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

On By havergaljuniorschool

Dear Junior School Families,

What an amazing first full week for the Junior School! It has been so lovely to see everyone get into their groove of things, and really dig in to the start of a new school year. 

I find myself full of gratitude, once again for how our community comes together. Yesterday was particularly special as we welcomed our families to our annual People and Program Night, where you had the opportunity to meet the amazing team of teachers who work and support your daughters every day, learn about all the exciting opportunities they will have throughout the year, and to connect with each other. Thank you for your partnership! 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 afternoon was the perfect end to the week as students, families, faculty and staff came together for the Terry Fox Run. Thank you so much to everyone who also already donated to the Terry Fox Foundation. Terry started the Marathon of Hope to support Cancer research. Together, we can end it. If you have not yet donated, and you would like to, kindly visit the Havergal College Terry Fox Donation Page. 

I know that this time of year can often feel hectic, with the return to school, multiple school drop-offs for some, the start of co-curriculars both inside and outside of school, and re-establishing routines. I hope that you too are settling into all of this, and wish you a lovely weekend.

Sincerely,

Kate

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

LATEST NEWS

Parents/Caregivers at Drop-Off and Pick-Up

We love having parents/caregivers visit the school, and always want you to feel welcome. With that said, we ask that you refrain from coming in the school at morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up, as it can make for a tricky transition at the beginning and end of each day. Thank you!

Student Support and Extra Help

Our teachers are available to support students who may be finding curriculum content complex or require additional practice. Parents may sometimes pursue outside support from tutors to close learning gaps or provide additional support outside school hours. 

While we welcome the opportunity to occasionally connect with tutors to share areas requiring further practice, our teachers cannot prepare material or academic packages for tutors to use in their sessions with your child. Parents can refer to Veracross posts for content being explored in class, and tutors can access the Ontario Curriculum at Ontario Curriculum. 

REMINDERS

VC Pay is now available

Havergal is pleased to introduce Automatic Payment for Student Billing through VC Pay-AutoPay.

This new service conveniently eliminates the need to manually pay bills each month, and helps avoid late payment fees and missed payments.

VC Pay is an automatic payment system integrated with Stripe where parents register their payment information and authorize the college to automatically withdraw payment for Tuition and/or school fees on a set schedule.

Please click here for more information.

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 2026! 

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 9:30am,10:30am and 1pm. Our Parent Ambassadors can sign up to give a tour according to their availability. New Havergal parents are invited to participate – we will ensure volunteers have training and support!

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 at this link.

We will be in contact with all interested volunteers to invite you to join us for a small group training sessions at the end of September.

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 Milligan in the Junior School Admission office (smilligan@havergal.on.ca).

CELEBRATION DAY & FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS

Mark your calendars for Friday, September 26 — you’re invited to two exciting HC community events!

Join us for Celebration Day from 3:30 to 6:30 pm, where our whole community will come together in support of our cherished community partners. Experience our school’s vision and mission in action through House-run games, fun activities, a lively Bazaar, BBQ and Silent Auction.

What Junior School Families Need to Know

Attendance & Participation

  • Optional for JK-Grade 4
    • JK – Gr. 4 must be accompanied by an adult, 
  • Mandatory for Grades 5 – 6 
    • Grade 5 and 6 students will sign up to run activity stations
    • If your child is not able to attend, please email me at kwhite@havergal.on.ca 

Dismissal

  • JK-Grade 4: 
    • 2:45 pm – 3:15 pm – Students will be dismissed from the Junior School, as usual
  • Grade 5 & 6:
    • 3:15 pm – Students will remain with their teachers and walk to the Ratcliffe Field for the Celebration Day Opening Ceremony
    • 5:45 pm – 6:15 pm Students will be dismissed from the Junior School

What to Wear

  • Students in JK – Grade 12 are all invited to wear GREEN and GOLD on this day. Families are also welcome to join in the fun.

Tickets & wristbands are NOW ON SALE. 

