Halloween, COVID-19 Parent Panel, Parent Ed

Topics covered in this post:

Happy Halloween
Toronto Public Health - Halloween Information
Nursery Class 2021-2022
Parent Teacher Interviews
JICS Parent Panel on COVID-19
Diwali Celebrations
Parent Education - Limited availability
Parenting Series Recording
Upcoming October Events
Upcoming November Events
Photos!

1. Happy Halloween

We look forward to the children arriving to school in costume tomorrow if they wish. The JICS faculty and staff are determined to create an extra special Halloween experience this year.

Our preference is that students do not eat candy while at school. We avoid sweet treats in all classrooms, preferring wholesome snacks whenever possible. There certainly is a place for sweets in our diets and parents may choose to occasionally pack individual portions in student lunches or snacks from home. Please note that we have many children with serious food allergies. Students are not permitted to share candy, treats, or gum with others. In preparing your child’s lunch and snack, please be certain that all ingredients listed are free of nuts and nut warnings.

2. Toronto Public Health - Halloween Information

Due to rising cases of COVID-19 in our city, Toronto Public Health encourages schools to share the following messages with their school communities with respect to Halloween:

Outside of School

Toronto Public Health does not recommend hosting or attending in-person gatherings for Halloween this year. For the safety of individuals, it is recommended that in person celebrations are limited to those whom individuals live with.
As well, because of higher risks for COVID-19 in the modified Stage 2, Ontario's Chief Medical Officer of Health is not recommending traditional door-to-door trick or treating in Toronto, Ottawa, Peel, and York Region. It is important that families not travel outside of their region to celebrate Halloween.
For more information the following information can be shared with parents/guardians:

Inside School

Large school wide events and gatherings are not recommended at this time.
Costumes:
- Students should not wear a costume mask on top of their (medical/non-medical) face mask as it can contaminate the mask.
- Students may not remove their face covering and wear only a costume mask. All students who are mandatory masking, must still be masked.
- Because they are wearing a face covering, it is recommended that students not wear make-up, from below the eyes to ensure their face coverings are not dirtied. Students can consider wearing colourful face coverings as part of their costume.
The School cannot provide or allow the sharing of food or candy.
Students can have a Halloween event in their classroom restricted to their class cohort only.

As a school, we have consistently followed the mandates presented by our Municipal and Provincial Medical Officers and we continue to follow their lead. We trust that all JICS families will abide by these regulations to ensure the safety and well being of your loved ones and the families at our school. As always, please contact Richard and/or Chriss with any questions. Please continue to visit the Toronto COVID-19 website to learn about the current health situation, affected City services and economic supports available. Please visit: www.toronto.ca/COVID19SchoolInfo for more information about schools.

3. Nursery Class 2021-2022

Nancy will soon be in touch with current JICS families who have children (born in 2018) who are eligible for Nursery beginning September 2021. To ensure that your child’s information is in our applicant database, please email Nancy ASAP. We will host a Nursery Information Open House in the new year.

4. Parent Teacher Interviews

Next week, we will provide links to sign-up with your child’s/children’s teachers.

5. JICS Parent Panel on COVID-19

Join us on Thursday, November 19 from 7:00pm - 8:30pm to listen to a panel of four JICS parent experts in a discussion about their work in COVID-19 followed by a question and answer session. RSVP to receive the Zoom link and submit your questions!

6. Diwali Celebrations

Saturday, November 14 is Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights. We are asking for parents to help us celebrate at JICS on Thursday, November 12! If you are interested, please email your child’s teacher.

7. Parent Education - Limited Availability

JICS has 4 tickets for parents (on a first-email, first-served format) who are interested in participating in the Psychology Foundation of Canada’s “Resiliency During Difficult Times” virtual event on November 5th at 8:00am. Amanda Lang, BNN Bloomberg Anchor, will interview a panel of experts on what we can do to support our children during this very challenging time. The panel includes:

Carl James, Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community and Diaspora in the Faculty of Education, Senior Advisor on Equity and Representation, York University
Matthew Johnson, Director of Education, MediaSmarts
Dr. Carolyn Lennox, Manager of Psychological Services, Toronto District School Board

“Our children are living through unprecedented times. The fall-out from the COVID-19 pandemic will have real, long-term psychological costs and our children are among the most vulnerable. And that’s not all. We have a pandemic within a pandemic with the impact of anti-black racism on black youth throughout Canada. Black children are experiencing severe anxiety and stress.”

Participants will have the opportunity to ask the experts questions.

Interested parents please email Tory McCracken tory.mccracken@utoronto.ca

The first four parents to email will be given the zoom links.

8. Parenting Series with Ellie Lathrop - Recording

Thank you to JICS Social Worker, Ellie Lathrop for her wonderful session on Sleep, as a part of the JICS Parenting Workshop Series. If you missed this session, you can view the presentation portion and Ellie's slides here. Keep your eye out for future events and don't miss out on the (unrecorded) discussion!