Terry Fox Run, National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Photo Day, JICS in the News, Islamic Heritage Month, & More!
JICS at a Glance
We've condensed the important highlights for your convenience:
Terry Fox Run - Tomorrow! Friday ,September 25
Photo Day - Monday, September 28
Honouring National Day for Truth and Reconciliation at JICS
Parents' Association Membership Information
An announcement from Natural Curiosity
Topics covered in this post:
(Click to navigate straight to a section)
1. Terry Fox Run - Tomorrow!
Join us at to cheer on our student supporters of the Terry Fox Run. Each class, JK to Grade 6 will depart from the school at approximately 9:15 AM and head to Sibelius Park to run around the perimeter of the park. Huge thanks to parent volunteers who have signed up with Mike for helping with supervision along the route.
The Grade 3 students have poured their creativity into crafting beautiful posters, inviting everyone to contribute "a toonie for Terry". Alternatively, you can make a direct donation to the Dr. Eric Jackman Institute of Child Study Terry Fox Donation Page.
2. Photo Day - Say Cheese! - Monday, September 28
On Monday, individual and class photos will be taken and to capture those wonderful smiles, we suggest that children come dressed in bright and vibrant colors. Every child will receive a unique online code which parents can use to view their child's photos and place orders. Once the orders are placed, the photos will be conveniently distributed to the children right here at school when they arrive.
3. Parents' Association Annual Membership Contributions
As a JICS parent, you are automatically a member of the Parents’ Association. The ongoing efforts of the Parents' Association are 100% funded through your annual membership contributions and generous donations. Below are the three tiers - choose the tier that best fits your needs.
Equity: $100-$224 per family
Selecting this option presents a (more) inclusive opportunity to enable all of our community members to contribute in a way that best fits their current finances.
Equality: $225 per family
These are the at cost donations. If everyone made this contribution amount, the PA could cover its costs. We suspect many of our families will fall under this pricing.
Opportunity: $226 or more per family
This option presents an opportunity to enable another family to make a contribution using the equity range. *Each additional increment of $125 above the listed contribution in the opportunity option would allow one additional contribution to be made within the equity price range.
We are looking forward to a meaningful year together!
4. Curriculum Night
We want to extend our gratitude to all who participated in Curriculum Night last night. Your involvement and support are instrumental in creating a dynamic and enriching learning experience for our students. Nursery parents will be notified of the new Curriculum Night date.
Our dedicated Specialty Subject Teachers (French, Drama, Music, Visual Arts, Library, Phys Ed, Land-based Ed, STEM) and Student Support Teams (Inclusive Education, in-house child-psychologist) have crafted information packages to provide an insightful introduction to their respective programs. We encourage parents to access this valuable information on the Specialty Teacher Handout page under the 'Programs' dropdown of our main menu.
5. Rowan's Law Day
The last Wednesday of every September is designated as Rowan’s Law Day to honour Rowan Stringer’s memory and raise awareness about concussion safety. On or prior to September 30, each grade will review strategies to prevent, identify, and manage concussions. Parents are invited to review the excellent concussion information available from Parachute.
6. National Day for Truth and Reconciliation - Wednesday, September 30
September 30th marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a day dedicated to the lost children, the Survivors of residential schools, their families, and their communities. Public acknowledgment and remembrance of the tragic and painful history, as well as the enduring impacts of residential schools, stand as crucial pillars of the reconciliation process. We invite you to read explore further insights into the origins of this significant day and ways you can advance reconciliation. Or follow our very own Natural Curiosity Program’s Instagram account for more ideas.
At JICS, we will honour both the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day on Wednesday, September 30th. Phyllis Webstad's poignant story of receiving a bright orange shirt from her grandmother before attending residential school, only to have it taken away, symbolizes the deliberate loss experienced by so many in the residential school system. This day offers us an opportunity to delve into the history and enforcement of residential schools and to reflect on their lasting effects on families, even generations later. For more information, please visit www.orangeshirtday.org.
Classroom teachers have received age-appropriate resources to use in their classrooms to teach the lessons around Truth and Reconciliation for Orange Shirt Day. The resources include picture books by Indigenous authors, as well as videos from survivors to centre Indigenous voices in our learning for the day. Students will co-create an indoor and outdoor display to showcase our reflections as we learn the truth about Canada’s history. We will gather as a school at 11:25am on Wednesday, September 30 to share parts of the display, hear a video message from a survivor, propose an action for the school to take together, and then move with our Special Friends pairings to the school yard to secure the outdoor display. Huge thanks to teachers, Jessica, Audrey, and Marcia for your leadership.
If your family is considering purchasing an orange shirt, we encourage you to consider purchasing from Indigenous businesses and artists, so that your purchase directly supports Indigenous communities.
The Cedar Basket Gift Shop, located just south of the school at the Native Canadian Centre of Toronto (16 Spadina Road), offers an online shop with youth and adult sizes of Every Child Matters T-shirts.
JICS Orange Shirt Swap
Another option is to take part in the Orange Shirt Swap inspired by JICS’s Natural Curiosity Program. This is a simple way for our community to honour the spirit of the day while also giving clothing a second life.
