Fern Ave. Public School Blog

Interested in what interschool and house league sports Fern offers? Click here for the schedule and supervising teachers.

This year the Middle Childhood Matters Coalition Toronto partnered with the TDSB Parent Involvement Advisory Committee to organize the conference “Nurturing Family Engagement”. It will take place on Saturday, November 25 and features keynote speaker Dr. Stuart Shanker. This conference is free of charge and registration includes light breakfast, lunch, childminding, translation services, transportation, workshops, and information marketplace. The workshops, targeted for parents, cover a wide array of topics for navigating the school system, including special education, secondary pathways, and advocating for your child’s needs. For more info or to register, please visit: https://2017piacconference.eventbrite.com Click here for more information.

We will be collecting clean, used coats so that we can spread warmth to our community. We will also collect mittens, hats and gloves. No boots please! Drop off box in front of the school office. Thanks!

Auditions for musicians interested in being a part of “Alone In Round Corners” will be held Tuesday and Friday this week at 1145 in Rm 007. All instruments and musicians are welcome from Gr. 6-8.  Callbacks for the “Alone in Round Corners” cast will be held Wednesday at 1145 sharp. Successful candidates’ names are posted on a list outside the music room. Copies of the script are available in Rm 007. 

Our next School Council meeting is at 6:30pm on Wednesday Nov 8 in the Staff room (note that this is a new date). In advance of the meeting we are soliciting questions that you would like answered or discussed at the meeting. We have a large parent body with a wide range of concerns and we want to make sure that Council meetings are an effective use of your time. Submit your questions via this link:   https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/XNY5LDD Please make sure you submit prior to 10pm on Thursday, Nov 2 to give us time to compile, distribute and prepare fact-based answers.

Our seventh annual food drive, We Scare Hunger is just around the corner! Your children can drop off canned goods to the box in their classrooms,  starting tomorrow (Thursday October 26) running to Tuesday October 31st . Food Banks Canada has suggested a few key items: •canned fish •canned meat •canned stew •canned soup •canned beans •canned fruit •canned vegetables Food banks are an important method of addressing hunger in Canada. Each month, close to 850,000 people turn to food banks for help; more than one-third are children and youth . Thanks for supporting We Scare Hunger and helping us beat our record of 1,202 lbs! Members of Fern's Me to We

Reminder - Sick Kids Centre for Community Mental Health is sponsoring free parent workshops in November. Click here for the event at the Jarvis location and here for the Sheppard location.

Come by and celebrate the new look for the Junior yard entrance!

Sign up for December Lunches with the order form . Deadline date for meals in December is Thursday, November 16th .

Join us for Math night this Thursday Oct 26th 5:30 - 7:30pm. There will be Interactive activities and games hosted by the grade 8's for the whole family to enjoy. (See map of events ) Food will be available for purchase. Math = Fun!

To support our current review of the School Resource Officer (SRO) Program in TDSB schools, an additional consultation meeting has been arranged with the assistance of our community partners, to seek further input from community members regarding the program. This meeting will take place as follows: SRO Program Community Consultation—Public Meeting Wednesday, 25 October 2017, 6:00 to 7:30 PM Oakdale Community Centre 350 Grandravine Drive, North York ( see map ) All members of the community, including parents and students, are welcome. Light refreshments and child care will be provided. As with other SRO community consultation meetings held across the city over the past month, the focus of this session will be on engaging those voices that have traditionally been marginalized or discounted, while honouring the input of all stakeholders. If you have questions or would like more information, please feel free to contact me. Thank you, Jim Spyropoulos, Executive Superint

Dear Parent/Guardian, Claude Watson School for the Arts offers an enriched arts education for students in grades four through eight who have demonstrated talent in Music, Drama and Visual Arts.  Each day the students divide their time between challenging academic classes and an exceptional arts program that develops their creative potential. Each student auditions for a place in the Claude Watson School for the Arts.  There are 60 places year in Grade 4.  Students interested in placement in grades 5-8 are welcome to audition but there is very limited places available. More information about Claude Watson School for the Arts can be found at www.claudewatson.org Claude Watson will be holding an information session in early November for interested families.  The session will be held on Monday, November 13th starting at 7:00 pm.  the session will be held at Earl Haig Secondary School (100 Princess Ave.) Applications are available online.  the online application system is now open

We’re looking into ways of bringing Mindfulness, Meditation, and Stress Reduction to Fern teachers, students, staff, and families.  Do you meditate, teach yoga, or have another favorite stress reduction activity you’d like to share (such as crafting or tai chi)?  Do you love the neuroscience behind meditation and want to share your knowledge?  Contact Melissa ( melissa@viniyogaconnection.com ) or sign up on our volunteer page tinyurl.com/fernvolunteer . -- Volunteer Page Info: Mindfulness, Meditation, and Stress Reduction Bring mindfulness, meditation, and stress reduction to Fern teachers, staff, students, and families to help build mental focus, reduce stress, and build resiliency. 1.      Organizers – help to organize mindfulness, meditation, stress reduction activities, learning materials, and age appropriate classroom activities. (3 spots) 2.      Teach Fern teachers & staff – help to teach mindfulness, meditation, stress reduction activities to teachers and sta

