Music Day, Letter from PA President, Hotdog Night, and Games Day

children working on an art display collaboratively

Topics covered in this post:

Music Day
Letter from PA President
Teacher Appreciation Lunch
Hot Dog Night
Games Day
Pride Month
Graduation
Last Day Friday June 17
JICS Library Book Return
Lost and Found
Report Cards
Covid-19 Update
Staff PD Week: June 20-24
Photos
Upcoming June Events

1. Music Day

On Friday, May 27, we recorded each class, JK to Grade 6, performing songs they learned as part of their weekly music classes. The recording, which also includes a “peak into the Nursery class” is now available and has been designed for parents and their child/ren to enjoy today.

Please take the time to view this 35 minute celebration of song. We thank Suzanne and Russell, our amazing Music teachers for bringing their passion for music, their knowledge and skills to the children each week. Thank you to our videographer and film producer, Zach and to our tech team, Nick and Krista and all the teachers. And lastly and most importantly, thanks to the children for filling our hearts with their lovely singing voices.

We are looking forward to returning to our annual in-person “Music Night” in Spring 2023 in the JICS auditorium with parents.

Enjoy our Music Day 2022!

Nursery

A Peak into the Nursery Class

JK-SK

The Story of the Sleepy Seeds

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Grade 1

Grade 1 Composition: Heavy Metal Scarves

Grade 2

Frog Songs: Ka E Ru No (Japan) & Lompat Si Katak (Indonesia)

Grade 3

Troubadour (Russell Sprout)

Grade 4

I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) (The Proclaimers)

Grade 5

Riptide (Vance Joy)

Grade 6

Full band: Yellow (Coldplay)

JICS staff

Ode'min Giizis (Strawberry Moon) (Tara Williamson)

2. Letter from JICS Parents’ Association President

Dear JICS parent community,

We are finally at the end of what has been an eventful and challenging year. I am sure you will all join me in thanking from the bottom of our hearts all JICS teachers and staff members who worked tirelessly to ensure that our children were safe, while still enjoying a wonderfully educational and playful year.

We at the Parents' Association (PA) also worked hard, in concert with the school administration, to ensure that it felt supported by parents throughout the year, and that our input and priorities as a community were discussed. I would like to thank all PA executive members, as well as all class representatives, for all their efforts and contributions. Parents are very much part of what makes JICS the special place that it is, and I look forward to next year when, hopefully, we all all be able to see much more of each other, face to face!

Turning our minds to next year, the PA executive is looking to fill two positions:

1. One volunteer coordinator (to join the other coordinator, Sanaz Mazinani).

VCs help round up and coordinate parent volunteers when they are needed to help with school and/or PA events.

2. One communications officer.

Our CO helps with communications from the PA, making sure (in collaboration with the school administration) that our portion of the school website is kept up to date, and minute taking at PA meetings.

I cannot emphasize enough how essential parental involvement is to the smooth functioning of the JICS PA. As newcomers to the executive, you would be joining an enthusiastic team, have a say in its wider orientations, and have direct access to the school administration in the context of our meetings. Please do not hesitate to nominate yourself (by reaching out to me at francoistr@gmail.com)--we need you!

Finally, for those families who would be open to act as "buddy families" for new members of our community, I would ask you to please get in touch with Sanaz Mazinani (sanaz@sanazmazinani.com) and myself. Buddy families help make the JICS community welcoming to its newest members, and we would very much like to continue with this tradition over the summer.

On this note, I wish you all a wonderful summer, and look forward to reconnecting with our returning families later in the summer as we start our planning for next year.

Warm regards,

François Tanguay-Renaud

PA President

3. Teacher Appreciation Lunch

Thank you, parents for providing lunch to the JICS teachers and staff on Wednesday, June 8. This thoughtful gesture was organized by the Parents’ Association. The teachers/staff gathered outside on the stumps in front of the school and in the courtyard to enjoy the delicious boxed lunch. Everyone appreciated the lunch and the kindness from the PA!

