Fern Ave. Public School Blog

It’s back! The local shopping event you’ve been waiting for. The wonderful folks at our neighbourhood toy store Scooter Girl have once again partnered with Fern Avenue School Council to bring you Fern Holiday Shopping Days. If you shop at Scooter Girl December 6 and December 7, let them know you are a Fern parent, and a percentage of your purchase will go back to Fern Ave. School Council. We use the store credit to buy merchandise later in the year for things like Fun Fair prizes, or Spring Fling Silent Auction items. It’s a great deal for Fern, and we love to support businesses in the neighbourhood. Hope to see you at Scooter Girl! School Council Exec

Calling all bakers! We need your festive and delicious treats for Fern Fun Flicks' showing of The Grinch this Thursday, December 5 ! Let us know if you can provide some nut-free goodies for the bake sale table (drop off at the Office during the day on Thursday until 5:45pm). If you have any questions, please email Romina at: romina.maggi@gmail.com Thanks and hope to see you Thursday!

The Winter Concert on Thursday December 12th at Parkdale CI, from 6:30-7:30 pm will have the following order of performances: -Grades 3/4 Mme Nave and Ms. Flengeris-Richards classes under the direction of Ms. Jolic and Mme Hulsman -Gr. 4/5 extended french class Mme Tse under the direction of Mr. Ruttan -Primary Choir under the direction of Ms. Heller, Mr. Nano, Mme Hulsman -Gr. 4/5 extended french class Mme Mably's under the direction of Mr. Ruttan -Mr. Nano's music classes Ms. Ashforth class, Mr. Ben Ahmed class, Mme Reimer class, Mme Hall class, Mme Balaisis class also accompanied by some senior band students , under the direction of Mr. Nano -Senior Band under the direction of Mr. Cancellara -Jr/Senior Strings under the direction of Mr. Worden Dress rehearsal for this concert will be on Wednesday, December 11th from 9:30-11:30 AM at Parkdale CI. Kindergarten Winter Concert: Friday, December 13th from 2:15-2:45 pm in the auditorium. Senior Bands at Fern

What a fantastic turnout for our First Fern Craft Market today! There was much excitement in seeing the many wonderful local vendors, and not to mention our amazing student vendors. Thank you to all our parents, staff and students who helped organize this very successful event. We hope to see this as an annual affair at Fern!

...But you cannot keep Fern Fun Flicks from coming! Join us on Thursday, the 5th of December (there’s a PA Day Friday, you might remember). So come for a movie, popcorn, and treat. We’ll even have pizza if that’s what you eat! But we need volunteers to bring all this good cheer, to Who girls and Who boys from far and from near. So please sign up below for an hour or two, or if you have one, send your teenaged Who. $5 bucks at the door, includes the movie and more!** There is no other place that you’d rather be...just as long as we have we. (**ticket price includes popcorn) https://signup.com/client/invitation2/secure/3100215/false#/invitation

Santa is making an early visit to Roncesvalles! Santa will be at Willem and Jools, 125 Roncesvalles Ave., Sunday, December 8th from 1-3pm . There will be hot cider and cookies, and Fern mum Lindsay Barrowscliffe of Small Ant Productions will be taking Santa photos (kids, families, dogs...). Proceeds from photo sales will go to Fern School Council to help fund Fern’s great extra-programs. Pay what you can (suggested price for photos $10). While you’re there, check out Willem and Jools’ beautiful selection of Ontario grown Christmas trees! Look forward to seeing you! Willem and Jools and Santa’s Helpers from Fern Ave. P.S.

Inspired by Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg, young people from around the world have joined the  Fridays for Future  movement and are showing their support by participating in climate change rallies. Another student climate change rally is planned for Friday, November 29 at Queen’s Park. Click here for more information.

Dear Parents/Guardians of Children in Grade Three, You have a choice to make about French programming for your child. Your child can begin a Junior Extended French Program starting in Grade 4. What is the Junior Extended French (GR.4) Program? -half of the day is in French and half of the day is in English. -The subjects taught in French are Language, Social Studies and The Arts. -the subjects taught in English are English Language Arts, Math and Science. Please note: the students in the Junior Extended French Program do not blend with the students from the Early French Immersion Program (SK entry). To find the Junior Extended French school for your area, please visit the following website and enter the name of your English school in the designated search window: www.tdsb.on.ca/ElementarySchool/SchoolChoices/FrenchPrograms Applications to the Junior Extended French are made the year your child is in Grade 3 for entry in September of Grade 4. It is an enti

Click here for information about the Fern Chess Club held on Tuesdays at lunch.

