Grandpals Day Announcements, JICS Bike Parade, Asian Heritage Month, Hot Dog Night Announcement, Parents of BIPOC Children Meeting, & More!

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JICS at a Glance

We've condensed the important highlights for your convenience:

Register for the 2nd Annual JICS Bike Parade - Thursday, May 14
Grandpals Day Announcements: Early Years, Grade 1-6
Kids Who Care Club - Book Drive - donate books until the end of year!
Parents of BIPOC Children Group - Meeting & Registration Link
Natural Curiosity - April Newsletter

Topics covered in this post:

(Click to navigate straight to a section)

Grade 1-6 Grandpals Day at JICS - Friday, May 8, 3:30pm
Early Years (Nursery, JK, SK) Grandpals Day - Wednesday, May 20
Parents of BIPOC Children Virtual Meeting - Monday, May 4
2nd Annual JICS Bike Parade - Thursday, May 14
Asian Heritage Month
Save the Date - Hot Dog Night 2026
JICS Staff in Finland and Czech Republic
Making the Shift: A Newsletter by Natural Curiosity
Special Friend Moment of the Week: Brain Education from the Grade 4/5's
Upcoming April Events
Upcoming May Events
Upcoming June Events

1. Grade 1-6 Grandpals Day at JICS - Friday, May 8, 3:30pm

We deeply appreciate the important role that grandparents and special family friends play in the lives of JICS children, and we are delighted to host a special afternoon in their honour for those who are interested. Visitors will join us at the end of the school day for a brief, meaningful visit.

Children will be dismissed directly to their grandparent or designated visitor at the start time noted above.

To ensure your child’s guest receives all event details directly (and to avoid any missed communication), please provide their name and email address using this link. We will send all information to them directly.

This is an optional event. Children who are not taking part will be dismissed at their regular time for pick-up.

If you would like your child to attend Afterschool Daycare after the event, please ensure you coordinate this with Anne-Marie: ics.after.school.daycare@gmail.com

2. Early Years (Nursery, JK, SK) Grandpals Day - Wednesday, May 20

Grandpals Day for our Nursery, JK, and SK students will take place on Wednesday, May 20. We are pleased to invite grandparents and special family friends to join us for a joyful morning at JICS.

Guests are welcome to arrive at 8:30 a.m. to spend time in the classroom, followed by our Music Day performance at 9:00 a.m. in the gym, where all Early Years classes will be performing.

To ensure your child’s guest receives all event details directly (and to avoid any missed communication), please provide their name and email address using this link . We will send all information to them directly.

3. Parents of BIPOC Children Virtual Meeting - Monday, May 4

Who we are: Created by JICS parents for JICS parents, the BIPOC Group welcomes all parents of a BIPOC (Black, Indigenous or Person of Colour) student at JICS.

Why: Foster diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in the JICS community.

What: Through sharing safe space, collective/collaborative action, and celebrating differences that bring everyone together, we support and uplift the JICS parents of BIPOC children and their families.

How: Virtual and in-person meetings, socials, social media group (WhatsApp), and connecting with the Teacher’s Equity and Inclusion Committee. Potential activities include advocacy, coordination for cultural celebrations, and fundraising for special causes and campaigns. In everything, we create a safe space to enjoy community, identify issues, support one another, and celebrate differences.

When: Upcoming events - Save the Dates!

Monday, May 4 from 7:30-8:30pm (virtual meeting - holding space, check-in)

Monday, May 25 evening (restaurant TBC, or virtual)
June Potluck Picnic in Sibelius Park (e.g. later in the afternoon on Thursday or Friday)

Please kindly reach out to Adrienne Chan (Adrienne.chan@sunnybrook.ca) our Group WhatsApp and Technical Administrator, or Carissa Wong (647-882-7017) our Group Chair, if you have any questions, comments, or would like to be added to the Parents of JICS BIPOC Kids WhatsApp Group.

