic (JK-Grade 3) and Kilt (grades 5 and 6)
Tights, not socks (if you do not have tights, please arrange with your family to order some from the Green and Gold shop)
Black shoes
Hair back from face with minimal hair accessories that are the same colour as your hair or the HC official hair accessories
Attendees:
All JS students, faculty and staff
JS families are welcome to attend
Parking:
Parking is EXTREMELY limited for those families wishing to attend the Closing Ceremony. We highly encourage you to walk, carpool, take public transit or make alternative arrangements
Report Cards
Report cards will be available online at 9 am on Wednesday, June 21.
In the upper left, select My Children, then select Student Files under the child you wish you view
In the Files section, select Download next to the file you wish to view
ATHLETICS
We have reason to celebrate: 237 of our 267 students in Grades 1 to 6 were involved in at least one athletics team or squad this year! This is a new record and we look forward to many continued successes in the 2023-24 school year.
For the first time in CISAA history, a U12 Ultimate league was formed. Havergal was the only school to enter an all-girls team as they played against other co-ed schools. A highlight was losing to Toronto Montessori School 10-2 and coming back to beat them 7-6 by the end of the season. What an event to watch!
Congratulations to our U12 Softball Team. Ms. Mastri, Ms. McIntyre and Ms. Simms-Brown worked effortlessly to build the skills and confidence of these students. As a result of the player’s hard work, they competed against other schools and had an undefeated season.
The Track and Field Team were running, jumping and throwing their way to success. The students enjoyed pod-style meets where all 94 team members participated in every event.
Congratulations to the U10 Track and Field Team for placing second overall and to the U11 and U12 Teams for placing first overall! This is quite an accomplishment.
This season there were five Squads running. Having three separate Grades 1, 2 and 3 Multisport Squads allowed for a higher quality of programming so that each grade could be challenged in different ways.
We were fortunate to have the expertise of our external coaches Emily and Aaliyah to support two Soccer/Basketball Squad Teams. This skill development our Grade 3 and 4 participants received will prove to be beneficial to our soccer and basketball program in the years to come.
Throughout the year, a professional photographer has taken pics of the athletes in action at the Junior School. These make great gifts for loved ones. If your child was part of the Athletics program at Havergal please take a look through these Athletics photographs.
As a final note, we want to wish our graduating Grade 6 athletes well as they continue in their healthy, active journeys into Middle School.
HCPA UPDATES
HCPA Fundraising Goal Achieved!
Thank you to all parents who contributed to our fundraising efforts this year. We donated over $70,000 to Havergal College as a result of your generosity! Please see the June Grade Rep Email for more details.
Mabel’s Labels
Need labels for your kid’s clothes for summer camp? Click HERE to order labels.
Celebration Saturday is back – September 23!
The HCPA plays an important role in Celebration Saturday and we look forward to working with the school on this extraordinary event. Did you know that 100% of the profits go directly to HC’s Community Partners?
We will be looking for many volunteers to help on the 23rd but there are also other ways you can be involved. Have you always wanted to sell your wares at a Bazaar? Whether you are a parent, a student, an Old Girl/Alum, a teacher or staff member—this is your chance! Do you have an item or experience you would like to donate to the Silent Auction? We would welcome your donation. Stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks. If you know you are interested now, please feel free to email hcpa.committee@gmail.com.and we will add you to our contact list.
Reminder – Used Book Donation Drive and Pre-Loved Uniform Collection – June 14
Drop off books (and gently used uniforms) at the US curbside between 7:30 and 8 am or between 8:30 am and 12 Noon in the Ellen Knox Library. We will accept all used general books including children’s books, adult novels, cookbooks, etc. All proceeds from book sales support the HCPA fundraising goals.
YOUR CHILD’S PERSONALIZED CALENDAR
Usethis linkto see a personalised summary of your child’s activities next week, on the Parent Portal.
DATES ON THE HORIZON
Wednesday, June 21
JS Report Cards Available for Viewing on The Parent Portal at 9 am
Monday, July 3
Families will receive the FIRST of two summer messages from Havergal
Wednesday, August 23
Families will receive the SECOND of two summer messages from Havergal
A huge kudos to the cast and crew, teachers (Ms. Carson, Ms. Palarchio, Ms. Rizzo, Mme. Scharf, Ms. Mastri, and Ms. Iannarella), the many parents who made the 101 Dalmatians Musical come to life! This production was the culmination of five months of hard work and dedication and delighted all three audiences who came to see the show.
