First Days of School, Wednesday Afternoon Program Updates, Tuition Balance & a Visiting Artist
- JICS Office
- 5 hours ago
- 10 min read
JICS at a Glance
We've condensed the important highlights for your convenience:
First Days of School: Reminders & Tips
Half Day - Tuesday September 2
Half Day - Wednesday September 3
Tuition Balance deadline: Friday, August 29
Wednesday Afternoon Program updates: (Begins: Wednesday, September 10)
Visiting Artist Yukiyasu Tsuda leading Physical Education Classes (September 8 - 12)
Topics covered in this post:
(Click to navigate straight to a section)
1. The First Days of School
With just a few nights left, we are on the cusp of an exciting new school year and our centennial year beginning Tuesday, September 2. The air is filled with anticipation as we prepare to welcome our students. Today, we had the pleasure of greeting the new children joining Junior Kindergarten through Grade 6 during their orientation visit. A heartfelt thank you to the outstanding JICS Parent Association Executive and our dedicated Class Representatives for reaching out and fostering connections with these new families.
A gentle reminder:
Dismissal on Tuesday, September 2 and Wednesday, September 3 will be at 12:00 noon.
If childcare is needed, our Daycare Program is available.
The Wednesday Afternoon Program begins September 10.
Pack lunches Thursday and Friday as our Hot Lunch Program begins on Monday, Sept. 8
2. Bike Racks Relocated
For students who ride their bicycles to school: please note that the bike racks have been moved to the end of the JICS Lab School driveway on Walmer Road.
3. 5 Keys to Smoother School Drop-Offs
Share your calm. Give yourself extra time in the morning so you can focus fully on your child.
Set expectations. In a calm moment, explain the routine: “I’ll drop you off, you’ll learn and play at school, Grandma will pick you up, and we’ll all have pizza together tonight.”
Validate their feelings. Reassure your child that it’s normal to feel nervous. You don’t need to “fix” their feelings—just be present and tender.
Create a short goodbye ritual. Keep it quick—a hug, a wave, or a fist bump—then go. Lingering or sneaking away makes separation harder. Leaving confidently communicates that your child is safe, their teacher is trustworthy, and you believe in their ability to cope.
Be kind to yourself. Every child adjusts differently. Establishing a routine takes time. Reach out to your child’s teacher if you need support—we’re here to help
4. Tuition Balance Payment Schedule
Tuition balance is due tomorrow, Friday, August 29, to Shama Joshi, School Office Administrator (office hours: 9:00am–4:00pm).
Nursery 2025-2026 Tuition: $20,127
Balance due: $7,563.50
Full Day (JK to Grade 6) 2025-2026 Tuition: $ 31,874
Balance due: $13,437
5. Wednesday Afternoon Program (WAP)
We are excited to share this term’s WAP offerings!
JK and SK children remain together in their full class cohorts and will have outdoor play at the end of the day. A developmentally appropriate play-based program has been designed.
For Grades 1 to 6, each class will participate in two new activities per term, ensuring that everyone experiences a variety of opportunities throughout the year.
Opting Out
Please assist us in ensuring all children are safe and accounted for.
If you do not wish for your child to participate in the WAP, kindly fill out the Opt-Out Questionnaire. Without this Questionnaire, your child will not be dismissed at 12:45 pm and will be added to the attendance list for the class program.
The deadline to opt-out for Term 1 is Friday, August 29, 2025. Please see the Wednesday Afternoon Program Term 1 Opt-Out form in your Parent Portal.
Each program is carefully curated for the children in the class and is designed to build on previous weeks as it spans over the 12-week term. Having a consistent group of students will ensure the instructors can carry out their program as intended, offering the students an engaging and enriched experience.
All WAP information can be found at https://www.jicsfamily.com/wednesdayprogram
Below are the activities for Term One, September 10 to November 11 for Grades 1 to 6:
Grade 1 | Grade 2 | Grade 3 | Grade 4 | Grade 5 | Grade 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dance Mix: Jazz, Ballet, & Hip-Hop | Action-Potential Lab | Tiny Tales in Motion | Cartooning & Animation | Game Changers: Multi-Sport & Inclusive Play | Universal Music Education: Keyboarding |
Sock Puppet Theatre | Make & Create | Fibre Makers Studio | Cooking with Vegetables | Fictional Characters & Fantasy Art | Filmmaking: The Art Behind Visual Storytelling |
Primary Program Descriptions
Action Potential Lab
Dr. Kim Dority
Dr. Kimberly Dority is the owner and Lab Director of Action Potential Lab, a community space that promotes the integration of artistic practice and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics) education to foster creative and critical thinking. We work with our students to develop a sense of wonder in the world we inhabit and to cultivate the curiosity and confidence to understand it through experimental creative design projects based in STEAM!
