Music Night, Auction Items, HDN Volunteers
- JICS Office
- May 15
- 7 min read
JICS at a Glance
We've condensed the important highlights for your convenience:
The School & Daycare will be closed Fri May 16 & Mon May 19
Claim the last spots available for the JICS experiences in the Silent Auction
Submit your name to the nominations committee for the 25-26 President or Vice President of the JICS Parents' Association by May 20
Check out the Events Page and Register for Upcoming Events:
Music Morning & Night - Thur May 22
PA "All Parents" Meeting - Mon May 26
Writers' Roost: Centennial Edition - Tues May 27
Parents of BIPOC Children Meeting - Fri May 30
Hot Dog Night - Wed June 4 (tickets on sale now)
Register for the Daycare June Camp
Topics covered in this post:
(Click to navigate straight to a section)
Photos from the Week
1. Enjoy the long weekend
The School (Nursery to Grade 6) and Daycare will be closed tomorrow Friday, May 16 (UofT President’s Day) and Monday, May 19 (Victoria Day). We wish families, teachers, and staff a relaxing and joyful long weekend.
2. Music Night
Thursday, May 22
There’s music in the air at JICS! Our students from Nursery to Grade 6 have been working hard in preparation for our annual Music Night. Under the guidance of Music Teachers Suzanne Schwenger, Russell Hersen, and Jayda Lam, each class will showcase their vocal and/or instrumental talents in a joyful celebration of music.
This year, we are excited to introduce a new format with two separate performances. We have made this change to ensure our youngest performers do not have a late night, while still allowing families the opportunity to enjoy both shows.
Morning Performance (9:00–9:30 AM)
Parents and grandpals of our Nursery, JK, and SK students are warmly invited to enjoy a charming performance by our youngest singers.
Evening Performance (6:00–7:30 PM)
Our Grade 1 to 6 students will take the stage in the evening for a dynamic program of singing and instrumental performances. All families—including those with younger children—are welcome to attend as audience members and enjoy the show!
Student Attire:
We kindly ask that all performing students wear dark pants, shorts, or a skirt along with a white top.
Seating:
Children will sit with their teachers on the gym floor. Parents and guests will be seated in the auditorium seats, where the sound is wonderful and the view is clear.
We look forward to sharing the joy of music with you!
3. JICS Centennial Gala & Auction: A Night to Remember
On Tuesday, nearly 200 members of our community gathered for an unforgettable evening filled with sparkle, dancing, bidding, delicious food, bubbly drinks, and meaningful conversations. We were honored to welcome special guests, including OISE Dean Erica Walker, former Dean Normand Labrie, JICS Director Jenny Jenkins, former Directors Janette Pelletier and Carl Corter, former Principal Elizabeth Morley, a heart-felt message from JICS benefactor Eric Jackman, along with many current and alumni parents, teachers, staff, and friends. It was a night that will leave us smiling for years to come—and one that will have a lasting impact on the diversity and inclusivity of the JICS community.
Thanks to the incredible generosity of attendees and auction bidders from home, supporters opened their hearts and wallets to champion our shared commitment to increasing economic diversity at JICS through the JICS Endowment Fund. We are profoundly grateful to everyone who donated, purchased tickets (for themselves and/or others), bid on auction items, or volunteered their valuable time to make the gala such a resounding success.
While we will share the final fundraising total in the coming weeks, we are thrilled to announce a transformational gift: the Radlett Foundation has generously contributed $500,000 to the Endowment Fund, thanks in part to the momentum and spirit of the Gala.
We extend our heartfelt thanks to our phenomenal gala co-chairs—Lucia, Sam, and Ken—for your leadership, dedication, and countless hours of work. We also deeply appreciate the contributions of our gala committee members: Beth, Elaine, Erin, Casey, Meg, and Lesley-Anne as well as the Advancement Team at OISE, including Reesa Barkhouse, Senior Development Officer, and Sim Kapoor, Director of Advancement, Communications & External Relations (OISE) for your tireless efforts in bringing this event to life.
“Every dollar raised helps us create a more economically inclusive school community. A diverse learning environment enriches the learning experience for every child.”
– Richard Messina, Principal
Payment for Auction Items:
Over the next few days, auction winners and those of you who claimed spots for JICS experiences and blankets can expect to receive an email from oiseut.communications@utoronto.ca or Reesa with a payment link to complete your purchase. We appreciate your patience with this manual process.
Photos:
If you have any photos or videos from the evening, please email them to Victoria at victoria.sandic@utoronto.ca
4. Spots still available for JICS experiences!
The below items with spots still available for JICS students have been reopened on the silent auction website. Deadline to claim: Monday, May 19 at 5pm
Video Game Tournament with Nick and Luke
14 spots left
Who will be the ultimate gamer?
Test your gaming skills against your classmates (and maybe even beat the teachers!) in this fun after-school video game tournament. Nick and Luke will host the event, with plenty of friendly competition and excitement. Plus, there will be pizza to keep everyone fueled during the tournament!
Grades: 3 to 6
Date: May 23
Time: 4:30 PM – 7:00 PM
Cost: $100/spot
Mini Plasticine Creatures with Robin and Nadia
8 spots left
Create your own adorable creatures with plasticene!
Join Robin and Nadia for a hands-on workshop where your child will learn to make adorable animals and wacky creatures using plasticene. This fun and imaginative session is perfect for kids who love crafting and creating characters from their imagination!
