The Weekly – Friday, September 9, 2022

On By Havergal Upper School

Dear Parent,

It was a busy week at Havergal in the Upper School. Our new and returning Middle School students were greeted energetically by our Prefects with lots of cheering and a party rocker. They met their Form Teachers, got acquainted with their locker area (the center of their universe), their classrooms and classmates, and took part in games and a scavenger hunt led by our Prefects.

New and returning Senior School students struck a pose for photographs, spent time with their TAs learning about what to expect this year and contributed to discussions about how they would like to see the year shape up. Grads are sporting their white blazers proudly and their hoodies with joy.

Today’s edition contains updates on the following: 

Best regards,

Cissy Goodridge, Head of Middle School 

Deirdre Timusk, Head of Senior School 

Latest News

Camp Kilcoo Grade 7 Camp – permission forms due today!

The Grade 7 overnight excursion to Camp Kilcoo will run from September 21 – 23. Camp Kilcoo is located on Highway 25, just south of Minden.  This excursion is a wonderful way for the Grade 7s to get to know  each other through unique camp activities.They create memories with their peers, and bond with the Grade 12 student leaders who will be accompanying them. Below, you will find an information letter which contains the registration link to the excursion. Please join us in the Brenda Robson Hall, for the Kilcoo Parent Information evening, on September 12, following the People & Program event.

 Kilcoo Parent Letter Fall 2022 including link to registration and camp waiver

Important Change – Updating Your Child’s Health Information

Havergal is implementing Magnus Health to manage our student records. This will mean a more efficient process for parents to manage their children’s information, while ensuring accurate and up to date information is accessible to the appropriate employees at our school.

You can now access Magnus Health from the Parent Portal by clicking on the Update My Child’s Health Information button located on all of the landing pages, or under the My Household menu in the navigation bar.  Please reserve 20-30 minutes per child to complete this process.

Sending medication to camp?

If your child takes prescription medication and is going on a Senior School excursion next week, we are anticipating that they will handle their own prescription medication administration. If your child would like assistance with medication administration or reminders about taking medication, please get in touch with your child’s trip leader.  Please be sure to send the medication in a tamper proof, pharmacy labeled container with the dose, frequency and medication name, so that our trip leaders can appropriately assist and identify what medication is being taken. As a reminder, information about what type of prescription medications your child is taking was provided at registration for the trips and is used in the case of emergencies. If there have been changes to your child’s medication list since registration please email your child’s trip leader and healthcentre@havergal.on.ca so we can update our emergency information. 

Middle School People & Program Evening

Monday, September 12, 6:00 – 8:00 PM

Please join us in the Brenda Robson Hall for light refreshments at 5:30pm. Opening remarks by our Principal, Katrina Samson begin at 6:00pm. At 6:20pm, you will follow your child’s schedule, meet their teachers and hear about the grade curriculum. Afterwards, there will be presentations about the Grade 7 Kilcoo Excursion in the Brenda Robson Hall, and the Grade 8 Winter Excursion in the Legacy Theatre.

It’s not just an alumni event…it’s a fundraiser for our Community Partnerships…it’s Celebration Saturday!

Each fall our Havergal Community raises money for our community partnerships. We have established long-term relationships with these organizations. Our student volunteers work with those outside the Ivy Walls, and learn invaluable lessons about service and sacrifice, while growing as individuals.  We currently support nine different organizations; you can learn more about them here. The purchase of a $30 wristband entitles the wearer to a free popcorn, cotton candy, cookie decorating and access to all the midway and House room events such as a bead station, Haunted House, mini golf and more! All the money goes directly to our community partners. You may also purchase additional tickets, both in advance and at the event, for the BBQ, art sale and bake sale. 

Jewish High Holidays Prayers and Reception

The Upper School will be acknowledging Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur during Prayers on Monday, September 19. Parents and grandparents are warmly invited to join us for this event, following which there will be a reception for those families in attendance. 

Truth and Reconciliation Week – Orange Shirt Day – Friday, September 30

The Havergal community is invited to recognize Truth and Reconciliation Week and Orange Shirt Day during the week of September 26. The week, including Orange Shirt Day, is designed to promote understanding that every child matters and to commemorate the residential school experience, honour the journey of survivors and their families, and commit to the ongoing process of reconciliation. We will be sharing the purpose of the day, in developmentally appropriate ways, both in class and through other venues throughout the week. Students will wear their orange shirts on Friday, September 30th. The following are Orange Shirt Day Retailers. When purchasing a shirt from one of these, the proceeds directly support Indigenous organizations and communities.

HCPA News: Celebration Saturday Volunteers Needed!

Volunteers are needed to help at our CelSat event throughout the day. Please see this LINK to sign up. Even 1 hour of your time is greatly appreciated!

HCPA News: Used Uniform Sales

Used Uniform Sales will be held  from 5 – 8pm on People & Program nights on Sept. 12 (MS), and Sept. 13 (JS).  Stop by to pick up back-up uniform pieces including kilts, skirts, tunics, blazers, and pants. Charges will be applied to your student account. Middle School sales will be in Ellen Knox and Junior School sales will be in the JS main hallway.

Does your Grad need another hoodie?

If you wish to purchase another hoodie for your Grad, please complete this form by Monday, September 19th. 

Space Camp: November 2022

This past Thursday, your child heard about the exciting opportunity to participate in Space Academy (Grade 7 & 8) and Advanced Space Academy (Grade 9-12) in Huntsville, Tennessee. This is a highly engaging STEM experience that requires no previous experience or expertise in STEM. It is a fun program emphasizing learning and leadership. Read more about the program and application HERE.

We will be hosting an information session on Zoom  Monday, September 12th at 4PM. If you are interested, but cannot attend, please contact Andrea Loyola.

Important News About Online Learning Graduation Requirement

Please click on this link to learn more about opting in to online learning for graduation. 

PPM 167 Communication to Parents

Reminders

Athletics Registration Reminder

Only parents can register their children for fall sports. Registration for these programs closes on Monday, September 12 at 12:00 pm. The athletics tryout schedule is available on the Veracross parent portal under “My Calendar” or can be viewed by clicking THIS LINK. Tryouts take place over a  two week period: September 12 – 16th and 19 – 23rd. If you have any questions, please contact Carla Di Filippo, Director of Athletics, at cdifilippo@havergal.on.ca. 

Performing Arts Reminder

The sign-up for the senior school show, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, are on the Drama board outside of B17. Auditions will be held on Sept 20, 21, 22. 

Reporting Student Attendance Reminders

  • A link for reporting attendance is available directly on the Parent Portal homepage. We recommend you bookmark the link.
  • Instructions for using Veracross can be found here. It is important to review these instructions and be familiar with how to report a student absence through Veracross.

Week at a Glance

Monday, September 12

  • 12 pm Registration closes for athletics registration, tryouts begin after school
  • 4 pm Arts Tryouts begin
  • 4 pm Space Camp Information Session on Zoom 
  • 5 pm – 8 pm  Used Uniform Sales
  • 6 pm – 9 pm  Middle School People & Program Evening
  • 8:30 pm Kilcoo and St. Donat Parent Information Sessions

Tuesday, September 13

Wednesday, September 14

  • Senior School Trips Depart from Junior & Upper School

Thursday September 15

  • Middle School Assembly

Friday, September 16 

  • Senior School Trips Return approximately 12:30 pm

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