Upcoming Events
Feb 9th-Day 5
Feb 9th- Kids Lit Team at McMaster University
Feb 9th-11th- 100th School Day of JW's 100th Year Celebrations held in classes
Feb 10th-Pizza Lunch
Feb 10th- Grade 6 Boys' Basketball tournament at Allenby
Feb 11th- Term 1 Reports Distributed Electronically
Feb 11th- Grade 5 Boys' Basketball tournament at John Wanless (AM)
Feb 11th & 12th- Cookie Fundraiser by the Grad Committee
Feb 12th- Grade 6 Girls' Volleyball Tournament at John Wanless all day
Feb 12th-Evening Interviews
Feb 13th- PA Day-AM Interviews
Feb 16th- Family Day
Feb 17th- Term 2 commences
Feb 26th- BINGO NIGHT
The past week saw our students participate in a number of pre-Olympics activities in advance of the games starting in Italy. Our athletics teams continued with their practices in preparation of their upcoming tournaments next week. a. Our students also showcased their artistic talents during our Dance assembly Thursday afternoon. Our Kids' Lit Teams, coached by Ms. Hunter & Ms. Chau competed against other schools on Wednesday at St. Clemens. The teams performed exceptionally well with our Grade 6 team winning first place overall! Congratulations to all members and their coaches- we wish you best of luck at Nationals on Monday!
The coming week will see a flurry of athletic activities-and we are not even referring to the Winter Olympics. Three of our athletics teams will be involved in mini tournaments with two of them held at our school. our Kids Lit Team will be competing in the National Finals at McMaster University on Monday. We wish all of our students best of luck! All of our classes will also be recognizing the 100th Day of the School Year throughout the course of the week. On Wednesday, Term 1 Reports will be distributed to parents electronically via School Messenger. As usual, should you not receive your child's report by the end of the day, please be kind enough to reach out to our office staff. On Thursday evening and Friday morning, we will once again have the opportunity to connect with many of you through interviews. Please note that Friday will be a PA Day.
Kids Lit Quiz
A huge congratulations to all the members of the Kids Lit Quiz team who competed at St. Clement's School on Wednesday. Our three teams did incredibly well and show what amazing readers and knowledge holders they are. A special shoutout to our grade 6 team of Cole, Finian, Anika and Colin who took first place with an impressive quiz score of 89.5 earning themselves a spot in the National Finals on Monday at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. Good luck team! Show the world what amazing readers we have here at John Wanless!
Spelling Bee Advance Notice #2
Please note that our students in Grades 4-6 will have the opportunity to participate in a multi-school Spelling Bee to be held on May 6th, 2026 at Lawrence Hts MS. Packages will be distributed to students on February 17th. To help your child prepare, we encourage you to review the word list with them, practice pronunciation, and establish a regular practice routine. Students will also receive support at school and have opportunities to practice with their Spelling Bee Coach. A list of practice words will be provided in advance.
Notes from the Library
Thank you to all parents who have already volunteered for the Scholastic Book Fair! If you have emailed Ms. Hunter, she has added you to the schedule and will forward that to you next week. She is still looking for one more volunteer for each of the following shifts:
Monday PMTuesday AMTuesday PMWednesday AMWednesday PM Thursday PM If you are able to help out, please email her directly at
sarah.hunter@tdsb.on.ca with "Scholastic Volunteer" as the subject line.
The Scholastic Book Fair is our biggest library fundraiser of the year. With every purchase, our library earns Scholastic Dollars which allow us to purchase new library materials and materials for our STEM lab. As in previous years, our
preview day is Monday, February 23rd. All students will come with their classes to see what is available at this year's book fair. Most students will create a wish list at this time. Please discuss the wish list with your child and set limits and expectations around their purchasing. Each classroom teacher will then sign up for a purchasing time between Tuesday and Thursday. Your classroom teacher will inform you of your child's buying day.
