Feb 8

Lunar New Year, Midterm Holiday, Message from Daycare, & JK Staffing Update

Updated: Feb 9

JICS at a Glance

We've condensed the important highlights for your convenience:

Lunar New Year: Wear Red Tomorrow
Midterm Holiday- JICS Closed February 16th & 19th
Message from Daycare Regarding Upcoming Holidays
JK Staffing Update

Topics covered in this post:

Lunar New Year: Wear Red Tomorrow
Midterm Holiday Notice
Message from Daycare Regarding Upcoming Holidays
Parent Education - Lunch & Learn with Ellie
JK Staffing Update
Positive Playground Reviews
Carnival Workshop in JK
Upcoming February Events

1. Lunar New Year - Wear Red Tomorrow

Join us tomorrow as we embrace the vibrant spirit of Lunar New Year by wearing the color red!

This is the Year of the Dragon and people born in the Year of the Dragon (our Grade 6 students) are said to be charismatic, intelligent, confident, powerful and they are naturally lucky and gifted. In everything that they do, they tend to do it to the best of their ability with high standards. We agree!

Gong Hei Fat Choi

Xīnnián hǎo

Chúc Mừng Năm Mới

Saehae bok mani badeuseyo

Happy New Year!

Today, we have prepared the school by tidying up to "sweep away" any bad luck, getting ready for the festivities tomorrow. On Friday, we will open our windows and doors to welcome good luck! Jayda and Nick have organized an exciting assembly featuring a traditional lion dance performance, and every student can look forward to a special surprise gift.

We are fortunate to have many parents volunteer their time to share their stories, knowledge, and experience with our students. Please enjoy photos of a lovely visit from Stephanie to our SK class.

2. Midterm Holiday Notice

Please note that the JICS Lab School, Nursery to Grade 6, will be closed on Friday, February 16, and Monday, February 19 (Family Day). Wishing everyone a well-deserved midterm holiday break. The Daycare will remain open for registered users on Friday, February 16. For more information, feel free to contact Daycare Director Anne Marie.

3. Message from Daycare Regarding Upcoming Holidays

Dear Parents

We are happy to provide helpful details about the upcoming school holidays and Daycare services. The following is a breakdown of the care services we'll be providing:

February 16: Mid Term Holiday

Parents can secure a spot by emailing the daycare at ics.after.school.daycare@gmail.com (please use "PA Day" as the email subject).
Fee: $80.00

March 18-22: March Break Camp

Stay tuned for more detailed information.
Fee: $325

June 17-28: June Camp

Further details about the camp will be provided in the near future.
Fee: $325 per week
For the “Camps,” families are required to sign up for the entire week.

For convenient transactions, we encourage families to make payments via e-transfer to ics.after.school.daycare@gmail.com. If you need the password, please contact the daycare at 647-518-6887.

Thank you for choosing our Daycare. We look forward to providing a safe and enjoyable environment for your children during the upcoming holidays.

Best regards,

Anne Marie, Director

ICS Daycare

4. Parent Education - Lunch & Learn with Ellie

In case you missed today’s presentation on "The Social Lives of Children: How to Support Your Child Through the Ups and Downs of Friendship," you can view it and catch up on previous "Lunch & Learn" workshops here.

5. JK Staffing Update

Our cherished JK teacher, Raadiyah, has taken an early medical leave as recommended by her doctors, preparing for the arrival of her baby. Fortunately, teacher-librarian Krista Spence will step into the role until our new hire, Charlotte Henderson, joins the JICS community on February 20 for the rest of the year. While Charlotte's start is a bit sooner than anticipated, she is eager to teach the JK children alongside the JK staff team, including Kenisha (RECE) and teacher-candidates Connor and Antawn, along with other support staff. If your child wishes to send messages to Raadiyah, we will gladly hand-deliver any notes or cards. Parents can also send well wishes via email.

6. Positive Playground Reviews

Children are experiencing a realm of boundless joy as they play in our thoughtfully designed playground, crafted to offer a multitude of choices for self-directed play. Students are empowered to exercise their innate judgment and explore. From collaborative sport zones to imaginative play havens and concealed corners, our playground is presenting an array of options that spark creativity and offer developmentally appropriate challenges.

In the school office, we have observed a reduction in recess injuries compared to our previous playground, including the temporary space utilized this year. Moreover, there has been a significant decline in social problems among the children.

Curious about what delights our young explorers most about the new yard? We took the time to ask each child, and here is a glimpse into their enthusiastic responses:

EVERYTHING IS AWESOME
I like the new playground because there is a soccer net and a bench.
I like the orange boomerang because it is challenging when you climb to the other side.
I like the water pump.
The stumps - they’re really high.

I like the orange climber because there’s so many things to do on it.
I like the potato shed because of the rock climbing and you can slide off it.
I like the stumps because it is tall.

My favourite thing in the playground is the swingout because it is so fast.
The slide is really bouncy.

I like the potato shed because I can just chill.
I like the soccer field because the ball doesn’t really go over the fence.
I like the bid wood mound because I can see everything going on everywhere, and I can hunt for staircases among the mound.
I like spinning on the spin out with my friends.
I like how there is always something for everyone because for the kids who like to play there is the main structure and for kids who like to rest have the climbing shed.
I like the boomerang because there’s so many things to do, you never get bored.
I like the potato shed in the playground because I like how you can play under it with your friends and you get shelter.
I like the funnel because you can hang out and talk to my friends.

My favourite thing about the playground is when the people that know how to walk on the boomerang they can teach you, I also like all the logs that you can play on.

I really love our new playground. I love everything about it, but if I had to choose a favourite, I would pick the boomerang. I love sitting on the boomerang, climbing across the boomerang and sliding down the boomerang.
I really like the potato/snail/whale tail because it shelters and stores blue blocks as well as having a second story.
I like the potato shed because it is super fun to climb and jump off.
My favourite thing about the new playground is walking on top of the climber because it’s really fun and thrilling.
What I like about the new playground is all the stumps because it’s a nice place to sit and think.
I like the swingout because I can play with my friends and see how fast we can go.
One of my favourite parts of the new playground is the slide, because it is bigger than the old one & you can walk down it.
I like the swingout because it is really fast and when you get swinged it feels like you are flying.
Something I really like about the new playground is how spacious it is. There are so many areas to explore, and there is so much room to run around.
My favourite part about the playground is the slide. When it snows the slide gets super slippery which makes it fun to push down on.
I like the fact that it has no intended purpose.
I like that in the new playground there are lots of small places to hang out with and chat with your friends such as under the ramp and on top of the blue block shed.
One of the things I like about the yard is the ropes hanging down from the boomerang structure. I like them because they are very fun to climb up and hang on.
I like the spinney swing in the playground as you can go with friends and you feel like you’re in space because of the centrifugal force.
What I like about the playground is how unique it is.

7. Carnival Workshop in JK

Today the JK's received a special visit and workshop from Nadia Hohn, children's author of several books including Malaika's Carnival Queen, Malaika's Costume, and Malaika's Winter Carnival.