Thanksgiving, Parents of BIPOC Children Meeting, Diwali Celebrations, Halloween Reminders & An Exciting Announcement!
- JICS Office
- Oct 9
- 7 min read
Updated: Oct 10
JICS at a Glance
We've condensed the important highlights for your convenience:
Thanksgiving Closure & Reflection
Parents of BIPOC Children Meeting - Thursday, October 23, 7:00pm - 8:30pm
Celebrate Diwali with us!
Learn Ojibwe with Natural Curiosity
An exciting announcement from a JICS Staff member!
Topics covered in this post:
(Click to navigate straight to a section)
1. Thanksgiving Closure - Monday, October 13
In observance of Thanksgiving, please note that our school and daycare will be closed on Monday, October 13. We hope this provides you with the opportunity to spend quality time with your loved ones and engage in the spirit of gratitude. Wishing you and your families a warm and joyful Thanksgiving.
2. Thanksgiving Reflection: The Words That Come Before All Else
In her remarkable book, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teaching of Plants, Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer, an enrolled member of the Citizens of Potawatomi Nation, explains the concept of the Thanksgiving Address. In the Onondaga language, it is known as the "Words That Come Before All Else." This ancient protocol emphasizes gratitude as the highest priority.
We encourage you to take a moment this long weekend to recite and reflect upon this invocation of gratitude as a family. It serves as a powerful reminder of the abundant blessings we share and the importance of cultivating a culture of gratitude within our school community.
At the JICS Lab School, our mission is to educate children within a framework where gratitude is at the forefront of their learning experience. Let us all embrace this message as we celebrate Thanksgiving.
3. Parents of BIPOC Children Meeting - Thursday, October 23, 7:00-8:30pm (Zoom)
Created by JICS parents for JICS parents, these meetings are designed for conversation and advocacy for families at JICS with BIPOC children. All parents of a BIPOC student at JICS are welcome. The first meeting will take place on Thursday, October 23, from 7:00pm - 8:30pm on Zoom.
The intention of this Group is to create a safe space where parents of BIPOC children can socialize, share community, identify issues, and be a sounding board for one another. We also discuss how the JICS BIPOC parents can support the teachers and help with the school's cultural celebrations.
Please reach out to Adrienne.chan@sunnybrook.ca, our WhatsApp Group administrator, if you would like to be added to the Parents of JICS BIPOC Kids WhatsApp Group. We aim to be a resource for you, year-round.
4. Celebrate Diwali with us at JICS!
Diwali, the joyous Hindu festival of lights, is a cherished tradition here at our school. Our entire school community eagerly anticipates this special occasion each year, and we are truly grateful for the unwavering support of our parents. This year, we are delighted to announce that we will come together to celebrate Diwali on Monday, October 20. (More details coming soon.)
In the spirit of this vibrant festival, we kindly request that all JICS children come dressed in colourful attire, which may include kurtas, salwar kameez, dupattas, or lehenga choli. Of course, we also encourage everyone to express themselves through their preferred clothing choices throughout the festivities.
While Diwali spans five days in most of India (from October 18 to 22), the main celebration falls on the third day. At JICS, we aim to decorate the school with vivid decorations, illuminating diyas, and crafting inviting flower-petal rangolis. It is a privilege to have such a wonderfully diverse community, where people from all backgrounds come together to embrace and share in the festivities.
If parents are interested in helping us to plan the assembly, please be in touch with Walker (Gr 6) or Michael (Gr 3). Thank you to parents who have already been in touch!
If you have photos of you and your family celebrating Diwali that you are comfortable sharing with the school, please send them to either Walker (Gr 6) or Michael (Gr 3). Your photos will be shared with the whole school during our Diwali assembly on October 20th!
5. Halloween
Parents, please join our JK to Grade 6 Halloween Celebration Assembly on Friday, October 31st, 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!
For our little pumpkins in the Nursery, there is a morning of magical activities awaiting them in their own cozy classroom! Charlotte will share more information soon.
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!
6. Halloween Candy
With Halloween and the winter holidays fast approaching, we want to share 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. We avoid sweet treats, 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.
7. 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.
The deadline for applications to Apple Financial is November 10.
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.
8. Visitors to the JICS Lab School
The JICS Lab School is an innovative environment where theoretical concepts and research-based ideas come to life. We warmly welcome educators and researchers from around the globe to explore our practices. Our visitors have included representatives from Ministries of Education, public school boards, teachers, and teacher educators. Below are two recent groups we had the pleasure of hosting last week.
Last week, we welcomed visitors from the Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB): Adrian Della Mora, Associate Director of Academic Affairs & Chief Operating Officer; Patt Olivieri, Literacy Resource Teacher (Secondary); and Sandra Morassutti, Experiential Learning Resource Teacher. Their visit focused on learning more about our distinctive approach to inquiry-based learning, which fosters critical thinking, problem-solving, and the adaptability needed to succeed in an ever-changing global context. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with the TCDSB leadership team as they shape their vision and goals for their Board.
We also had the pleasure of hosting Thao Vu, an OISE M.Ed. student from Vietnam who works with her country’s Ministry of Education. As part of her graduate studies, Thao came to observe how inquiry-based learning and knowledge-building are practiced in the JICS Lab School. She is especially interested in how these approaches can inform science education. She will use her learnings from OISE and JICS to inform the revision of Vietnam’s national science curriculum.
9. Learn Obijwe with Natural Curiosity: A Journal of Reconciliation
Natural Curiosity is pleased to offer an Introductory Online Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe) Language Course this fall, fostering Indigenous perspectives and intercultural understanding within our community.
Our Fall 2025 Course is open to everyone – both Indigenous and non-Indigenous participants who wish to learn to uplift language revitalization. Online learning sessions begin October 14th to December 2nd.
Interested but unavailable this fall? We will be hosting a Winter 2026 session from January 6 – March 3, 2026.
Unable to commit to the course but want to help make Indigenous language learning more accessible? Your donation to Natural Curiosity directly supports language revitalization, ensuring more learners can access these vital programs.
10. 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.
The next volunteer opportunity is the ICS Alumni Homecoming Event taking place on Saturday October 18th. Please visit the link below to sign up as a Parent Volunteer!
Thank you in advance for your gift of time to the school. Please email Casey at Casey.dabiet@gmail.com with any questions.
11. The JICS Family is Expanding - Shama is Pregnant!
We have some truly exciting news to share with all of you! School Office Administrator, Shama, is going to welcome a new addition to her family, as she eagerly anticipates the birth of her first child in March and will start a journey as a single parent. This is such a joyous moment for her, and we couldn't be happier. We invite everyone to join us in celebrating this wonderful occasion and congratulating Shama on this new addition.
P.S. Please feel free to share with your kids, as they don't yet know!
Upcoming October Events
Islamic Heritage Month
Mon 13 – Thanksgiving Day. School & Daycare closed.
Thur 16 – Running Club (Grades 4-6) TDSB South Conference —Winston Churchill Park
Mon 20 – Diwali
Thur 23 – Parents of BIPOC Children meeting. 7:00-8:30 PM. Zoom.
Fri 31 - Halloween
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