Dear Parents,
Although we were not scheduled to send a blog today, we have some important updates that we wanted to share with you.
The US Blog contains information and updates on the following:
Sincerely,
JJ Patterson, Head of Middle School
Deirdre Timusk, Head of Senior School
Principal’s Updates
Wishing a Fond Farewell to Tony diCosmo, Executive Director, Advancement & Community Relations
After almost six years in his role, Tony diCosmo has resigned as Executive Director of Advancement and Community Relations. His last day with Havergal is Friday, April 8th.
After leading the school through the successful completion of the Limitless Campaign, and as the school looks to the future as it emerges from the pandemic, Tony felt it was the right time to step away and pursue other opportunities.
I would like to thank Tony for his significant contributions to Havergal, specifically his leadership of the Limitless Campaign and the great work he has done with both our alumni and parent communities. His warmth and professionalism have made him a pleasure to work with and he will be missed by faculty, staff, parents, and alumni.
Please join me in wishing Tony all the very best in his future endeavors. We’ll miss his warm and compassionate nature and are grateful for the significant contribution he has made to the Havergal community.
Seeking Your Input: Havergal’s Next Steps in Supporting Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Havergal College is moving ahead with the recruitment of the new Executive Director, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI). This is an important role in fulfilling Havergal’s commitment to fostering an inclusive culture for its community. We have engaged the executive search firm KBRS to support the recruitment process which will be led by Amorell Saunders N’Daw, Partner and EDI Lead. A brief overview of the consulting firm and the lead Partner is included below.
For this inaugural role at the College, we value input from students, faculty, staff, as well as Havergal College’s other stakeholders, such as families, and this feedback will be important for informing the position profile and priorities for the role. It will also be helpful in providing guidance and direction to the Search Advisory Committee. Given this, we want to hear from you about what you think the ideal skills, characteristics and competencies should be by offering you the opportunity to provide input on priorities for the role by participating in the attached survey.
KBRS will administer the survey and will provide the results to the Search Advisory Committee for consideration. Rest assured that your privacy will be respected and the collection of information will be conducted in a confidential manner.
Please click on the link below to participate in the survey process:
http://surveys.verticalresponse.com/t/show/255082/5e2d06410b/0
We look forward to hearing from you and thank you in advance for sharing your thoughts with us.
About KBRS: www.kbrs.ca
Amorell Saunders N’Daw, BAA, M.Ed.
Partner & EDI Lead | asaundersndaw@kbrs.ca
Amorell uses her unique combination of corporate communications, governance and diversity and inclusion skills and experience to assist organizations in the search and recruitment process. Amorell has provided search and recruitment leadership and support to academic institutions and not-for-profit organizations. During a 12-year career at the University of Toronto Scarborough, Amorell served on hiring committees across multiple departments, providing advice about making the recruitment process more inclusive and diverse. A trained journalist who speaks English and French, Amorell completed her Master of Education degree at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto, with a focus on adult education and community development.
Founders’ Day – Parents Welcome on Campus – April 21
As previously communicated, we will be celebrating Founders’ Day on April 21, 2022. This annual event marks the anniversary of the cornerstone being laid in 1926 at Havergal’s “New School” on Avenue Road. It holds special meaning because it provides an opportunity to reflect on the values and traditions established at Havergal since its founding in 1894.
You will have received grade-specific information earlier about how you can join your daughters on campus for part of this special day. Please check your inbox and mark the date on your calendar!
The Power of Girls’ Education
From time to time, I like to share articles and information with parents that support our mission and core values. While you have made the conscious choice to invest in a girls’-centred education for your child, it’s good to have the facts about why education for girls and women must continue to be a priority across the globe. In February, the World Bank updated their Girls Education Overview with statistics showing the impact of COVID-19 on girls education globally. It’s a quick read and a great reminder that the investment we make in girls and women supports shared prosperity for all. As a UNESCO School we are called to foster positive social change, and reminding ourselves about the importance of investing in our girls is an important way to live Havergal’s mission to prepare young women to make a difference.
Latest News & Reminders
Head of Middle School Announcement
We are delighted to share that after an extensive search, Cissy Goodridge has been offered and accepted the position of Head of Middle School. Cissy is a passionate educator and leader who is focussed on providing Middle School students with opportunities that allow them to develop their unique identities, connect with their classmates and extend beyond their communities.
The Havergal community is well aware of the success she has had both as a music teacher and Director of Performing Arts. She has played a key role in supporting students and planning Prayers for the Upper School. In addition, she supported the grade 7 admissions process this year and provided leadership to the Upper School Affinity groups as the Coordinator of Equity, Inclusion and Belonging.
We know you will join us in congratulating Cissy. We are grateful for the leadership that JJ Patterson has provided to the Middle School, and Cissy looks forward to collaborating with her to ensure a seamless transition for our students.
