May 16

Victoria Day, Art & Music Night, & Staffing Update

JICS at a Glance

We've condensed the important highlights for your convenience:

Victoria Day (Mon, May 20) - School and Daycare Closed
Art & Music Night - Thursday, May 23
Parents of BIPOC Children Meeting - Tuesday, May 28, RVSP Here
Hot Dog Night - Thursday, June 6, Purchase Tickets Here
Staffing Update
Daycare June Camp Registration - Registration deadline Friday, May 31

Topics covered in this post:

Enjoy the Long Weekend
Art Night & Music Night - Thursday, May 23
Parents of BIPOC Children Meeting
Hot Dog Night
Staffing Update for the 2024-2025 School Year
Canadian Test of Basic Skills - Revised (CTBS-R)
Grandpals Day Thanks
June Camp - June 15th to 27th
Engineering Workshop with JICS Grad Ayleen Farnood
Upcoming May Events
Upcoming June Events

1. Enjoy the Long Weekend

The School (Nursery to Grade 6) and Daycare will be closed Monday, May 20 (Victoria Day). We wish families, teachers, and staff a relaxing and joyful long weekend.

2. Art Night & Music Night - Thursday, May 23

6:15-6:50pm Art Night (school displays)

7:00-8:30pm Music Night (gym/auditorium)

There is music in the air! Each class, JK to Grade 6, is practicing songs for our annual Music Night held in the J. Fraser Mustard Assembly Hall (our school gym). Please come and enjoy an evening of music-making with the JICS children and their Music Teachers, Suzanne Schwenger and Russell Hersen.

Doors open at 6:15pm and we invite families to arrive anytime (6:15 to 6:30pm) to tour the art on display. JICS Art Teacher, Tara Rousseau has designed a beautiful experience for families. A map will be provided with teacher helpers along the way for a self-guided tour. We ask that families arrive from Walmer Road and stay together (children stay with their parent/s) to appreciate the incredible art created by the children that will be on display throughout the school. The children should be delivered to their classrooms at 6:50pm. Parents will head to the gymnasium at this time and the classes will enter the gymnasium at 7:00pm

The children are asked to wear dark pants, shorts, or skirt and a white top.

All JK to Grade 6 students are part of the Music presentations. Nursery children and families are welcome to attend as audience members.

The Music Program is just over an hour in length, and we ask that you stay for the entire show so that all performers can enjoy a full and attentive audience.

Children will sit with their teachers on the gym floor and parents and guests will be seated in the auditorium seats where the sound will be glorious, and the view is perfect.

There will be a voluntary cash collection at the end of the evening to support the JICS Patrick Harvie Arts Committee in further enriching our arts programs.

3. Parents of BIPOC Children Meeting

Tuesday May 28

7:00 - 8:30pm

Room 120 JICS

Join us for the last meeting of the school year! Created by JICS parents for JICS parents, this meeting is designed for conversation and advocacy for families at JICS with BIPOC children. This meeting will be in-person at JICS and all parents of a BIPOC child are invited to attend.

RVSP Here

4. Hot Dog Night

Save the date! The JICS annual Hot Dog Night will take place on Thursday, June 6th from 6:00-8:00pm in the school yard.

Purchase Tickets Here

5. Staffing Update for the 2024-2025 School Year

As we continue to finalize staffing decisions for the upcoming academic year, we are pleased to share the following update:

Charlotte Henderson, Nursery Teacher: We are thrilled to announce that Charlotte Henderson, our current JK teacher, and former in-house supply teacher, will assume the role of Nursery Program Teacher for the 2024-2025 academic year. Charlotte brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to her new role. Charlotte is an exceptional educator with previous experience teaching Grade 1/2 at Equinox Alternative School (TDSB), Junior Kindergarten at Howard Park PS (TDSB), as well as Junior and Senior Kindergarten at Roden PS (TDSB). Charlotte is a graduate of the JICS MA Child Study and Education Program and holds two graduate degrees.

Prior to that, Charlotte was a supervisor and a lead instructor in the Wednesday Afternoon Program for 13 years and volunteered as an assistant director in the theatrical productions that complement our Grade 6 graduation ceremony. Her experiences as a child in the Lab School, as a past Theatre Excalibur Camp Director serving JICS students, and as former nanny to some of our students, round out her deep connection with the JICS community.

