UPPER SCHOOL
Update on Havergal’s Strategic Planning Process
As highlighted earlier in the fall, Havergal is well-positioned and the time is right to think about our future direction. The work on the CAIS accreditation Self-Study and the data collection phase with our strategy consulting partners at Berlineaton has closed and we have begun the work of prioritizing and planning. We are grateful to the many parents, students, Old Girls/Alums, past parents, faculty, staff, and board members who participated in the questionnaire and discussion groups on Havergal’s future.
We had over double the number of responses that Berlineaton typically sees for a community our size. In addition, we had strong participation in the group consultations with over 120 students, parents, faculty/staff leaders, and Old Girls/Alums in our CAIS review and strategy focus group sessions. This period of reflection has ignited excitement about our future.
From the questionnaire and focus group sessions, we saw broad community alignment with our school mission – to prepare young women to make a difference – and our core values of inquiry, integrity, compassion & courage. Our position as a leading girls’ school, grounded in the advancement of girls and women, and giving the next generation of girls the skills needed to make positive change, resonates with our internal and external community.
From this internal and external Scan phase, a number of consistently articulated school strengths and areas for investment emerged.
Identified areas of strength included: the breadth and strength of our academic and cocurricular program; a track record of successfully preparing students for the rigours of university study; the strength of our caring, dedicated, and skilled teaching faculty; the size and scope of our campus and facilities; the many global and experiential learning opportunities; an exceptionally strong school community and pride in the school.
Identified areas for investment included: increasing the socio-economic and cultural diversity in the student body and faculty/staff; more exposure for students to learning opportunities such as internships, credential-earning, GAP year, and further post-secondary options; facility upgrades in outdoor athletics, boarding, student commons, older classrooms, and wellbeing space; the recruitment and retention of top faculty in an increasingly competitive labour market; and finally, further investment in personalized, comprehensive wellbeing support for students.
The strategy development team continues to work in collaboration with the Board on the development of Havergal’s strategic direction and is looking forward to sharing updates with our community over the coming months. You can view the status of our progress on our website. Thank you to all those who participated in sharing your feedback, ideas, and hopes for Havergal’s future.
Black Cultural Prayers & Reception
The Upper School will be holding a Black Cultural Prayers on Monday, February 6, at 8:40 am. Parents are invited to join. A reception for parents will be held in Temerty Commons at 9:20 am. Please RSVP here. Parents and students are welcome to wear traditional celebratory attire.
Major Dates Calendar
We are pleased to share next academic year’s Major School Dates Calendar for 2023-2024 with you. The Major Dates Calendar outlines the start of school, major academic holidays, significant events that families need to be aware of and end of the year dates.
SENIOR SCHOOL
Grad Workshops Beginning: Life after Havergal
Grads are being offered four morning sessions titled University 101 focused on some of the non-academic issues faced in the transition from high school to university life. With themes like “keep yourself safe” and “keep yourself fed” grads will review the skills and strategies needed to partake in the social scenes more safely, learn how to organize themselves at university, and have two cooking sessions with a guest instructor, Shauna Lindzon. These sessions will take place during our Wednesday morning programming time over the next few months. If you have any questions please reach out to Jeany Ellis who is leading this programming.
Grade Collections for Universities
Havergal College will be collecting grades to ensure universities are up to date with our grads marks so schools have the information needed to send the Class of 2023 their offers. The mid-year report will be sent out to US schools at the beginning of February. OUAC will be sent mark updates for their big collection periods in both February and April.
HCPA REMINDERS
Save the date for Gator Gala 2023 on April 1, 2023! Havergal students in Grades 7-12, (along with one parent/guardian), are invited to an extravagant Candyland-themed evening of dinner, dancing and surprises! Look for ticketing details to come on Jan. 30.
US Grade Rep Meeting
US Grade Rep Meeting on Feb. 1 at 8:35am in the JS Dining Room. All parents are invited to attend. Our IT Dept will be giving an update on the Parent Portal.
REMINDERS
Grade 8 Band Rehearsals for OBA in C26:
- Monday February 6th – 12:00 PM
- Tuesday February 7th – 12:00 PM
- Wednesday February 8th – 7:15 AM
- Tuesday February 14th – 7:15 AM
Course Selection
Please remember course selection is due on Friday February 3rd in Veracross. Students are encouraged to book a meeting with their Guidance Counsellor through the Guidance Portal if they have any questions about course selections or the outside of Havergal summer school form.
Hockey Day 2023
On Tuesday, February 14, at approximately 12:45 pm Havergal College will play against The Bishop Strachan School’s (BSS) U20 hockey team in a battle for the Hewitt Cup. This annual hockey game is a highly spirited athletic contest—faculty, staff and students are decked out in green and gold to cheer on our Gators with pride. As well, our Junior School Gators will play against the BSS Junior School team during the first intermission. F-U-N!
An email was sent this past Monday by Upper School Athletic Director, Carla Di Filippo, to purchase a ticket for the event. The registration link is also below and will close on Monday, February 6th at noon.
To register your child click here: https://events.veracross.com/hc/368-eaarexcursions22-23USJSD
If you have any questions, please email Carla Di Filippo.
Go Gators!!
NEXT WEEK IN THE UPPER SCHOOL
Sun Jan 29
Grade 8 – St. Donat: 6:45 am departure
Mon Jan 30
Grade 8 – St. Donat
Tue Jan 31 G
Grade 8 – St. Donat
Wed Feb 1
Grade 8 – St. Donat: 5:00pm return
Thu Feb 2
Classes end at 1:50 pm
Virtual Parent Teacher Interviews: 3 – 8 pm
Fri Feb 3
No Classes; Course Selections Due
Virtual Parent Teacher Interviews: 8 – 3 pm
DATES ON THE HORIZON
Feb 6
Black Cultural Prayers and Reception
Grad Portrait Retake Day
Feb 7
Grad Portrait Retake Day
Feb 13
Symphonic Band at OBA – bring lunch
Feb 14
Hockey Day
Feb 15
Grade 9 & 8 at OBA – bring lunch
The Weekly: Upper School 