Topics covered in this post:
1. Yom Kippur
G'mar Chatima Tovah. Wishing everyone a good final sealing on this holiest day in Judaism (Oct 5).
2. Happy Thanksgiving - School and Daycare closed
Monday, October 10
In her book, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teaching of Plants, Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer, enrolled member of the Citizens of Potawatomi Nation, writes about the Thanksgiving Address as “a river of words as old as the people themselves, known more accurately in the Onondaga language as the Words That Come Before All Else.” She explains how this “ancient order of protocol sets gratitude as the highest priority.”
We hope you will find the time this long weekend to recite and reflect on this “invocation of gratitude” as a family (in developmentally appropriate ways). It reminds us that we have much to be grateful and that we are blessed by knowing we have everything we need. At the JICS Lab School, our aim is to educate children in a culture in which gratitude is the priority.
3. In-person Meeting for Parents of BIPOC Children
Tuesday, October 25, 7:00pm-8:30pm
Created by JICS parents for JICS parents, this meeting is designed for conversation and advocacy for families at JICS with BIPOC children.
The first in-person meeting of the group will be on October 25, 7:00pm-8:30pm @ JICS and all parents of a BIPOC child are invited to attend.
The intention of this meeting is to gain a greater understanding of the issues facing our BIPOC children at school, and to create goals for our group so that we may support them during their time at JICS and beyond.
4. Parent Education: Recording of Lunch and Learn
If you missed the Oct 4 “Lunch and Learn with JICS Social Worker, Ellie Lathrop”: Helping Kids Manage Disappointment and Suffering, we invite you to:
view the recorded presentation. CLICK HERE TO WATCH RECORDING
view the PDF slides from the presentation at the link below.
5. Orange Shirt Day at JICS
On Friday, September 30, there was a sea of orange as all children (Nursery to Grade 6) and many parents and friends of JICS gathered in the school yard to acknowledge Orange Shirt Day and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
JICS was joined by Danny Beaton, an elder of the Mohawk Nation, environmentalist, traditional flute player, and Annex neighbourhood resident. He spoke to students about giving thanks to each other and to the world that provides for us. He also played the flute and shared songs with the all of us. Thank you Danny!
We invite parents to view a recording of the gathering:
CLICK HERE FOR THE RECORDING
Thank you to the assembly committee who made this gathering possible: Krista, Chriss, Zoe, Nick, Robin, and Ben.
Special thanks to all the teachers for your work with the children leading up to this day and for your continued commitment to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s calls to action to further reconciliation between Canadians and Indigenous peoples.
6. Feasting the JICS Bundle
The JICS Lab School has had long-standing relationships with many Indigenous communities, collaborating in a reciprocal relationship of learning in the subjects of math, land-based education, and teacher education. We have benefited immensely from the wisdom of our Indigenous friends in Curve Lake First Nation, Aroland First Nation, and Rainy River First Nations and we hope we have been a resource to them as well.
Thirteen years ago, the JICS Robertson Program and the JICS Lab School were offered a teaching Bundle that contained items of significance: a basket with special cloths, an animal pelt, a shell, as well as traditional plant medicines (sweet grass and sage). You can learn more about the Bundle here. With the support of Indigenous teacher, Doug Anderson, we are deepening our understanding of the protocols for care of the Bundle and the relationship it represents.
On September 23 close to the Fall Equinox, we feasted the Bundle with school representatives and Doug Anderson. We look forward to continuing to learn together and build relationships based on commitments to the covenants that this Bundle represents and exploring its place and purpose within and beyond our school community.
7. School Photos
a. Orange Shirt Day at JICS
b. Highlights from the Week at JICS
Building Train Tracks in JK
Weekly Trip to the Park in SK
Gaga Ball at Jr Grades Recess
Learning from Doug and Collecting Seeds
Junior Grade Electives
8. Upcoming October Events
All Month – Islamic Heritage Month & LGBT History Month
Mon 10 – Thanksgiving Day. School and Daycare closed. Tues 11 – Grade 5 & 6 Parent Meeting: Transitioning to Grade 7. 6:00-7:30pm.
Mon 17 – Parents’ Association “All Parent” Meeting 7:00-8:00pm. Zoom Link >> https://utoronto.zoom.us/j/82835303425 (Password will be shared closer to the date) Mon 24 – Diwali Tue 25 - In-person Meeting for Parents of BIPOC Children. 7:00-8:30pm. Click here for event
Mon 31 – Halloween
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