UPPER SCHOOL

Celebration Saturday, 2023

Tomorrow is the big day!  Celebration Saturday 2023 kicks off tomorrow morning with Opening Ceremonies at 9:00 am on Ratcliffe Field. Students are to arrive by 8:45 am for attendance.  If you weren’t able to buy wristbands or tickets in advance, be assured we have stations set up in the Rotunda, South Quad and OG Bio Wall/Student Commons so you can purchase them when you arrive.  

You won’t want to miss the Gator Games, taking place on the Ratcliffe Field.   Come and cheer on our Upper School students as they vie for the title of Gator Games Champs.   Of course, we need to cheer on the Parents as they take on the Grads at 11:40 am!

Gator Games Tug of War Schedule

Timing	What	Winner
10:00 am	Grade 7 vs Grade 8 (W1)	W1 + Time
10:20 am	Grade 9 vs Grade 10 (W2)	W2 + Time
10:40 am	Grade 11 vs Grade 12 (W3)	W3 + Time
11:00 am	W vs W	Quickest time bye to finals
11:20 am	Finals
11:40 am	Parents vs Grads

Prayers Special Speaker: Madame Gandhi

On Monday, September 25, we will have a special speaker in Prayers: musician and activist, Madame Gandhi. The occasion is to mark the beginning of Gender Equality Week which is celebrated the last week of September in Canada. The theme this year is United for Gender Equality: Stronger Together. 

Madame Gandhi’s mission is to use music as a medium for a message about positivity, personal expression and human thriving. She is an award-winning artist and activist known for her uplifting, percussive electronic music and positive message about gender liberation and personal power. She has been listed as Forbes 30 Under 30 in Music and BBC 100 Women, and her mainstage TED Talk about conscious music consumption has been viewed over a million times. “Waiting For Me,” shot in Mumbai, India, which focuses on radical expressions of joy, colour and freedom and won the Music Video Jury Award at SXSW Film Festival in 2021. In June of 2022, Madame Gandhi completed a Masters in Music Science & Technology at Stanford University’s CCRMA where she spent time in Antarctica sampling the sounds of glaciers melting to create empathy and awareness around climate change. Madame Gandhi actively collaborates with other female and gender-expansive people in the industry. Her song “The Future is Female” was featured as the theme song for the 2022 Apple TV+ docu series “Gutsy” about the world’s boldest and bravest women. In June 2023, she was awarded the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame Abe Olman Prize for excellence in songwriting and leadership.

Want to know if the dance is a “real” Havergal event?

Please review the link below for a list of the official chaperoned events at Havergal and some of the local independent schools. If your daughter is showing you a link to an event that is not on this list, it is an unsanctioned event. These are held at local clubs and are not supervised by any Havergal employee. 

Sanctioned Dances and Events for Upper School Students 2023-24

ARTS

Private Music Lessons Available for Sign-up on the Parent Portal

Please feel free to request private music instruction by accessing the green button on the Vericross Parent portal labelled “US Private Music Instruction.”  We hope to have all requests forwarded to our itinerant music instructors next week.

Access for arts co-curricular sign-ups will remain open until TONIGHT at 8 pm.

ATHLETICS

Results of Athletic Tryouts

Students will know by 6 pm on Sunday, September 24, 2023 the result of their tryouts. Their fall team will be listed on their Veracross page (and team events will appear on your “My Household Calendar”). Coaches may also email students before this date. Please wait 24 hours before emailing any Havergal coach about the result of a tryout. If a student did not make their desired team, there are a few fall teams (cross country, disc golf, tennis instruction and yoga) who will happily add more committed athletes to their rosters. Please email Athletics Director, Carla Di Filippo if you would like to add your daughter to one of these teams.

Practices & Games Schedule

Please bookmark THIS link for a quick reference to all practices and games for the school year. This is a live document. Cells highlighted in green = home game, yellow = away game, blue = practices, red = playoffs/finals. 

Parents are able to view their child’s schedule by logging into the Parent Portal → Upper School → My Household Calendar. From this calendar, you can click on an event for more details about that event (dismissal times, locations, coach, etc.).

FORUM FOR CHANGE

TRC 1/2 Day

On September 29 Havergal will be recognizing Truth and Reconciliation Day with a half-day dedicated to learning. We have sent out a mandatory google form for each student to select their preferences on which two sessions they would like to partake in. Please encourage your child(ren) to fill this out as it is on a first come first served basis. 
The half-day schedule can be found HERE.

