Festival of Lights Celebration, Visiting Artists Updates, 2026-2027 Re-Enrolment Info, Last Day of School & More!
- JICS Office
- Dec 4, 2025
- 7 min read
Updated: Dec 5, 2025
JICS at a Glance
We've condensed the important highlights for your convenience:
Festival of Lights Celebration - December 19, 9:00-10:00am
Visiting Artists - Zion & Leah
An announcement from Natural Curiosity
2026-2027 Re-Enrolment information!
More exciting JICS news from this week!
Moments from this week!
Topics covered in this post:
(Click to navigate straight to a section)
1. Festivals of Lights - JICS Holiday Sing-Along - December 19, 9:00-10:00am
Join us for a luminous celebration at the JICS Holiday Sing-along on December 19th, from 9:00 to 10:00 am! As we bid farewell to the Fall Term, we are crafting a special morning where parents/caregivers are invited to join us in the school auditorium. Led by our music teachers, Bailey and Russell, with song lyrics provided, this communal singing experience invites children, parents, and teachers alike to revel in togetherness. From Diwali and Hanukkah to Christmas, Yaldā Night, Winter Solstice, and Kwanzaa, we will unite in song to honour the diverse festivities that brighten this season.
2. Re-Enrolement for 2026-2027
Re-enrolment forms for the 2026–2027 school year were emailed out today. To secure your child's place, please submit the completed form along with the non-refundable $5,000 deposit to the office by January 14, 2026. Before deciding to re-enrol, we encourage you to review the JICS values, philosophy, and mission.
Please note that beginning January 15, 2025, the Admissions Team will offer any unclaimed spots to new applicants.
3. Visiting Artists
At JICS, we believe that education in the arts is essential to students’ intellectual, social, physical, and emotional growth and well-being. Thanks to your generous donations to the Patrick Harvie Arts Fund, we are able to enrich our programming with meaningful artistic experiences. This term, we were delighted to welcome two visual artists to work with our students.
Zion – Street Photography Artist-in-Residence
All students from Kindergarten to Grade Six had the opportunity to participate in a street photography project with Toronto photographer, visual artist, and creative, Zion. With a background in graffiti arts, multimedia design, and a passion for storytelling, Zion brought his unique perspective and expertise in visual narrative to our classrooms.
He began by sharing his own street photography and speaking about the ways he notices colour, lines, and compelling moments as he moves through the city. His goal was to teach students how to see—to use the six basic elements of photography, to seek out images that excite them, to build confidence in their creative instincts, and to use imagination to connect more deeply with their surroundings and local community.
Zion's work with the JICS Students
Students then embarked on their own neighbourhood photo walks, tasked with capturing intentional, meaningful images. They were thrilled to hold a camera, step into the role of photographer, and experiment with visual storytelling. A highlight for many was examining Zion’s film camera, an intriguing first encounter for most children.
Zion will continue collaborating with us as he edits the students’ photographs and helps assemble a “Creative Voices” booklet showcasing their impressions of our urban school community. We feel fortunate to have hosted Zion as part of the JICS Black Voices initiative, which brings BIPOC artists and professionals into our school to share their passions, expertise, and experiences.
If you’re interested in learning more about Zion’s work in the arts and outdoor communities, you can follow him at @realtimezion.
Zion and the JICS Students
Leah – Collage and Printmaking Artist-in-Residence
Leah Gold is a visual artist and educator who specializes in large-scale, collaborative artworks. She creates welcoming, low-barrier spaces where community members of all ages can experiment with drawing and printmaking processes. Leah then transforms the pieces generated in these workshops into diverse works such as artist’s books, tapestries, and installations.
She has facilitated printmaking and collage programs through organizations including Prologue to the Performing Arts, the Toronto Arts Council, the Koffler Gallery, and Recreate Place, and she also teaches out of her private studio. Her recent projects include a residency at the Maria Shchuka Library, where she collaborated with library patrons to create a kaleidoscopic print and collage installation—an imaginative garden-like escape built through collective effort and creativity. Leah holds a BFA from Concordia University and is currently based in Toronto.
Leah’s Work with JICS Students
Students in Grades 1–3 are exploring the art of cut-paper collage. Each class has been collaboratively creating a beautiful collection of patterned papers using oil pastels and tempera paints. Along the way, students have been learning about pattern, texture, and analogous colour schemes—while also enjoying the joyful, hands-on messiness that comes with making large-scale art. Next week, these handmade papers will be transformed into colourful accordion books inspired by illustrators such as Leo Lionni, Lois Ehlert, and Eric Carle. Students in Grades 4–6 have been trying their hand at lino block carving. Each student is carving a 2-inch stamp of a simple shape and filling that shape with a pattern of their choice. Next week, students will share their stamps with one another and use the resulting collection of shapes and patterns to design their own “curious critters.” This process helps sharpen lino-carving skills while encouraging students to experiment with modular image-making. We are excited to see how creatively students make this technique their own.
We are also grateful to OCT teacher Zarfishan, who has generously stepped in to serve as our art teacher through the end of the Fall term.
