Topics covered in this post:
1. Rosh Hashanah
September 25 - September 27
On September 25 to 27, the Jewish members of the JICS family will be celebrating the New Year. Rosh Hashanah is the first of the Jewish High Holy Days. Customs include sounding the shofar (a cleaned-out ram’s horn). Raise some noise!
We are asking for parent volunteers to help us celebrate and learn. Please contact your child’s teacher. Wishing everyone a sweet new year!
2. Meeting Space for Parents of JICS BIPOC Children
Tuesday, September 27, 7:00-8:30pm
JICS Parents have created a safe space for parents of BIPOC children to discuss the issues impacting our children, and as a means to collect and convey our observations, our needs as racialised families, and any advice to the school around equity and inclusion. If you would like to join, the next meeting is on September 27, 7:00pm. A zoom address will be emailed to registered participants. RSVP HERE.
3. Curriculum Night
Wednesday, September 28, 6:00pm-8:00pm
Curriculum Night is the most important parent education event of the year, and we expect that all parents will attend. Learn more about this parent ed event in last week’s Parent Information Post. For Curriculum Night 2022, entry to the school will be from 45 Walmer Road (only).
Unfortunately, we are not able to provide babysitting.
Time | Presentation | Grades | Location |
6:00pm (sharp) – 6:45pm (sharp) | Individual Grade Curriculum | Nursery, JK, SK, Grade 1, Grade 2 | Classrooms of: Nursery, JK, SK, Grade 1, Grade 2 |
6:50pm-7:05pm | Welcome, Introductions of staff | All Grades | GYM |
7:10pm (sharp) – 7:55pm (sharp) | Individual Grade Curriculum | Grade 3, Grade 4/5 Ben, Grade 4/5 Zoe, Grade 6 | Classrooms of: Grade 3, Grade 4/5 Ben, Grade 4/5 Zoe, Grade 6 |
4. Orange Shirt Day
Friday, September 30
We will be honouring Orange Shirt Day this year on Friday, September 30.
Phyllis Webstad was a young child when her grandmother gave her a bright orange shirt before she went to school. The shirt was taken away from her at residential school, and it has become a symbol of all that was purposely taken away at residential schools. Orange Shirt Day provides us with an opportunity to learn about why residential schools existed, how they were enforced, and the ongoing effects of these schools on families, generations later. For more information, see: www.orangeshirtday.org
If you are thinking of purchasing an orange shirt for this day, please ensure that your money goes toward the goals of Orange Shirt Day. Here are the goals listed by the Orange Shirt Society.
Orange Shirt usage and sales are intended to:
1. support Residential School Reconciliation
2. raise awareness of intergenerational trauma caused by Residential Schools
3. create awareness of the concept “Every Child Matters”.
The Cedar Basket Gift Shop, located just south of the school at the Native Canadian Center of Toronto, at 16 Spadina Road, has an online shop where orders can be placed. They have youth and adult sizes of the ‘Every Child Matters’ T-shirts https://thecedarbasket.com
For adult sized shirts online, may we recommend ordering from our friend, Anishinaabe Storyteller, Isaac Murdoch, Bomgiizhik, who has worked with our children and teachers many times over the years.
The JICS teachers are planning a school-wide outdoor assembly in the playground at 9:00am. Parents are welcomed to attend. More details coming soon.
We look forward to seeing a sea of Orange on September 30, honouring the truth and supporting residential school survivors and their families.
5. National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
Friday, September 30
September 30 is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. The day honours the lost children and Survivors of residential schools, their families, and communities. Public commemoration of the tragic and painful history and ongoing impacts of residential schools is a vital component of the reconciliation process. To learn more about the creation of this day, please see here.
6. Lunch & Learn with JICS Social Worker Ellie Lathrop
Tuesday, October 4, 12:30-1:30
Helping Kids Manage Disappointment and Sadness Lunch & Learn Series with JICS Social Worker Ellie Lathrop
30 min recorded presentation, followed by 30 min unrecorded Q & A and discussion
Tuesday October 4
12:30 – 1:30 pm (Zoom)
7. Parents' Association
It was wonderful last week to welcome and meet new parents who joined us this year and all returning parents at the Parents’ Association “September Social.” It was truly a celebration of an exciting new year.
