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HAVERGAL COLLEGE
L
ast fall, Principal Helen-Kay Davy proudly introduced to the
Havergal community the school’s new strategic plan
Havergal
2020: Our Vision is Limitless
. One of the goals of this plan is to
continue to strengthen the educational program in the Upper and
Junior Schools. Our vision of this is to create an inspiring and
connected student experience, develop a philosophy of the student
as a lifelong learner and create authentic learning experiences.
In alignment with our strategic plan, our faculty teams are
working with students on interdisciplinary projects, strengthening
foundational skills in literacy and numeracy, and connecting
students to issues and ideas from the world beyond the ivy walls
of Havergal.
Part of the development of the strategic plan is a focus on the
unique developmental needs of our students at different ages. Using
research about childhood development in the classroom, we were
able to divide the student body into three groups:
1. Breaking the Marble Spell (Junior Kindergarten to Grade 4);
2. Minds Set Free (Grades 5 to 8); and
3. Exploring the Brink of the Known (Grades 9 to 12).
The names of these three divisions reflect our belief that girls
increase their understanding of themselves as learners and improve
their ability to move beyond what is known into the unknown as
they grow and mature.
This year, parents may not notice a big change in the content of
our courses or the learning in our classrooms as a result of our
new strategies. However, what has changed is how our students
are expected to engage with the content introduced to them at
school. People today are no longer rewarded for what they know
(we have Google for that). What matters is how we apply knowledge
in our lives.
The focus at Havergal is maintaining a balance between the
acquisition of specific knowledge and skills, and the development
of thinking and understanding, with the end goal of having
students who can do something with what they are learning
in an integrated way.
That doesn’t mean that knowledge and skills are not important—
they are and students are expected to be able to spell, write clearly,
know their number facts, name the provinces and capitals and have
a lot of other information at their fingertips. But, the reason why
they need to know those things is to be able to use that knowledge
to solve a problem or consider an issue.
During the next three years, we will continue to work hard to
develop and implement other
Havergal 2020
initiatives in the Junior
and Upper Schools. These include developing integrated and
multidisciplinary projects (teachers using a common theme or topic
across different subject areas) and encouraging our students to learn
as they connect with people beyond the classroom. As these
initiatives roll out, we will continue to research and examine our
practices as a way to ensure that all of our students have enriching
educational experiences at Havergal.
How the Strategic Plan Influences
Teaching & Learning at Havergal
By Seonaid Davis, Vice Principal, Teaching & Learning
Education Today
Grade 6 students participate in a class discussion.