MIDDLE SCHOOL

Middle School Elections in Form this week!

Next week in Middle School we will begin the election process. Students in Grade 7 and 8 will learn about various leadership positions that are available to them.

Senior Grade 8 leadership positions have already been shared with the Grade 8s. Interested students will deliver their speeches to the entire Grade 8 class in The Legacy Theatre, on Wednesday, Sept 27. 

Positions for Arts, Sports, Wellness and Sustainability Councils are by application only. Interested students are strongly encouraged to apply and send their application to Ms. G no later than Tuesday, October 26.
The MS election will take place on Tuesday, October 3, 2023.

SENIOR SCHOOL

What’s happening in Advising this week?

Grade 9 students will be learning more about our club program, the Grade 9 upcoming elections, and applications for leadership positions. Grade 10 and 11 students will be in a session learning about the support for them here at Havergal and how to access it. Grade 12 students will continue to unpack their learning from their Core Strengths work they began at camp.

Grad Hoodies

The deadline to order Grad Hoodies has been extended to Monday, September 25. If you would like to order a new hoodie for your graduate, please fill out this form. If you have any questions, please email greenandgold@havergal.on.ca.

University Counselling & Guidance Updates

Course Change Deadline

Friday, September 29 is the last day for students to change or add a course.

University Visits

All Grade 11 and 12 students are invited to attend the University visits taking place on September 25 and 29 in room B16 from 12:15 pm -1:00 pm and 3:30 pm-4:15 pm. Don’t miss out on this great opportunity to chat with the University reps. 

• September 25th – Carnegie Mellon University – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (3:30 pm-4:15 pm)

All Grade 11 and 12 students are invited to attend the University visits taking place on September 25th and 29th in room B16 from 12:15 pm -1:00 pm and 3:30pm-4:15pm. Don’t miss out on this great opportunity to chat with the University reps. 

• September 25 – Carnegie Mellon University – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (3:30 pm-4:15 pm)
• September 29 – Macquarie University Sydney, Australia (12:15 pm -1:00 pm)

Brown, Dartmouth, Northwestern & Vanderbilt Information Session

Brown, Dartmouth, Northwestern Universities and Vanderbilt College have selected Havergal College as the location of their Toronto information session. They will be on campus this coming Monday, September 25  to host the information session from 7 to 8:30 pm in the Brenda Robson Hall. This is the only day these universities were able to hold their Toronto event within a much larger Canadian tour, which we recognize is unfortunate timing for those community members who are observing Yom Kippur. To ensure everyone has an opportunity to gather information from this session, we have arranged for the event to be recorded. We will let you know when the recording is available on the Guidance Veracross Portal for those who are interested and unable to attend in-person.  

All Havergal Grade 9 to 12 students and families are welcome to attend. Please note, this event is open to all senior school students across the Greater Toronto Area, not just students from Havergal. This is a wonderful opportunity for our students to hear directly from admission officers and for our guidance team to continue to forge strong partnerships with U.S. colleges. If you have any questions, please contact your child’s guidance counsellor directly and we would be happy to assist you.

HCPA

The Silent Auction is LIVE!

Sign up in advance and BID NOW! From Raptors tickets to Front of the Line Dining Hall Passes, there is something for everyone.

HCPA Spirit Wear

Click here to purchase HC spirit wear: green and white fleece jackets, baseball hats and sideline coats! The deadline to purchase is September 30 so don’t delay.

Ivy Market

The Ivy Market is back! Save the date—Tuesday, November 21.

REMINDERS

Advanced Placement at Havergal: Virtual Information Session on Wednesday, September 27 at 4 pm

The link may be found on the Veracross calendar and below. This session will also be recorded.

• Link: https://havergal.zoom.us/j/83570638198?pwd=a1BSUXpVSlM2ckZ4ZElVb1djdzFYUT09
• Passcode: 423967

Save the dates: October 2 and October 18 from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm

All Grade 9-12 students and parents are invited to two unique university fairs on these dates. Don’t miss out on this great opportunity to speak with the university reps and explore International (Oct 2) and Canadian (Oct 18) Universities.

Next Week in the Upper School

Mon Sept 25

University Open House Event 7 pm

Wed Sept 27

ClubFest for students 12 pm

AP Information Session (Zoom) 4pm

Fri Sept 29

Orange Shirt Day (students wear an orange shirt with casual clothes)

Last day for a course change