This weekend, find and have your child try on their orange shirt. Has it become too small? Rather than leaving it in a drawer, pass it along to another child who can wear it—and perhaps find a new-to-them, larger shirt for your own child in return!
How it works:
Starting Friday, September 18, we will collect clean orange shirts of all sizes—child, youth, and adult—in the school lobby.
Families are welcome to contribute shirts that their children have outgrown.
Families can browse the collection and take a shirt that fits their child.
If your child finds a new-to-them shirt, we encourage families to consider making a donation to The Caring Society, which supports equity for First Nations children and young people, as well as reconciliation-based activities for children across Canada.
We hope the Orange Shirt Swap will be one small way our community can come together with care, generosity, and a commitment to remembering. 🧡
We look forward to seeing a sea of orange at JICS on September 30 as we honour the truth, remember the children who never returned home, and support residential school Survivors and their families.
7. The Expanding JICS Family
We are delighted to welcome baby Rhys to the JICS family!
Bailey, our Early Years Music Teacher, and Dylan welcomed Rhys at home on September 23. He arrived weighing 8 lbs., 4 oz., and big sister Dorothy is already completely in love with her new baby brother.
Congratulations to the whole family! We are so happy to welcome Rhys to our JICS community.
8. JICS in the News
Earlier this week, the OECD released the latest PISA results, assessing the performance of 15-year-olds around the world in reading, mathematics and science.
The results received considerable media attention, much of it focused on declining scores and what schools are getting wrong. But Elizabeth Morley, JICS Principal Emerita, noticed something equally important in the OECD’s presentation: Canada continues to demonstrate that strong academic outcomes can coexist with social and emotional learning.
Elizabeth was particularly struck by Andreas Schleicher’s comments about the importance of student engagement, self-direction, deep thinking and curiosity—qualities that have been central to the work of the JICS Lab School for decades.
She wrote to The Globe and Mail to encourage a broader conversation about what Canada is doing well in education, and to recognize the schools and educators who are investing in the development of thoughtful, engaged and lifelong learners.
We are pleased to share Elizabeth’s letter below:
It is easy to see failure in falling scores worldwide. We should also give attention to what Canada is doing right. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development pointed to Canada as a country that is succeeding in balancing academic strength with the social and emotional learning that creates effective contributors and lifelong learners. Canadian schools that recognize the importance of student engagement, self-direction, deep-thinking and curiosity are leading the way in teaching these skills from early childhood through high school.
This investment pays off in building long-lasting attitudes and values. Heralding successes should be a proud part of this story.
Elizabeth Morley
Principal emerita, Dr. Eric Jackman Institute of Child Study Laboratory School, Ontario institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto
9. Islamic Heritage Month
In 2016, the province of Ontario officially designated October as Islamic Heritage Month through the enactment of the Islamic Heritage Month Act. This initiative aims to provide Ontarians, both present and future generations, with a valuable opportunity to explore, celebrate, and deepen their understanding of the rich and enduring Islamic history within the province. Moreover, it seeks to highlight the diverse roles and significant contributions of Muslim individuals across Ontario's various communities.
At the JICS Lab School, our commitment to education embraces the remarkable diversity found in our world. We continuously strive to create learning experiences that are respectful, inclusive, and accurate for our students. This month, we extend an invitation to parents to enhance our educational journey by sharing your Muslim identity with us, not only in October but at any point throughout the year. We encourage you to reach out to your child's teacher. Our goal is for students to gain insights into the significant contributions made by Canadian Muslims to our society, appreciate the cultural diversity within the Canadian Muslim community, and understand the importance of learning about each other to foster a sense of belonging for all.
10. Natural Curiosity Announcement
🧡 Orange Shirt Day Swap
Just a reminder that if your child found a new-to-them shirt, we encourage families to make a donation to The Caring Society, which supports equity for First Nations children and young people, and reconciliation-based activities for all children in Canada.
✨ Aaniin Boozhoo! Kick off your Anishinaabemowin journey this fall and join Natural Curiosity for an introductory online course.
This course is open to everyone – both Indigenous and non-Indigenous participants who wish to learn to uplift language revitalization. If you are a non-Indigenous language learner, we invite you to review these reflections on what it means to be a non-Indigenous learner in an Indigenous language course.
🗓️ Tuesdays | 5:00–6:30 PM ET: October 6, 13, 20, 27/November 3, 10, 17, 24
Instructor: Sarah Wood (Anishinaabemowin educator, member of Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation)
➡️ FREE for Indigenous learners. Early Bird pricing for non-Indigenous participants ends September 30th!
Upcoming September Events
Fri 25 – Terry Fox Assembly and Run (JK-Gr 6)
Mon 28 – Photo Day.
Wed 30 – National Day for Truth and Reconciliation/Orange Shirt Day.
Upcoming October Events
Fri 2 – JICS Centennial Golf Tournament (1:00pm) & Evening Reception (6:00pm)
Mon 5 – National Teachers’ Day
Mon 12 – Thanksgiving Day. School & Daycare closed.
Wed 14 – Parents’ Association “All Parents” zoom meeting. (7:00-8:00pm.) Details coming soon.
Fri 30 – Halloween
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