Topics covered in this post:
Eid Mubarak to you and our family!
JICS Parents' Association ALL PARENTS Meeting
May 20 is JICS' International Day of Pink
Enjoy the long weekend
2021-2022 School Holiday Calendar
Distance Education (JK to Gr 6)
Other Upcoming Important JICS Parent Events
Lab School Teacher shares lessons on TVOKids
Ask Ellie!
PHOTOS
Upcoming May Events
Upcoming June Events
1. Eid Mubarak to you and your family!
It’s Eid al-Fitr, the end of Ramadan and a celebration of the breaking of the fast.
2. JICS Parents' Assocation ALL PARENTS Meeting
Monday, May 17 | 7:00-9:00pm
All JICS parents are encouraged to attend the final JICS PA All Parents Meeting, Monday, May 17, 7:00-9:00pm. Please RSVP here. Parents will vote on the new PA Executive members (who will begin their volunteer roles on July 1), thank retiring PA Executive members, share suggestions and goals for PA funds allocation in the 2021-2022 school year, and hear updates from class reps. Following the PA All-Parent Meeting, Richard and Chriss will run a Q&A regarding the remainder of this school year and plans for next year. Please send questions to Tory (tory.mccracken@utoronto.ca) by Monday at noon.
3. May 20 is JICS' International Day of Pink
We invite everyone to wear PINK on May 20 in honour of our school-wide recognition of this important day. International Day of Pink has one purpose, to create a more inclusive and diverse world, particularly for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. Discrimination takes many shapes, whether it’s based on race, age, disabilities, gender, or sexuality. The 2SLGBTQIA+ community is no stranger to the bullying and violence that stems from hateful beliefs. Progress has been made towards removing these social barriers from our society, but discrimination still persists. While a focus on inclusivity and anti-discrimination is an ongoing part of our curriculum all year, JICS also picks a day to wear pink shirts and stand in solidarity with the 2SLGBTQIA+ community to continue fighting for equality and acceptance. Teachers will be acknowledging this day in developmentally sensitive ways with their classes.
4. Enjoy the long weekend
The Lab School and Daycare will be closed on Friday, May 21 (UofT Presidential Day) and Monday, May 24 (Victoria Day).
5. 2021-2022 School Holiday Calendar
The holiday calendar for the 2021-2022 school year is now available to JICS families. You can find it in the “News and Events” section of the JICSfamily.com website and it will be included in the 2021-2022 Parent Handbook when it is published.
6. Distance Education (JK to Gr 6)
We want to acknowledge and thank the incredibly resilient JICS students, parents, teachers, and staff for consistently responding graciously and with kindness to the challenges of distance education. We deeply appreciate the support of parents, especially those with the youngest children, who are navigating the Herculean task of supporting their child with distance education and working from home.
7. Other Upcoming Important JICS Parent Events
1. Advocacy Space for JICS Racialised Parents and Parents of Racialised Children
Tuesday, May 25 | 7:00-8:30pm
A new parent conversation and advocacy space for racialised families.
2. Daycare Annual General Meeting
Wednesday, May 26 | 5:30-6:00pm
All parents are encouraged to attend this important meeting about our licensed daycare.
3. Natural Curiosity Parent Think Tank: Supporting the Public Purpose of the Lab School
Thursday, May 27 | 7:00-8:30pm
Looking for parents with an interest in environmental and Indigenous education, and/or professional insights in fundraising, marketing, and business planning, to support the next phase of Natural Curiosity, as we expand our reach and impact with new professional learning offerings and products. Join Chriss, Richard, and the rest of the Natural Curiosity team to learn more about the necessary work the Lab School engages in through our Natural Curiosity program, and participate in planning for it’s future.
For more information, visit the Natural Curiosity Website: https://www.naturalcuriosity.ca and watch a recording of the February 9th presentation on the history, vision, and impact of Natural Curiosity for parents.
8. Lab School Teacher shares lessons on TVOKids Power Hour of Learning
Our JK Teacher, Marcia Bumbury was asked to be a teacher on TVOKids Power Hour of Learning, hour-long learning "lessons" developed by educators in support of the Ontario curriculum. It airs on TVOKids, five days a week, Monday to Friday at 9:00 AM and is also available online at TVOKids.com. Marica had the opportunity to film two lessons this week on Counting to 50 (Recovering Earth's Wisdom) and Fair Share Problems (Special Family Celebrations). The episodes will be ready to air in the coming weeks. Stay tuned for more information!
9. Ask Ellie!
Dear JICS families, I'm so grateful for the sunny warm weather this week! Excited to be connecting with you all for Week 2 of Ask Ellie.