4. Hot Dog Night

Hot Dog Night 2022 marks a new beginning at JICS. The positive energy, excitement, and appreciation was palpable as we were finally able to gather together as a community, reconnecting and making new friends after such a long absence.

An enormous thank you to JICS parents Katie Pearson and Mark Hendricks for masterfully co-chairing this year’s event and to the Grade 1 parents for your support. You magically transformed our school yard into a lively and colourful carnival, filled with countless treats and activities, yummy food and deserts. HDN was clearly enjoyed by children and parents alike.

Thank you to Ali Khan Lalani for generously donating the delicious General Assembly Pizza.

Thank you to the many parents who planned, made purchases, set up the yard, served food, supervised, and cleaned up after the event. The school yard was back to normal by 8:30pm (record time!).

We look forward to next year’s Hot Dog Night organized by Grade 1 parents! Hold the dates June 7 and June 8 (rain date), 2023.

5. Games Day

Thank you to the Parents’ Association and our wonderful parent volunteers for providing snacks and drinks: Mary Louie, Marjorie Spencer, Anna Gernega, Karen Ng, and Sanaz Mazinani. Enjoy these photos of Games Day!

6. Pride Month

June is LGBTQ2SIA+ Pride Month! It’s an opportunity to celebrate diversity and raise awareness among all staff and students about the rich culture and history of our LGBTQ2SIA+ community. Celebrations continue to take place in the school. Enjoy this glimpse into Grade Four's Pride Day!

7. Graduation

Invited guests, staff and all children (JK to Gr 5) are gathering for Grade 6 graduation which will take place in the afternoon of Thursday, June 16 and will feature an original movie/play performed by our Grade 6s as a gift to the school community. Many thanks to Sarah Murray, our Drama Teacher, who directs the play, teachers: Ben, Krista, Nick, and Judith, the Gr 6 parents who have arranged a reception following graduation for Grade 6 families, and the Grade 5 parent-volunteers who help the reception run smoothly.

8. Last Day Friday June 17th

We will start the day with a final school assembly of the year. The school day ends at noon, and the Day Care is open 12-6pm. JK to Gr 5 children will gather in the yard at 11:50 to “clap out” our Grade 6 Graduates – please join us if you can! Day Care children will proceed to Day Care. There is no hot lunch program on Friday.

9. JICS Library Book Return

Please look around your home to find any JICS library books and kindly return them to Krista in the Library before the last day of school.

10. Lost and Found

We have boxes and racks full of children’s clothing that is not labelled but needs to return home. Please take the time to check our lost and found items in the basement foyer of 56 Spadina. Ask Paige for directions!

11. Report Cards - Spring 2022

New Spring 2022! Report cards will no longer be mailed home. To reduce our environmental footprint, your child/ren's report card(s) will now be posted online and available to download as a PDF next week.

Starting June 17th (the last day of school), you may log into your SFO account (https://sfo.inresonance.com/oise-utoronto/index.php) to download your child/ren's report card(s).

Report cards are available on your account temporarily, so you must download it and save a copy in a safe place. Should you require a printed copy or a digital copy of a past report card, please reach out to the School Office.

For this year’s graduating class, we will provide a paper copy at graduation in addition to posting them online on June 17th. Download Instructions

Go to: https://sfo.inresonance.com/oise-utoronto/index.php and log into your SFO Account
Click on FAM Access Module (menu bar, top left)
Click on your child’s name under Academic Year 2021-2022
Go to Grade Reports
Download Fall and Spring reports as a PDF
Save in a safe place

12. COVID-19 Update

Rapid Testing

We thank you for continuing to test each Wednesday and Sunday. There have been 5 positive cases reported to the school since our last Parent Info POST (Thursday, June 2). 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.

13. Staff PD Week: June 20 to 24

The week after school ends is filled with planned professional development opportunities, meetings for classroom and specialty teachers, and CPR/First Aid training.