All Grade 5 Ontario students are eligible to apply to Karen Kain School of the Arts! Please visit the link below for more information. http://schoolweb.tdsb.on.ca/karenkain/Admissions

Audio-Radio-Flight-Space-The Human Body-Robots-Computer Games Programming Sign-up for grade 7/8 students is this Thursday October 19th. Room 313 @ 3:15 p.m

This week (October 16th to 22nd, 2017) marks the beginning of Waste Reduction Week in Canada . The Fern Avenue Eco Team will be promoting its ongoing campaign to encourage waste-free lunches and snacks at the school. A waste-free lunch, or a litterless lunch, is one where all the lunch gear is reusable from the washable cloth napkins to the cutlery to the refillable water bottle. Buying fresh fruit and vegetables, and bulk foods, makes waste-free lunches convenient and affordable for families. The Recycling Council of Ontario has produced some helpful videos that highlight strategies to make lunches and snacks waste-free! Any waste that is created will boomerang back home. Students will be asked to bring all the packaging and food waste home from their lunches. Boomerang lunch programs help families see firsthand the waste produced as well as learn which of the food supplied is actually eaten. If you and your children want to explore the issue further, check out the TDSB EcoSch

Please find the minutes from the last Fern Parent Council Meeting here .

Dear Parent/Guardian, Just a gentle reminder Photo Retake day is Monday, October 30, 2017 beginning shortly after 9:00AM. Please remember these photos are meant only for those students who were absent on the original photo day. Please feel free to contact Vera in the main office should you have any further questions. Thank you.

ALONE IN ROUND CORNERS Auditions will be held at 11:45 in Room 007 on the following dates: October 23 and 24 for actors/singers October 25 for musicians All Grade 7s and 8s are welcome to audition! Please prepare a song of your choice, and sides will be provided for all characters. Click here for the flyer.

Can you bake? Show off your baking skills at our upcoming MATH NIGHT on Thursday October 26. Bake your favorite cake, cookies, cupcakes, pie or other pastry and donate it to make MATH Night an even bigger success! Can’t bake? No problem! Pick up your favourite item at one of our local bakeries and bring your sugary goodness to us. Please drop off all items between 5:00-5:30pm on Thursday October 26 at the bake sale table just outside the main office. Please remember to make or purchase nut-free items only. Questions? Contact Denise Figueiredo at . Thank you for your contributions to Fern Avenue Public School, and our upcoming MATH Night!!!

Parents/Guardians of Children in Junior Kindergarten, You have a choice to make about French programming for your child.   Senior Kindergarten is the ONLY time your child can begin the Early Immersion Program. Applications to the Early French Immersion program are made the year your child is in Junior Kindergarten for entry in September of Senior Kindergarten.  It is an entirely online process. All communication will be sent via the email address you provide.  Please check this email regularly. Please visit the application site www.tdsb.on.ca/pars You will need your child's date of birth and OEN.  The OEN is a 9-digit number found on any report card from the TDSB. For non-TDSB students, please select the "Non-TDSB Student" option and follow the steps to generate an identification number.  You must them return to the PARS site and follow the application procedure with this number, Please select Early French Immersion from the drop-down menu and complete

Fern School Council is happy to host a Family Math Night on Thursday October 26 from 5:30 to 7:30 in the Fern auditorium. This will be a relaxed evening for families to visit Fern, meet other families from the school and to learn how math is not scary or hard but a lot of fun. In order to make this happen, we need help feeding everyone's minds and stomachs. We don't need Einsteins but just people willing to supervise the tables and ensure all the materials are available and understood. Some of the senior students will have already spent time in class to understand the activities and be available at each table. To volunteer for this exciting event, please visit our online signup . For more information, feel free to email . Hope to see you all there!

Hello and Happy Fall, Please review the free parenting workshop flyers for the months of October and November 2017 being offered at either our Jarvis or Sheppard Site locations. Feel free to share the information with colleagues, staff and parents who may be interested and/or could benefit. Please note that registration is required in advance. Childcare may be available and if needed, should be requested at time of registration. Visit our website regularly for updates and more parenting education. Thank you.

Starting tomorrow, Lost and Found items will be on display in the school's front foyer. Please come in before and after school hours, and have a look both at the clothes hanging on the rack and in the wooden bins. We have many hooded sweatshirts and hats, some jackets and quite a few pairs of shoes, boots that would love to be keeping their owners warm and dry! Also, many bathing suits, towels and LUNCH CONTAINERS. Please note that items will be CLEARED AWAY as of Monday, October 16th , and donated to a local clothing bank. Lunch Containers will be disposed of. Thank you for your co-operation in keeping the school tidy and clutter-free.

There will be a Special Thanksgiving Lunch this Thursday for Lunch Program participants! Paula and her staff will be serving Oven Roast Turkey or Tofu, Mashed Potatoes, Dressing, Gravy and Cranberry Sauce. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. If this delicious special lunch makes you wish you had signed up for the program, it is not too late! The November order form, including instructions on how to sign up, can be found here . Signup for November should take place by Monday, October 16th . As a reminder, the menu can be found in the Calendar section of the school blog. Thanks for supporting healthy, delicious food at Fern!