Fern will be entering both a junior and senior hockey team again this year, a sport very popular with our students and parents in our community. Currently we have signed up students interested, and have completed our hockey ranking forms for our TDSB school leagues. Our school has booked ice time for practices/try-outs for both junior and senior teams at McCormick arena. Our senior students will have their ice hockey practices on December 3rd and 17th , and the junior students will practice December 4th and 18th . All practices/try-outs are at 3:45-4:45pm at McCormick arena. Our league games will be played in January and February. The schedules will be posted as soon as we receive them. Our staff coaching this year are Sarantos Katsihtis with the senior team, and Chris Enticknap with the juniors. We also have two experienced coaches/parents with our teams, Derek Allen with the seniors and Darcy Callahan with the juniors. Permission forms with more details will be given out at o

Give the gift of reading!  Want to purchase more great books for your child's classroom? There are still many ways to give the gift of reading, and 20% of book drive sales will go back to Fern to purchase more books for our classrooms! There are three ways you can purchase books for your child's class: 1. Purchase a book online through Another's Story's website, https://www.anotherstory.ca/?q=p.book_drive . Select your child's grade level and choose a book from the list of amazing titles. 2. Visit Another Story bookstore in person and tell staff you are there for the Fern book drive. They'll help you purchase a book for your child's class from their Fern booklist. Another Story's address and hours are here . 3. Donate money through School Cash Online. We will use your donation to purchase books from the Another Story list. Login to School Cash Online and select "Make a Donation." Click "Fund Destination" to find Fern Ave. Ju

Win one of three huge baskets of wine, craft beer & premium spirits There are only a few days left to get your tickets for Fern’s #GRAD2020 Deluxe Wine Raffle ! Each ticket is your chance to win one of three baskets of wine, craft beer and premium spirits (more than what is shown in the photos!) That’s your holiday celebrations and gift giving all sorted! Please reach out to friends, family and neighbours to invite them to purchase tickets too. Tickets are $10 each or 3 for $20 ; all proceeds ensure our graduation celebrations remain accessible to all Grade 8 students. The winning tickets will be drawn this Saturday November 30th at the close of Fern’s Artisan Market; all winners will be contacted by email or phone. Don’t miss out! Get your tickets this week with a quick email to jkdossett@gmail.com OR in-person at Fern’s Artisan Market, Saturday, November 30th from 10am-3pm. Good luck in the draw! Thank you on behalf of Fern's graduating students and the #GRAD2

Just a few more volunteers are required to help ensure our Raffle and Bake Sale can successfully raise much-needed funds for Fern's graduation ceremonies. Two or three adults are needed for this Saturday from 12noon-2:30pm (or part thereof) for this super-fun, easy role. Sign up today at https://signup.com/client/invitation2/secure/3081762/false#/invitation or reach out to jkdossett@gmail.com Thank you on behalf of Fern's graduating students and the #GRAD2020 committee.

Interested in getting more involved in School Council?   We are still looking for a STEM Chair, Fun Fair Leads and general volunteers to help with all of the amazing events at Fern.  Click here for more information and to sign up.    Email us with any questions. 

Looking to unload some of that gear that is collecting dust? Looking to pick up some used gear? The Fern community has been asking us to do this for awhile, so now we're giving it a shot. I HAVE GEAR, WHERE DO I BRING IT? We are accepting GOOD USED CONDITION ski gear, skates, bikes, hockey equipment, winter coats, etc. Please bring your equipment for the swap & sale to Fern on FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 29 from 8am-8pm . HOW DOES IT WORK? There is a $2 charge for each item entered into the swap, and School Council will keep a 30% commission on sold gear to help run our great School Council programs! YOU decide the price of your items. HOW DO I BUY GEAR? Doors open for the Gear Swap in the Fern Cafeteria Saturday November 30th at 10:00am and it runs until 2:00PM. ADMISSION IS FREE. This is a one day event only. We will have a Square on hand, so we will be able to accept cash and credit cards. WHAT IF MY KIDS NEED A SNACK AFTER ALL THAT SKATE SHOPPING? The First Annual

Not too long ago, Diya Jeethan, one of our Grade 1 students, happened to see a news clip about a 1 and a half year old child called Baby Eva who has a rare disease muscular disease called Spinal Muscular Atrophy or SMA. The treatment for this disease is a whopping 2 million dollars! Baby Eva’s parents are unable to afford this medicine and have appealed to people to donate what they can so they can see their child celebrate her second birthday. Diya is hoping that everyone at Fern will donate at least a loonie or a toonie so they can help baby Eva get this life-saving drug. She has been going from class to class speaking about Baby Eva and to support her cause, some students have made posters to spread the word. Thanks to the empathy and initiative of Diya and so many kind students at Fern, the collection box for Baby Eva has already begun jingling! If you’d like more information on this story, please feel free to click on: https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/why-a-life-saving-drug-for