Fibre Makers Studio
Sura Kamil
In this program, students will explore the world of fibre arts through hands-on projects that spark creativity and imagination. They will learn basic techniques such as weaving, stitching, and fabric design while expressing their individuality through their creations. The program will encourage collaboration, problem-solving, and artistic exploration in a fun and supportive environment.
Tiny Tales in Motion
Carolina Arcos Noquez
This hands-on and creative program invites children to discover the magic of bringing their own stories to life through stop-motion animation. With clay, paper, LEGO, and everyday objects, they will design characters, build settings, in order to tell their stories frame by frame, turning ideas into mini movies they can proudly share.
Dance Mix: Jazz, Ballet & Hip-hop
Julia Gianfelice
This program will teach students the basics of Jazz, Ballet and Hip-hop dance through various exercises and exciting choreography! Classes will include a warm-up, stretches, technical dance skills, and creative movement. No previous experience needed, just come ready to dance and have fun!
Make & Create
Mekayla Wilson
Make & Create is a hands-on arts and crafts program where students can express their creativity and have fun in a supportive environment. From painting and sculpting to drawing and experimenting with different materials, every session encourages imagination, problem-solving, and joyful expression.
Sock Puppet Theatre
Georgia Noble Irwin
Through creativity and play, students will design their own sock puppets and bring them to life with unique personalities, backstories, and emotions. Each week, students will explore empathy, imagination, and storytelling through games, character-building, and interactive theatre activities. The program will culminate in a lively puppet show, where their characters take the stage together in an original performance.
Junior Programs Descriptions:
Filmmaking: The Art Behind Visual Storytelling
Julianna Notten
Students will learn about visual storytelling and the creative steps that go into movie-making through hands-on experience. Students will learn about directing, cinematography, production design, wardrobe and acting for camera. They will be placed into groups based on their interests and work together to adapt a scene from a well-known movie to make it their own, using the tools they'll learn along the way.
Cartooning & Animation
Anthony Harrison
Anthony Harrison is a cartoonist, illustrator and art educator. His art instruction includes work at the ROM Saturday Morning Club, the Toronto Board of Education, George Brown College and Centennial College. Combining cartooning and animation, this program offers children a variety of two dimensional character design and storytelling formats. We explore comics, cartoons, flip books and short animation. Children enjoy learning from Anthony in a calming and encouraging environment, where they are supported in sharing their work and trying new techniques.
Fictional Characters & Fantasy Art
Sabrina Simonetta
Children will bring their imaginations to life by designing original characters and creatures through drawing, painting, sculpture, and storytelling. Each week, they’ll explore new art techniques while inventing backstories, maps, and worlds for their
creations. Along the way, they’ll take inspiration from their favorite books, movies, video games, and TV shows.
Game Changers: Multi-Sport & Inclusive Play
Borna Anic-Matic
Game Changers introduces students to a variety of sports and activities, from lesser-known games to Paralympic-inspired play. Each week focuses on new skills while highlighting teamwork, sportsmanship, and inclusivity. Students will develop physical literacy, explore new ways to stay active, and gain confidence through fun, cooperative challenges.
Cooking with Vegetables
Juliette Berg
Join Juliette and her favourite veggies to explore spices, cultures, and recipes from around the world! With a passionate cook and sustainability advocate leading the way, this program will focus on working together to create delicious, animal-friendly meals. While harnessing our mixing, chopping, and measuring skills, we will challenge our taste buds and venture into vegan recipes, new and old!
The Music Connection: Fostering community, confidence and creativity in every child
Dan Mccoy & Peter Seitz
A brand-new keyboard-based music program for students that makes learning music fun, instant, and accessible for everyone! With our revolutionary method that bypasses traditional notation, kids can start playing right away by using our new creative approaches. Led by Peter Seitz and Dan McCoy, students will get the chance to jam to their favourite songs, explore a wide variety of musical styles, and build friendships through shared creativity. This exciting program is all about joy, connection, and the magic of making music together. All keyboards supplied! So, what's your favourite song?
6. Visiting Artist: Yukiyasu Tsuda
In May 2025, Principal Richard Messina was invited as a keynote speaker at the International Education Forum at Kobe Shinwa University in Kobe, Japan, presenting on “Elementary Education in the Time of Artificial Intelligence.” During his visit, Richard observed a unique physical education lesson with kindergarten children led by Yukiyasu Tsuda at Kobe Shinwa University Affiliated Shinwa Kindergarten (Lab School). Mr. Tsuda, a former triple jump athlete and pop dance practitioner, created Sports Rhythmic Movement Training in 2015. His innovative program uses short, structured rhythm-jumping sessions to build physical ability, self-confidence, a strong sense of community, and active participation in a non-competitive environment. He now teaches children, athletes, educators, childcare workers, and parents across Japan, China, Hong Kong, and the Philippines. His researched approach is also expanding internationally, including in Singapore. Inspired by the lesson, Richard invited Mr. Tsuda to bring this unique program to JICS Lab School. Mr. Tsuda will be at JICS to deliver a full demonstration and training session on the week of September 8, as part of Luke’s Physical Education classes, and we are excited to involve Lab School parents as well. (More details coming soon).
