Dear Parents,
The safety of students, parents, faculty, and staff is of the utmost importance and we take parent concerns seriously. Earlier this week I received the following letter from Kevin Daley, father of Kaitlyn in 3Y and Kyra in SK. His message is so important that I believe everyone should read it:
Dear Leslie Anne,
I am writing today to express my concern over pedestrian safety given what I have witnessed over the past few weeks as the weather has been turning cooler and frequently wet. At peak periods, drop-off and pick--up, there is a tremendous amount of traffic at the Junior School. This appears to be not only parents dropping off students to the Junior School but also parents dropping off students who then transit to the Upper/Middle School. Despite the fact that a sidewalk exists along the roadway, many students, and parents with students, choose to walk or run through the parking lot and frequently pop out from behind parked vehicles. This is particularly concerning when it is raining as the girls are often rushing at a time when visibility is also reduced. Vehicles dropping off students for the Upper and Middle Schools frequently drive down the parking lot to drop off passengers near the Kindergarten only to compound the problem while trying to turn around. There appears to be a blatant disregard for common sense safety practices in the interest of personal convenience. It is not my pervue to mandate the task for the Havergal security staff, however it seems more likely that an accident could occur within the parking lot area than at the front door of the Junior School. If student safety is their mandate, I believe their objectives and routine at the peak times could be reconsidered to provide greater traffic and student pedestrian control.
Sincerely,
Kevin
Kevin's concerns are certainly valid and I shared this letter with our Chief of Security Rob Stepien who also voiced his worries about safety while at school. He oversees a uniformed security guard who is present daily, and is stationed at the clock tower (or thereabouts) to act as a visual deterrent; however, his/her most important duty is to detect and act upon any external security related threat to students, parents, faculty and staff. They are trusted to perform this duty above all else, and they position themselves in various locations with this in mind. As they cannot be in all places at all times, this is where we need your help and common sense.
I strongly urge everyone to keep the following in mind:
- Always drive cautiously keeping in mind that children can be unpredictable, and sometimes dart in between cars, and greenery.
- Keep control of your children, walk on the sidewalk, hold hands, and guide them safely to avoid traffic.
If we all work together, we can make Havergal a safer place.
Warmly,
Leslie Anne
JS CHRISTMAS CONCERTS - Pick up tickets now!
Grades JK+SK - Monday, December 14 at 2:00 pm in the JS Gymnasium
Grades 1-6 - Wednesday, December 16 at 6:30 pm in the Brenda Robson Hall (Upper School)
Tickets for the grades 1-6 concert are available in the JS Office. Each family of students in grades 1-6 will be provided with 2 tickets to this event. Tickets are to be collected from the JS Office and students will be permitted to collect them on their parent's behalf. If you will not be using one or both of your tickets, we ask that you advise the office as soon as possible so the seats can be reassigned to a family requesting additional tickets. If you would like to request additional tickets, please ask the office to be put on the waitlist. All efforts will be made to accommodate as many as possible. We thank you for your understanding.
FOREST OF READING SILVER BIRCH PROGRAM - Message from Ms. Rodd
Girls in grades 4, 5, and 6 are taking part in the Forest of Reading Silver Birch Program. This includes 10 middle-grade novels written by Canadian authors. The program ends with an event in May at Harbourfront Center called the Festival of Trees, where authors are available for book signings and there are many fun activities, performers and events. It is an exciting day! Any student in the junior grades who reads 5 of the 10 books by mid-April is able to vote for their favourite (winner revealed at the Festival of Trees) and attend the event. The book club meets once a month to take part in fun activities and discuss the books in the program with each other and the teacher book ambassadors. The books are available through the Learning Hub, but you may also borrow copies form the public library, or purchase your own personal copies. Here is a link that includes all the titles: https://www.accessola.org/web/OLAWEB/Forest_of_Reading/Awards_Nominees/Silver_Birch_Fiction_Nominees.aspx
USING VERACROSS ON A MOBILE DEVICE (Parent Portal)
If you are having difficulties accessing the Parent Portal on your mobile device, our IT Department has put together some helpful tips for you. For your convenience they offer this direct link to access this information: https://portal.havergal.on.ca/vcom/
CO-CURRICULAR CLUBS: Remaining Session Dates
Mondays:
ABT Ballet @ December 7 (session times advised by Ms. Wade)
Zodiactors @ December 7 performance @ 5:00 pm (Upper School)
Tuesdays:
Junior Choir & One Act Plays @ December 8
Wednesdays:
Primary Choir @ December 9
Thursdays: NO CLUBS
NEXT WEEK AT A GLANCE: December 7-11
Monday, December 7: Advent Prayers with the Reverend MacDonald
Monday, December 7: JS Pizza Lunch
Tuesday, December 8: HCPA Holiday Luncheon @ 12:00 pm (off-site)
Wednesday, December 9: Violin/Viola Christmas Recital @ 4:00 pm (Learning Hub)
Friday, December 11: JS Prayers - students of the One Act Plays Club will be performing their adapted version of the book: The Spirit of Christmas, by Nancy Tillman - parents are welcome!
NEED TO KNOW DATES
Monday, December 14: Kindergarten Christmas Concert @ 2:00 pm (JS gym)(reception to follow)
Tuesday, December 15: Locker/Cubby/Desk Clean Out
Tuesday, December 15: Toasty Tuesday - Hot Chocolate at short recess, yummy!
Wednesday, December 16: Grade 6 Lunch @ Upper School - Hawkin's Dining Hall
Wednesday, December 16: Grades 1-6 Christmas Concert @ 6:30 pm (Brenda Robson Hall)
Thursday, December 17: JS Christmas Prayers @ 8:30 am (JS Gym)
Thursday, December 17: Whole School Red/Green Dress (casual dress/non-uniform)
Thursday, December 17: Christmas Prayers @ 8:30 am (JS Gym)
Thursday, December 17: Dismissal @ 3:30 pm, aftercare available until 6:00 pm
Friday, December 18 to Friday, January 1: Christmas Break (no school)
Monday, January 4: Back to school!