Looking for a way to get in the holiday spirit? Feeling Grinch-ey because your child is not in/is in too many holiday concerts? Sick of shopping/procrastinating from shopping? Just wish the kids would curl up in their pjs and watch a movie? This event is for you! Fern Fun Flicks presents The Grinch (the Benedict Cumberbatch version) Thursday, December 5th, 6:30p.m . The next day is PA Day, so put your kids in their pyjamas, come see a movie, eat some pizza, get a treat at the bake sale, and enjoy some festive family fun. Watch the blog for information on how and when to get tickets. School Council Exec and Arts Collective

We hope you can join us on November 30th from 10am - 3pm for our Winter Artisan Market! We have over 25 artisan vendors selling Pottery, Cards, Jewelry, Handmade soap, Japanese Rice Balls, Olive Oil and much more. We also have several student vendors who will be selling everything from bath bombs to bracelets. Sip on some warm apple cider while shopping for family and friends. Chat with your neighbours and enjoy some delicious bake goods at our bake sale. For a seek peek at our vendors check us out on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/events/735592496883357/ or on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/fern_winter_artisan_market/

Dear Parents/Guardians, Please be advised that the Junior Winter Concert on Thursday, December 12, 2019 will be held at Parkdale Collegiate Institute from 6:30 to 7:30PM. The concert is for students in grades 4 to 6, including the grade 3/4 splits. Thank you.

Collect your batteries and bring them to the Fern School office. Our used batteries will be delivered to Teck, an organization that extracts the zinc from batteries so that it can be made into Zinc tablets. Did you know that 5.6 million children under 5 die each year from Zinc deficiency? Help save lives in rural Kenya AND reduce harmful landfill. Our goal is to collect 2,000 batteries and the drive runs through the month of November. Thank you for supporting the Me to We Club!

The Fern Ave PS Winter Artisan Market is coming up on November 30th and we are looking for a few volunteers. If you are interested in volunteering please sign up here: https://signup.com/go/ATdHWgy (Please note: regarding hanging posters -- this can be done anytime next week so if you are able to do this role, please sign up and we will connect with you to give you the posters) Also please like and share the Facebook event page with your friends and neighbours! https://www.facebook.com/events/735592496883357/

Thanks to the generous donations of Grade 7 & 8 families, we have $600 worth of wine and craft beer for our Grad 2020 fundraiser! Coming to meet your student's teacher this week? Watch for #GRAD2020 volunteers selling tickets for the Wine/Craft Beer Raffle! Each ticket is your chance to win one of three prize baskets of delicious wines & craft beers (valued at ~$200 each)! $10 per ticket or 3 tickets for $20 (cash only) ; what a deal for a prize basket like this! All proceeds support the graduation celebrations for our terrific Class of 2020. The more tickets we sell, the closer we get to our goal of making it a cost-free experience for Fern's graduating students. Tickets will be available at the November 30th Artisan Market and Gear Swap , or anytime from jkdossett@gmail.com . Please consider taking a stack to sell to friends, family and neighbours; everyone over 19 is eligible to purchase tickets! Winners will be contacted after the draw at the Novemb

Robin Pilkey, our Trustee and Chair of the TDSB, will be joining us at our School Council meeting Thursday, November 21, 6:30 PM in the Auditorium. As always, there’s no secret handshake or special membership required. Any parent or caregiver in the Fern Ave P.S. community is welcome to join us.  We’ll have pizza available, and provided we know you plan on bringing your children, we will arrange childcare. If you have specific questions or topics you’d like to discuss, please contact us at   fernaveschoolcouncil@gmail.com . Please RSVP to let us know if you plan to attend so we can plan childcare and pizza. Hope to see you November 21! School Council Exec

A small group from Me to We organized their own food drive this year.    Click here to find out more about this amazing group!