Our kindergarten students and Grade 12 graduates came together on Wednesday, for the highly anticipated “Teddy Bear Picnic” on The Cohen Field. This was an opportunity for our youngest students to thank our Grade 12s for all of their contributions to the school, and wish them all the best as they move on to the next exciting stage of their lives. Handwritten cards with well wishes were distributed and everyone enjoyed playing games together in their houses, and eating popsicles.
Finally, we ended the week with our annual JS Gator Day! Students brought all their house pride as they participated in competitive events like the “The Ground is Lava,” an Obstacle Course, a Water Balloon and Sponge Toss, Tug of War and Mat Ball. Even the teachers got in on the fun with a relay race at the end. It’s safe to say that it was a fabulous day for all involved, and the perfect send-off to what looks like will be a sunny and warm weekend. A HUGE thank you to our Phys Ed Department who spearheaded the event, and made sure that everything ran smoothly. Finally, thank you to our Grade 6 students who took on leadership roles and acted as mentors to our younger students.
Be sure to check out Havergal’s social media pages to see all the pics!
Kate
Today’s edition of “The Weekly” contains information on the following:
Congratulations to our Grade 6 “Rick Hansen Difference Maker of the Year” Award Winners!
During the months of January and February, a small group of 12 Havergal Grade 6 students spent three afternoons at the Bloorview Authority School developing assistive technology for primary-aged children. Students applied the Engineering Design Process to design and build computer-controlled carnival-style games. The games were a huge success and the school’s administration nominated our team, called the Dear Everybody Design Team, for the Rick Hansen Difference Maker Award. On May 31st it was announced that our team, along with several other nominees from across Canada won the award. On June 2nd members from the Bloorview Authority School, including 2 students as well as a representative from the Rick Hansen Foundation were present at our Gator Day assembly to award the students with the certificates, The award included a $1000 cash prize, which the team donated to The Bloorview Authority School.
All named items will be returned to the appropriate recipients. Anything that is unnamed will be on display outside the music rooms next week, and classes will have the opportunity to walk by and claim unreturned items. Anything that has not been claimed by next Friday, June 9th will be placed either in the Pre-Loved Uniform donation box, donated to New Circles or disposed of.
Packing Up for the School Year
Teachers will be supporting students throughout next week in sending personal belongings and school work home. Please provide your child with a couple of reusable bags for them to help bring these materials home.
REMINDERS
Supporting Your Child to be “Street Safe”
We wanted to bring an incident that occurred yesterday, off of school property, that involved four Havergal students in Grades 5, 6, and 8 on Rosewell Ave, at the Roundabout while waiting to be picked up from school. The students were approached by a woman in a car, who was trying to give them something in a small plastic bag. We are extremely proud of each of them for not engaging, and immediately running back to school and bringing this to our attention. A member of our security team took a full description, and has filed a report to the Toronto Public Police outlining the event.
While this is definitely unfortunate, it is an important reminder of the importance of speaking with our children about what to do if they are ever in a similar situation. We discuss these matters with our students, especially whenever we leave campus, not to incite fear, but to have them be aware and prepared. As we head into the summer, when many children will be exercising more freedom, we urge you to discuss ways that they can be “Street Safe. CLICK HERE for some tips for both kids and adults.
Pizza Lunch is on Monday!
The JS will be enjoying our last Pizza Lunch on Monday, June 5.
ATHLETICS
Athletics for the 2022-2023 school year have now concluded! A huge thank you to all of our athletes, coaches and our Athletic Director, Anna Bartlett!
HCPA UPDATES
Used Book Donation Drive and Pre-Loved Uniform Collection – June 14
Drop off books at the US curbside between 7:30 and 8 am or between 8:30 am and 12 Noon in the Ellen Knox Library. We will accept all used general books including children’s books, adult novels, cookbooks, etc. All proceeds from book sales support the HCPA fundraising goals.
At the same time you can also drop off gently used uniform items as we are doing a large collection the same day. It’s all happening at the Upper School! If you have uniform items to donate but cannot drop by on June 14, you are always welcome to place them in the Pre-Loved uniform bin outside the JS Learning Hub.
YOUR CHILD’S PERSONALIZED CALENDAR
Usethis linkto see a personalised summary of your child’s activities next week, on the Parent Portal.
END OF YEAR EVENTS TO MARK ON YOUR CALENDARS
Monday, June 12 Grade 6 Crossing the Bridge Leaving Ceremony (Grade 6 Families Only)
The Weekly: Junior School 