Dear Upper School Parents,

We, like you, have been watching the devastating humanitarian crisis in Ukraine with profound sadness and disbelief. As we are steadfast in our mission to prepare women to make a difference, we recognize the strength and courage of all of those involved. As a global community, with boarding students, faculty and staff from around the world, we are acutely aware of the many personal connections to what is happening. Many of our students have questions about what is happening, and are trying to make sense of what they are seeing and hearing. We are navigating these conversations at Havergal, in ways that are age and stage appropriate and wanted to re-share some resources that may be helpful, for discussions at home.

• How to talk to children about the invasion of Ukraine, and why those conversations are important
• How to Talk About War and Conflict with Kids, According to a Child Counselor  – Save the Children
• How to Talk to Kids About Violence, Crime, and War – Common Sense Media
• In Times Of Division, Strategic Communication Matters – Learning Forward 

Crisis and Grief Response

We also wanted to share a couple of donation opportunities, initiated by members of our community: Ukraine Relief Donation Opportunities.

The Upper School College Blog contains information and updates on the following: 

• Chartwells Transition to Retail Services in the Upper School begins March 28, 2022
• Rapid Antigen Screening Update
• Travel Information
• GO-VAXX Mobile Vaccine Clinic at Havergal 
• Spring Athletic Tryouts 
• Performing Arts Update
  • Spring Performance Dates to Note
  • Middle School Musical Theatre Auditions
• Founders’ Day – Thursday, April 21
• HOGA Annual Events
• Upcoming Wellbeing Initiatives 
• US/UK University Information Session for Grade 10 & 11 – March 29 @ 7pm
• Upper School Book Drive
• Dates on the Horizon
• Student Life Images

Sincerely, 

JJ Patterson – Head, Middle School

Deirdre Timusk – Head, Senior School

Kate White – Head, Junior School

Latest News

Chartwells Transition to Retail Services in the Upper School begins March 28

We are excited to announce that Chartwells Food Services will now be offering a retail food service program in the Upper School Servery starting Monday, March 28, 2022. The final day to place orders will be Wednesday, March 2 with the final week of service being the week of March 7. Once the new retail service starts, pre-ordering lunches will no longer be available to Upper School students. The lunch program in the Junior School will remain the same with no changes.

The new hours at the Upper School Servery are as follows:

• 7 to 8:30 am: Breakfast available
• 8:30 to 11:30 am: Severy closed 
• 11:30 am to 1:30 pm: Lunch available
• 1:30 to 4 pm: Snacks available 
• 4 pm: Servery closes 

There will be a variety of hot food items, grab-and-go salads and sandwiches, homemade soup, snacks, hot and cold beverages, and fresh baked goods available every day. We will also be featuring a weekly food pop-up station, along with fun food-related games and activities to engage and educate the students about healthy eating. A four-week menu cycle will be available closer to opening day and the weekly menu will be displayed on our digital screens.

Students are required to use their Havergal swipe cards to purchase items in the Servery and pricing for all items will be clearly marked. As with the pre-order system, all items will be charged to the student account.

The following food stations will be opening on Monday, March 28:

• Chop’d and Wrap’d – custom make your own deli sandwiches and wraps
• The Kitchen – homestyle cooked meals with entrée and side options
• Grab-and-Go – pre-packed sandwiches, salads, snacks and beverages
• Hydration – cold beverages
• Bake Shoppe – fresh baked goods 

We look forward to serving and welcoming you to the Servery following March Break. Our friendly Food Services team will be on site to answer any questions students will have. Click here to read FAQs for more information.

Rapid Antigen Screening Program Update

Havergal will be discontinuing the school-wide Rapid Antigen Screening Program (RASP) for all fully vaccinated students at the beginning of March Break (March 11) and all student accounts  will be deactivated. Remaining testing kits do not need to be returned to Havergal, but rather we ask that students keep tests at home and use the Rapid Antigen Tests if/when students develop symptoms of COVID-19. 

Consult the Symptomatic COVID-19 Testing for Students document for further information about how to conduct rapid antigen testing if your child develops symptoms. All students should maintain a stock of at least two Rapid Antigen Tests at home, to use in the event they develop symptoms. Please note that SchoolPass screening questions, along with guidance documents and reporting processes will be updated over March Break to reflect the discontinuation of Thrive and rapid antigen screening. 

