A Message From The Head of the Junior School – Friday, October 31, 2025

On By havergaljuniorschool

Dear Junior School Families,

It was so much fun to have all of our students, faculty and staff dress up for Halloween today! We know how much everyone looks forward to this special day, and were thrilled to be able to participate in a variety of activities to celebrate together. A special note of thanks to the students in Grade 12 who came to support our students with our annual door decorating contest! The competition was close once again. Congratulations to our students in 3B and 5B who were the lucky winners, along with 3A and 6B, who were the runner ups. Finally, a shout out to our Boarding Students and the Boarding Team for hosting our Junior and Senior Kindergarten students for trick or treating in their home! We love any opportunity that allows us to build relationships between students across the bridge. 

Wishing everyone a very Happy Halloween, and enjoy Game 6 tonight! GO JAYS GO!

Sincerely,

Kate

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

LATEST NEWS

Registration for Winter Co-curriculars Opens Next Week – Everything You Need to Know!

Catalogue of Athletics and Clubs

How to Register: 

  • Families can register for Winter Co-curriculars on the Parent Portal.
    • Opens: Wednesday, November 5th at 10 am
    • Closes: Sunday, November 16th at 8 pm

Athletics:

First Day of Tryouts for Winter Athletics

While all of the dates for tryouts, practices and games can be found on the  JS Athletics Schedule, we thought it would be helpful to highlight the first day of try-outs for your reference. Kindly ensure that you register prior to the first day of tryouts!

  • Thursday, November 13 
    • U11 Volleyball (7:15 am – 8:15 am in the JS Gym)
    • U12 Volleyball (3:15 pm – 4:20 pm in the JS Gym)
    •  U12 Swim Team (3:15 pm – 4:20 pm at the Pool)
  • Monday, November 17
    • U10 Badminton (7:15 am – 8:15 am in the JS Gym)
  • Wednesday, November 19
    • U10 Volleyball (7:15 am – 8:15 am in the JS Gym)

Clubs 

  • All winter clubs begin the week of January 12, 2026
  • Special Update Regarding Teaching Kitchen
    • Teaching Kitchen is one of our most popular after-school clubs, and we have heard your frustration at how difficult it can be to get a spot! As such, we are moving to a lottery system to make the signup process more equitable. A huge thank you to one of our parents for making this suggestion!
    • ALL families, with the exception of those whose children have already participated in Teaching Kitchen this year, will be allowed to register for this club, and will then be put on a wait list. Once registration closes, we will then enter the names of all students into a pool, and pull names randomly. We will then update families accordingly.

Parents as Partners Presents: Exploring Futures Together – How foresight is shaping organizations and schools—and why it matters for Havergal.

Join us Nov 12 for a thought-provoking evening featuring Suzanne Stein, internationally recognized futurist, Associate Professor at OCAD University, and Director of the Super Ordinary Lab, Lindsay Norberg, Deputy Principal at Havergal College and facilitated by Allison Campbell-Rogers, HC-X. Open to all parents, alumni, faculty/staff and prospective families, it’s a great opportunity to learn what futures thinking is, why it matters for young people, and how it’s being applied in education and beyond. This free event requires registration. Click here to register.

REMINDERS

Pizza Lunch is on Monday

Students are excited for Pizza lunch on Monday!  Please note that there is no hot lunch on this day. Students who do not participate in Pizza lunch are asked to bring their own lunches from home.

Limited Operating Hours / Temporary Closure of the Green & Gold Shop

As a reminder, the Green & Gold Shop will be closed over the November break from Thursday November 6th to Monday November 10th, re-opening on Tuesday November 11th.

Additionally, as part of a scheduled upgrade to our Retail Management System, the Green & Gold Shop will have limited hours or be temporarily closed on the dates listed below.

Whilst in-store services will be limited during this period, orders can still be placed online which will be fulfilled when the shop reopens.

We appreciate your understanding and continued support.

Green & Gold In-Store Hours

October 

  • Friday, October 31st (Open 8am – 1pm)

November 

  • Monday, November 3rd (Closed)
  • Tuesday, November 4th (Closed)
  • Wednesday, November 5th (Closed)
  • Monday, November 17th (Open 8am – 1pm)
  • Tuesday, November 18th (Open 8am – 1pm)
  • Wednesday, November 19th (Open 8am – 1pm)
  • Thursday, November 20th (Open 8am – 1pm)
  • Friday, November 21st (Open 8am – 1pm)


Havergal Connections Presents: Beyond the Bar – Conversations with Legal Leaders (Tuesday, November 4, 8 – 10 am, Aird & Berlis LLP, Brookfield Place, 181 Bay St., Suite 1800, Toronto)


Join fellow Havergal Old Girls/Alums and parents in the legal field – or those curious to learn more – for a morning of conversation, connection, and inspiration. Hosted by Jill Fraser ’87, Chair of the Board of Governors, and Christina Beharry ’97, Partner at Foley Hoag LLP. This event is free, but requires registration. Click here to register.

