Upcoming Parent Education Event, Parent Lunch & Learn with Trina Epstein, Hot Dog Night, Grandpals Day, JICS in the News, CTBS-R, Daycare June Camp Announcements, & More!
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JICS at a Glance
We've condensed the important highlights for your convenience
Grandpals Day: Nursery, JK & SK - Wednesday, May 20th
Music Day - Nursery to Grade 6 - Details Below!
Upcoming Parent Education Event - Thursday, May 28th
Lunch & Learn with Trina Epstein - Friday, May 29th
Register for the 2nd Annual JICS Bike Parade - Thursday, May 14
Three weeks Until Hot Dog Night!
Topics covered in this post:
(Click to navigate straight to a section)
Early Years (Nursery, JK, SK) Grandpals Day - Wednesday, May 20
Virtual Lunch & Learn with Dr Trina Epstein - Friday, May 29th - 12:00-1:00pm
Head Lice Reminder and Prevention Information
1. Enjoy the long weekend
The School (Nursery to Grade 6) and Daycare will be closed tomorrow (UofT President’s Day) and Monday, May 18 (Victoria Day). We wish families, teachers, and staff a relaxing and joyful long weekend.
2. Music Day - Wednesday, May 20
J. Fraser Mustard Assembly Hall (school gym/auditorium)
🎶 Morning Performance (9:00–9:30 AM) Nursery, JK, and SK students
🎶 Evening Performance (6:00–7:30 PM) Grades 1 to 6 students(Doors open at 5:45 PM)
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 Day. Under the guidance of Music Teachers Bailey Grineage and Russell Hersen, each class will showcase their vocal and/or instrumental talents in a joyful celebration of music.
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 (Grade 1-6): 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. Early Years (Nursery, JK, SK) Grandpals Day - Wednesday, May 20
Grandpals Day for our Nursery, JK, and SK students will take place on Wednesday, May 20. We are pleased to invite grandparents and special family friends to join us for a joyful morning at JICS.
Guests are welcome to arrive at 8:30 a.m. to spend time in the classroom, followed by our Music Day performance at 9:00 a.m. in the gym, where all Early Years classes will be performing.
To ensure your child’s guest receives all event details directly (and to avoid any missed communication), please provide their name and email address using this link. We will send all information to them directly.
4. JICS in the News!
The JICS Lab School is featured in a recent article in the U of T Bulletin highlighting the innovative research of Dr. Eunice Jang, who will join JICS as Director on July 1, 2026.
Dr. Jang leads the Innovative Dynamics in Educational Language Assessment Lab at OISE and has developed BalanceAI, a groundbreaking literacy assessment platform trained on children’s writing and speech samples. Unlike traditional assessments that isolate skills and produce only numerical scores, BalanceAI provides rich insights into multiple literacy and language skills in just 30 seconds, helping teachers personalize instruction for every learner.
We are proud that this work is already being used at the Dr. Eric Jackman Institute of Child Study Lab School and with English language learners internationally.
We encourage you to read the article and learn more about Dr. Jang’s exciting research and leadership as we look ahead to this next chapter at JICS.
5. Parent Education Event: Alyson Schafer on Firm & Friendly Parenting: Raising Cooperative Children Without Power Struggles - Thursday May 28th, 5:30-7:30pm
The JICS Parent Ed Committee is pleased to announce that family counsellor and acclaimed parenting expert, Alyson Schafer, is coming to JICS!!
Please join us on Thursday May 28 to hear Alyson share her parenting insights on
Firm & Friendly Parenting: Raising Cooperative Children Without Power Struggles
In our efforts to be kind-hearted parents, we often side step conflicts by ignoring the need to create and enforce limits and boundaries with our kids. In this talk, Alyson Schafer will help parents:
Recognize their dominant parenting style
Learn why limits and boundaries are necessary for our children to flourish
Identify the dynamics of a power struggle
Learn a 4-step model to move from conflict to co-operation.
Tools and techniques to use immediately
Free babysitting is available for this event:
About the Speaker:
Alyson Schafer is a family counsellor with over 20 years of clinical experience and is one of Canada’s most notable parenting experts. She is the author of 3 best-selling parenting books, including “Honey, I Wrecked The Kids” and hosts Canada’s number one parenting podcast “Parenting The Adlerian Way”. She speaks and teaches internationally, and in Canada you’ll find her on numerous media outlets.
6. Virtual Lunch & Learn with Dr. Trina Epstein - Friday May 29th, 12:00 - 1:00pm
On Friday, May 29th from 12:00 - 1:00pm, Dr. Trina Epstein (Psychologist at JICS) will be leading a Virtual Lunch & Learn. The focus of the session will be cognitive flexibility (stretching our brains!). Trina has been working in each of our classrooms to help students learn and understand what it means to have cognitive flexibility. She will be sharing this work and providing tips for how parents can keep this "brain stretching" going at home!
7. Three Weeks Until Hot Dog Night!
June 3 is coming fast, and we have a lot of fun news to share. Here's your quick update.
T-Shirt pre-orders - Last day TODAY
Last call on preorders TODAY, May 14th! Prices go up after 5:00pm today. After today, you can purchase online, but it’s not guaranteed in time for the party!
Last Call for Early Bird tickets. Prices go up May 20.