Help support a great #GRAD2020 for our Gr8 students by purchasing Wine/Beer Raffle Tickets, on sale this week! Your ticket is your chance to win one of our prize baskets of wines and craft beers, just in time for the post-report-card, uh, I mean, holiday season. Watch for volunteer ticket sellers at Parent/Teacher Interviews this week or reach out to jkdossett@gmail.com to purchase. $10 per ticket, 3 tickets for $20; all proceeds to support the graduation celebrations for terrific Gr8 students. Take a booklet of 10 tickets to sell to friends, family and neighbours. After all, with more than one prize basket available, any ticket might be a winning one! The more we sell, the less we’ll have to fundraise for the rest of the year.  The draw will be held at the end of the Artisan Market on November 30. Doesn’t the idea of winning a basket of wine and tasty craft beers sound good right about now? Gr7/8 families: Haven’t dropped off your wine/craft beer donation yet? Monday is the

The TDSB is undertaking a review of secondary schools to ensure all students have equitable access to programs and opportunities, as close to home as possible. As part of this review, the Board is also reviewing the Optional Attendance Policy (P013), which allows students to apply to schools other than their designated school by home address.   There will be a public meeting on   November 14, 7 PM   at   Western Technical-Commercial School, 125 Evelyn Crescent , Cafeteria to consult on both Optional Attendance Policy (P013) and Secondary Program Review.   In addition to the public consultation, on November 14, an online survey asking all stakeholder groups similar questions to those being asked at the public meetings will be made available on the   Secondary Program Review   web page. This survey will be online until January 31, 2020.   The Optional Attendance draft policy has been posted on the TDSB public site. To provide feedback, please visit the   Policy Consultation

Looking for volunteer bakers to make our baked goods table its usual display of decadence and deliciousness! Please contact rachel.gruet@gmail.com for details on how to get involved. Thank you!

Fern School Council’s Equity and Inclusion Committee has partnered with local bookstore, Another Story , to develop an updated list of unique books that will reflect the diversity of our student population and let them see themselves. These books focus on equity, inclusion, and diversity. We want to raise funds to put a range of these books in your child’s classroom where they will be accessible to everyone. Between now and December 20 there are three ways to give the gift of reading: 1. Come to the Another Story book fair at Fern Ave Public School during parent-teacher interviews to purchase books directly for your child's classroom from the Another Story list. Thursday, November 14th 3:30pm – 8 pm and Friday November 15th 9am – 12pm 2. You should have received a notification through School Cash Online for an optional $10 item purchase (listed under your child's name). Click the link, and these funds will go to purchase books from the Another Story list. 3. If you

The School Councils of Fern, Garden, Howard, and Parkdale are putting together a neighbourhood parent social this coming Friday, November 8 . This is more of a community builder than a big ticket fundraiser - any money raised will go to a school in need. What is it? An excuse to go out for an evening with your friends and neighbours! We'll have music (including live music), an open mike, a cash bar, and a dance floor. Let us know if you want to perform! When? Friday, November 8, 2019, 7:30pm-12am Where? St.Casimir’s Church Hall, 156 Roncesvalles Ave. How Much? Tickets are $10, and can be purchased at the door, or follow the link on Eventbrite* https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/7801731890 1 *if you can’t make it and want support the event, you can still buy a ticket online! Interested in helping out? We need plenty of volunteers. Check out the list of volunteers needed here: https://signup.com/mobileweb/2.0/vspot.html?activitykey=27019646769164027#anonymous_invit

Support our senior students’ graduation celebrations by donating to Fern’s upcoming Wine/Craft Beer Raffle ! We are asking families of grade 7s and 8s to bring in a bottle or two of your favourite wines, craft beers, (or LCBO gift card) to the Office before 4pm this Friday, November 8th . Please donate generously - the more donations you bring, the more prizes there are to win ! Want to donate but can't get to the Office during regular office hours? No worries - simply email Julie: jkdossett@gmail.com for three handy local drop-off alternatives. Thank you for supporting Grade 8 graduation celebrations! Graduation Committee

The Junior "Bands at Fern" will be performing this Friday, November 8th at 10:30 am in the auditorium. Parents are welcome to attend. We look forward to this event each year!

Join us on November 14-15 for a book fair to stock our classrooms with diverse books and literature! When: Thursday, November 14th from 3:30-8:00pm and Friday, November 15th from 9am to noon . Where: The school foyer just outside the main office. This is an initiative brought to you by our parent and school Equity committees. This is an opportunity to stock up our classroom book libraries with rich texts that reflect all of our student population.

Please be advised that we have had increasing serious injuries with regards to the use of the Maypole and have reported these incidents to the Board. The most recent was a complex broken arm that required emergency surgery and the student is still not back at school due to the serious and complex nature of this breakage. As a result, the Board is sending their equipment inspectors to the school and we will keep you posted as to the results of the inspection. Also, we are reminding our teachers on duty to keep a very close eye on the Maypole and that we limit the number of students on it at a time.

All of our students enjoyed a variety of Halloween activities and a great indoor parade! A little rain did not dampen their Halloween spirits. Thank you to all the teachers, parents, guardians, family and community members that came out to support our students.