Upper School College Blog – Thursday, April 14, 2022

On By Havergal Upper School

Dear Parents,

It’s been busy at the Upper School this week with a lot happening in sports, music and personal growth.

Teams are practicing and preparing for their upcoming season, enjoying the warmer weather that has finally arrived. Students and coaches alike are excited to be back on the courts, field, and track again.

The Senior School Music Night was a highlight made extra special because we were able to welcome parents on campus for a live audience experience. The multiple ensembles performed beautifully! Thank you the Music department for all of their effort and dedication over the course of the year. We invite you to view the performances through the Havergal YouTube Channel linked HERE. 

We hosted Dr. Alex Russell for a faculty professional development session after school on Wednesday, followed by an in-person and virtual session for parents in the evening. His topic of supporting teenage children during challenging times addressed many pertinent issues such as anxiety, the importance of the parent-teacher-student triangle, how ‘flow’ is a true marker for happiness and engagement, and when, as parents, we need to sit on the park bench and not step into their experience, even when that experience involves a non-catastrophic, painful failure. We encourage you to view the recording of the session through this LINK.

As we head into this long weekend, we wish you a Happy Easter, Happy Passover and Ramadan Mubarak. We hope you’re able to safely spend time with those you love on the weekend.

The US Blog contains information and updates on the following: 

Sincerely,

JJ Patterson, Head of Middle School

Deirdre Timusk, Head of Senior School

Latest News

Principal & HCPA Updates

Dear Havergal Families:

We would like to thank all who participated in our survey regarding the Father Daughter Dance, Mother Daughter Breakfasts, Grade 12 Mother Daughter Brunch and Junior School A-Mazing Race. We had very strong participation from both our parent and our Upper School student community. Your feedback is important to us and we thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and ideas with us.

We’ve shared information below on the responses to our parent and student survey. Overall, the vast majority of respondents (over 70%) were supportive of renaming the events to ensure that families of all shapes and sizes felt welcomed to participate. This is no doubt reflective of the variety of families represented within our school community. Given this insightful feedback from both students and parents, we will be making the following changes:

  • The Father Daughter Dance will be renamed to Gator Gala and will take place on Thursday, June 9, 2022. Students attending can invite one significant adult of their choosing.
  • The Mother Daughter Breakfasts will now be called Havergal Family Breakfasts. Students attending from our major entry years (Grades 1, 5, 7 and 9) can invite one significant adult of their choosing. 
  • The Grade 12 Mother Daughter Brunch will now be known as Grad Family Brunch. Grade 12 students will be encouraged to bring up to two significant adults to the event, which takes place in the fall.
  • The Junior School A-Mazing Race will retain its name and students can bring one significant adult of their choosing.This event will take place on Sunday, May 15, 2022.

Tickets for the Gator Gala will go on sale Monday, April 18 and the planning committee is creating a great evening that honours tradition and celebrates this special one-on-one time with your daughter. There will be dinner, dancing, games, prizes, a silent auction and opportunities to participate in time-honoured traditions between parents and students. As per the Ontario College of Teachers guidelines, any school-sanctioned event where students attend as guests will not have alcohol served. A wide selection of signature mocktails, non-alcoholic beers and beverages will be served alongside a delicious dinner. Please watch for the Gator Gala invitation to arrive via email on April 18. 

Once again, thank you to everyone who shared feedback with us. We are looking forward to a wonderful series of community events this spring and fall.

Sincerely,

Katrina Samson

Principal

Alnar Meghji & Lisa Windover

Co Chairs, HCPA

Dr Alex Russell’s Presentation

If you were not able to tune in on the evening, here, again, is the link to Dr Russell’s presentation.

Founders’ Day – Community Event on Campus

This year, our Founders’ Day theme, Strong Foundations: Bright Future compels us to celebrate our history while focusing on what we, as individuals and as a community, will do to help create a bright future as we move through this pandemic.

To mark this historic time and honour the strength of our collective community, each student and family member will be given a stone upon which they can write their name and, for students, their graduating year as well. These stones will be collected and made onto an art installation, similar to what is pictured below.

This installation will live in the Simpson Family Quilted Garden, bordering on both the Junior and Upper School and be a reminder of our community’s strength, perseverance.

We look forward to welcoming our families to campus and to building together a bright future for the Havergal community. Parents are invited to join their child(ren) for an opportunity to tour the school with their child(ren), to participate in our Strong Foundations, Strong Future community activity and to take a family photo at our photo booth. 

At 2:30 pm, students will meet their parents at a reception hosted by the HCPA:

  • Grade 7 & 8 Parents – Brenda Robson Hall
  • Grade 9 & 10 Parents – Student Commons
  • Grade 11 & 12 Parents – Temerty Commons

Founders’ Day Registration Reminder

As was communicated last week, we are thrilled that our Upper School Students will once again be returning to St. Paul’s Cathedral for Founders’ Day next Thursday, April 21.

If you have not already done so, please complete this permission form and confirm your child’s participation in this event. Forms must be completed by noon on Tuesday April 19. Please note that registration for this event is not required for members of the Middle and Senior School Choirs.

If your child will not be attending, please email dso@havergal.on.ca before the 3:30 pm on Wednesday, April 20th and let them know the details of their absence and be sure to indicate if they will be absent all day or attending classes in the afternoon.

Earth Week (April 19 – 22, 2022)

Earth Week begins next week! This year’s Sustainability Council has planned many fun and educational events around various sustainability themes. Please check this schedule for a description of the week’s events.

Grade 11: OELC Leadership Training

With the understanding that each and every student at Havergal has the potential to be a leader, this June we will be holding leadership training for every student in the Class of 2023 to prepare them to lead, whatever their role, during their final year at Havergal. 

Students will be on-campus and the experience will be led by the Ontario Education Leadership Centre and will take place all day on Tuesday, June 14 and Wednesday, June 15 in place of classes. The Candlelight Ceremony, in which all Grade 11 students participate, will take place on June 16.

In the past, a leadership retreat was held in August for the Prefects, House Captains and Senior Year Presidents. Muskoka Woods is no longer able to accommodate us in August due to the changes they have made to their summer program. These students will be on campus in August to spend time preparing for their portfolios. The June leadership training will be focussed on the entire Class of 2023 to enable all students to have the greatest amount of growth, and impact on the school community. More information will follow. Please reach out to Deirdre Timusk, Head of the Senior School, if you have any questions.

Learn to Golf

Havergal is excited to offer a Learn to Golf Program this spring. This program is for students who want to learn more about golf and who do not have as much experience as those on the golf team. This program is not for students who are on the Havergal golf team, or who are playing another spring sport.

The sessions will be run by Lindsay Knowlton from Iron Lady Golf and will take place at Havergal College. To participate in the program, students will need to provide their own golf clubs. If your child would like to participate in this program, please sign up here. Parents may sign up on behalf of their children.

Dates on the Horizon

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 – House Colour Dress Down Day

  • Tuesday, May 24 @ 1 pm, regular classes in the morning.

Connections Prayer (new date)

  • Thursday, May 26

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