ATHLETIC and CO-CURRICULAR PROGRAMMING 

Athletics:

  • Fall Athletics have finished for the season. Thank you to all of our athletes and coaches for a fantastic first season!
  •  JS Athletics Schedule  
  • Questions?

Clubs:

  • Fall clubs continue as scheduled, except during the mid-term break and will reconvene on Tuesday, November 11, 2025.
  • Questions?

WHAT’S ON THE JS MENU NEXT WEEK

JS Menu for Monday, November 3 – Wednesday, November 5

GATOR CARE MONTHLY BLAST 

Should your daughter attend Gator Care on a regular basis, we encourage you to read September’s  edition of the Gator Care Monthly Blast. This will provide you with a high-level overview of what is happening, as well as some quick reminders. 

NOTES FROM THE HCPA

JS Bake Sale

The Junior School Bake sale is on Tuesday November 4, 9 am – 2.30 pm in the JS Learning Hub.

There is still time to volunteer and help collect baked goods on Monday November 3, 3- 4.30pm. Please click here to sign up. 

It’s a universally acknowledged fact – you can never have too much cake. Click here to bake or donate and make our fundraiser a success. 

Please Note:  Junior School students are reminded to bring $10 – $15 cash to the Bake Sale.

Pre-Loved Uniforms: Volunteers Needed Now!

Our Pre-Loved Uniforms fundraiser is off to a fantastic start, and we need your help to keep the momentum going! The HCPA team is looking for volunteers to collect donations from the Junior and Upper School bins, sort and wash uniforms, and return items to the HCPA closet.

This commitment happens only once a year, but your support right now is essential to help us build on the success of this important fundraiser.

If you can lend a hand, please join us — every bit of help makes a big difference! Contact us: hcpapreloveduniform@gmail.com

Grade 1 and 5 Breakfasts

Prepare your coziest pyjamas (or robe!) and mark your calendars for our Grade 1 and Grade 5 Pyjama Breakfasts!

The RSVP deadline is today, October 31. 

  • Grade 1: Thursday, November 13, 7:30 – 8:45 am – RSVP Here!
  • Grade 5: Friday, November 14, 8:00 – 9:15 am  – RSVP Here!

If you missed the RSVP deadline of October 31, please contact the Grade Breakfast Chair, Terra Cheng (terracheng@gmail.com), or Vice-Chair, Aylin Elmaagacli (Aylin@talesma.com).

If you haven’t already done so, please remember to submit a baby photo of your student and a recent photo of your student with their guest for the slideshow. Email Grade 1 photos to havergalg1breakfast@gmail.com and Grade 5 photos to havergalg5breakfast@gmail.com.

Parent Pub

Parent Pub Night is on Thursday November 20, 7 – 10 pm at Local Public Eatery – Leaside. The Parent Pub Night is your chance to unwind, laugh, and connect with other Havergal parents. You can expect to: 

  • Build community – Meet parents across grades and discover how they navigate the Havergal journey with their daughters.
  • Find inspiration – Hear stories, exchange tips, and share in the joys and challenges of raising confident Havergal girls.
  • Create Connection – Build friendships that go beyond the classroom — because every great school community starts with strong parent bonds.

Tickets:

  • $85 per person (includes food & two drinks)
  • $75 per person when two tickets are purchased together

RSVP required — space is limited! Purchase your tickets here! 

We are looking for volunteers to help with check-in, raffles, and coordinating games. Help make this event run smoothly by signing up here. 

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

Monday, November 3

  • Prayers – “Understanding Why Do We Recite The Lord’s Prayers” (Rev. Ruch)
  • Pizza Lunch

Tuesday, November 4

  • JS Bake Sale (9am – 2:30 pm)
  • Havergal Connections Presents: Beyond the Bar – Conversations with Legal Leaders
    (8:00 am – 10 am, Aird & Berlis LLP, Brookfield Place, 181 Bay St., Suite 1800, Toronto)

Wednesday, November 5 

  • Prayers – Resilience After Dissapointment (Ms. White)
  • Last Day of Classes before November Mid-Term Break

Thursday, November 6

  • PD Day for Teachers
  • No classes for students

Tuesday, November 11

  • Classes Resume
  • Remembrance Day Service (2:30 pm – 3:00 pm in the JS Gym)

Thursday, November 13 

  • Grade 1 Pyjama Breakfast (7:30 – 8:45 am – RSVP Here!)

Friday, November 14 Grade 5 Pyjama Breakfast (8.00 – 9:15am  – RSVP Here!)

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