A special thank you to our JICS PA Executive:
François Tanguay-Renaud, President
Megan Pearson, Vice President
Shawn Konopinsky, Treasurer
Andrea Russell, Communications Officers
Deepta Rayner, Past President
Julia O’Bryne & Kerry Thompson, Parent Education Coordinators
Sanaz Mazinani & Marjorie Spencer, Volunteer Coordinators.
All JICS parents are members of the Parents’ Association, and everyone is encouraged to get involved and become an active member of the school community! Please see the PA section of the JICSfamily.com website for more information and contact François if you are interested. You can make your $175 donation to the PA here, supporting future socials, parents education events, lice checks, and enrich the educational experiences of the children. Thank you!
8. Arrivals Schedule
One of the happy biproducts of the pandemic safety procedures from previous years is the morning’s staggered time “arrival window”. As Grade 1-6 students arrive, they calmly enter the school and proceed to their classroom and are supervised by their classroom teacher until the start of the school day at 8:45am.
Some parents have asked why we made the change to the entry start time from 8:30am to 8:35am. This was a response to a request from the Lab School Teachers who want as much time as possible before the start of the day to meet with the MA CSE Interns (2nd Year Teacher Candidates) and 1st Year Teacher-Candidates. We value a team approach at JICS and benefit immensely from having 2 teacher-candidates in our classrooms in addition to the experienced and OCT qualified JICS classroom teacher.
Unfortunately, we have limited time with the teacher-candidates and the extra 5 minutes allows for the teacher team to speak about important things such as the day’s plan, new information, and about children of consideration.
We recognize that this later supervised start time is challenging for some parents. Years ago, we would supervise all the children from 8:30am in the school yard. This was very convenient (and lovely) for some parents but it was not exemplary practice for the 200 gathered children who were not able to use any parts of the play structure or materials for safety reasons. We now love that the Junior Kindergarten and Senior Kindergarten children exclusively start their day, outdoors, in the school yard – creating a fresh start to the day (another happy biproduct of the pandemic).
To make things easier for parents who need to drop off their children earlier, we will supervise early arrivals of Gr 1-6 students outside 45 Walmer Road beginning at 8:30am. At 8:35am, all the Gr 1-6 children will be allowed to enter the building.
For families who require care before 8:30am, please register in the Daycare’s morning care program.
9. All-Weather Play
Children play outside in all-weather at JICS (including light rain, snowy days, and cold conditions). Please send your child with outdoor clothing appropriate to weather conditions. “There is no inappropriate weather, only inappropriate clothing!”
10. School Photos
a. Highlights from the week at JICS
b. The Grade 6 overnight trip to Camp Olympia
c. The Terry Fox Run
Thank you to all our parent volunteers who helped make this day possible!
11. Upcoming September Events
Wed 21 to Fri 23 – Grade 6 Trip to Camp Olympia Sun 25 to Tues 27 – Rosh Hashanah
Tues 27 - Meeting Space for Parents of JICS BIPOC Children. 7:00pm. (Register here) Wed 28 – Rowen’s Day (Concussion Safety) Wed 28 – Curriculum Night. 6:00 -- 8:00 pm.
Fri 30 – Orange Shirt Day.
12. Upcoming October Events
Mon 3 – PA Executive Meeting Tues 4 to Wed 5 – Yom Kippur
Tues 4 – Parent Education 12:30-1:20pm “Lunch and Learn with Ellie (JICS Social Worker).”
Wed 5 – National Teachers’ Day
Mon 10 – Thanksgiving Day. School and Daycare closed.
Tues 11 – Grade 5 & 6 Parent Meeting: Transitioning to Grade 7. 6:00-7:00pm. More info will be emailed to parents.
Mon 24 – Diwali
Mon 31 – Halloween
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