This week: responding to the "No!" from your child, lessons my teens have taught me, and the smile 😊.
Ellie
Dear Ellie,
Our child has a strong and independent spirit, which we appreciate. We also find that this can lead to many struggles. When he anticipates that he might not be able to do something he will frequently refuse. We try to encourage him to give it a try and this will lead to an outright no. Your thoughts about how to respond to this inflexibility are welcome.
Dear Appreciative of Independent Spirit,
Thanks for this wonderful question and it is lovely how you are holding the many dimensions of your child, his strengths and this current challenge. Dealing with inflexibility and finding ways to remain calm when your child is refusing to try something is hard. When you are bumping up against your child's refusal, I would start by literally slowing down, and noticing a few things:
How am I feeling? Children are responsive to our emotional state and it can help kids to regulate and be more open when we are calm.
Can my request wait? Whenever possible, give your child some time, allow them even a few minutes to come back on their own. It is helpful to allow for choice and autonomy whenever possible. (Think - 'drop the rope', unless it involves safety).
What is driving my child's refusal at this time? Trying to mentalize, or understand what emotional state is underneath the behaviour will help you both have more compassion for why they are saying no; and also help you figure out how to help them engage in the request/activity.
I hope this is useful and love to discuss further. I'm sure other parents have experienced this. It would also be expected that with all of the uncertainties of the pandemic and lockdown, things are just that much more challenging. Sending you kind thoughts.
Dear Ellie,
“What lessons about parenting have you learned from your own children?”
Dear Interested in Lessons Learned,
This might be the last summer we have both our daughters at home as they are heading off to university. Standing on the edge of this parenting and life transition I had a chance to reflect on a few lessons they have taught me.
You will get it wrong. Parenting is humbling. Deeply. There will be times when all you want is to ask about their day, or provide support and no matter what you say, it will be wrong. One of the things I try to remind myself (when I have some clarity) is that when my children are able to express their difficult emotions to me (read: anger, worry, frustration, upset) it shows that on some level they feel safe to do this. I strive to try to step outside of my experience and reflect on what they are feeling.
There is grief and loss inherent in being a parent. At times you will have to grieve the loss of the hopes you had for them. They are their own people. Letting go of your dreams for them and connecting and supporting their own dreams is an important process.
They have to fail at times, and this is a good thing. This is a hard one for me. I want so much to help my kids achieve their goals, do well at school, have good relationships with friends and partners. One of the hardest things for parents is tolerating their child’s distress. The pull to make it better, to help, can bring us as parents to wanting to do too much for our kids at times; to jump in, to rescue. Our children need to know that we trust them to cope and that we believe in their competence.
As I am at this point of transition, I am holding onto trying to make space for myself to allow for my feelings of grief as my daughters are both going to be moving out as well as the joy and excitement in seeing them move toward their passions. I hope as parents you can cherish some of these moments as well.
Smile of the day 😊
Dear Ellie:
What animal is best at hitting a ball?
Dear Curious:
A Bat!🦇
SUBMIT YOUR QUESTIONS!
Looking forward to your questions, parents, kids, teachers and all. Email me at
10. PHOTOS!
Special Events in Grade 1
Fun Fridays in Grade 2
New blooms in the courtyard
11. Upcoming May Events - Asian Heritage Month
Thurs 13 – Eid-al-Fitr Fri 14 – Parent Information Post Talks. 9:30 - 10:00am (Zoom link)
Mon 17 – JICS Parents' Association ALL PARENTS Meeting. 7:00-9:00pm (RSVP)
Mon 17 to Tues 18 – Shavout Thurs 20 – JICS celebrates International Day of Pink
Fri 21 – UofT Presidential Day. School and Daycare closed. Mon 24 – Victoria Day. School and Daycare closed.
Tues 25 – Advocacy Space for JICS Racialised Parents/Parents of Racialised Children. 7:00 (RSVP)
Wed 26 – Daycare Annual General Meeting. 5:30 (RSVP) Thurs 27 – Natural Curiosity Parent Think Tank. 7:00pm (RSVP) Fri 28 – Parent Information Post Talks. 9:30 - 10:00am (Zoom link)
12. Upcoming June Events - PRIDE Month
Thurs 3 – Music Night (Nursery to Grade 6). 6:30-7:30pm Fri 4 – Parent Information Post Talks. 9:30 - 10:00am (Zoom link)
Fri 11 – Parent Information Post Talks. 9:30 - 10:00am (Zoom link)
Thurs 17 – Grade 6 Graduation (pm)
Fri 18 – Last day of school. Noon dismissal.