4. 2nd Annual JICS Bike Parade - Thursday, May 14

Meet at Christie Pits — Ride together, arrive in style! Start your morning right… on two wheels!

We’re rolling out the red carpet (ok fine, it's asphalt) for the second JICS Bike Parade! Join us Thursday, May 14 at 8:00 AM at Christie Pits for a joyful, police-escorted ride to school. Yes, you read that right — police escorts! It’s like the Tour de France… but with less spandex and more backpacks.

AND, you will be joined by cyclists Luke, Audrey, Jessica, Chriss, Richard and many more teachers!

The Route:

→ Starting at North West corner of Christie Pits

→ East along Barton Avenue

→ North on Brunswick

→ East on Wells Avenue

→ South on Kendal, around the roundabout, and straight to JICS!

Basically: short, sweet, super safe — and all about the vibes.

The Details:

→ Bikes only (no scooters or rollerblades — safety first!)

→ Parents must accompany their child or arrange to ride with friends

→ Led by our very own Luke a.k.a Captain Commuter

→ Parade ends at JICS — with glory, good vibes, snacks and probably a few helmet hair situations

Where to Meet:

→ Gather at the NORTH WEST CORNER of Christie Pits Park (before 8:00am)

→ The parade will depart from Christie Pits at 8:00am sharp

Why join?

It’s fun.
It’s safe.
It’s community.
And it’s a chance to practice bike safety and show off those biking skills (and that bell you insist on ringing every 3 seconds).

Interested?

So we know who's riding!

Let’s fill the streets with bikes, smiles, and JICS spirit! See you at the start line! 🚴‍♀️🚴🚴‍♂️

5. Asian Heritage Month

The month of May is an opportunity for all to learn more about the many achievements of Canadians of Asian descent who, throughout our history, have contributed so much to Canada. Asian Heritage Month has been a focus of celebration in many communities across Canada since the 1990s.

Who is of Asian Descent?

The definition of "Asian" may be inclusive and broad, and applies to people who come from or whose ancestors come from:

East Asia - China, Hong Kong S.A.R., Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, Taiwan.
South Asia - Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka.
Central Asia - Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan.
Southeast Asia - Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam.
Western Asia - Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Cyprus, Georgia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Yemen.

What Can We Learn?

Like all cultures, Asian heritage is a diverse and ever-changing concept that has varied meanings to the different communities and generations. During Asian Heritage Month we are invited:

To celebrate traditional as well as contemporary Asian-Canadian culture, which includes poetry, dances, sports, music and art;
To learn about the many achievements and contributions of Canadians of the diverse Asian heritage that makes up our Canadian communities;
To understand the historical journeys and ongoing struggles of diverse Asian communities;
To recognize individual and institutional racism both past and present, that have impacted the lives of many groups; and
To engage with students through lessons and discussions of prominent past events, current issues of racism and discrimination that continue to impact the many Asian communities living in Canada and to bear witness to the resistance and resilience of such groups.

At JICS, growing and learning among individuals who share widely divergent life stories, and appreciating their respective cultures, is an invaluable aspect of a true education. Nurturing a respectful and inclusive school culture means paying close attention to individual experiences, our curriculum, admission work, and our daily lives at the Lab School. We partner with families to help children broaden their view of themselves and others by ensuring that they encounter mirrors of their own background and experience, as well as windows of difference. We invite parents to enrich our learning by sharing their culture and identity with us. If interested to help, please be in touch with your child’s teacher.

It is important to recognize that Asian Canadian history is part of Canadian history and like Black History Month is not only highlighted during a particular month but integrated as much as possible throughout the school year. We thank parents for your support and for sharing your expertise to enrich our learning.

Asians in Canada have a long history in the labour movement. Asian migrants and Asian Canadians have faced discrimination, exploitation, and danger in many of Canada’s workplaces. Even today, many of our Asian communities experience racism and Islamophobia and other forms of discrimination on individual and institutional levels. Workers of Asian descent have demonstrated resilience and have organized in order to disrupt laws and practices that were racist and discriminated against certain minority groups.

