A Message From The Head of the Junior School – Friday, September 13

On By havergaljuniorschool

Dear Junior School Families,

We have just completed our first full week back to school, and what a week it has been!

Dr. Samson joined us on Tuesday for Prayers, where she talked to us about her love of the Olympics, and admiration of top female athletes, like Canadians Summer MacIntosh and Ellie Black, who have dedicated their lives to training and competing at the highest level. More than this, she noted that one of the things that she was most inspired by at this year’s Olympics, was how even in the toughest of competitions, they were able to find the compassion, courage,  and integrity to first and foremost show support for their competitors’ successes. As we begin our year by asking our students to reflect on “how they want to feel in our community,” and  asked how they might be inspired to work hard, try their best, and set big goals, but to also think about how we can go about supporting one another and how we can make others feel, both in our best moments, and in our toughest.

It was a very timely message as we prepared to participate in The Terry Fox Run this afternoon. Terry Fox represented the best that Canadians have to offer. He was an example of courage, humility, determination, and perseverance. We were proud to be able to participate in the run, and to help raise funds for cancer research. Should you still wish to donate you, it’s not too late to access the Havergal College Terry Fox Donation Page.

Finally, thank you to all who were able to join us at our Junior School People and Program Night yesterday evening. For those of you who were unable to attend, please feel free to reach out to your daughter’s homeroom teacher, if you have any questions or would like to see the slide deck from their presentation.

This week’s edition of The Weekly – Junior School contains information on the following:

LATEST NEWS

Introducing “Thrive Days”

We are thrilled to be introducing “Thrive Days” at Havergal this year. Thrive Days will occur throughout the year, and their purpose is to:

  • Normalize the human experience of emotion, reduce stigma;
  • Acknowledge that wellbeing is unique and diverse;
  • Support reflection and awareness building in what community members need to be well;
  • Provide new tools/skills to cope with life’s inevitable ups and downs;
  • Align with Havergal’s Commitment to Wellbeing.

Our first Thrive Day in the Junior School will be on Friday, Sept 20. We will share the purpose of these days to the students at Prayers on that morning as well as explain the  activities they can take part in. We look forward to continuing to develop some of the behaviours we can use  to care for ourselves, to care for others, and to care for our community throughout the year.

JS High Holiday Prayers – Call For Participation

The Junior School will be acknowledging Rosh Hashanah/Yom Kippur during Prayers on Friday, October 18, from 8:20 am – 8:50 am, in the JS Gym. Families are warmly invited to join us for this event, following which there will be a small reception for parents in the Dining Hall.

If your child celebrates the High Holidays, and is interested in participating in this special Prayers, please let them know to come to the Gator Care room at 10:00 am on TUESDAY, September 17th to meet with Rev. Ruch, Mr. Lucasecu, Ms. Partyka and myself so we can start the planning. We also made an announcement about this at Prayers last Tuesday.

Junior School Admission Ambassadors – Call for Volunteers

Although we have only just started the school year, the Admissions team is already looking ahead to September 2025! 

Beginning in early October, we will be offering Group Tours of the Junior School for prospective families, led by a group of committed parent volunteers. The tours will run on select Tuesdays and Thursdays each week at 9:30 am, 10:30 am, and 1 pm. Parent Ambassadors can sign up to give a tour according to their availability.

Our Parent Ambassadors play a crucial role in sharing the Havergal experience with prospective families. If you are interested in signing up to be a tour guide and joining our Parent Ambassador team for the upcoming school year, please sign up using this link.

We will be in contact with all volunteers to invite you to join us for a training session (with coffee!) on Tuesday, September 24th at 9 am in the Junior School Dining Hall following Prayers.

Thank you in advance for considering supporting our department as we work to share the Havergal Junior School experience with prospective community members.

If you have any questions, please contact Sarah Szolopiak or Sarah Milligan in the Junior School Admission office.

sszolopiak@havergal.on.ca

416.483.3843 ext. 7614

smilligan@havergal.on.ca

416.483.3843 Ext.7548

JS Musical – Update

We want to let you know that due to a number of factors, we will not be producing a Junior School Musical this year. Don’t worry though! The Musical will be back at a later date!

Instead, we have arranged to run musical theatre programming for students in Grades 3 – 6, three times a year (one in each term). We are grateful for the incredible contributions of Ms. Carson and the JS team of teachers who have led our students over the last three years.

This term, we are very pleased to be working with Act One Productions, who have come highly recommended by a number of Havergal families. We look forward to continuing to support our aspiring actors and singers in developing their talents, and working as part of a team of peers who share their passion for the stage. Ms. Carson, Mme. Scharf, Ms. Iannarella, Mme. Rizzo and Ms. Remtulla will be running Musical Theatre clubs in both the winter and spring terms.

Delivering Lunches

We understand that there are times when it is not possible to get a student’s lunch packed and ready for the beginning of the day. Should you wish to drop off your daughter’s lunch bag at reception before lunch, you are welcome to do so.

We ask, however, that you not use food delivery services such as Uber or Skip the Dishes to send food to the school. 

If a child is ever in a position where they do not have a lunch or snack, we would be happy to ensure that they are well fed.

REMINDERS

Labelling Your Child’s Belongings

With school now fully underway, it ESSENTIAL that all students belongings are labelled! This is especially important for all uniform items, jackets, water bottles and food containers. If unlabelled, it is incredibly difficult to have them returned to the proper owner.

CO-CURRICULARS

Athletics

  • Please register ASAP as Athletics starts on Monday. 
  • Please check the JS Athletics Schedule and look out for an email from your coach. 

Clubs

  • Registration has now closed and clubs will begin the week of September 23, 2024. 

NOTES FROM THE HCPA

Please make sure you RSVP for the HCPA coffee mornings next week (JK-Grade 3, Sept 17 and Grade 4-6, Sept 19). Drop in for a quick coffee and chat with other parents in your class and meet new one

CELEBRATION SATURDAY

Volunteers Needed

We’re still looking for Celebration Saturday volunteers–even an hour or two helps. Please sign up here (click through the pages to see all opportunities). 

Skip the Line – get your tickets and wristband now!

Families can order tickets and wristband now!  Presales close on Monday September 23rd.  This is a cashless event so tickets are the only way to get a coveted cookie gram, cotton candy, popcorn or new, this year from our partners Chartwells, breakfast poutine.  Price lists can be found here. Order tickets and wristbands HERE.   Please know, this is a popular event so expect lineups for tickets that day so ordering tickets in advance is really encouraged.

Please note that this is a mandatory event for all students in Grades 4 – 12. Students in JK – Grade 3 are also warmly invited to join in the fun in support of our community partners.

WHAT’S ON THE MENU NEXT WEEK

YOUR CHILD’S PERSONALIZED CALENDAR

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

KEY DATES ON THE HORIZON

Friday, September 20

  • JS Thrive Day

Saturday, September 28

  • Celebration Saturday (9:00 am – 1:00 pm)
    • Please note that this is a mandatory event for all students in Grades 4 – 12. Students in JK – Grade 3 are also warmly invited to join in the fun in support of our community partners.

Monday, September 30 – Friday, October 4

  • Truth and Reconciliation Week

Monday, October 7

  • First Pizza Lunch of the year

Thursday, October 10

  • Harvest Festival (Brenda Robson Hall – 9:00 am – 10:00 am)

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