Upper School Global Exchange Program for 2022-2023
We are excited to announce that Havergal will offer a global exchange program in the 2022-2023 academic year for Grade 8 and Grade 10 students. If your child(ren) is currently in Grade 7 or 9, this opportunity is for them.
For more information, please CLICK HERE. There are important dates/requirements that are coming up quickly, so please don’t delay. For any questions, please contact Garth Nichols.
Student Resilience Survey – Parent Consent
As part of the school’s ongoing commitment to wellbeing as outlined in the Strategic Direction 2020+, we are conducting a School Resilience Survey. The pandemic has triggered unique and dynamic issues that can affect our students’ wellbeing and sense of connectedness to the school. To keep our community healthy, we are committed to taking proactive steps to ensure a positive school climate where students are able to flourish.
Resilience is defined as the maintenance of positive adjustment in the context of exposure to significant adversity. A resilience survey can help us gather actionable data about our students’ mental health and wellbeing as well as their sense of connection with peers and adults at school. Results from the survey will enable us to make the most impactful changes to our programming as it relates to wellbeing by being thoughtful and responsive to our students’ needs, as well as helping to monitor progress.
To help support us in this important work, we have hired Authentic Connections. The questionnaires were developed from several standard measures that ask youth questions about their feelings and behaviours. No identifying information – including IP addresses – will be collected. Your child’s name will not appear anywhere on their responses, and questionnaires are all stored according to random ID numbers, specially allotted for this survey. The survey will be administered on May 3, 2022.
- Students in Grade 2 to 5 will be invited to complete the Children’s Resilience Survey (CRS), which is designed to take between 10 and 15 minutes, online during class time.
- Students in Grades 6 through to 12 will be invited to complete the High Achieving Schools Survey (HASS), which is designed to take approximately 40 minutes, online during Homeroom/Form/Advisory time.
- Participation is voluntary and students can skip questions they do not want to answer.
If you do not want your child to participate, please complete this google form and submit by April 22, 2022.
Sincerely,
Meagan Yarmey
PhD, Director of Wellbeing
COVID-19 Reporting
We have been receiving queries regarding COVID-19 and ‘what to do when,’ so we would like to remind you of the following:
- If your child is unwell for any reason, they should stay home.
- If your child is unwell and any experiencing Covid-19 symptoms, please refer to the TPH Screening and Isolation guidelines to determine if testing is needed prior to returning to school, and if household members must also isolate.
If your child has tested positive on a covid-19 test, please contact covid@havergal.on.ca.
Reporting Absences
- If your child will be absent from school for any reason, please input the absence into SchoolPass and be sure to include the reason for the absence in the notes field. Helpful instructions on using SchoolPass.
- If your child is isolating due to Covid-19, please be sure to enter ‘isolating’ in the notes field. Only students who are isolating for covid reasons will be permitted to join Zoom.
- If your child will be absent for multiple days, you can select all the days in the SchoolPass app. We recommend and ask that you do this if your child is going to be absent for multiple days due to isolation or for an extended absence.
- Please do not select one day for an absence and then use the notes section to report they will be away for multiple days. Instead, please select all of the dates on the SchoolPass calendar and then put the reason in the notes field.
Connection Prayers
Just a quick note to let you know that Connection Prayers has been rescheduled and will be held on Thursday, May 26.
Founders’ Day Reminder
For reasons of health and safety, students who do not attend the Founders’ Day service at St. Paul’s Church, may not enter the school building until 11:15 AM. There will be no faculty or staff on the premises to provide proper supervision. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.
Dates on the Horizon
Upper School Update Report Card
- Monday, April 11 – 4 pm – Update report cards are available to parents and students through Veracross (click here for instructions on how to access)
Senior School Music Night
- Tuesday, April 12th – 7:00 pm
Dr. Alex Russell Parent Presentation
- Wednesday, April 13th – 6:30 – 8:00 pm (in-person or virtual)
Easter Weekend
- Friday, April 15 – No School
- Monday, April 18 – No School
Global Exchange Program – In-Person Mandatory Meeting
- Wednesday, April 20 – 6:30 pm
Founders’ Day
- Thursday, April 21
- Please note all students will be meeting at St. Paul’s at 8:50 am (Gr. 12) or 9:00 am (Gr. 7-11) and the Upper School building does not open until 11:15 am.
Senior School Dance Troupe Performance
- Thursday, April 21 – Legacy Theatre – 4 pm
- Friday, April 22 – Legacy Theatre – 7 pm
PD Day
- Friday, May 6 – No School for Students
Victoria Day Weekend
- Monday, May 23 – No School
House Shout
- Tuesday, May 24 @ 1 pm, regular classes in the morning.
Connections Prayer (new date)
The Weekly: Upper School 