The RASP will continue for the Boarding School and any Upper School students who are not fully vaccinated. Information about how to report results and confirm testing will be shared with these groups directly.

Travel Information

Note that Havergal follows Toronto Public Health Screening Guidelines and thus federal travel quarantine travel rules. The federal government has loosened requirements for children under 12 travelling with vaccinated adults beginning on Feb 28, 2022. Please review the Federal Quarantine Requirements for Children and Families to determine how this impacts your family and travel. If travelling with vaccinated adults, students under 12 are now able to come to school without needing to quarantine, even if not fully vaccinated.

GO-VAXX Mobile Vacine Clinic at Havergal

On Saturday, March 5, GO-VAXX mobile vaccine bus will be on-site at Havergal College’s Upper School parking lot (1451 Avenue Road) from 10 am to 6 pm to administer first, second and booster doses for those aged 12 and up, and paediatric Pfizer vaccines for children ages five to 11. Vaccinations will be available to everyone—students, parents, faculty and staff, Alums/Old Girls—as well as friends, neighbours and beyond. All are welcome!

GO-VAXX is a partnership between the Ontario government and Metrolinx, whereby GO buses have been converted to serve as mobile vaccine clinics to provide a safe, reliable and convenient option for people to receive their COVID-19 vaccine. Walk-ins are available, while supplies last. To book an appointment, visit the COVID-19 vaccination portal or call the Provincial Vaccine Contact Centre at 1-833-943-3900. Bookings are available beginning Friday, March 4 at 8 am. Visit Ontario.ca/vaccinebus for more information.

Spring Athletic Tryouts

Please see below for a reminder about spring athletics:

Registration opens: Thursday, March 3 at 8 am

Registration closes: Wednesday, March 9 at 12 pmThe tryout schedule can be found HERE (3rd tab – Spring 2022) and the Veracross link for registration is https://events.veracross.com/hc/332-springus. Students and parents have received more information in their email from Carla Di Filippo, Director of Athletics. Please reach out directly to Ms. Di Filippo if you have any questions.

Performing Arts Update

Congratulations to all who were involved in the Drama productions: The Orphan Train and 13 Past Midnight. The shows were excellent and highlighted the talents of our students both on and off stage. Bravo!

Spring Performance Dates to Note:

• Senior School Music Night April 12, 7pm
• Dance Show: Thursday April 21 4pm, April 22nd, 7pm
• Middle School Musical Theatre Review: May 19th, 7pm
• Middle School Concert: Thursday May 26, 7pm

Middle School Musical Theatre Auditions:

Live auditions for the Middle School Spring Music Theatre Club (Grade 7 & 8 only) will be held on Tuesday, March 29 in the Theatre. Details regarding the audition process will be posted on the Middle School bulletin board and can be found here: Audition Requirements for the Middle School Mini Musical Review If you have any questions please contact Cissy Goodridge, Director of Performing Arts.

Founders’ Day – Thursday, April 21, 2022

The Upper School will be returning to St. Paul’s Bloor Street for our annual Founders’ Day service on April 21st. Founders’ Day is an annual event at Havergal that celebrates the laying of the cornerstone of our present Upper School building, which was laid on April 23, 1926. To commemorate this event, the school Upper School community will gather in-person at St. Paul’s Bloor Street. More details to follow. 

HOGA Annual Events

The HOGA Annual Events committee invites you to attend the upcoming webinar Wellbeing in a Pandemic: Is This Even A Thing? Featuring Dr. Shelly Dev 94’ MD FRCPC, Sunnybrook, Staff Intensivist. As we close out two years of the pandemic, many are finding themselves burnt out. Join Dr. Shelly Dev 94′ who will lead us in a discussion on what it means; how to recognize it and what we can do to cope.

Date: March 29, 2022

Time: 12:00 to 1:00 PM (EST)

Location: Virtual EventPlease register here: https://events.veracross.com/hc/330-Wellbeing-in-a-Pandemic

Upcoming Wellbeing Initiatives

We are looking forward to welcoming the following guests to engage in important conversations around wellbeing with our student and parent communities. If you have any questions about these presentations, please contact Meagan Yarmey PhD, Director of Wellbeing.

