Junior School - September 19, 2024
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Monday, September 23 - JS Lice Check
Tuesday, September 24 - JS EduTalk: Assessment in the JS
This is an opportunity to unpack assessment at the Junior School. We will offer two sessions:
8:30am - 9:30am: In person in the library, for RSVP please email Diala Helou at dhelou@yorkschool.com.
7:00pm - 8:00pm: Virtually, no need to RSVP.
Friday, September 27 - Junior School Terry Fox Walk/Run (Parents are welcome to join us!):
JK & SK | 8:45am - 9:30am
Grade 3, 4 & 5 | 9:30am - 10:15am
Grade 1 & 2 | 10:15am - 11:00am
Tuesday, October 1
Indigenous Guest Artist Visit/ National Day for Truth & Reconciliation
Head’s & Principal’s Breakfast for New Families 8:00am - 9:00am
Birthday Reminder: Students are invited to wear casual clothes, a favourite outfit of their choice, on their birthday. If their birthday is on the weekend, they can choose Friday or Monday. We will communicate a day for all August birthdays and another for July. Their birthday is on the birthdays of the Month slide on the first floor TV, shared on the morning radio show and homeroom teachers have their own birthday traditions in their class to celebrate students. Please do not send any food with your child to celebrate. Due to allergies and intolerances, we have moved away from sharing any food that is not served by our cafeteria/school.
STUDENT LIFE & BELONGING
LOOKING TO VOLUNTEER AT THE JUNIOR SCHOOL?
Student Life and Belonging and the JS YPA are excited to plan another year of fun community building events at the Junior School, welcoming as many parent volunteers as possible.
How Do I Volunteer?
1) Check The Flash + share your availability.
A few weeks prior to each event, there will be a volunteer sign up form in The Flash to share your availability (even if that differs from the volunteer shifts that are specified).
2) Receive a volunteer follow up email.
At least one week before the event, everyone on the volunteer sign up will receive an email - either confirming you are an event volunteer or advising you are on the volunteer waitlist. While we hope to include everyone who expresses interest, some events have capacity limitations which will require us to balance volunteers across the school year.
**Please note that volunteers for class field trips and excursions will continue to be managed by homeroom teachers.
HALLOWEEN VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES!
HALLOWEEN DECORATING - Monday, October 21
We are looking for a handful of volunteers to help decorate the Junior School for Halloween! Please join us on Monday, October 21 from 8:45am - 11:45am as we get out our cobwebs, pumpkins and black cats to decorate for Halloween.
Please fill out the Halloween Decorating Volunteer Form by end of day Monday, September 30.
Everyone who submits the volunteer form will receive an email on Friday, October 4 - as it's possible that interested volunteers will outnumber available spaces.
2. HALLOWEEN ACTIVITY STATIONS Thursday, October 31.
We have a frightfully fun Halloween planned and need volunteers to run our morning and afternoon activity stations.
There are 3 rotations - (A)(B)(C) - running throughout the day, from 9:30am - 3:15pm. Please share your Halloween availability in this form Halloween @ JS by end of day Monday, October 7.
Everyone who submits the volunteer form will receive an email on Thursday, October 10 - as it's possible that interested volunteers will outnumber available spaces.
SAVE THE DATE - HALLOWEEN COSTUME PARADE - Thursday, October 31
Halloween at the Junior School is definitely a highlight of the year for kids and parents alike. Keep your fingers crossed for great weather so we can bring our entire JS community together! Join us for our annual Halloween costume parade weather permitting.
Thursday, October 31st, parents are invited after drop off from 8:00 am-9:30 am to the park across the street at Yorkminster Church to enjoy refreshments before the kids begin their walk around the park.
Students will parade around the perimeter of the park starting at 8:30am and parents are invited to take photos and enjoy some refreshments as we embrace the full spirit of Halloween.
We hope you can join us for this spook-tacular event!
YORK’S 31st ANNUAL TERRY FOX WALK/RUN 2024
When? Friday, September 27
When? 8:45am - 11:00am
Run Times: JK & SK 8:45-9:30am Grades 3, 4 & 5 - 9:30-10:15 Grades 1 & 2 10:15-11:00
Who? Students and staff will participate in their classes.
Parents are welcome to join us. Please meet your children inside the gate of the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery as classes exit the school for their scheduled run times.
Where? Mt Pleasant Cemetery and Kay Gardiner Beltline
What to wear? Students are invited to wear athletic clothing, their gym uniforms, or Terry Fox t-shirts past and present. They can also accessorise with their house colours. Students will need to be wearing running shoes and have their water bottles.
Donations? Over 30 years, The York School has raised over $335,000 for The Terry Fox Foundation. This year, our goal for our school community is $10,000. If you purchased a 2024 Terry Fox Run T-Shirt, 75% of the price went directly to cancer research. Shirts will be delivered to homeroom teachers to go home in student backpacks prior to the run.
You can also donate to our school’s team page: York School Terry Fox Fundraising Page or send a cash donation ‘Toonies for Terry’ with your child on Friday morning to be collected by homeroom teachers.
We look forward to coming together as a community to keep Terry’s legacy alive.
Questions? Contact Sarah Charley, Director, Student Life and Belonging at scharley@yorkschool.com.
YORK MASCOT REBRAND
We are retiring the Gladiator as our school’s mascot and welcoming all members of our community (students Grades 5-12, parents, faculty, staff and alumni) to submit their ideas for our new mascot - one that promotes the pride and spirit that we all have in our school.
Designs can be created digitally using this google form or hand drawn and placed in a box on the I See . . IB Card table on the first floor. The submission deadline for all Grade 5 artwork is November 29th. A community vote will take place in the new year!
Questions? Contact Sarah Charley, Director, Student Life and Belonging scharley@yorkschool.com.
NATIONAL DAY FOR TRUTH & RECONCILIATION/ ORANGE SHIRT DAY
On Monday, September 30 we will observe the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Students and staff are encouraged to wear an orange shirt on this day in support of residential school survivors. Students will also engage in age and stage appropriate activities and conversations that amplify Indigenous voices and learn more about this part of Canada’s history and identity.
On Tuesday, October 1 we are welcoming Indigenous Canadian Guest Artist Monique Diabo to our assembly. She is an accomplished multi-disciplinary artist: actor singer, dancer, choreographer and storyteller. We will be hosting Session 1: 9:30 am - 10:15am JK-SK and Session 2: 11:00am - 11:45am Gr 1-5
As a reminder, if you would like to support the Orange Shirt Society, which provides resources to Residential School Survivors, please purchase your child’s official orange shirt from the list of approved vendors below:
McCabe Promotional (Premiere Retailer)
Aritzia
Canadian Tire
London Drugs – Available in stores, while supplies last
Mark’s – Unisex adult
Mark’s – Unisex youth
Turtle Lodge Trading Post
South Island Crafts
Beaded Orange Shirt Lapel Pins can be purchased from Tribal Roots Imports.
Questions? Please contact Erin Porter, Director, Student Life & Belonging at eporter@yorkschool.com.
NEW FULL ZIP BLACK FLEECE
Full Zip Black Fleece - Online Order Only
The online site is now open for orders until October 15, 2024. Orders can be shipped directly to your home or to The York Shop for free. These orders can be picked up between December 16, 2024 to December 18, 2024 from 11:30am - 1:30pm at The York Shop at our 1320 campus.
Click here to order.
If you plan on ordering a black fleece for yourself or your child in the JS, please head over to the Gathering Place this week in order to try on the samples. We will be moving all the Black Fleece samples at the end of the day this Friday, September 27 so that our Middle and Senior School students will get a chance to try them on.