Month: November 2021

Upper School College Blog – Friday, November 26, 2021

On By Havergal Upper SchoolLeave a comment

Dear Parents,

Thrive Week is all about trying to reduce the stigma around mental health issues that students may have, while also teaching them how to cope — and even thrive — when things get tough. The week began with a riveting talk by alumnus, Kendra Fisher. She spoke to students about how she grappled with Severe Anxiety Disorder and other mental health issues but, with the help of a therapist and other health professionals, discovered strategies, including exercise and nutrition, to learn to live a healthful life of purpose. At lunchtime, therapy dogs had many eager student visitors lined up to say hello. The Prefects also put on the first ever Prefest, an all-day carnival to help students connect and give them a chance to relax and laugh with each other. We capped off the week with a talk at lunch with Gail Whitlow, a First Nations Holistic Healer. 

We hope that talking openly about mental health issues will destigmatize them, and educate our students to be more aware, enabling them to recognize potential issues in themselves, and in their friends, and be open to getting help early on. By showing courage and compassion, and working together we can support each other to be stronger, better versions of ourselves.

The US Blog contains information and updates on the following: 

Latest News:

Reminders:

Photos from the Week

Sincerely,

JJ Patterson, Head of Middle School

Deirdre Timusk, Head of Senior School

Latest News

The Middle School Play, Ten/Two – Tonight!

We are delighted to welcome back our parents to attend the Middle School Play this evening at 7 pm in the Legacy Theatre. This is an invitation-only event; parents of the participants in the show are welcome to attend the play. Please refer to the information that was sent to all invited guests by Cissy Goodridge on Saturday, Nov 20 and Friday, Nov 26. Parents with surnames A-M enter through the glass doors nearest the north parking lot and with surnames N-Z enter through the main school doors.  For your convenience, visitor information is in a reminder message below.

Unsanctioned Semi

It has been brought to our attention that there is a privately run semi-formal, “Blue Semi”, being run Saturday, November 27, 7:30 –  10:30 pm. Please know this is not affiliated with any school in Toronto and is not a school-sanctioned or supervised event.

Opening the Servery/Cafeteria for Same-day Purchases

We are excited to let you know that we are working with Chartwells Food to move to a more traditional model for purchasing breakfast, lunch, and after-school snacks in mid-to-late January. Currently, we are in the consultation stage with students on the food that will be available for purchase, and we are beginning to plan for the operational changes necessary within the servery space. Please stay tuned to our upcoming Blog entries for additional updates.

Junior School Vaccine Information Webinar Recording

On November 17, our Junior School families were invited to attend an information webinar related to COVID-19 vaccinations for children aged 5-11 years old, featuring Dr. Sheana Desson, Family Physician, Havergal Class of ‘95, and Havergal JS parent. If you would like to view the recording, please visit this LINK.

Reminders

Visitors to Campus

All visitors will be required to complete a wellness screening and provide proof of vaccination and valid photo identification (including name and date of birth).  

Visitors may enter the College for the reasons below:

  1. A scheduled appointment – If you have been invited on campus for a meeting, upon arrival you will need to check in with security, complete a wellness screening, and show proof of vaccination (with valid ID).
  2. Athletics event – If you are attending athletics you will need to check in at the Athletic Centre doors by completing an online Wellness screening and show proof of vaccination (with ID).  Please note that spectators are permitted into the building a maximum of 30 min before the athletic event.
  3. Havergal Group Event – If you are attending a Havergal Group event you will receive instructions from your event organizer regarding entry, screening, and proof of vaccination requirements, as they may vary depending on the size of the event.

Resources

New Circles Holiday Angels Program – Last Day!

This coming Monday, November 29th is the last day to contribute to the New Circles Holiday Angels Program, a gift-giving program that serves individuals and families, many of whom are newcomers to Canada. If you would like to contribute, students can bring their gift cards and completed donor tax forms to their Form or Advisory Teacher. 

Gift cards from the following stores would be most appreciated: Walmart, Metro, No Frills, Toys r Us, President’s Choice, Winners, Ikea

You can access a donor tax form here.

Please reach out to Ms. Wowk (awowk@havergal.on.ca) if you have any questions. Thank you so much for your help and support with this initiative.

Please Collect Your Orders at the Green & Gold

There are a number of unclaimed orders in the Green & Gold Shop. Please be aware that December 10 is the last day to collect these items. After that date, any held items will be returned to store stock and student accounts will be credited. If you are unsure as to whether or not you have an outstanding order, please contact Margie Fleming at mfleming@havergal.on.ca.

Dates on the Horizon

Friday, Dec 3: PD Day (no school for students)

Wednesday, Dec 8: Grade 9-12 Band & Strings Performance: 7 pm

Wednesday, Dec 15: Carol Service

Grades 7-10: 2 pm (students only)

Grades 11-12:  7 pm (students & grade 11/12 parents invited)

Dec 16 – Jan 3: (inclusive): School Closed for Christmas Holidays

Thursday, Dec 16: Boarding School closes at noon

Monday, Jan 3: Boarding School opens at 4 pm

Tuesday, Jan 4: Classes Resume for Students

Photos from the Week

Upper School College Blog – Thursday, November 11, 2021

On By Havergal Upper SchoolLeave a comment

Dear Parents,

On Monday, November 8th we held a Remembrance Day service in the Upper School. There were a number of touching performances from the Choir, the Chamber Choir, and the Dance Troupe. 

Dr. Samson asked students to reflect on the sacrifices made in the past and to also take time to connect with their families to talk about how war and conflict may have affected them. She said, “we need to understand on a personal level how war impacts people so that we can ensure that we are actively taking steps in our own lives to promote peace, to promote collaboration, to promote understanding and to promote love.” It was a moving ceremony and we thank all of the participants and contributors. 