Hosted by NEDIC (National Eating Disorders Information Centre)

On March 29 and 30, Middle School and Senior School students will engage in separate interactive workshops over the course of two mornings that blend best practices in health and education policy in order to help increase students’ confidence around navigating the vast array of information around food, weight, exercise, and health. 

NEDIC Parenting Panel on March 30th (7:00-8:30pm)

Join us for an evening of discussion with NEDIC: Finding the Balance: Navigating Conversations Around ‘Healthy’ Eating and Exercise

How do messages about health impact your children and families? In this evening panel discussion, we will hear from parents, clinicians, and youth with lived experience of disordered eating as they share their experience and strategies for supporting your family’s relationship with eating, exercise, and body image.

https://havergal.zoom.us/j/82523187504?pwd=aHF5UXdXYWEyY0Fqa2VPQ3VFZ3Z6dz09

Webinar ID: 825 2318 7504

Passcode: 819563

Hosted by Canvas Programs 

For Grade 12 students

Throughout the month of April, Grade 12 students will be engaging in a two-part workshop on consent culture to prepare them for real-life social situations. Using interactive digital programming, students will explore the impacts of social expectations and sexual pressures while discovering tools to enact consent and develop consensual relationships.

For Grade 11 students

Throughout the month of May, Grade 11 students will be engaging in their own two-part interactive workshop on interpersonal consent, where they will be guided through a nuanced definition of consent, leaving students with skills to communicate in relationships and tools to identify social pressures.

US/UK University Information Session for Grades 10 & 11 – March 29, 2022 at 7pm

Current Grade 10 & 11 parents are welcome to attend a virtual Guidance information night for international applicants interested in attending universities in the US and/or the UK..

• US information is at 7:00-7:45 pm
• UK info is at 7:45- 8:30 pm

Here are the Zoom details:

https://havergal.zoom.us/j/88923948443?pwd=SUJJWlpTMGhCcm5pSmFEeFlCaEl4QT09

Meeting ID: 889 2394 8443

Passcode: 095018

Upper School Book Drive

To date, our Havergal community has donated 500 books for the Children’s Book Bank! Thank you so much for your generosity. Donations will be accepted until the end of day, Thursday March 10th. There are donation boxes in several locations throughout the school, but books can also be dropped off at the front security desk (attention to Genevieve Shepherd). Thanks so much to those who have volunteered to help deliver books to the Book Bank. Please reach out to Ms Shepherd (gshepherd@havergal.on.ca) if you are interested in helping with delivery. The delivery will be after March Break on the afternoon of Thursday March 7th. Books need to be dropped off at the Book Bank prior to 3pm and the boxes of books to deliver will be available for pick up at the front entrance of the school.

Dates on the Horizon

Event	Dates	Time
Spring Athletics Registration	OPENS: Thursday, March 3 CLOSES: Wednesday, March 9	8:00 am12:00 pm
Grade 12 Havercrest Social	March 9, 2022	4:30 – 6:30 pm
March Break	Friday, March 11 – Sunday, March 27 (inclusive)
UK/US University Session	Tuesday, March 29, 2022	7:00 – 7:45 pm (US)7:45- 8:30 pm  (UK)
HOGA Speaker: Dr. S. Dev ‘94	March 29, 2022	12:00 – 1:00 pm
NEDIC Parenting Panel	March 30, 2022	7:00 – 8:30 pm
Easter Break	Friday, April 15 – Monday, April 18 (inclusive)

Student Life!

Gallery 44

A few of our students from first semester (Media 10 class) submitted photography in response to an themed exhibition at one of Torontos’ Photo Galleries – Gallery 44. The theme this year is Silver Linings. The show is virtual and the work of our students and other submissions from schools around Toronto can be seen at this link: https://www.gallery44.org/cameralinks.  Go to “Independent Submissions” and sideswipe to see the photos submitted by Alison Y, Ella W, Abbie S. and Charlotte P. The online show closes on March 31st 2022.

Action in Prayers and the HC/UCC Virtual Talent Show

Middle School: St Donat Comes to HC!

Senior School: Rosetta Lee Speaks to students