Parent Teacher Interviews & School Closures, Halloween Reminders, JICS Merchandise, Full-Day Nursery, A Parent Education Workshop & More!
- JICS Office
- 2 hours ago
- 6 min read
JICS at a Glance
We've condensed the important highlights for your convenience:
Halloween - Tomorrow!
Parent Teacher Interviews - Wednesday November 5 and Friday November 7
Registration information below
School closure and daycare hours
Our first Parent Education Workshop of the School Year - Wednesday, November 12th, 5:30pm - 7:30pm
JICS Merchandise on sale until November 14 - HERE!
More exciting JICS news from this week!
Indoor & Outdoor Fun: Swipe to see more pictures!
Topics covered in this post:
(Click to navigate straight to a section)
1. Halloween
Parents, please join our JK to Grade 6 Halloween Celebration Assembly tomorrow, at the witching hour of 9:00am, in our enchanted gym. Together as a school, we will sing some spooky songs and together we will make some Halloween magic!
Children (and parents) are all invited to dress up in costumes.
The school doors will open at 8:35am as usual and the children are asked to make their way to the classroom. Once everyone is accounted for, each grade will fly/slither/float into the gym together.
There are many internet articles that provide helpful and culturally sensitive Halloween costume advice. Search: Halloween culturally insensitive costumes.
We are looking forward to making some wonderful memories on this special day!
Enjoy these photos of our haunted movie theatre. Thank you, Paige for transforming the reception!
Halloween at JICS - Thank you Paige!!
2. Halloween Candy
To keep our school safe and inclusive for everyone, we ask that students/parents not bring Halloween candy to share at school. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.
3. Parent-Teacher Interviews: Wednesday November 5th & Friday November 7th
Below are the links to sign up for your Fall interview with your child’s/children’s teachers. More information about parent teacher interviews can be found in last week’s POST.
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Classroom Teachers (20 min)
SK - Register Here!
Grade 1 - Register Here!
Grade 2 - Register Here!
Grade 3 - Register Here!Â
Grade 4/5 Audrey - Register Here! Â
Grade 4/5 Raadiyah - Register Here!Â
Grade 6 - Register Here!Â
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Specialty Teachers (5 min)
Primary French with Tania (JK-Gr 2) - Register Here!Â
Junior French with Christel (Gr 3-6) - Register Here!
Primary Music with Bailey (JK, SK) - Register Here!
Junior Music with Russell (Gr 1-6) - Register Here!
Art with Tara (JK-Gr 6) - Register Here!
Phys Ed with Luke (JK-Gr 6) - Register Here!
Drama with Sarah (JK-Gr 6) - Register Here!
Library with Krista (JK-Gr 6) - Register Here!
3. JICS Merchandise on Sale
Created in collaboration with an alumni-owned business, JICS Centennial merchandise is now available with all proceeds donated to the JICS Endowment Fund! The deadline to place your order is Friday, November 14Â at 11:59 pm.
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As all apparel is made-to-order, please allow 2-3 weeks of processing time following the order deadline for your order to be ready for pick-up at the school.
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You can purchase adult and youth t-shirts and sweatshirts, as well as tote bags, baseball caps, and kids’ toques! Check out the entire JICS Centennial Collection and grab your merch in support of the JICS Endowment Fund: https://paperbackpost.com/pages/jics-centennial
4. Wednesday Afternoon Program - Movie Afternoon, November 5
To accommodate the Parent-Teacher Interviews taking place on the afternoon of Wednesday, November 5, all Grade 1 to Grade 6 students registered in the Wednesday Afternoon Program will enjoy a Movie Afternoon.
Grades 1 to 3Â students will watch the movie in Room 120.
Grades 4 to 6 students will watch the movie in the Lunchroom.
5. School Closed - Friday, November 7 & Monday, November 10
On Friday, November 7, the JICS teachers and staff will engage in Parent-Teacher Interviews. We hope everyone enjoys the Midterm Holiday on Monday, November 10.
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The Daycare will be open on November 7 and 10 (7:45am to 6:00pm). The cost is $80/day and includes activities such as arts and crafts and sports. Please contact Anne Marie, Daycare Director before November 3rd if you are interested in registering your child: ics.after.school.daycare@gmail.com
Information about the school calendar for 2025-2026 can be found on the JICSfamily website.