The US Blog contains information and updates on the following: 

We wish you a relaxing and rejuvenating midterm November Break. 

Sincerely,

JJ Patterson, Head of Middle School

Deirdre Timusk, Head of Senior School

Latest News

Thrive Week – Nov 22 – 26, 2021

Thrive at HC is both a mindset and a week-long series of events aimed at building a culture of wellbeing within our community and promoting positive mental health for all. Thrive Week (previously known as Mental Health Awareness Week) is taking place from November 22 -26 and is inspired by the “Be There” five golden rules. The “Be There Basics”: Say What you See, Show you Care, Hear Them Out, Know your Role, and Connect to Help, inform our peer support programming. We will explore the power of peer support and how to help when friends might be struggling with their mental health. The daily activities complement and reinforce the five steps and encourage our students to engage in important conversations and reflections about personal and collective mental health, wellbeing, and resilience.

On our opening day, our keynote speaker, Kendra Fisher ’98, will be presenting to the Upper School students. Kendra will share her personal story, her insights, how she overcame her mental health challenges, and chose to build a life of vitality and meaning. She is the founder of MentallyFit, a movement aimed at presenting hope, education, prevention, and a safe place for people struggling with thier own mental health or supporting someone dealing with that issue. Monday through Wednesday, we will have conversations on how to talk about mental health, what impacts our wellbeing, and what we need to do to build resilience. On the final day of Thrive, Gail Whitlow will be joining us remotely from Ohsweken on the Six Nations Reserve. Gail is Mohawk, born into the Bear Clan of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois). Since she was 25 years old, her life has been dedicated to fostering traditional ceremonies that allow connection to Spirit. In her work, Gail offers many tools to provide holistic healing including drug-free, natural alternatives while considering the many emotional, spiritual, physical and mental aspects of whole health. Other activities throughout the week will stimulate conversations around reducing stigma and sharing stories of hope, strength, and resilience.  

We know that mental health and wellbeing are very individual and that the activities planned for Thrive week may have varying impacts on students. In light of this, we remind students and families of the multiple supports available to them, including but not limited to their Guidance Counsellors, our school Social Worker, the Health Centre, and members of the Wellbeing team. If you have any questions about Thrive Week, please reach out to Dr. Meagan Yarmey, our Director of Wellbeing at myarmey@havergal.on.ca.

Holiday Angels: Gift Card

From November 16 to 29, Havergal College is participating in the New Circles Holiday Angels Program, an anonymous gift-giving program that serves individuals and families, many of whom are newcomers to Canada and face multiple challenges.  Due to COVID-19 restrictions, we will be collecting gift cards that the New Circles team will distribute to recipients in the Program. All gift cards will be collected during Form and Advisory time. 

Gift Cards from the following retailers are preferred:

Walmart, Food Basics, No Frills, Toys r Us, President’s Choice, Winners, Metro, Ikea.


Please contact Anastasia Wowk awowk@havergal.on.ca if you have any questions. Thank you so much for your help and support with this initiative.

Welcoming Visitors to Campus

Beginning November 16, our campus will formally reopen to guests and visitors for certain indoor activities.  In our continued commitment to maintaining a safe learning and working environment for all, the Havergal College Visitor COVID-19 Health and Safety Policy outlines the expectations for all visitors to the campus.  Additionally, the Athletics COVID-19 Spectator Guidelines provide additional guidance to members of the community that wish to support our Havergal Athletes during the winter season. We look forward to welcoming more members of our community on campus in the coming months.

Prayers and Lunch Update

As we continue to navigate a safe return to school we have reviewed how we are able to use shared spaces that align with the Ministry of Education Return to School Plan and enable us to allow more students to attend events in person and gather in common space.

We will have three grades in Prayers each day. This enables us to continue to maintain physical distance between cohorts (grades) while giving more students an in-person Prayers experience.

We will also be opening up the dining room so that all grades have a designated space. Each grade will have tables assigned in the dining room as well as classrooms or other common spaces designated for their grade. We ask the students to please eat only in one of the designated spaces for their grade.

Take Your Kid to Work Day – Virtual Edition

On Wednesday, December 1, during Advisory time, students in grade 9 and 10 will have the opportunity to watch a recording of the “You Belong Here” virtual event sponsored by The Learning Partnership. In this video, students will hear from a range of workplaces and professionals who will share their story of belonging and purpose and elaborate on the real-world skills that have contributed to their success. Afterwards, students will work within their TA groups to focus on one career profile to investigate further, and to identify a particular useful skill set that they would like to work on cultivating this year. 

If your child is taking the careers course here at Havergal, there will be an opportunity for a micro internship later in the year. In addition, Grade 11 and 12 students will have the opportunity to take part in a career fair in the spring.

COP26

Havergal College has an exchange partnership with the George Watson’s School in Edinburgh, Scotland. Our Sustainability Prefect and her council contributed a video segment to a piece that the school put together in order to showcase what schools over the world were doing to help create a more sustainable community. Here is a link to the video that was created.

Reminders

School Photographs

  • This is a reminder for parents to purchase student photos online at the following LINK. 
  • The password required is your child’s student identification number.

Should you require further assistance please email the photographer, Cameron Hubbs, at: cameron@echophotography.ca.

Cold and Flu Season

In an ongoing effort to keep all members of our community in good health, we thank you for keeping your child at home if they are unwell.

Dates on the Horizon

Nov 11: PD Day (no classes for students)

Nov 12 – 15 (inclusive): Mid-Term November Break school closed

Nov 16: Winter Athletics Tryouts Begin

Dec 3: PD Day (no classes for students)

Dec 16 – Jan 3 (inclusive): Christmas Break school closed