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Terry Fox Donations, Halloween, Cultural Celebrations

Topics covered in this post:

  1. Terry Fox Run - Donations

  2. Streamlining Arrival

  3. Wednesday Dismissal Times JK to Gr 6 - Reminder

  4. Halloween at JICS

  5. Halloween Candy

  6. Message from Parents' Association

  7. Parent Education

  8. Register for Daycare

  9. Diwali Celebrations

  10. Cultural Celebrations

  11. Upcoming October Events

  12. Upcoming November Events

  13. Photos!

 

1. Terry Fox Run - Donations


The Grade 3 students have been counting the donations from the Terry Fox Run all week. They are excited to share that we have surpassed their $1000 goal, raising a total of $2009.80. The Grade 3 students would like to thank everyone for your generosity!

 

2. Streamlining Arrival


Our COVID safe arrival system is working splendidly! However, as the weather turns colder and occasionally inclement, we are noticing a few trends that bear mentioning. Please make note of these few points to ensure that the Kiss and Drive system is efficient and safe for all:


  • Please have your children dressed for the weather before arriving at the Kiss and Drive drop off zone. This includes having zippers zipped, boots on, knapsacks packed, and accessories ready to go. Children should be hopping out of cars with all their outside gear on.

  • Please wait patiently in your car for a staff member to become available to help your child/ren. We are staffing the Kiss and Drive zone with as many adults as we can spare, but there are times when demand exceeds our capacity. We are trying to give each child the individual attention they need and escort them safely to the school entrance, before turning to the next car in line.

  • The drop off zone extends up to the driveway on the north side of the school. Please drive your car to the furthest spot available to you when you arrive, to allow more cars to pull in behind you.

  • Please do not block our neighbours’ driveways (north or south of the school).

  • We ask that everyone in the JICS community to please treat Walmer Road as one-way only heading North during arrival.

  • If you wish to walk your child into the school, please park somewhere else past the drop off zone. No adults are to exit their cars in the drop off zone.

  • Please remember that all adults are asked to wear masks at arrival and dismissal, whether you are walking, biking, or driving.


Thanks to everyone for your cooperation and support!

 

3. Wednesday Dismissal Times JK to Gr 6 - Reminder


12:00pm: All JK & SK students and any of their older siblings.

12:10pm: All Gr 1-3 students and their siblings in Gr 4-6.

12:00pm: Gr 4-6 students without younger siblings (JK-Gr 3) will exit 56 Spadina.

 

4. Halloween at JICS


The JICS faculty and staff are determined to create an extra special Halloween experience this year. We invite children to come to school on Friday, October 30 in costumes. If children require help with their costume, that will certainly be available. Instead of our regular outdoor parade with a parent audience, we are designing safe and creative in-house solutions to ensure the day is full of excitement.

 

5. Halloween Candy


With Halloween and the winter holidays fast approaching, we wanted to share with you ways that can help make our school a safe and more inclusive place for students with food allergies. We prefer that students do not eat candy while at school. At JICS, we avoid sweet treats in all classrooms, preferring wholesome snacks whenever possible. However, there is a place for sweets in our diets and parents may choose to occasionally pack individual portions in student lunches or snacks from home. Students are not permitted to share candy, treats, or gum with others. In preparing your child’s lunch and snack, please be certain that all ingredients listed are free of nuts and nut warnings.

 

6. Message from Parents' Association


Dear JICS Families


We had a great turnout at the PA meeting on Tuesday! For those of you who missed it, we recorded (most of) the meeting and you can watch or listen to it here. You can view the slides from the meeting here.


In this note, I’ll highlight a few items that were discussed:


Fees+Donations Update

  • Everyone is a member of the PA regardless if you contribute or not

  • We are roughly $7K away (27%) from our fees+donations goal of $26,850; For those who have already contributed, we thank you!

  • For those who are able but just haven't had the time, please do so to help us reach our goal to fund important initiatives, please click here.


Merchandise / Shop & Support

The are other ways to contribute outside of fees+donations:


Lunch Program Update

  • Due to COVID, there are restrictions on how the hot lunch program can be carried out, primarily food is presented to children in reusable containers, where both hot and cold items are separated by a divider

  • The Lunch Mom is providing enough food that children have extra portions, as they cannot currently go back for seconds or thirds like they would have last year

  • Some children are reporting they are still hungry after lunch, however about 50% of food goes un-eaten

  • It has been observed that some children do not like to eat the cold foods that have been warmed by the hot foods they are next to, and vice versa

  • Many parents (approx. 70%) support a trial of separation of cold/hot items to see if children will eat more of the foods they are provided at lunch, however this will produce plastic waste that we are trying to avoid as an eco-school community

  • Today, Chriss will be discussing with some of the children during lunch why they may still be hungry after lunch and ask if they have ideas about how to improve the lunch program given the serving constraints of COVID


Stay tuned for meeting minute updates and approvals over the next week.


Have a fun and safe weekend everyone!

Deepta

 

7. Parent Education



JICS Lab School Parenting Series with Social Worker Ellie Lathrop: Sleep, the foundation for family wellbeing.


October 27 at 12:30pm


RSVP here to receive the zoom link and password.



 

8. Register for Daycare!


 

9. Diwali Celebrations


Saturday, November 14 is Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights. We are asking for parents to help us celebrate at JICS on Thursday, November 12! If you are interested, please email your child’s teacher.

 

10. Cultural Celebrations


At the Dr. Eric Jackman Institute of Child Study Lab School, we celebrate our differences as well as our similarities. The idea that each individual brings a unique and valuable dimension to our shared experience drives the relationships in our community. To us, growing and learning among individuals who share widely divergent life stories, and appreciating their respective cultures, is an invaluable aspect of a true education. Nurturing a respectful and inclusive school culture means paying close attention to individual experiences, our curriculum, admission work, and our daily lives at the Lab School.

We partner with families to help children broaden their view of themselves and others by ensuring that they encounter mirrors of their own background and experience, as well as windows of difference.

Throughout the school year, we invite parents to enrich our learning by sharing their culture and identity with us. Parents work with classroom teachers to help us celebrate Jewish holidays, Lunar New Year, Diwali, Eid, Black History Month, Pride, and other festivities. If interested to help, please be in touch with your child’s teacher.

 

11. Upcoming October Events


Fri 23 Friday Parent Information Post Talks 9:30-10:00am (Zoom link)

Tues 27 Parenting Series on Sleep at 12:30pm RSVP

Fri 30 Halloween (details coming soon)

 

12. Upcoming November Events


Fri 6 – Friday Parent Information Post Talks 9:30-10:00am (Zoom link)

Tues 10 – Due date for JICS sibling registration for Nursery 2021-2022 (email coming soon)

Wed 11 – Remembrance Day

Thur 12 – Diwali Assembly (Nov 12-16, Feast Day is Nov 14)

Fri 13 – PD Day. School and Daycare closed

Mon 16 – Midterm Holiday. School and Daycare closed.

Wed 18 – Parent Teacher Interviews (sign up information coming soon)

Fri 19 – Friday Parent Information Post Talks 9:30-10:00am (Zoom link)

Mon 23 – Daycare Board Meeting

Wed 25 – Parent Teacher Interviews (sign up information coming soon)

Fri 27 – Friday Parent Information Post Talks 9:30-10:00am (Zoom link)

 

JICS loves outdoor play!



DR. ERIC JACKMAN INSTITUTE OF CHILD STUDY

LAB SCHOOL

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