First Day of School: TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 8, 2026

Classroom assignment will be sent via direct email on Friday Sept. 4, 2026.

START OF THE SCHOOL YEAR

IMPORTANT: Please see email sent from the Vice-Principal on Sept. 1, 2026 with some first day information.

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL: Tuesday Sept. 8, 2026
START TIMES: Grade 1- 8 @ 9:12am and JK/SK @9:20am (yard supervision starts 9:05)
END TIMES: JK/SK & G7-8 @ 3:30pm and Grade 1-6 @3:40pm

Before and After School Programs bring students to the appropriate doors at drop off/pick up.

RECESS TIMES/LOCATIONS

SNACK TIMES/LOCATIONS

LUNCH TIME/LOCATION

DROP-OFF/PICK UP PROCEDURES

Drop-off/Pick Up locations:
– Kindergarten French Immersion Stream: Front of the school, corner of George/Mimico (fenced-in area)
– Kindergarten English Stream: Front of the school in the Outdoor Kindergarten Yard on George, closer to Hillside.
– Grades 1-8: Back of the school (schoolyard area) with access off of Mimico (north) and Central (south). Door number # will depend on the teacher/classroom location.

Parking for Drop-off: There is NO PARKING ON GEORGE ST during the pickup/drop-off times for school. This area is extremely busy during these times, with families walking and driving to/from school as well as buses that have to get through safely.

Vehicles parked in these areas during pickup/drop off times will be ticketed and/or towed.

Where can I park?: There is parking available at the Mimico Adult Centre. It is a quick walk across the crosswalk from that parking lot.

Where can I drop off my child?: For those dropping off older kids, you can use the “Kiss n’ Ride” pass through in the school parking lot off of George St. drive in the south entrance, follow around to DOOR 16, drop off your children, and continue out of the parking lot. We strongly recommend turning LEFT out of the parking lot, heading toward Hillside Av. Mimico Av is extremely busy and congested during pickup/dropoff and you will be on your way much faster by taking Hillside or Symons.

WHAT TO PACK FOR SCHOOL

BIG BACKPACK FILLED WITH:

• Two (2) healthy snacks and one (1) lunch (NUT FREE).
• Filled reusable water bottle
• One pair of indoor shoes
• One pair of outdoor shoes (plus one pair for before/aftercare if needed)
• Change of clothes
• Hat
• Sunscreen (Sunscreen should be applied before school, and a stick sunscreen is recommended since they reapply it themselves)
• Weather-appropriate clothes (e.g., rain boots, rain coat/pants or jumper).
  • NOTE: OUTDOOR LEARNING: JE encourages outdoor play and learning every day so students spend a lot of time outdoors (especially Junior/Senior Kindergarteners min. 2h) . Please make sure your child is dressed appropriately for any weather. If your child needs outdoor clothing, please let your teacher know and we will be happy to provide them with gently used clothing. Look out for our successful November “Clothing Exchange” event!

SNACKS AND LUNCH: We suggest packing healthy snacks and lunches that your child will actually eat. Familiar, comforting snacks and lunches are suggested, especially for new JK/SK students who are adapting to new surroundings. Students cannot refrigerate or warm up their lunch so please provide ice packs to keep food cold or a thermos to keep food warm. Sample: Bento boxes with lots of choices of fruits, veggies, proteins, carbs.

PRO TIPS:

• “We practiced having lunch at home or out on a picnic with their new lunch containers so they could practice opening everything”
• “My child was used to hot meals at child care, so I pack a thermos with dinner leftovers”
• “My daughter is a snacker, so I give her a Bento box with lots of different options that will fill her for the day”.
• ” I pack a special treat during the first few weeks; it gives them something to look forward to and maybe chat with their new peers”.
• “My son didn’t eat anything in her lunch the first few weeks because he was distracted with the new environment and new peers, so I made sure to have extra snacks and an early dinner ready”.

MORNING SNACK PROGRAM: JE provides free morning snacks to support the well-being and learning of ALL our students.

Junior/Senior Kindergartners receive a snack EVERY morning. G1- 8 will receive a snack TWICE per week. (Examples: yogurt, fruit, granola bar, muffin). Snacks change every day/week based on donations; for some students, it’s best to still pack 2 snacks in case they don’t like the provided snacks.

The snack program is offered free to all students, and you can help support the program with a voluntary contribution on SchoolCashOnline when prompted.

HOT LUNCH PROGRAM: DEADLINE TO REGISTER Friday, Sept. 11, 2026. Starting in Grade 1, JE offers a paid lunch program for students in Grade 1 to 8 in the cafeteria. Please find more information here Healthy Bites Lunch Program (G1-8). Healthy Bites offer hot lunches to students from Grade 1 to 8 in the cafeteria during their assigned lunch times. By registration only. COST: 45$/month for 3x meals (Tu-Th) or 60$ for 4x meals (Mon-Th) (No meals on Fridays).

MONTHLY PIZZA FRIDAYS: Organized by the School Council as one of our biggest fundraisers of the year: Popular MONTHLY PIZZA FRIDAYS every last Friday of the month.

• DEADLINE TO REGISTER for the entire year is Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026 .
• Opens Sept, 6, 2026 on SchoolCashOnline.
• COST: Is 3$ per slice of Cheese of Pepperoni from Pizza Pizza. JK/SK are served in their classrooms and G1-8 in the cafeteria.
• Volunteers are always needed on those Fridays to hand out pizzas to excited students.

NUT & GARBAGE FREE: Our school is strictly “NUT FREE” (no peanuts, tree nuts, or nut products) for the safety of students with allergies. Please make sure to review all contents of snacks/lunches and remind your child NOT to share any food with their peers. More information about life-threatening allergies is available on Food Allergy Canada’s website. Our school is an ECO Certified School; therefore, it is strongly encouraged to send reusable containers for snacks/lunch to limit garbage. Your child will be asked to bring any empty packaging back home.

HOW TO PREPARE FOR THE YEAR:

Register in advance for all Online Accounts. This will be unique to each grade/teacher, but some general sites are:

School Cash Online: This is where you can pay for pizza day, snack programs, field trips, any school activities, and/or make a cash donation to the school.

School Council Calendar: You will notice on this site, bottom right, we have included all the important dates.

School Messenger: You will receive direct emails from your child’s teacher, school administration, and the School Council (SAC)(AKA Parent Council), but this app helps to keep all those school messages together.

TDSB Calendar : TDSB School Calendar where you can find the key dates and PA dates.

Volunteering: We are always looking for volunteers! If you would like to volunteer in your child’s classroom or at any of the school events, please contact your child’s teacher directly or email us at sacinfo@johnenglish.ca. Most events require parents/guardians to have an updated Vulnerable Sector Check (VSC) (Criminal Reference Check) and the application can be done through the school office.

KINDERGARTENERS

August Sunday Meet Ups: Join members of the School (Parent) Council and other Kindergarten Families for informal play dates on Sundays: August 9, 16, 23, 30, 2026 @3-5pm in the school yard. Families are welcome to meet again on Sunday Sept. 6, 2026 but unfortunately members of the School Council will not be available.

This is a great way to meet some new friends and chat with other families and School Council members before the school year starts. All new JK and returning SK students are welcome! Check our Socials for updates during the summer.

TDSB Kindergarten General Information: The TDSB has included some general information about entry into Junior and Senior Kindergarten. You can find information HERE.