Fern Ave. Public School Blog

Create with us!  Nothing says fall like crisp apples, cool nights and crunchy leaves. Art in Action wants to enjoy this season of change with you! Come paint with us and join our Fall Harvest Art Lessons. We have 4 unique paintings to try and students will learn about famous artists and techniques to make their own great works of art.   · Art in Action delivers the art materials to your home   · Students create along with a teacher live online   · Students can ask questions and interact    · Parents can choose a variety of days and class times  When children participate in art:  · It helps them communicate through creative expression  · It has a positive effect on mental health  · It helps children concentrate and focus  · They learn that every problem has multiple solutions  Register Today! Please click here for Fall Harvest Art Lessons or email us ...

This year the Terry Fox Run will be held over the course of the school week f rom Monday, September 28th - Friday, October 2nd.   Students will walk, jog and run with their respective classes around the school track and at Sorauren Field while learning about the values which Terry Fox stood for: fitness, perseverance, dedication and empathy. All Fern students will participate and donations are optional.  Families who wish to donate to the Terry Fox Foundation can do so online at www.terryfox.org . Please note there will be no cash donations, all pledges are to be done through the fundraising page.

  Dear Parents of our Senior Students, We have now completed almost two weeks of back to school, in a year when it is   not   business as usual. We are so happy to have the students back in our building, but some are having challenges with complying with the new rules mandated by Toronto Public Health and the Toronto District School Board implemented for the safety of themselves and others.  We continue to be deeply concerned about students who are not following the rules when they are outside, particularly the physical distancing rules.  Students need mask breaks when they are outside, but this is when it is of utmost importance that they practice physical distancing and remain at least 2m apart. A few in each class need   constant   reminders to: Put their masks above their nose Arrive on school property with a mask while in close proximity of others.  Social distancing and not touch each other during free play We would like to share t...

PLEASE NOTE THE DATE CHANGE FOR THE WELL BEING WEBINAR TO   OCTOBER 5 Fern P.S. School Council, together with our friends at the Parkdale P.S. School Council present...   Supporting Child & Family Well-Being During COVID-19,   OCTOBER 5 , 2020 06:30 PM, ZOOM  COVID-19 has represented a time of large social upheaval for all families. With that has come feelings of uncertainty and stress for many children and families. In this workshop, Dr. Heather Prime will provide parents/caregivers with the tools to build resilience within the family. Topics will include:  How caregivers can recognize children’s distress and help them to cope with feelings that come up, and when to seek professional support  How caregivers can promote healthy family relationships  How caregivers can support their own well-being   Dr. Prime is an Assistant Professor and Clinical Psychologist in the Department of Psychology at York University. Her research and teaching ar...

The TDSB takes its direction from Toronto Public Health. Please see their new   Decision Guide  to determine what steps to take following the self-assessment.   Working together to keep our students, staff and community safe is our goal at all times! Yours in partnership, R. Sardella Principal/Directrice

It has been a hard week at Fern, particularly for the families of children and the teachers who are isolated. We know everyone is concerned about their own child's well being, but we are asking you to see the big picture and to think of how you can help the broader community.  Minimize Your Contacts   Whether your child is in a class of 15 or 28, whether you have 1 child or 4, please reduce your close contacts. You don't know how many kids in your child's class have siblings, whose parent or caregiver might be a front-line worker, whose parent might be at risk, or who lives with a grandparent. We have spent a lot of time worrying about class size, but it is only one piece of the puzzle. A small class doesn't help you or your child's classmates if your close contacts outside school remain wide.  Not all of us can be in a room of 20, and not all of us can choose to work from home. However, we can all choose to keep our contacts outside of work and school as lim...

Hello Fern Family,  It has been a tough day. As the school has indicated, we had our first confirmed COVID-19 case at Fern. Firstly, we have been expecting this. We are in a pandemic, and the virus did not take the summer off. The numbers were on the rise before school returned and community cases are to be expected.  We know this is scary, but what is important is how we respond as a community, and what steps we take to care for our kids and each other. That is why we are all reducing our bubbles, wearing masks, keeping our distance, washing our hands, and doing what we can to help one another by keeping kids home if they aren't feeling well.  We all need to respond calmly and collaboratively to contain the issue and support our kids.  Here's what we're asking you to do as a community:  Do not panic . The fact we know there is a case means the system is working . A family identified the symptoms, got tested, notified the school, and now the school is worki...

Hello Fern Families, It's that time of year again -- we need class reps to help us communicate with you! This year more than ever, communication within individual classes will be important. We've had a few veterans return, but we still have a few empty spots. If you have a child in one of the following classes, and you would like to be a communication conduit (and occasional organizer of end of term gifts if you're feeling ambitious), please let us know at fernaveschoolcouncil@gmail.com Apologies in advance if you have already sent one of us an email, or nabbed us in the playground to grab one of these spots. or, if you've already worked something out with the teacher directly to be class rep, please let us know ASAP so we don't double-staff.  Ms. Foster 110 JK/SK  Ms. Heller 109 JK/SK  Ms. Jolic 104U JK/SK  Ms. Nitsis 213 1/2  Ms. Eyre 208 2/3  Ms. Sanchez McAuley 311 6/7  Mme Gilmore 102  SK Mme Oda 104L  SK Mme Roch 209 2  Mme Cen...

It's not too late to RSVP for our first School Council Meeting.  Slight change of plans -- we will be holding it via Zoom. If you've already RSVP'd and haven't received a confirmation email, do not fret, we haven't sent out the log-in details yet.  Please RSVP to fernaveschoolcouncil@gmail.com by 3pm Thursday September 24 .  Best,  School Council Exec

Fern Ave P.S. Parents and Caregivers:  Please join us for our first School Council meeting of the year. Open to all parents and caregivers. No membership card, no secret handshake, and this year, no leaving your house required.  Our meetings will be remote for the foreseeable future. We will provide details for sign-in at a later date. Meanwhile, please RSVP to Fernaveschoolcouncil@gmail.com to let us know you are coming.  While we have a wide range of issues to cover, please let us know if you have a specific question you want addressed no later than September 23 .  Look forward to seeing you remotely.  School Council Exec

Please click here to access Fern's updated Handbook for the upcoming school year.

Please note, this is NOT an official communication from the school, TDSB or TPH. This is a well-intentioned note from the parents on the Safe Return to School Committee, (including some with expertise in public health), with suggestions of what we can do to help keep each other safe and well. We aren't intending to add a bunch of new rules for you, but wanted to share some practical tips on things you can do to help keep the cohort healthy. Starting now, you too can help keep our Fern Ave. P. S. community safe! We are facing the biggest single turning point since the pandemic started in March. We understand that many of you are stressed and anxious about what will happen in the coming weeks. You may not be happy with class sizes or other reopening plans, but we can assure you that Rosanna and her team are doing everything they can – as fast as they can – to address concerns and get all necessary information to families. While we wait, there are things we can do to prepare o...