This initiative is especially meaningful in our centennial year. It reflects our mission to offer innovative, research-informed educational experiences, to explore solutions to challenges such as student inactivity, and to share our findings with public schools and the wider community.
At JICS Lab School, we believe that arts education—including Physical Education, Drama, Music, and Visual Arts—is essential for students’ intellectual, social, physical, and emotional growth. In addition to weekly classes, we enrich our students’ experiences by inviting visiting artists like Mr. Tsuda.
If you would like to support this kind of enrichment, we invite you to contribute to the Patrick Harvie Arts Fund (PHA Fund). Established in 1999 by the Harvie family, the PHA Fund enhances arts education by connecting students with professionals from the arts community. Over the years, it has supported school-wide events such as theatre performances, music and dance presentations, storytelling, and trips to local productions, including the Stratford Festival. Donations can be made online at CanadaHelps. (Tax receipts will be issued.) Learn more about visiting artists at JICS here: Enriching the Arts.
7. Teacher Professional Development
Our commitment to providing exceptional learning for our 200 JICS children—and to mentoring future educators—remains strong. Through both self-directed learning and whole-group initiatives, our teachers continue to deepen their expertise in child development and pedagogy.
Highlights:
On July 2, Teacher-Librarian Krista Spence visited the Eesti Lastekirjanduse Keskus / Estonian Children's Literature Center, in Tallinn, Estonia. She met with librarians and explored the library of children's books, illustration galleries, as well as displays highlighting and describing the history of children's literature in Estonia.
Luke, PE Teacher, completed the Health and Physical Education (Primary/Junior) Part 2 AQ Course this summer.
Audrey, Grade 4/5 Teacher, attended the Summer Institute with the Ontario Archives, a five-day program that explored practical ways to bring history and social studies to life through experiential learning. Through visits to the Ontario Archives, Toronto Archives, the ROM, and the Gardiner Museum, Audrey engaged with creative educators and developed new approaches for incorporating local history and archival materials into the classroom.
Each teacher read one of the following “summer” professional development books, then shared insights during our August PD week:
The Knowledge Building Gallery: Teaching for Deep Understanding & Community Knowledge Creation – Monica Resendes & Karen Dobbie
Neurodiversity in the Classroom – Thomas Armstrong
Scattered Minds – Gabor Maté
The Neurodiverse Classroom – Victoria Honeybourne
8. Dissemination: Serving Our Public Purpose
Since 1925, our school has been a leader in advancing elementary education and teacher training. We are proud to share our learning with the wider education community.
Recent highlight:
Richard Messina presented at the 21st Biennial Conference of the International Study Association on Teachers & Teaching (ISATT 2025) at the University of Glasgow, Scotland (June 30–July 4, 2025). In the symposium What Makes a Quality Learning Environment? A Symposium of Dilemmas, Evidence, and Professional Action, Richard presented “Quality Teaching Practices and Commitment to Equitable Systemic Change through Teacher Secondments.” Alongside international colleagues, he explored the central question: What does a school do with knowledge about quality learning? Specifically, he examined how the JICS Lab School contributes to improving the broader education system and whether teacher secondments can empower educators as agents of change.
Upcoming August Events
Fri 29 – Deadline for tuition balance payment
Upcoming September Events
Mon 1 – Labour Day
Tues 2 – First Day of School (noon dismissal) and First Day of Daycare - Daycare Open
Wed 3 – Half Day (noon dismissal) - Daycare Open
Fri 5 – (noon) Deadline for Hot Lunch Program registration
Mon 8 – Hot Lunch Program begins for registered students
Wed 10 – First day of Wednesday Afternoon Program (JK to Grade 6)
Fri 12 – School-wide lice check
Mon 15 to Fri 19 – JICS Safety Practice Week (fire drill, lock-down drill)
Wed 17 – Curriculum Night 6:00-9:00pm (details coming soon)
Fri 19 – Terry Fox Run. JK to Gr 6 (details coming soon)
Mon 22 – Fall Equinox
Mon 22 to Wed 24 – Rosh Hashanah
Wed 24 – Rowan’s Day (Concussion Awareness)
Thur 25 – JICS “All Parent & Teachers” September Social 6:00-8:00pm. Free babysitting. (details coming soon)
Mon 29 – Photo Day (details coming soon)
Mon 29 – Parents’ Association “All Parents” Meeting 7:00pm
Tues 30 – National Day for Truth and Reconciliation/Orange Shirt Day. School assembly