Fern Ave. Public School Blog

Ethnocultural Community Network (ECN) Would you like your children to be successful in school but need more information as a parent or caregiver? If yes, please come and attend a meeting of the Ethnocultural Community Network (ECN), a Liaison Group with the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) Meet Dr. Chris Spence, Director of Education, TDSB Thursday, February 4, 2010 5050 Yonge St., Ground Floor, TDSB Boardroom 6:30 p.m. to 9p.m. Light supper and refreshments will be served at 6: 30 pm Meeting will start at 7 p.m. sharp The ECN volunteers & support staff meet several times a year to discuss issues of interest to parents from ethno-cultural minorities whose children may not be succeeding in school as well as they should. All are welcome!

Dance-a- thon date to be announced soon.

Grade 8 students must hand in their grade 9 course selection sheets to their home room teacher by Wednesday, February 24 th , 2010.

Grade 8 students will have their graduation photo's and composites taken here at Fern on Tuesday, February 9 th , 2010

For children entering senior kindergarten in September, the deadline to apply for French immersion is Friday, February 5 (at midnight). The PARS system for on-line registration for SK French Immersion is live at www.tdsb.on.ca/pars There is no PIN requirement. To apply for your child, you need their OEN (Ontario education number) and date of birth. The school can assist with the OEN number, which you should also be able to find on their report card. Submitted by Amy Stein, communications committee

Fern School Council Meeting Agenda Thursday January 21, 2010 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. School Auditorium 1. Approval of Agenda 2 min 2. Approval of Minutes from December 9, 2009 2 min 3. Chair’s Report 5 min 4. Treasurer’s Report 5 min 5. Ward 7 Report 10 min 6. French as a Second Language Advisory Committee 10 min 7. Committee Reports 5 min a. Eco Schools b. Arts Collective c. Canadian Opera Company d. Food 8. Fundraising 20 min a. Parent Handbook b. Book sale c. Dance-a-Thon d. Fun Fair 9. Use of school facilit

SK French Immersion Program 2010-2011 Parents are invited to attend an Information Night January 28, 2010 In the Auditorium At 7:00 PM En Francais S'il vous plait! Available to students entering Senior Kindergarten in 2010

January 15, 2010 Dear Parents, Guardians and Caregivers: As the result of the recent tragedy in Haiti affecting millions of people and leaving hundreds of thousands homeless, the Fern Avenue student community would like to come together and show their support. Students will be participating in a community walk through High Park on Friday, January 22 to raise money for this important cause. Family members are invited to join us. We will be leaving the school after the afternoon recess at 2:20 pm from the senior yard, and will be returning at the end of the school day. Primary students will be invited to go on a shorter walk in the community/ school yard to show their support for this event. All donations are welcomed and any amount is appreciated. Please send donations to school with your child. Alternatively, we will also be collecting money in a donation box in the office. Donations will be sent to Free the Children. Individuals wanting a tax receipt should donate by cheque

The next School Council meeting will be Thursday, January 21st. Please forward agenda items to abreau1@bell.net or drop a note into the council box in the office by Friday, January 15th . The Agenda for the 21st meeting will be posted on January 16th. Submitted by Andre Breau, Council Chair

Planning for Grade 8 Graduation Inviting All Grade 8 Parents/Guardians, Staff and Students Come to a Meeting to Discuss the Grade 8 Graduation - June is Just Around the Corner Thursday, January 14, 2010 7:00 - 8:00 School Auditorium This will be an informal meeting. The purpose is to start the discussion about this year's graduation, and to organize a committee of people who are interested in helping with the planning. It would be great to hear from students about what they would like, and there will be a couple of folks to talk about past experiences. Information about this meeting and future meetings will be available either via email or on the Fern Community website; so no need to worry if you can't attend the meeting. If you can't attend, but are interested in getting involved as a member of the committee, please let Vera Ciric know (in the school office).

We have just received a call from Public Health to tell us that they will be doing the HPV Vaccine tomorrow for Grade 8 female students only. They will come back in the spring to complete the HEP B vaccine. Sorry for the confusion but Public Health is swamped now and can't manage both vaccines at this time. Glenn McFadden Acting Vice Principal

The TDSB is holding two information sessions on January 19 for parents and guardians who are interested in learning more about Individual Education Plans (IEP) and the Identification, Placement and Review Committee (IRPC). Click here for more information.

Please note that we've rescheduled the school-wide lice check for Tuesday, January 19. If your child hasn't already brought his or her money to school, the cost will be $2.00 per child. Click here for full details.

January 7th 2010 Toronto Public Health (TPH) will hold a vaccination clinic at Fern school to provide a 2nd dose of the HPV vaccine to grade 8 female students. Three doses of vaccine given over a six month period are recommended for full protection. A final immunization clinic date for our school will be sent to us in early 2010. This clinic will provide the 3rd dose of HPV vaccine to grade 8 students. Also, TPH will administer the 2nd dose of hep B vaccine to grade 7 students . For students who missed the one of the vaccination days we will try to make up the day before the end of the year, if not, they will be tracked by TPH and given the vaccination in high school.