A Message From the Head of the Junior School – Friday, January 12, 2024

On By havergaljuniorschool

Dear Junior School Families, 

Happy New Year and welcome back! It has been so wonderful to welcome back the students after the break, and to hear all about their adventures. We spoke, at Prayers on Tuesday, the Roman God Janus, who is depicted as having two heads, one looking backwards at the past, and the other looking towards the future. Students were then asked to reflect on their first term, identifying what they were proud of, what they had learned, and what they hoped to continue. They were also asked to think about any challenges they had faced, how they dealt with these, and what changes they would like to consider moving forward. We then likened the new year to a blank canvas, just waiting to be painted. The next few months hold so much ahead, and we can’t wait to see all that will fill our students’ canvases.

We were also thrilled to announce that construction of the Junior School Play Structure has been completed! Students have been thoroughly enjoying playing and exploring it at recess! A heartfelt thank you to the families who generously contributed to this project; your support was indispensable in making this new outdoor space a reality.

Warmly,

Kate

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

LATEST NEWS

Save the Date – Parent Teacher Interviews: Thursday, Feb 1 and Friday, February 2!

Parent Teacher Interviews are just around the corner, taking place, via Zoom, on the following dates:

  • Thursday, February 1 (3:00 pm – 7:00 pm) – EARLY DISMISSAL
  • Friday, February 2 (8:00 am – 3:00 pm) – NO CLASSES

Families will be able to schedule a time to meet with their child(ren)’s teachers using Pick-a-Time.  

  • Pick-a-Time OPENS at 6:00 pm on Thursday, January 18th.
  • Pick-a-Time CLOSES at 6:00 pm on Thursday, January 25th.

Havergal’s online booking system – pickAtime

The online conference booking system used by Havergal College is called pickAtime. Please note that:

  • PickAtime does not permit the scheduling of back-to-back appointments. 
  • Learning Support team members will join homeroom teachers for as many of these interviews as possible.

Already have a pickAtime account?

  • CLICK HERE  to sign into your pickAtime account with your password.

Need to register for an account?

  • If you do not have a pickAtime account, please create a pickAtime link in advance of the online opening. 
  • Please be sure to select the “Junior School” option in the drop down menu (not the “Upper School” or “Green and Gold”).

How to Optimize your Experience on Zoom

In order to have the best possible experience at the upcoming event, it is strongly recommended that your Zoom application be updated to the latest version. 

The following information and links have been provided by our IT department for your use:

Need any Further Help?

For assistance with pickAtime, please contact the Service Desk at servicedesk@havergal.on.ca (416) 483-3843 ext. 6663 and they will assist you. Their hours of operation are from Monday – Friday 7:30 am to 5 pm.

Call Out for Students Participation (Black History Month Prayers and Lunar New Year Prayers)

We will be celebrating Black History Month (Tuesday, Feb 6) and the Lunar New Year (Friday, Feb 9) during prayers from 8:30 am – 9:00 am. Both will be followed by a small reception. 

If your child is interested in participating in either of these, please email Rev. Jillian Ruch (jruch@havergal.on.ca) by the end of the day on Friday January 19th. If you, as a parent, would like to be involved in the planning of these prayers or in contributing, please also reach out to Rev. Jillian Ruch as she would welcome your input. Please note that while we will do our best to include all those students that volunteer, we may not be able to accommodate everyone. In this case, we will be sure to seek out other opportunities for them to participate in Prayers.

Depending on responses, we may not be able to feature each child but we will take a list of all volunteers and try to include them on a later prayers date, should they not participate in the Lunar New Years Assembly. 

Dismissal and Gator Care Update 

A friendly reminder that our dismissal process takes place between 3:00 pm and 3:30 pm. 

All students, without a green-tag, who are not picked up by 3:40, will be brought to Gator Care, and billed accordingly.

REMINDERS

Dressing Appropriately for the Weather

The winter weather is here, and we want our students to make the most of their time outdoors to play, engage with friends and to have fun. To do this, it is essential that they come to school with the appropriate outdoor clothing. Coats, snow pants or sweat pants, mitts, hats, and boots should all be brought to school so that students can fully participate at recess.

We also wanted to provide a reminder of Havergal’s Extreme Weather Guidelines. 

Please note that in Cold Weather:

  • Environment Canada advises that wind chill temperatures of -28°C to -39°C pose a high risk of frostbite and hypothermia, and exposed skin can freeze in 10 to 30 minutes.  
  • When these conditions exist it is recommended that recess be shortened or that students are kept indoors for their recess period, consistent with many school boards in Ontario.

CO-CURRICULARS

Athletics

JS Athletics Schedule 

Please note that U7 and U9 Multisport STARTS this week and U8 Multisport has ended.
Congrats to Maddy B. and Vanessa R. who played with the represented Havergal at the U20 D2 hockey 3v3 tournament. 

Performing Arts & Clubs

NOTES FROM THE HCPA

Grade 1 and 5 Breakfasts – Save the dates!

The Grade 1 Breakfast will take place on February 21 and the Grade 5 Breakfast on February 22. Invitations and details will be sent out soon!

JS A-mazing Race – Save the date!

This year’s A-mazing Race will take place on Sunday, May 5. All Junior School students and an adult guest are invited to join us for this fun event. More details coming soon!

JS Grade Rep Meeting – Wednesday, January 17 2024 (8:45 am – JS Dining Hall)

Principal Katrina Sampson and Executive Director of Advancement Annette Paul will introduce HC’s new initiative ‘Ahead of the Game: The Campaign for Girls Athletics, Outdoor Education and Play’. In addition, Alex Shum, Head of Mathematics and Computer Science and Miranda Kus, JS Math Coordinator will speak about the math program at Havergal. We hope to see you there—all parents are welcome!

WHAT’S ON THE MENU

JS Menu for January 15 – 19 

YOUR CHILD’S PERSONALIZED CALENDAR

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

KEY DATES ON THE HORIZON 

Thursday, January 18 

  • Pick-A-Time Opens for Parent Teacher Interviews (6:00 pm)

Wednesday, January 17

  • JS Grade Rep Meeting (8:45 am – JS Dining Hall)

Thursday, January 25

  • Pick-A-Time Closes for Parent Teacher Interviews (6:00 pm)

Thursday, February 1

Parent Teacher Interviews (3:00 pm – 7:30 pm) – Early Dismissal

  • Dismissal Times
    • JK/SK –  1:35 pm – 1:45 pm
    • Gr 1 – 3 –  1:45 pm – 2:00 pm
    • Gr 4 – 6 –  2:00 pm – 2:15 pm
  • Gator Care 
    • Available at 7:30 am, as always
    • Available from 1:35 pm – 6:00 pm (Gator will take place in the Learning Hub)
  • If you would like your child to attend Gator Care on this day, you MUST REGISTER by email at: gatorcare@havergal.on.ca before 9am on Tuesday, January 30, so that we can ensure we have the appropriate staffing ratios. 
  • Gator Care remains open until 6:00 pm

Friday, February 2

  • Parent Teacher Interviews (8:00 pm – 7:30 pm) – No Classes; No Gator Care

Monday, February 12 – Thursday, February 15

  • Spirit Week – More Information to Come!

Friday, February 16

  • Mid-term Break (No Classes)

Monday, February 19

  • Mid-term Break (No Classes)

Tuesday, February 20

  • Classes Resume

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