If you would prefer to support your student in their book selection, please feel free to join us on the evening of Wednesday, February 25th from 3:30-6:30 pm for our Family Event.
Reminder to all Parents/Caregivers:
In light of the fact that Influenza seems to be affecting both students and staff harder than usual this year,
we would like to remind all parents to please keep your children home if they wake up in the morning feeling very ill. This will benefit and accelerate their recovery as well as protect the health of other members of our school community.
Parking Lot:
Parents and Caregivers are kindly asked not to park in the school lot in the mornings when dropping children off. Many thanks for your support!
Eco Team Update
The Eco Team would like to thank all the families who have been collecting dead batteries, dead markers, empty pet food packaging and snack wrappers at home! It's easy; just have a bin and put them in!!! When it starts getting full, send them to school with your child and they will bring them to room 212 to put into the correct bin. We are keen to see more families get involved in waste reduction. Some of our John Wanless families have been bringing in items for years! We thank you for reducing the amount of waste in our landfills.
Facilities Update
Please note that although our caretakers do an exceptional job clearing snow and salting, many areas of the yard can still be slippery. Please proceed with caution at all times. Please note that our staff monitor yard and field conditions as well as the outdoor temperatures each day on a regular basis in order to ensure student and staff safety.
On the facilities side, the buzzer entry system for the Childcare was completed! All parents with children in Childcare and Childcare staff are reminded to use Exit #8 at the NW corner of the school. We would like to remind all parents dropping off and picking up their children via Exit #8 to please not walk through the parking lot but rather use the pathway on the side to ensure that safety is not compromised especially with moving cars.
Absence Reporting Reminder to Parents:
If your child is going to be absent from school, we ask that you kindly use the Absence Reporting Line number to register the absence. Number to call is 1-833-250-2290. We also ask that if you e-mail the classroom teacher to let them know about an extended absence, you kindly include our office staff as well.
From our Equity Committee
February is African Heritage Month and Chinese Heritage Month in the TDSB. We are seeking JW families with African or Chinese cultural backgrounds to share their experiences and perspectives.
As a family, we are asking you to create a slide, video, or written announcement. We would like for the child/family to introduce themselves and share one thing they want us to know about African or Chinese heritage. Videos should be 30-45 seconds long. Creativity is encouraged! Submissions will be featured on the morning announcements. They can be sent to wanlessheritage@gmail.com. If you have any questions please reach out to Ms. McCrimmon (morgan.mccrimmon@tdsb.on.ca) or Ms. Maharaj (sally.maharaj@tdsb.on.ca).
Chinese Heritage Month - February 2026
The TDSB proudly recognizes Chinese Heritage Month in February each year. This year, we celebrate the Year of the Horse: Play, Progress, Prosper.
The Lunar New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, is one of the most significant holidays in Chinese heritage. The date is determined by the traditional lunisolar Chinese calendar, and the celebration lasts 16 days. This year, the first day begins on February 17. Festivities can include family gatherings, decorations, and of course, a feast!
All TDSB students were invited to participate in the popular Chinese Heritage Month Poster and Artwork Challenge. Our 2026 entries were exceptional! We applaud all submissions. The winning posters and full message can be found on the Chinese Heritage Month webpage.
John Wanless School Council NEWS
From the Grad Committee:
The Grad Committee will be selling cookies at lunch and after school on Wednesday, Feb. 11th and at lunch on Feb. 12. They will cost $3 for one or we will offer 4 for $10. All proceeds will go to supporting the grad class!
HOT LUNCHES ARE BACK!
Are you already tired of making lunches and throwing out uneaten food?! Then order from our amazing lunch programs!
