Reflections of Havergal: 1994-2019

Learning Support

Food Services

Working closely with Guidance counsellors are learning support specialists. Carrie Steele, the first such specialist, was hired in 2011 as a result of a commitment made during the strategic planning process, and there are currently several staff members acting in that capacity. In “The Language of Support” written by Vice Principal Lois Rowe for the Spring 2015 Torch , she outlined the importance of learning specialists: In an ideal world, classrooms would be occupied by students who are fully open, attentive and receptive to the thinking and learning possible within the space and time of a class. Through positive, constructive and supportive interactions with the teacher and with their peers, through differentiated strategies for all learning profiles and with an accessible curriculum, all students would thrive in every class … This is the ideal; however, the reality is quite different. Classrooms are complex spaces. In each class, there are individual students who are prevented from being their ideal self because they may be facing physical, cognitive, mental, social and/or emotional barriers or bottlenecks. Supporting a student to knock down barriers or to navigate a bottleneck increases her capability as a student in a classroom. In the words of Ms. Steele, captured by Young Um in “Supporting Students Success” in the Fall 2012 Torch , “Every student has a distinct learning profile. It is our responsibility as educators to understand the learning needs of our students.”

For the Upper School, one of the many benefits of the 1999 build was a brand-new servery and a welcoming dining hall that accommodates both boarders and day girls. While the food services staff has always prepared nutritious and tasty food for students and staff in both the Junior and Upper Schools, the new servery offered fresh and exciting opportunities. As Torch Fall 2001 tells us, Nora Evans, Director of Food Services, and her team launched a wellness awareness program in 2000 to educate students and staff about good nutrition in fun and informative ways. There have been nutrition quizzes … and displays related to Canada’s Food Guide. This September, Food Services coordinated with the Languages department to feature cuisines from France, Germany and Mexico as part of World Language Week. Since that time, the number of school events that the department so skilfully caters has continued to rise, but so has its contributions to student life.

Anna Gedalof, Head Chef, in the kitchen, 2018.

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