Art, Natural Curiosity, Lost & Found

children tracing another child's body onto paper

Topics covered in this post:

1. Eid Mubarak!

Blessed Eid to you and your family. May Allah’s blessings be with you today, tomorrow, and always! As the fasting month of Ramadan came to an end, Muslims from around the world celebrated Eid al-Fitr, the “festival of breaking the fast”.

2. Hot Dog Night Planning Meeting

Wednesday, May 11 | 7:00-8:30pm

Please RSVP here for the zoom link to the planning meeting with co-chairs, ICS Parents Katie Pearson and Mark Hendricks. Parents in Grades 1*, 2, 3 (and any in other grades) are asked to volunteer to plan and run this beloved community event. Please contact Katie to volunteer. (*The ICS tradition is for Grade 1 parents to plan and run Hot Dog Night. Our Grade 2 and 3 parent cohorts did not have this opportunity due to the pandemic.)

3. Art at JICS

Grade 5 Wire Sculptures Informed by the Study of Human Proportions and Anatomy

By unanimous vote from our Grade 5s, the tradition of human wire sculptures has begun anew. Students began by sketching more articulated skeletons in their gesture and figure drawings, gaining a fuller understanding of human proportions. From there, they chose a character to build, and a setting. It is a very involved project, and the students are very proud to show off their work.

JK: Looking at the Art of Jean Michel Basquiat

This exploration of the art of Jean Michel Basquiat took place in both the classroom and the art studio. In Art, students enjoyed the storybook, Life Doesn't Frighten Me, with words by Maya Angelou and art by Basquiat. Students examined how Jean-Michel painted human figures, how he included the skeletons. Students also learned a little bit about the significance of the crown, a repeated motif in Basquiat's artwork, often used to show respect and love. In the classroom, students enjoyed the storybook, Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat by Javaka Steptoe. The students painted pictures and placed a crown on their artwork.

We had a simple guessing game to fairly decide who would be traced by their classmates. Then the groups got to work.

Once we traced the outlines, we looked again at the paint colours chosen by Jean Michel. We settled on mixes of black, purple, and dark blue.

After the paint was dry, we looked once more at how jean Michel drew his people. Students noticed that they could see lines and bones, so they added detail to the silhouettes with oil pastels.

4. Fulfilling our "Public Purpose" with Natural Curiosity

In addition to providing the best possible educational program for children on site, the ICS Lab School disseminates its knowledge and findings with the public school system with the aim of improving education for everyone.

Natural Curiosity is a resource for educators that was developed by the Lab School. Since its initial launch, Natural Curiosity has gained widespread implementation in schools, school boards, and ministries of education across the country and internationally. As environmental education and a response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Report are a priority for schools everywhere, the resource continues to be in high demand. The following are some recent examples of how we are fulfilling our public purpose with Natural Curiosity:

1. Lab School NC Webinar

We are so proud of the success of the April 27 webinar “Natural Curiosity in Community: Sustaining Environmental Inquiry Beyond Earth Month” by Raadiyah Nazeem (Grade 1 Teacher, JICS Lab School) and Krista Spence (Teacher-Librarian & Land-Based Education Resource Teacher, JICS Lab School). We strongly encourage and invite JICS parents to view the webinar to learn about exemplary lab school teaching practices and see recent examples of learning from current JICS students.

2. Natural Curiosity and UNESCO

3. Natural Curiosity and the Ontario Science Centre

4. Natural Curiosity and OISE

5. More Lab School NC Webinars

cover of the book Natural Curiosity 2nd edition

5. Natural Curiosity Parent Advisory Committee for Environmental and Indigenous Education

May 16th | 4:00-5:00pm

Please join us on Monday, May 16th from 4:00 to 5:00 PM ET for the upcoming Spring meeting of the “Natural Curiosity Parent Advisory Committee for Environmental and Indigenous Education”, a small group of honorary advisors with the interest, skills, and expertise to help guide the program's strategic growth and sustainability.

Registration info coming soon!

6. JICS Lab School at AERA Conference

Each year, 14,000 researchers meet for the American Educational Research Association (AERA) Conference. This is the largest gathering of scholars in the field of education research. AERA is a showcase for ground-breaking, innovative studies in an array of areas – from early education through higher education, from digital learning to second language literacy. It is where to encounter ideas and data that will shape tomorrow’s education practices and policies, and where to connect with leading thinkers from around the world. In April 022, the conference was held in San Diego, CA. Although thousands of research paper applications are submitted, only a fraction are accepted to the conference. We are proud to share that a paper co-authored by Michael Martins (Grade 3 JICS teacher) was selected:

Discourse, Visualizations, and Metacognition: Designs for Enhancing Knowledge-Building in Primary Science

Authors: Leanne Ma & Michael Martins

Session Info: Thinking Like a Scientist: Enhancing STEM Learning Experiences

In the study, scientific visualizations are investigated as ways to support knowledge building discourse and learning about forces and structures. Students engaged in using and applying both static visualizations as well as dynamic visualizations to deepen their planning and understanding of effective bridge building, as well as promote discourse. Through the scientific process, children hypothesized, experimented, researched, and collected data to inform further iterations of bridges which were being constructed.

7. Lost and Found

We invite parents to visit our “Lost and Found” collection located in the lower foyer. Please wear PPE when you arrive and Paige, at reception, is happy to provide you with directions. We thank Paige for sorting all the un-labelled material.

8. COVID-19 Update

a) Rapid Testing

We thank you for continuing to test each Wednesday and Sunday. There have been 6 positive cases reported to the school since our last Parent Info POST (Thursday, April 28). Please continue to indicate in the JICS Daily Screening that the most recent (Wed/Sun) test has been completed, and inform the school office of any positive results.

b) Vaccination Update for eligible students (182 students)

c) TPH Mobile School Vaccine Clinic

9. Parent Education

SAVE THE DATES! (More information and registration coming soon)

May 19th | 12:30-1:30pm

Lunch & Learn with Ellie & the Spec Ed Team

“Where’s my water bottle?” – a discussion about Executive Function, what it means, and what it looks like

May 30th | 6:30-8:30pm

Anti-Asian racism speaker, Dr. Mary Reid (OISE professor)

10. Upcoming May Events

Wed 11 – Hot Dog Night Planning Meeting | 7:00pm | RSVP

Thurs 19 – Lunch and Learn with Ellie & Spec Ed Team | 12:30-1:30pm | RSVP coming soon

Mon 23 – Victoria Day Holiday. School and daycare closed.

Thurs 26 – Music Day | details coming soon

Mon 30 – Parent Ed: Anti-Asian Racism speaker | 6:30-8:30pm | RSVP coming soon

11. Upcoming June Events

Canada's National Indigenous History Month & World Pride Month

Wed 1 – JK to Gr 6 Games Day (rain date: June 2) | details coming soon

Tues 7 – Hot Dog Night (rain date June 8) | 6:00-8:00pm | Tickets coming soon

Thurs 16 – Grade 6 graduation

Fri 17 – Last day of school | Noon dismissal

Fri 24 – Report Cards mailed home