Grades: 4 to 6
Date: Tuesday, June 10
Time: 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM
Cost: $75/spot
The Great JICS Baking Bonanza with Chriss and Zoe
5 spots left
A creative cupcake baking extravaganza!
Your child can join Zoe and Chriss for an exciting afternoon of baking and decorating cupcakes in the JICS servery. All ingredients and equipment are provided, and dietary restrictions will be accommodated. After the cupcakes are baked, kids will have time to enjoy activities in the gym while waiting for their delicious creations to cool.
Grades: 4 to 6
Date: Monday, June 2
Time: 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM
Cost: $75/spot
5. Centennial Events
We’re excited to continue the celebration with more centennial events throughout the 2025-2026 school year. Stay tuned for details!
6. Canadian Test of Basic Skills-Revised (CTBS-R)
This month, in addition to the ongoing formative and summative assessments used by teachers, the JICS Lab School participates in CTBS-R in Grades 1 to 6. This is a series of standardized, normed tests in Mathematics and Language Art completed for research purposes. CTBS-R measures student achievement and growth across a continuum of rigorous updated learning standards.
7. JICS Hot Dog Night
Wednesday, June 4 | 6:00-8:00 PM
Volunteers Needed!
Hi all, the beloved Hot Dog Night is upon us and the grade one class is amped for a fun-filled night of music, food, entertainment and VOLUNTEERS! (See what we did there?!) We’re looking for 40 parent volunteers to work 1 x 30 minute shift each at any of our many booths. Please help us make the evening one to remember!
Anyone having trouble with the below link can email Annie directly at annmariewilliams@gmail.com.
Join us for our annual Hot Dog Night! 🌭 We will be serving both hot dogs and pizza, and will celebrate with food, fun, activities, and an opportunity for our school community to connect!
About the event:
What: a community gathering with food and fun
When: Wednesday, June 4th, 6-8pm.
Tickets:
Adult Ticket: $20
Child Ticket: $10
Family Bundle $60 (for single families where total ticket costs would exceed $60 - includes 2 adult tickets and 3+ child tickets)
JICS Teacher/Staff Ticket (free)
Raffle Tickets: $5 each, 5 for $20, or 12 for $50
Prizes:
2 Opening Night tickets to TIFF
One year supply of ginger shots from Greenhouse Juice Co.
Murdoch Mysteries behind the scenes set tour
Pizza lunch for the class that has a person who wins
50,000 Marriott points
How can this community help?
We would greatly appreciate donations of games, food or snacks, and non-alcoholic beverages to make the night even better. If you have the ability to contribute, please contact Lucia Remedios at lucia@analoguegallery.com or call (416) 505-4970.
8. JICS Daycare June Camp
The end of school is soon approaching, and there’s no better way to end this fabulous school year than the JICS Daycare June Camp! Join us for sports, creative arts, water and outdoor play, beadery, gardening, and more. Plus, special activities including:
Puppetry Workshop: “Puppets Cool” will instruct students in how to synchronize their voices with their hand movements, make their own puppets, and even put on a short play (based on the award-winning book, “The True Story of the Three Little Pigs”), along with a rousing wrap up sing-along.
Field Trip to Riverdale Farm: Nursery to Grade 1 students will explore the woods, pond, and visit the farm animals.
Moccasin Walk: Grades 2 to 6 students will visit the Kortright Centre for Conservation where they will journey back 400 years and learn how the Wendat people used natural resources to survive. Students will grind corn, use traditional methods to start a fire, and play Aboriginal games.
Don’t miss out! Come and join us for the last two weeks of June and have an extraordinary time with your friends and staff of the JICS Daycare.
Week 1: June 16-20
Week 2: June 23-27
Time: 7:45 AM – 6:00 PM
Location: JICS Lab School
COST: $350/week (no occasional care available)
AM/PM snacks included (BYO lunch)
Parents must also provide labeled water bottles, towels, swimsuits, sunscreen, and hats.
Register is now open until June 9th!
Email ics.after.school.daycare@gmail.com & indicate week 1, 2, or both
Photos from the Week
Forest of Reading Field Trip
This Week at JICS
Upcoming May Events
Asian Heritage Month
Fri 16 – School & Daycare closed. President’s Day-UofT
Mon 19 – School & Daycare closed. Victoria Day
Thur 22 – Nursery/JK/SK Music Morning 9:00am. Event Info.
Thur 22 – Grade 1 – 6 Music Night 6:00pm. Event Info.
Mon 26 to Thur 29 – Grade 6 trip to Camp Arowhon
Tues 27 – Writer’s Roost Centennial Edition. 5:30-7:00pm OISE Library. Register.
Upcoming June Events
Canada's National Indigenous History Month & World Pride Month
Mon 2 – Shavuot
Tues 3 – Games Day (details coming soon)
Wed 4 – Hot Dog Night. Get tickets.
Fri 6 – Eid al-Adha (begins at sunset)
Thur 12 – Grade 6 Graduation Ceremony 1:30pm. Guests: JK to Gr 5 students and Gr 6 parents.
Fri 13 – Last day of school. Noon dismissal. “Graduates Clap-Out.” Daycare until 6:00pm.
Fri 20 – Report Cards posted online
Mon 16 to Fri 27 – Daycare Camp. Register.
Mon 30 – Building closed. President’s Day-UofT
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