REVIEW OF Havergal College BY parent, Dana Rippon

(5) Student Experience

My daughter loves being a student at Havergal College. She really enjoys all of her classes and and speaks so positively of her teachers, and I believe that the enthusiasm all of her teachers' share have my daughter engaged and excited in what she is learning. She also loves all of the different clubs, athletics and opportunities that Havergal has to offer. The school encourages the girls to become involved in activities at school outside of academics, and they have the opportunity to become very well rounded and explore many different interests. The school spirit at Havergal is probably what my daughter loves most of all. It is a very warm, caring and fun environment -- a place to nurture strong self-confidence, curiosity, awareness and empathy, all the while enjoying her experience at school!

(5) School Leadership

We have been very impressed with the school leadership at Havergal - both in the Junior School and Middle School. The school remains focused on the girls needs, and the administration create a warming caring environment at Havergal where the girls feel not only supported but able to take risks and learn from their mistakes. We have found the administration to be open and willing to hear any concerns and we have been impressed with their response to any concerns that have arisen. I feel the communication between the school, parents and the students to be great.

(5) Teaching

We have been so happy with the teachers our daughter has had for all of her subjects over the past 7 years. From our experience, the teachers at Havergal College have been very knowledgable and passionate about their subjects, and they have really engaged my daughter in her learning. She has developed a love of learning, and also developed strong positive relationships with her teachers each year. Both in the Junior School and the Upper School at Havergal, the teachers are very approachable. They genuinely care about their students and want them to succeed. The teachers are open and available and willing to provide extra-help if needed. We have always had very good communication with teachers at Havergal. We feel the teachers do a great job appropriately challenging and supporting our daughter with her learning.

(5) Academics

We have been very pleased with the academics at Havergal. Our daughter is engaged in her learning. She is appropriately challenged and seems motivated to do her best. I feel that the culture at Havergal is a positive one, girls are encouraged to work hard and put in good effort, but they are also encouraged to be well-rounded, and become involved in things in addition to focusing on their academics. The foundations my daughter received in her learning and academics in the Junior School has well-prepared her for Middle School, and she made a seamless transition. I was also very impressed with the school's approach to take time for training in the girls Grade 7 year, as they transition to Middle School with greater independence and responsibility. I feel that the girls have learned great life skills including organization, time management, self-care and well-being skills, and she will be very well prepared to manage whatever comes her way in the future.

(5) Extracurriculars

We have been very pleased with the extracurricular opportunities at Havergal College. In the JS, there are many different clubs, squads (to develop athletic skills for the younger students) and sports teams, to explore many different interests including athletics, music, STEM, drama and cooking just to name a few. In the Upper School, there are an incredible number and wide variety of clubs for students to join, and all girls sign up to be a part of a least 2 clubs throughout the school year that take place one day, every second week, during lunch. In addition to these clubs, there are so many sports teams, some being competitive and others with a recreational focus. And the there are Music and Performing Arts and STEM extracurriculars as well.

(5) Students

The Junior School is a perfect size for an elementary school. There is 1 class of students in JK and 1 other in SK, and then there are 2 classes of students in Grades 1-6. This also for all students and faculty and staff to know one another, and makes for a warm, close community. However it is large enough that girls have different social experiences each year, as classes are mixed up and they have the opportunity to mix up their friendships. The Upper School is significantly larger, and this seems to be great for the age of the girls, with many new students entering Havergal in grades 7 an 9. That being said, it is still a very warm environment. My daughter has always felt included and had very positive social experiences each year. The girls are nice. They are kind and respectful towards one another, regardless of how close they are. And my daughter has formed incredibly close friendships with a number of her fellow students at Havergal College.

(5) School Life

My daughter loves being a student at Havergal College, she could not imagine being as happy anywhere else. We are delighted that she appears to be thriving at school and at Havergal. She is keen to try new things, embrace new opportunities and she is happily engaged in her learning and classes, connected with her teachers and motivated to do well. She has met and developed wonderful friendships with other girls at Havergal - really nice girls, who she has a lot of fun with both at school and outside of school. Havergal College is a warm, caring environment, there are high expectations, but my daughter does not feel pressure. She is motivated to do well and also very much supported by the school to succeed.

(5) Community

Havergal College has a very warm, welcoming community. Parents are very much encouraged to become involved in the school and there are many opportunities to volunteer - be it helping out at an activity or event, or more formally on the HCPA (Havergal College Parents Association). The HCPA organizes many events and initiatives each year at Havergal to engage families, and fosters a strong sense of community and school spirit. There are many volunteer roles and ways to become involved at Havergal and new parents are most definitely welcome and very much encouraged to become involved right from the beginning. There is something for every parent at Havergal, if they were wanting to become involved, and there is flexibility to allow parents working to be involved as well.

(5) School Location

Havergal College has a neighbourhood school feel, many of the students live within close proximity to Havergal, and the girls develop relationships at school that they treasure outside of school as well. Havergal College is in the heart of the city, but the beautiful grounds at Havergal, with so much green space, fields, and a forest ravine on the campus make it feel like you are farther away.