Leah and the JICS Students!
4. Last Day of School
The Fall Term ends Friday, December 19 at 12:00pm (6:00pm for registered daycare users). There is no hot lunch program. The JICS building is closed during the holidays.
5. JICS at the Movies
Join us for an unforgettable evening of cinema, conversation, and community as we continue to celebrate the JICS Centennial with an exclusive screening of Steal Away, which recently captivated audiences at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).
Monday, January 12, 2026
🕡 6:30 – 9:45 p.m. 📍 Innis College Theatre
2 Sussex Avenue, Toronto, ON M5S 1J5
General Admission – $50
Includes the film screening, wine reception, Q&A, and light refreshments.
A $25 tax receipt will be issued per ticket.
About the Film
Director Clement Virgo returns with a bold, mesmerizing, and erotically charged new film — a sociopolitical and psychosexual fairytale-like adventure that takes viewers on a shadowy, treacherous, and thrilling ride.
Written by Tamara Faith Berger and produced by JICS’s very own Damon D’Oliveira, Steal Away is a daring exploration of desire, power, and survival that captivates the senses and challenges perception.
Content advisory: coarse language, horror, mature themes, nudity, sexually suggestive scenes, violence
Pre-Screening Reception 6:30 – 7:15 p.m.
The magic begins before the movie! Our exclusive Centennial Wine Reception, generously sponsored by Halpern Enterprises, is the perfect way to start the evening. Sip, savor, and socialize with delicious bites and fellow supporters as we raise a toast to 100 extraordinary years!
Screening + Exclusive Q&A 7:15 – 9:45 p.m.
The film experience doesn't end with the credits! Stay for a rare opportunity to hear directly from the powerhouse trio who brought Steal Away to life—director Clement Virgo, screenwriter Tamara Faith Berger, and producer Damon D'Oliveira as they reveal insights into their creative process and bold storytelling vision!
All proceeds from this special Centennial event support the JICS Endowment Fund, ensuring that future generations of students continue to benefit from the innovative, inclusive education and research that defines the JICS Lab School.
Your ticket purchase will have a profound impact on supporting economic diversity, which ensures that students from all financial backgrounds have equal access to JICS — Canada's #1 independent Lab School with a public purpose.
We are excited for you all to experience this evening of memorable cinema while greatly contributing to the Lab School’s mission to create a diverse and rich learning environment for the next 100 years!
Save the date, spread the word, and let’s make this event a resounding success!
6. School Closure Due to Weather
In case of adverse weather conditions or potential school closure, parents' concerns are addressed through accessible information channels:
For updates, please refer to the University of Toronto Campus Status webpage (St. George Campus) at https://www.utoronto.ca/campus-status.
It's important to note that the JICS Lab School follows the operational status of the University of Toronto. If the University remains open, our school will also remain open.
7. The Natural Curiosity Program: Birds of Anishinaabe Aki: Ecology & Language
Deepen your connection to Anishinaabemowin and the natural world! Natural Curiosity, in partnership with The Outdoor Learning School and Store, is delighted to offer a special enrichment session.
This session, in collaboration with @CreatorsGarden, is a complimentary offering for all those who register for the Winter 2026 Anishinaabemowin Beginner Course.
This can also be attended as a standalone session. Registration is available at no cost to all Indigenous people, and on a sliding scale to non-Indigenous participants. These registration fees help to cover the costs of future Indigenous language courses, including paying teachers, facilitators and Elders appropriately, and makes the learning available to those whose language was stolen.
Don't miss this opportunity to connect with Anishinaabemowin on a deeper level!
Register here for this event on Tuesday, March 10, 2026, from 5:00–6:30 PM.
We look forward to learning together!
8. Parent Volunteer Opportunities at JICS!
There is now an easier way to volunteer at JICS! Simply visit the JICS Parent Volunteer Opportunities page on the JICSfamily website. The entire year of volunteer opportunities is listed along with dates so you can schedule these opportunities into your calendar well in advance of the event. You will then receive a reminder and instructions three days prior to the event. Plans change? No problem, just email and let us know and we will take you off the list.
Thank you in advance for your gift of time to the school. Please email Casey at Casey.dabiet@gmail.com with any questions.
9. Math Moments!
JISC Students in Nursery - Grade 6 engaged with math!
Upcoming December Events
Mon 15 – Hanukkah begins
Fri 19 – 9:00am Holiday Singalong “Festivals of Light”
Fri 19 – Last Day of Fall Term Dismissal at 12:00 (Daycare open for registered users)
Mon 22 – Winter Holidays begin
Sun 21 – Winter Solstice & Yalda Night
Thur 25 – Christmas
Fri 26 – Kwanzaa begins
Upcoming January Events
Mon 5 – Start of Winter Term. School and Daycare open.
Wed 7 – Feast of the Nativity (Orthodox)
Mon 12 – 6:00PM JICS at the Movies “Steal Away”, Innis College, UofT
Wed 14 – Reenrolment form and deposit due date
Tues 27 – International Holocaust Remembrance Day
Comments