  • Click here to get your tickets now! Advance ticket sales will end on Sunday, September 21. However, tickets will still be available for purchase at the event.

Calling all parents – Volunteers Needed! 

  • Want to lend a hand and be part of the fun? We need help both before and during the event with ticket sales, working with the students at stations, helping with the BBQ and more.  This is a great way to meet other parents and support our community partners. Sign up here.

Our silent auction is also live! 

  • Sign up in advance and bid now! We have some great items, including Canadian Stage Tickets, HC Reserved Seating at the US Carol Service and more.

Friday Night Lights

Our first ever Friday Night Lights takes place directly after Celebration Day.  Kicking off at 7 pm, this special event will feature a competitive soccer match against Branksome Hall, and is open to all US students, parents, past parents, Old Girls/Alums and community members. Join us to cheer on the Gators, have a bite to eat and enjoy a beer in the 19+ Beer Tent. All proceeds will go toward Havergal’s Ahead of the Game campaign. Junior School students are also welcome to come with their parents. We hope you can come out and show your support! 

Friday Night Lights – VIP Seats

  • Want the best (and only!) seats in the house? Bid on one of two VIP tables (19+ section, seats 6). Opening bid: $500/table. Click here to bid now!

Junior School students are welcome to attend Friday Night lights, but MUST be accompanied by an adult. 

ATHLETIC and CO-CURRICULAR PROGRAMMING 

We had a great first week of Athletics. Registration will close Sunday, September 14th at 8 pm. You can get to the registration on the Parent Portal Landing Page. 

Trouble with Registration?

  • Athletics:
  • Clubs:
    • Junior School Office Administrator, Sarah Robertson 
    • Clubs start this week! Please check your child’s personalized calendar (instructions below).

Athletics:

  • JS Athletics Schedule (<–bookmark this) can also be found on the parent portal. 
  • Students in Gr. 4-6 may register for two teams plus cross country. After this week, students must choose between Basketball, Soccer, or Swim. Please consult with your child/children to confirm the teams they would like to try out for before you complete the online registration.

WHAT’S ON THE JS MENU NEXT WEEK

JS Menu for Monday September 15 – Friday, September 19 

NOTES FROM THE HCPA

Grade Coffee Mornings

  • Please look out for the HCPA coffee morning invites coming soon. This is a great opportunity to drop in for a quick coffee and chat with other parents in your grade.

Celebration Day Bazaar

  • We’re excited for our Celebration Day Bazaar! It’s a fantastic opportunity to support our Community Partners, with all proceeds going directly to them. Want an early sneak peek before the official 3:30pm event starts? Parents and Old Girls/Alumni are warmly invited to drop by from 2:00pm onwards on Friday, September 26.

HCPA Volunteering Opportunities

Preloved Uniform Sale

  • Our next Pre-loved Uniform sale will take place on Celebration Day. Help the environment and your pocket book by shopping for gently used uniforms from 3:30-6.30pm in the Ellen Knox Library.

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

Sunday, September 14th at 8 pm 

  • JS Fall Athletics and Co-Curriculars CLOSES at 8:00 pm 

Monday, September 15

  • JS Prayers: Rev Ruch will speak about why we have Prayers at Havergal, and the meaning behind it (8:25 am – 8:55 am)

Wednesday, September 17

  • JS High Holiday Prayers  (8:25 am – 8:55 am)
  • High Holiday Reception (8:55 am – 9:30 am)

Friday, September 26 (Green and Gold Dress Down Day)

  • Celebration Day & Friday Night Lights
    • Early Dismissal
      • JK – Grade 3: 2:45 pm – 3:00 pm
      • Grade 4 – 6: 3:00 pm – 3:15 pm

Monday, September 29 – Friday, October 3 

  • Truth and Reconciliation Week
  • Tuesday, September 30
    • Students are invited an orange shirt on top of their regular HC uniform in recognition of Truth and Reconciliation Week

Monday, October 6

  • First Pizza Lunch of the year

Thursday, October 9

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

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