Helpful Links to Resources:

Government of Canada—Important Events in Asian Canadian History
CBC website: Canada’s Asian Heritage Month - RCI celebrates and highlights the Canadian histories and issues pertinent to Asians in Canada. This Website includes an audio-clip of Vivienne Poy speaking about the origins of May as Asian Heritage month. This website also offers resources that focus on Japanese Canadian, Chinese Canadian and Vietnamese Canadian histories.
Canada's Asian Heritage Month - This website highlights how different Canadian provinces are acknowledging and celebrating Asian Canadian history during the month of May.
NFB Asian Content Films - NFB films that focus on Asian Canadian and Asian Diasporic content.
The Canadian Encyclopedia—Racial Segregation of Asian Canadians
Government of Canada - Asian Heritage Month website highlights resources such as posters and videoclips featuring histories and current content pertaining to Asian Heritage and Canadians of Asian descent.
Radio Canada International: Asian Heritage Month website provides information on Asian Heritage celebrations in major countries across Canada.

Thanks to The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario for the information above.

6. Save the Date - Hot Dog Night 2026!

HOT DOG NIGHT IS COMING!

Come celebrate JICS’s Centennial Year Hot Dog Night on June 3, 6-8pm! Join the JICS community for an evening of friendship, fun, food, games and a raffle!

Here’s how you can help:

Buy Early Bird Tickets (Prices increase on May 20)!

Individual Adult: $20
Individual Child: $10
Family Max: $60

Early Bird Tickets go a long way in helping to plan Hot Dog Night, and we’d be grateful for your support. To celebrate early-birds and their efforts, we’re having:

An Early Bird Ticket Competition: The class that buys the most early-bird tickets (before May 20) will win a pizza party!

A Surprise Raffle: All early bird ticket purchasers will be entered into a surprise raffle. Who knows what you could win?!?

Get a limited edition Centennial Hot Dog Night T-shirt!

Pre-order yours until May 12 to receive your t-shirt(s) on Hot Dog Night
Children’s XS-L: $20
Adult (Unisex) S-XXL: $25
BOGO Savings: Buy one, get one $5 off

Visit JICSHotDogNight.com to order your tickets and merch today.

How can you help make Hot Dog Night special?

Donations of food, snacks, non-alcoholic beverages, or games would be greatly appreciated. If you’d like to contribute, please email Naram Mansour at naram@carlylecommunities.com

Got questions?

Should you have any questions, please contact Rouzhin Mansour (Rouzhin.mansour@gmail.com)

Thanks for your help and looking forward to celebrating with you there!

Message brought to you by the JICS Hot Dog Committee, Loving Hot Dogs Since 1926

7. JICS Staff in Finland and Czech Republic

From April 20–24, a JICS team: Richard (Principal), Chriss (Vice-Principal), Judith (Inclusive Education), and Jessica (Grade 2) will attend the International Association of Laboratory Schools (IALS) Conference in Jyväskylä, Finland, hosted by the University of Jyväskylä Teacher Training School.

From April 24–28, Richard and Chriss will participate in an international study tour of laboratory schools in Brno and Prague, Czech Republic, organized through the International Association of Laboratory Schools.

During this period of international engagement (including both the IALS Conference and the Lab Schools Tour) we are pleased that retired JICS teacher Zoe Donoahue will serve as Acting Principal from April 20–28, ensuring seamless continuity of leadership within the school. Zoe can be reached at zoe.donoahue@utoronto.ca . Richard and Chriss will also continue to be available on email.

More information can be found in the March 26 edition of the POST.

8. Making the Shift: A Newsletter by Natural Curiosity

The Natural Curiosity program plays a crucial role in advancing the Lab School’s public purpose by supporting educators with understanding the importance of Indigenous perspectives in environmental and all education.

Please take a look at their April Newsletter which highlights their Educator Awards, Indigenous Language courses, Earth Day Resources and exciting news to support environmental and Indigenous education.