6. Parent Education Workshop: Caregiving in the Era of Smartphones and Social Media
7. Full Day Nursery 2026-2027
In our centennial year, we are pleased to announce an exciting and significant development. Building on a century of leadership in early childhood education research and innovation, the JICS Nursery will become a full-day program starting in 2026–2027.
Our school played a key role in the original research that shaped Ontario’s Full-Day Kindergarten, and we are proud to extend this expertise to create a thoughtfully designed, full-day learning experience for children aged two to three. The parents of young siblings (children born in the year 2023) of the JICS Lab School students along with those in our application database will be invited to a Parent Information Session about the Nursery in January. The program will maintain its small, nurturing cohort of 20 children.
8. Digital Cameras Needed!
We have a favour to ask our JICS families. In the era of smartphone cameras, we know many of you have older, digital point and shoot cameras gathering dust in cupboards or drawers. Our art program is looking to build a class set of cameras for the school. We would love to build this collection by early November for an upcoming photography project. If you have a camera to donate, please drop it off at the school office with Shama next week. We would love your chargers and memory cards as well, but even cameras that are missing these accessories will be useful.
Thank you in advance!
9. Financial Support
The JICS Lab School is committed to needs-based financial support that will both enable increased diversity and retain current Lab School families. Tuition support is available to current students entering Grades 3-6 in the 2026-2027 school year. Application and assessment of financial need is made through an arms-length, confidential application to Apple Financial Services, and decisions are made by a sub-committee at the JICS Lab School. All applications and requests are confidential.
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The deadline for applications to Apple Financial is November 10.
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If you are interested in donating to the JICS Diana Rankin Muncaster Family Tuition Support Fund or the JICS Lab School Endowment Fund, please see here or speak with Richard Messina.
10. Natural Curiosity: October Newsletter
The Natural Curiosity program is vital in enhancing the Lab School’s public mission, as it supports educators with recognizing the significanceÂ
of Indigenous perspectives in environmental education and beyond.
Please take a look at their October Newsletter which shares important resources for the upcoming Treaties Recognition Week from November 2-8. Sign up to receive Natural Curiosity’s monthly newsletter here.Â
Sign up for Natural Curiosity: Four Seasons of Indigenous Learning in last weeks POST!
11. Movember
You may notice some extra facial flair around the school this November!
Luke (Phys Ed) and Richard (Principal) and a few other brave souls (more details coming next week) are putting down their razors and taking up the cause of Movember— raising awareness (and a few eyebrows) for men’s health issues, including mental health and prostate cancer.
Throughout the month, watch their upper lips transform from smooth to… well… questionable works of art. All in the name of a great cause!
We invite our parent community to join the fun — grow a ’stache, set a fitness goal, or simply spread awareness. You can learn more at movember.com.
12. Parent Volunteer Opportunities at JICS!
There is now an easier way to volunteer at JICS! Simply visit the JICS Parent Volunteer Opportunities page on the JICSfamily website. The entire year of volunteer opportunities is listed along with dates so you can schedule these opportunities into your calendar well in advance of the event. You will then receive a reminder and instructions three days prior to the event. Plans change? No problem, just email and let us know and we will take you off the list.Â
Thank you in advance for your gift of time to the school. Please email Casey at Casey.dabiet@gmail.com with any questions.
Upcoming October Events
Islamic Heritage Month
Fri 31 - Halloween
Upcoming November Events
Hindu Heritage Month
Wed 5 – Parent/Teacher Interview Afternoon
Fri 7 – School closed. Daycare open to registered users. Parent/Teacher Interview Day
Mon 10 – Midterm Holiday. School closed. Daycare open to registered users.
Mon 10 – Due date for applications to Apple Financial for 2026-2027 tuition support
Wed 12 – Parent Education Night: Caregiving in the Era of Smartphones and Social Media (5:30 - 7:30pm)
Tues 11 – Remembrance Day Assembly (JK to Gr 6)
Wed 12Â - Parent Education Workshop
Wed 19 – Meeting of Parents of BIPOC Children 7:00 PM