While Havergal’s faculty and students have been off campus exploring the world, gaining new experiences and relaxing, the Facilities department has been hard at work getting the school ready for the new school year. Here are some of the projects they have been busy with this summer (see below for more details):
In the Junior School:
- New! The Learning Hub: an innovative learning
- New! Two Multipurpose Learning Strategist Rooms for students
- New! A Green & Gold Mini Shop in the Junior School
- The Junior School Admissions Office relocated
- Kindergarten classrooms get upgraded
- Health and Physical Education’s renovated equipment space
- A new boardroom in the Junior School
- A new urn outside the front doors
- The Grade 6 lockers relocated to the upper level
- Freshly painted classrooms
- New carpeting in the Learning Hub and on the front stairs
- Renovated pick-up and drop-off areas
- Resurfacing on the Bridge between the Upper and Junior Schools
In the Upper School:
- Grade 10 bathroom renovations
- Brenda Robson Hall stained glass windows restoration
- Ellen Knox Library windows restoration
- Math Office renovations
- Art Office renovations
- Heating in the Athletic Centre hallways
- New furniture in the Boarding School
- Resurfaced tennis courts
JUNIOR SCHOOL
New! The Learning Hub: an innovative learning space
The library and technology lab spaces have been opened up to form the Junior School’s Learning Hub. This is a newly designed learning space where information, technology and inquiry come together in an integrated way to foster 21st century thinking. This is both a physical and a virtual environment that engages students in thinking, imagination, discovery, creativity, problem solving and collaboration. The newly created Inquiry, Integration and STEM team of Helen Carayannis, Nicole Davies and Darryl Reiter, will work closely with all faculty and students to help design engaging learning activities that allow students to navigate the virtual world, as well as traditional information sources. Emphasis will be placed on developing skillful researchers and critical thinkers who can evaluate information, develop deep understanding, and share new ideas in both electronic and print formats.
The two Learning Hub areas allow students to easily move from one room to the other and the connected spaces are multi-purpose. Heavy and static furniture has been replaced with adaptable and multi-purpose pieces. Electronic resources have been expanded while our print resources have been streamlined. Throughout the Learning Hub, student learning is supported with access to technology including laptops, desktops, ipads, and interactive white boards, including our new seven-feet wide Epson BrightLink projector. A sound studio has also been added for digitally recording student podcasts, music, and voiceovers. In combination with regularly scheduled classes once a cycle with Nicole Davies, who will focus on promoting the love of reading and learning through guided inquiry, and Helen Carayannis, who will focus on developing specific ICT skills, the Learning Hub timetable is now flexible to accommodate spontaneous and planned learning activities. Darryl Reiter will be working closely with teachers to help integrate the teaching of science, technology, engineering and math with an inquiry approach in the science lab and in our outdoor classroom.
New! Two Multipurpose Learning Strategist Rooms for students
The new Multipurpose Learning Strategist Rooms (located on the second floor) are learning spaces for students. These rooms were formerly a print room and a faculty office but have been repurposed to accommodate the individual needs of our Junior School students. The rooms are spaces for groups or individuals, and they act as hubs of student learning. Learning Strategist Carrie Steele and Reading Strategist Eva Siatkowski, both trained under the Orton-Gillingham Program, are working together in these spaces.
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AFTER:
New! A Green & Gold Mini Shop in the Junior School
With the collaboration of Junior School parent coordinators, Tracey Miller and Jill Ziedenberg, and Barb Hill, Green & Gold Shop Coordinator, a space in the foyer has been transformed into a mini Green & Gold Shop in the Junior School called the G & G Shop. Items for sale in the shop will include T-shirts, headbands and other Junior School products. The store will officially open at 5:45 pm on Wednesday, September 5, in time for Junior School Curriculum Night!
The Junior School Admissions Office relocated
A parent’s first impression with the Junior School begins at the Junior School Admissions Office, which is why the office has moved outside of the Junior School Office to a space more central to student-life. The new office is located in the front hall of the school near the Gymnasium and Learning Hub. The Music Studio has been relocated to the second floor. The new Junior School Admissions Office is now in a space where prospective students and their parents can truly see the school in action.
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AFTER:
Upgraded Kindergarten classrooms
The Facilities department has replaced the cubbies in the Kindergarten classrooms with cubbies that no longer block the window between the classrooms. With the new line of sight between the two classrooms through the Studio, the Kindergarten students can work and learn in a more collaborative way with the other Kindergarten class.