Every ticket purchased before May 20 also keeps your class in the running for the pizza party prize!
Grab your tickets now at JICSHotDogNight.com.
The raffle prizes are with it.
Courtside basketball tickets. TIFF Gala Opening Film tickets. A family art class. A family poetry party. And more. All proceeds go toward The Patrick Harvie Art Fund. Raffle tickets are $5 each and the full prize list is waiting for you at JICSHotDogNight.com
Don't forget to order Dunk tickets
Your kids have been dreaming about this. Buy a Dunk Ticket online for your chance to dunk a teacher or staff member on the night. All proceeds support the JICS Endowment Fund.
We still need volunteers!
Need to know for June 3rd!
It’s cool to care for our Earth! Bring your water bottle there will be water filling stations.
Don’t drive! There will be very limited parking. Other forms of commuting highly encouraged.
The JICS Hot Dog Night Committee Loving Hot Dogs Since 1926.
8. JICS Centennial Golf Tournament
New Date Announcement – Friday, October 2, 2026!
The JICS Centennial Golf Championship — Fore the Future has been rescheduled to Friday, October 2, 2026 at Angus Glen Golf Club. All previously reserved tickets and sponsorships will be honoured for the new date.
The new fall date opens the door to broader participation from our JICS family, alumni, and partner community because a centennial only comes once, and we want as many of you on the course as possible!
Join us for a full day of championship golf on the renowned South Course, featuring curated food and beverage experiences, premium contests (including Beat the Pro and Closest to the Keg), and an evening reception as we celebrate 100 years of impact from the Dr. Eric Jackman Institute of Child Study.
Tickets:
• Foursome – $2,000 (Early Bird: save 10% when booked by June 15)
• Individual Golfer – $600
• Evening Reception – $100
All skill levels are welcome.
🏆 Winning foursome picks ONE grade to receive a pizza party with a very special guest 🍕 plus bragging rights to lead the school in an assembly activity of their imagination!
🎓 If Grade 6 wins, they get a special reunion pizza party back at JICS this fall.
👉 Register today or explore sponsorship opportunities
We look forward to seeing you on the course!
9. Bike Safety (Car Window Clings)
We are delighted that so many JICS families choose to bike to school. To help keep everyone safe at drop-off (and during everyday driving) each family has been provided with a “Look First For Bikes” window cling for their car. This simple reminder encourages all of us to check carefully for cyclists before opening a car door or pulling away from the curb.
The window clings have no adhesive and will not leave any residue if you need to peel it off and move it around. Just peel off the backing and stick it on your window!
Please contact Shama if you need an additional sticker.
10. 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.
11. Head Lice Reminder and Prevention Information
Typically, we conduct three school-wide head lice checks each year. Today, we conducted a fourth check and identified several cases. Impacted classes were notified directly by email.
We recognize that many families are working extremely hard to manage and prevent head lice, often investing significant time, effort, and expense. Unfortunately, it only takes one untreated or incompletely treated case for lice to spread again within the community.
Preventing the spread of lice is a shared responsibility, and consistent follow-through from all families is essential.
We ask that all parents:
Check your child’s hair regularly and thoroughly.
Report any cases of head lice to the school promptly.
If your child has lice, seek professional treatment. We are finding that many over-the-counter products are no longer effective.
Continue checking daily for nits for at least three weeks after treatment, as recurrence is common if even a few nits remain.
As a reminder, JICS Lab School maintains a strict “no nits” policy for the benefit of all students. Children may not attend school if lice or nits are present in their hair.
Thank you for your cooperation and diligence in helping protect the health of our school community.
12. JICS Daycare June Camp
13. Making the Shift: A Newsletter by Natural Curiosity
The Natural Curiosity program plays a crucial role in advancing the Lab School’s public purpose by supporting educators with understanding the importance of Indigenous perspectives in environmental and all education.
Please take a look at their May Newsletter which highlights their Educator Awards, Indigenous Language courses, 4 Seasons of Indigenous Learning, and exciting news to support environmental and Indigenous education. Sign up to receive Natural Curiosity’s monthly newsletter here.
Bike Parade Photos!
Upcoming May Events
Asian Heritage Month
Thur 14 – Bike Parade. 8:00am Meet at Christie Pits and ride to JICS
Fri 15 – School & Daycare closed. UofT Presidential Day
Mon 18 – School & Daycare closed. Victoria Day
Wed 20 – Music Day. 9:00am performance for Nursery/JK/SK. 6:00pm performance for Grades 1-6.
Wed 20 – Grandpals Day (Nursery/JK/SK)
Thur 21 – Shavuot (begins at sunset)
Tues 26 – Games Day
Tues 26 – Eid al-Adha (begins at sunset)
Fri 29 – Parents of BIPOC Children Potluck Picnic at Sibelius Park
Upcoming June Events
Canada's National Indigenous History Month & World Pride Month
Wed 3 – Hot Dog Night 6:00-8:00pm
Thur 11 - Grade 6 Graduation Ceremony 1:30pm. Guests: JK to Gr 5 students and Gr 6 parents.
Fri 12 – Last day of school. Noon dismissal. “Graduates Clap-Out.” Daycare until 6:00pm.
Fri 19 – Report Cards posted online
Mon 15 to Fri 26 – Daycare June Camp