We extend our gratitude to the Nursery Program Hiring Committee, comprised of PA President Megan Pearson, JICS Director Jenny Jenkins, VP Chriss Bogert, SK teacher Carol Stephenson, Special Ed teacher Judith Kimel, and Principal Richard Messina (committee chair), for their diligent efforts in the selection process.

Nadia Dharsee, Grade 6 Teacher: In April, we announced that Nadia’s secondment was ending in June. We are delighted that we have approval from TDSB for Nadia to continue the secondment. Nadia, who initially joined the JICS teaching community in 2019-2020 as our Phys Ed teacher, transitioned to the role of Grade 6 teacher in September 2021. A teacher since 2001, prior to JICS, Nadia taught Grades 6, 7, and 8, including the gifted intensive program, at Westwood Middle School (TDSB) and Grades 7 and 8 at Highcastle Public School (TDSB). Seconded teachers bring valuable knowledge, skills, and experience to the JICS Lab School for periods ranging from one to four years. It is our policy to maintain a diverse mix of university-appointed and seconded teachers, a practice that has contributed significantly to the success of our school. By fostering a dynamic learning environment led by exemplary educators, we strive to fulfill our public purpose and positively impact the development of our 200 students.

We are in the process of hiring a new Phys Ed Teacher and the finalized staff list will be emailed ASAP in June.

6. Canadian Test of Basic Skills - Revised (CTBS-R)

This month, in addition to the ongoing formative and summative assessments used by teachers, the JICS Lab School participates in CTBS-R in Grades 1 to 6. This is a series of standardized, normed tests in Mathematics and Language Art completed for research purposes. CTBS-R measures student achievement and growth across a continuum of rigorous updated learning standards.

7. Grandpals Day Thanks

Grandpals Day was a resounding success! Witnessing the children warmly welcome and proudly tour their special guests was truly magical. The delight and gratitude evident on the faces of our Grandpals were truly heartwarming. We were happy that OISE Dean, Dr. Erica Walker was able to join in the excitement.

We will be reaching out directly to our Grandpals with details about upcoming school events and how to access photos from the day. If you captured any memorable moments, kindly share them with Jayda so we can include them in our database for Grandpals. A heartfelt thank you goes out to our dedicated parent-volunteers: Andrea, Sarah, Stephanie, Casey, Marjorie, Valerie, and Allison, as well as the support from OISE, Reesa, Sim and your team. Your contributions were instrumental in making this event a memorable one.

8. June Camp - June 17th-27th

The ICS Daycare is very happy to offer a June Camp, June 17 to 27, 8:00am to 6:00pm.

The two Cohorts will be as follows:

Nursery, JK, SK, Grade 1
Grade 2 to Grade 6

There are the following exciting activities planned:

Art Works: with a range of art media for children to use in their creations.
Building: offering children the opportunity to construct large structures using large pieces of wood, planks, and bunts.
Board Games: a selection of age-appropriate board games.
Gym Room: use of sport equipment in the gym. Each cohort will be in the gym for 1 hour/day.

Snacks will be provided. Children will need to bring their own lunch.

Parents will need to provide the following: packed lunch, swim suit, water bottle, towel, labelled lotion (parents will need to sign authorization for us to apply) hat, proper shoes for playing and climbing.

Registration Information:

Cost: WEEK ONE (June 17 to 21): $325 | WEEK TWO (June 24 to 27): $260

Registration deadline: Friday, May 31, 2024

Families can register for one week or both weeks. Full Payments must made up front before a spot can be confirmed. Please email the daycare at ics.after.school.daycare@gmail.com indicating the weeks, WEEK ONE, WEEK TWO, or BOTH.

Send payment via etransfer to ics.after.school.daycare@gmail.com and please make the etransfer question "What is the principal's first name?"

9. Engineering Workshop with JICS Grad Ayleen Farnood

JICS alumna Ayleen Farnood, currently a third-year Engineering Science student at UofT, revisited her roots to deliver an engaging presentation and collaborative challenge to our Grade 4-6 students, shedding light on the essence of engineering. Recently, Ayleen was honored with one of the prestigious the Canadian Engineering Memorial Foundation scholarships (https://www.cemf.ca/en/winners-2023 ), recognizing her as a "Faces of the Future" ambassador. Reflecting on her journey from JICS to UofT's esteemed Engineering program, Ayleen credited her formative years at JICS, highlighting its enriching curriculum and the plethora of stimulating math projects and lessons. She navigated her path without the need for additional math after school tutoring, emphasizing the solid foundation laid during her time at JICS.