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AFTER:
Health and Physical Education’s renovated equipment space
Under the direction of new Health and Physical Education teacher Allison LaRouche, the Junior School Phys. Ed. equipment is reorganized in the back storage room (adjacent to the Gymnasium) with a new walk-up platform, making it easier for Health and Physical Education teachers to find the equipment they need in a more time efficient manner.
BEFORE
AFTER
A new boardroom in the Junior School
The former Junior School Admissions Office (located in the Junior School Office) has been transformed into a new Junior School boardroom for use by faculty and staff. The space is appropriate for privacy and frees up other rooms to be used by students, faculty and staff.
A new urn outside the front doors
The HCC has bought and placed a new flower urn outside the Junior School, in place of the two older urns there previously. Thanks to the HCC for the beautiful urn!
Relocating Grade 6 Lockers
By moving the Grade 6 lockers from the first floor to the second floor (near their classrooms), the Grade 6 girls now have their own space outside their classrooms. The Junior School will now use the space on the first floor where the lockers used to be to display current Junior School art in an art display case.
Freshly painted classrooms
Thanks to the efforts of the Junior School faculty, who packed up all of their classroom materials at the end of the school year, many of the classrooms are freshly painted.
New carpeting in the Learning Hub and on the front stairs
Thanks to the hard work and innovative thinking of the Juan Arellano in the Facilities Department, the new carpeting on the front stairs and in the Learning Hub now match.
Renovated Pick-Up and Drop-Off Areas
We have made improvements to our drop-off and pick-up areas at the front of the Junior School. We have widened the driveway. This will allow for safer and more efficient procedures for the pick-up and drop-off of the girls. Parents are to follow the newly painted direction lines and arrows when entering and exiting the Junior School. Note that there is no longer idling or parking allowed on the round-about. Parking is available on the hard top.
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AFTER
This year all students in Grades 1 to 6 will be dropped off and picked up using this system.
Each family will receive two “pick-up” cards on the first day of school. Place these cards on the dashboards of the two most frequent pick up drivers. Each card is colour-coded, based on grade. These cards assist the duty teachers to speed up the pick-up process and to ensure safety and traffic flow.
Resurfacing of the Bridge
The bridge was resurfaced with a heavy duty, non-slip deck coating. To prepare the surface of the bridge, we used as an environmentally friendly alternative to sand blasting.
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AFTER
UPPER SCHOOL
Grade 10 bathroom renovation
The Grade 10 bathroom, near the Chapel, has been renovated and upgraded. Institutional-style fixtures have been replaced with elegant, spa-like streamlined sinks and modern, hands-free faucets. Energy efficient LED lighting has been added throughout the space and, in keeping with Havergal’s sustainability program, the paper towel dispensers have been replaced with an electric hand dryer.
Brenda Robson Hall window restoration
Before the Upper School addition in 1999, the Labatt Quad (formerly known as the North Quad) was a playing field for Havergal students. At the time, the school installed plexiglass protection to the stained glass windows in the Brenda Robson Hall in order to protect the glass from damage during games. However, this plexiglass prevented proper air circulation to the glass and the cames (the lead between the glass), which damaged them. Because the Labatt Quad is currently enclosed and no longer used as an athletic field, the east side windows were restored this summer. The plexiglass was removed, the cames were sent away for repairs and the glass was restored and replaced. The newly restored windows look beautiful! Restoration to the west side windows will begin next summer.
Ellen Knox Library window restoration
The windows in the Ellen Knox Library are original to the building, built in 1926. Throughout the year, time and access permitting, the windows will be removed, repaired and the lead will be replaced to help improve efficiency in the school’s heating and cooling efforts. These 86-year-old windows were manufactured differently than they are today and are unique to the school’s architecture.
Math Office renovations
The central workstations in the Math Office were relocated to the outer areas of the room. With a new conference table in the middle of the room, teachers can meet with other teachers and with students in a more collaborative way.
Art Office renovations
Desk modifications and relocation of the computers in the Art room has allowed for an Art office for teachers.
Heating in the Athletic Centre hallways
When the Athletic Centre was built in 2005, they omitted to install heating in the stairwells. This summer, in order to improve the efficiency of the school, two hot water heaters have been installed in the stairwells. Everyone will enjoy a warmer Athletic Centre this winter.
New furniture in the Boarding School
The Boarding furniture was replaced and the new furniture was rearranged to improve the balance of the rooms. The newly furnished rooms will be a wonderful way to welcome our newest residents for the 2012-2013 school year!
Resurfaced tennis courts
Havergal’s tennis players will be happy to find newly resurfaced courts.
