Topics covered in this post:
1. JICS Parents’ Association General “All Parents” Meeting
Monday, January 24 | 6:00pm
Dear JICS parent community,
It is my pleasure to invite you to our second all-parents meeting of the JICS Parents' Association for this academic year, to be held on Monday, January 24 from 6:00 to 7:00pm.
On the agenda for this meeting will be an update on the return to in-person schooling in the Omicron environment by our principal, Richard Messina. We will also be sharing updates on the PA's budget (year to date), discuss a new PA initiative to support the school through targeted purchases, promote upcoming parent education events (including Jesse Wente's headline presentation), and introduce the idea of a new clothing line (swag!) for the school.
The meeting will be held on Zoom. Please join us using the following link: https://utoronto.zoom.us/j/82540582950
RSVP to receive email reminders with the Zoom link
In a day and age when interactions between parents unfortunately have to be limited, we very much look forward to seeing you and hearing from you on Monday!
Best regards,
François Tanguay-Renaud
President, JICS Parents' Association
N.B. If parents have questions about our return to in-person learning to be answered on Jan 24, please email Richard at richard.messina@utoronto.ca by Friday.
2. COVID Update
It was so wonderful to see the children back at JICS yesterday. Their enthusiasm was at a record high when they arrived and remained so until they were dismissed! Thank you, parents for your help completing the JICS screening before 8:00am. We understand that it is stressful and challenging for parents to keep their children at home if they have COVID-like symptoms, test positive, or are close contacts. In these most uncertain times, it is our collective responsibility to support the safety measures we have in place so that we can keep our students at school. Thank you for your ongoing patience, support, and understanding. Please complete the JICS daily screening and submit results by 8:00am each morning and thank you for participation in the CDL rapid screening program for asymptomic members of our community each Wednesday and Sunday. We hope to receive more rapid tests soon.
3. Parent Education Events
February 24, 2022 | 7:00-8:00pm
The Importance of Recognizing, Treating, and Preventing Concussions in our Children with Dr. Charles Tator
Concussions are important because there are so many of them, and they all don’t get better. We are fortunate in Ontario that the Ministries of Education, Health and Sports have come together to create PPM158 in 2014 and then Rowan’s Law in 2018 to reinforce to all Ontarians that they should know something about concussions to protect themselves and their children from the ravages of concussion. In schools, this means If we are informed about concussion we can recognize when a concussion has occurred, and we can institute early, informed treatment and we can prevent some concussions from happening and prevent others from progressing to long term suffering. You probably get the picture that concussion requires a multidisciplinary team and a coming together of people from schools, homes, and physicians’ offices to deal with this problem. I will be stressing teamwork in my discussion with parents and teachers at the Dr. Eric Jackman Institute of Child Study Laboratory School, at OISE, U of T.
Dr. Charles Tator, Neurosurgeon
Dr. Charles Tator trained in Neurosurgery and Neuropathology and was Chair of Neurosurgery, at the University of Toronto. He was chief of Neurosurgery at the Toronto Western Hospital, and was a founder of ThinkFirst, Canada, a national brain and spinal cord injury prevention foundation, and Parachute Canada, a national injury prevention agency. He held two research chairs at the University of Toronto, and is an Officer of the Order of Canada, and an inductee of the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame and the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame. Currently, he is a Scientist in the Krembil Brain Institute and Director of the Canadian Concussion Centre at Toronto Western Hospital. His book on Catastrophic Injuries in Sports and Recreation was published by the University of Toronto Press, and his Practice Primer on Concussions appeared in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. He is the author of 437 publications in peer review journals. He is a member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Neurotrauma and the Neuroscientist and is an Associate Editor of the Journal of Concussion.