Pizza Lunches will run every other Tuesday. Order at: www.sagoto.com/jwpc/pizza
Subway Sandwiches will be delivered on opposite Tuesdays. Order at: www.sagoto.com/jwpc/subway
The Lunch Lady is available every Wednesday and Friday. Order at order.thelunchlady.ca
WOODWARD MEATS
Use and share our custom link with family and friends and support our fundraising efforts: https://www.woodwardmeats.com/fundraisers/John-Wanless-SAC/
SAVE THE DATES - Our School Council team is busy planning this year's social calendar. Mark your calendars for the following events:
Bingo Night: Thursday, February 26
100th Anniversary Event: Saturday, May 30
Fun Fair: Friday, June 12
Don't want to miss a School Council reminder? Follow us on Instagram @johnwanlessschoolcouncil
Other Important Information
School Day Schedule for 2025-26
8:41 Am
Entry for all students- Lines for each class (Grades 1-6) will be identified in
the yard
8:45-9:25
Period 1
9:25-10:05
Period 2
10:05-10:20
Recess for all Grade 1-6 students
10:20-11:00
Period 3
11:00-11:30
Period 4
11:30-12:27 Lunch for all Grade 1-6 students (Students
in grades 4-6 eat in their classrooms from 11:30-11:50 and then proceed outside
to play; students in Grades 1-3 eat in the lunchroom from 11:30-11:50 and then
proceed outside to play. Teachers on duty will supervise from 12:12-12:27. Students
will be picked up by their respective teachers from their respective outside
class lines at 12:27 as we have done so this year (except in case of inclement
weather).
Please note that kindergarten lunch will
run from 11:15- 12:27. Students who stay at school during lunch will eat in
their classrooms.
12:27 PM Entry for all students
12:30-1:10
Period 5
1:10-1:50
Period 6
1:50-2:05
Recess for all students
2:05-2:45
Period 7
2:45-3:15
Period 8
Dismissal for all Grade 1-6 students is at 3:15PM
Dismissal for Kindergarten students is at 3:00PM.
Staff List
Classroom Locations Grade RoomMs. George JK/SK A 101 Ms. Klug JK/SK B 113 Ms. Kussner JK/SK C 115 Ms. Stamatiou JK/SK D 111 Mr. Burton 1 A 104 Ms. Flemington 1 B 103 Ms. Talesnik 1C 109 Ms. Hood 1/2 110 Ms. Almanova 2A 201 Ms. Grant 2B 102 Ms. Maharaj 2C 207 Ms. McCrimmon 2/3 205 Ms. Dempsey 3A 204 Ms. Jaklitch 3B 203 Ms. Rendell-Dean 3C 202 Ms. Zarpellon 3D 206 Mr. Gaunt 4B 217 Ms. Tweyman 4D 213 Ms. Tucci 4C 216 Ms. Spencer 5A 220 Mr. Sherman 5B 211 Ms. Chau 6A 215 Ms. Ng 6B 221 Ms. Gottesman 5/6 218 Ms. Reis- Bertini Res. Sppt & ESL 214A Ms. Labell Resource Support 219 Ms. Hunter Lib & Prep LIB Ms. Wolk ( for Ms. Sedighi) ISP 214 Ms. Sherwood Health/Phys Ed GYM Ms. Blaney Health/Phys Ed GYM Ms. Lowe French &Prep Sppt 212 Ms. Willingham Music 222 Ms. Yousefi French 209 Ms. Lawson 0.5 Resource AM/VP PM Ms. Moher DECE 115 Ms. Foscarin DECE 113 Ms. Zhang DECE 101 Ms. Lau DECE 111 Mr. Douglas CYW Ms. Rouhani EA Ms. Fatima EA-ISP 214
Ms. Thomas SNA-AM 115
Ms. Rocci LRS
Ms. Chen LRS Ms. Shobi LRS
Ms. Cappella LRS
Ms. Dong LRS
Ms. Juma LRSAll other LRS TBD Mr. Frazer Head CaretakerMr. Di Tomaso CaretakerMr. Armatowski Caretaker
Mr. Assetin Caretaker
Ms. Marsella Office AdministratorMs. Rocci Office Secretary (AM)Ms. Lawson Vice-Principal (PM)Mr. Boross-Harmer Principal