A Message From the Junior School Head (FOR A DAY!) – Friday, May 10

On By havergaljuniorschool

Dear Junior School Families,

My name is Maria, and I am  the Junior School Head for a day!  

I enjoyed seeing students at drop off this morning, and getting to say goodbye at the end of the day.

This morning in prayers I announced that students in Margaret Taylor are the proud winners of the Pizza Lunch Party, from the A-Mazing Race. This will take place on May 27 at lunch time. In the afternoon, I met with Ms. Watt and discussed some ideas to make the school a better place. Next week I will share what we talked about in Prayers.

I hope Ms. White had a good day off and got to relax in the Bahamas!

Sincerely,

Kate

Maria (JS Head for the Day)

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

LATEST NEWS

House Shout: Thursday, May 16 (1:50 pm – 3:15 pm) House Colour Day

House shout is an annual whole school event  where students come together to showcase their house pride, and engage in a little friendly competition between houses. Students come to school in full house wear. 

The Junior School will kick off the event with their individual House Cheers, led by our Junior School Prefects, Hannah and Jane. We are beaming with excitement for Thursday May 16th, at 1:50 pm, when we will all come together as a community on Ratcliffe Field for this eagerly anticipated event. 

Please Note:

What to wear:

  • This is a full dress down day! Students are invited to show their house spirit, from head to toe.

Timing:

  • 1:50 pm
    • Students (JK – Grade 6) will walk over to the field in their houses
  • 1:50-2:30
    • The JS presents our cheer right at 1:50 and the students are invited to sit with their houses to watch the US cheers.
  • 2:30 -3:00pm
    • JK – Grade 1 students will walk back to the Junior School at 2:30pm
    • Gr.2 – 3 students will walk back to the Junior School at 2:45 pm
    • Gr.4-6 students will walk back to the Junior School at 3:00pm

Who Can Come?

  • This is a community day, and as such parents are welcome to attend and see HC’s House Spirit in action! 
  • Should you be able to attend, we kindly ask that you meet us at the field, and go to the top of the hill, or stand on the side, and not with the students.
  •  JS students will walk back to the JS in time for a regular dismissal. 
  • We ask that you meet them at the Junior School, so we can have a safe and efficient dismissal.

Pride Week: Tuesday, May  21 – Friday, May 24

Havergal is excited to be celebrating Pride Week from Tuesday, May 21 – Friday, May 24. Our theme this year is once again, “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. 

Our Pride Planning Committee (Ms. Watt – JS Assistant Head, Ms. Fournier – JS Child and Youth Worker, Ms. Abebe – Grade 5 Teacher, Mme. Scharf – French Teacher, Ms. Kaba – Co-ordinator of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging, in collaboration with myself and Ms. Cozier – Executive Director of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging) have been carefully planning a variety of age appropriate activities to engage our students throughout the week. 

These will include: opportunities to learn about the history and significance of pride, and the many contributions of LGBTQ2S+ community, specially chosen read-aloud by teachers (we will be sharing the list with parents prior to Pride Week) with guiding questions, time to participate in art activities, as well as opportunities to reflect and celebrate what makes each student uniquely themselves, and why it is important to accept and respect what makes others unique.

Margaret Taylor Pizza Lunch: Monday, May 27

Students from Margaret Taylor will celebrate being the winning house at the A-mazing Race with a pizza lunch party in the multi-purpose room.

Clearing out the Lost & Found: May 27 – May 31

Claim those missing items that never made it home from school, from Monday May 27 – Friday, May 31. Lost & Found items will be on display in the Arts/STEM hallway throughout the day. Parents and students are encouraged to check for lost belongings. Unclaimed items will be donated to the Clothing Drive at Celebration Saturday, or next year’s Used Uniform Sale.

REMINDERS

End of Year Celebrations – UPDATE

We are eagerly planning our end of year events celebrating all that we have accomplished as a community. Please be sure to mark your calendars!

Last Prayers of the Year – Friday, June 7 (8:25 am – 9:00 am – JS Gym)

  • This will be our last time coming together for Prayers as a community for the 2023-2024 school year. Parents, as always, are welcome to attend.

Grade 6 Leaving Ceremony – Monday, June 10 (4:00 pm – 5:30 am – JS Dining Hall)

  • This event is in honour of our Grade 6 students, and marks the end of their time at the Junior School, before “Crossing the Bridge” to Grade 7.
  • Grade 6 students and their families are invited.

Junior School Closing Ceremony – Wednesday, June 12 (2:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Brenda Robson Hall)

  • This is a special time for us to come together, one last time in celebration of our year of learning and friendship. Students are asked to come to school, at the regular time, and in their #1 Dress. We will end our day together in song, and reflection.
  • Please note the new timing of this event!

Last Day of School – Thursday, June 13 (Early Staggered Dismissal)

  • Students will come to school for a half day, where they will have an opportunity to say goodbye to their teachers and classmates. End of year certificates will be handed out on this day, and we will take pictures to send to families.
  • Early staggered dismissal:
    • JK-Gr.3- 11:15 -11:30
    • Gr.4-6- 11:30-11:45

All Library Books to be Returned by Friday, May 31 

The library has seen a flurry of activity this year, with thousands of books shared amongst our community. Thank you to everyone for taking care of these little pieces of the library as they’ve passed through the hands of students. 

As the school year draws to a close, it is time for these library materials to be returned to their home base. All library books must be returned by May 31st.

If you would like a list of current check outs, please email Ms. Rodd, our JS Librarian  at erodd@havergal.on.ca

Please note that students will be allowed to borrow books over the summer, but only if all books from the school year have been returned. 

Look out for summer reading lists – coming soon!

CO-CURRICULARS

Athletics

Congratulations to the U12 Ultimate team for having their first games of this season on Thursday. We are so luck to have Team Canada member Monica Wang as our head coach! 

Performing Arts & Clubs

NOTES FROM THE HCPA

Moms’ Night Out – Thursday, May 23

Ticket sales close today! Click here to purchase.

WHAT’S ON THE MENU NEXT WEEK

JS Menu: May 13 – 17 

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, May 16

  • House Shout  (1:00 pm – 3:00 pm) details to follow

Friday, May 17 

  • School Closed – Victoria Day Long Weekend (No classes)

Monday, May 20 

  • School Closed – Victoria Day Long Weekend (No classes)

Tuesday, May 21

  • Classes Resume

Thursday, May 23 

  • Moms’ Night Out 

Friday, June 7 

  • Last Prayers of the Year (8:25 am – 9:00 am – JS Gym)

Monday, June 10 

  • Grade 6 Leaving Ceremony (4:00 pm – 5:30 am – JS Dining Hall)

Wednesday, June 12 

  • Junior School Closing Ceremony (2:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Brenda Robson Hall)

Thursday, June 13 

  • Last Day of School (Early Dismissal – 11:30 am)

Leave a comment