RSVP
February 3, 2022 | 7:00-8:00pm
Book-Ticket Event with Jesse Wente
Save the date! We are thrilled to invite all JICS families and friends to a book/ticket fireside with Inclusion Speaker Jesse Wente. Jesse has appeared on CBC Radio's Metro Morning as a film and pop culture critic for 20 years. He is currently the Chair of the Canada Council for the Arts. He previously served as Director Film Programmes at TIFF Bell Lightbox, where he oversaw theatrical, Cinematheque and Film Circuit programming. A self-described "Ojibwe dude" with a national and international lens, he encourages audiences to consider diversity and inclusion into their future view of their organization, industry and country. Jesse is an outspoken advocate for Indigenous rights, and First Nations, Inuit and Métis art; the first nationally syndicated Indigenous columnist for the CBC; and the first Executive Director of the Indigenous Screen Office. For Jesse’s full bio, please visit: Jesse Wente Full Bio
Tickets in the form of Jesse's book are now available for purchase. See full details on our
events page
January 27, 2022 | 12:30-1:30pm
Lunch and Learn with Ellie Lathrop
Riding the Waves - A review of recent literature on predictors of parental resilience and burnout during the pandemic
From Ellie: Happy New Year, or should I say Happy Groundhog Year? The stress and exhaustion of parenting during this pandemic is not going away. Let's gather together for a talk about what some recent literature shows about how parents are doing and what can be helpful and what to pay attention to. We will have a 30 min talk that is recorded and then 30 minutes of time for discussion and questions (not recorded). Sending you all warm thoughts.
RSVP
January 25, 2022 | 7:00-8:00pm
A UofT Virtual Alumni and Friends Event
Digital Media Overuse and Youth: Excessive Screen Time and Promoting Healthy Behaviours
Smartphones and the use of social media have gained popularity among youth over the past decade and screen time has rapidly increased among this group during the pandemic. Many parents are concerned about the increasing mental distress and negative impacts on youth socio-emotional functioning, which parallels their excessive use of social media and smartphones. Join Dr. Elia Abi-Jaoude, Psychiatrist and Assistant Professor at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, to learn ways to promote healthy behaviours in your children as he discusses youth mental health and strategies to combat the effects of digital media overuse. Unable to attend this webinar live? All registrants will also receive a copy of the recording which can be viewed on demand!
Register Now
4. Nursery Open House
We held our online Nursery Open House this morning. The invited families from the application waitlist learned about the Nursery Program, the Lab School and its philosophy and mission, and our licensed daycare before going on a “virtual tour” created from this year’s and last year’s Nursery classes. Thank you to current JICS parents for being ambassadors of the Lab School and promoting the work we do to friends and family! The Admission Team is meeting with applicants for the 15 available Nursery spots and any spots that are now open JK to Grade 6.
5. African Heritage/Black History Month
Each year in February, Canadians are invited to participate in Black History Month festivities and events that honour the legacy and achievements of Black Canadians, past and present. At JICS, we learn about and celebrate Black History Month developmentally through the grades and at whole-school events such as assemblies with members of the community. We also integrate the learning and celebrations into our Library, Music, and Visual Arts specialty classes. We invite parents to suggest ways to help our students gain insight into the experience of Black Canadians and their vital role in the community. Please be in touch with your child’s teachers with ideas.
6. Lunar New Year
Tuesday, February 1 is Lunar New Year, the joyous festival celebrated in many Asian countries that begins with the first new moon of the lunar calendar and ends on the first full moon of the lunar calendar, 15 days later. We are asking for parent volunteers to help us celebrate and learn. Please contact your child’s teachers.
7. PHOTOS!
Having fun in the snow!
Classroom Photos
8. Upcoming January Events
Mon 24 – Parents' Association General Meeting. 6:00-7:00pm
Tues 25 – Parent Ed Event: Digital Media Overuse and Youth. 7:00-8:00pm. Register
Thurs 27 – International Holocaust Remembrance Day
Thurs 27 – Parent Ed Event: "Lunch and Learn with Ellie". 12:30-1:30pm. RSVP
9. Upcoming February Events
African Heritage Month
Tues 1 – Lunar New Year (Year of the Tiger)
Thurs 3 – Parent Ed Event: Fireside Q&A with Jesse Wente (a book-ticket event). 7:00-8:00pm. RSVP
Fri 18 – Midterm Holiday (School closed. Daycare open)
Mon 21 – Family Day Holiday (School & Daycare closed)
Wed 23 – Anti-bullying Day
Thurs 24 – Parent Ed Event: Concussions with Dr. Charles Tator. 7:00-8:00pm. RSVP
