Fern Ave. Public School Blog

Last year, the federal government enacted Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) which prohibits the sending of commercial e-mail to people who have not consented to receive it. Unfortunately, their definition of “commercial” is broad enough so that it could be interpreted to include any messages from the school that promote, advertise or offer for sale anything including: school pictures, yearbooks, uniforms, food programs, event tickets or entry fees, fundraising events or items, or similar events or offers to sell goods and services. Last year we continued using our old mailing list, but excluded such messages from our regular e-mail newsletters. This year, we have decided to build a new, compliant mailing list from scratch, and the TDSB has determined that this requires a signed E-mail Consent Form from every individual who wishes to receive e-mail from the school. These forms were sent home today with your children, but you can also download a copy from  here . If you...

Please note the Parent Council Meeting to be held on Wednesday, October 7th from 6:30 to 8:30 pm has been re located to the  STAFF ROOM  and not the auditorium as initially posted. Child care will be available in the library. (room 212). Thank you.

Dear Parent/Guardian, Student verification forms were sent home for you to review the current information we have on file for students.  Please return the verification forms at your earliest convenience with any corrections or additions to your personal information.   Kindly highlight or add any corrections with a coloured pen. This is very important for our records and for emergency situations.  We also ask that any outstanding forms initially sent home with the "Welcome Back Package" be returned as soon as possible to your child's teacher. We appreciate your support and cooperation with the paperwork and office at this time. Thank you.

Dear Parent/Guardian: Toronto Public Health provides dental programs to children from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 8. The Dental Screening Team will be at Fern from  Wednesday, October 21 to Wednesday, October 28, 2015. To idenify children with oral health problems, a screening program is offered to students in accordance with the Ontario Ministry of Health requirements for mandatory health programs.  The screening is an assessment by a dental hygienist using sterilized instruments.  The dental hygienist will access the need for topical nuoride, scaling, sealant and any other obvious dental needs. As a follow up to the screening, only parents whose children are identified as requiring dental services will be notified.  A note to that effect will be sent home with your child/ren for your information and action.  You may also receive a phone call from T.P.H. dental staff to assist you in accessing care. Please be advised that this screening does not replace the ...

Dear Parents/Guardians, All children aged 12 and under are eligible to ride the TTC for free.  The TTC Child Proof-of-Age card is available for children who may be tall for their age, or appear to be older than 12 years old. Children can carry the card to prove that they are not required to pay fare. Please ask your child to see Vera in the office if this applies to them. Thank you!

Fern Ave P.S is proud to be working with Canadian Musician Feist to deliver backpacks to children and teens with HIV/AIDS in Malawi. A collection bin has been placed outside of the office and we would love for you to drop off your gently used and new backpacks. The deadline for donations is Friday, October the 9th . If you have any questions, please contact Kim Morrison at kimmymorrison39@yahoo.com Read on for the letter from Leslie Feist explaining the project:

Please click here for the September newsletter.

Fern Ave. P.S. is holding its annual Terry Fox Run on Friday, Sept. 25 (with a rain date of Monday, Sept. 28 ). This is a great opportunity to learn about Terry Fox and his story and to use his examples of perseverance, dedication and empathy to follow. The JK/SK students will have their running activity in the morning. Students in Grades 4-6 will run from 1:00 to 1:20; Grades 1-3 will run from 1:40 to 2:00 and Grades 7-8 will run from 2:45 to 3:15. Family members who are available and interested are welcome to join their child/children for this event. Please check in with your child's teacher when arriving. 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 . Families who have collected pledges or who wish to make a small donation can drop it off directly to the office. Please do not give money or forms to teachers. Thank you very much, Andrew Fennell Archdekin

Come and see what is new this year at Fern! Parent Council Meeting Wednesday October 07 6:30 - 8:30pm Auditorium (Across the hall from the main office) Childcare will be provided. Exciting roles are available on the Parent Council Executive. We will be electing a new executive committee at this meeting, including: Chair/Co Chairs, Vice Chair, Treasurer, Secretary and Ward 7 Representative. Please look for the memo that will be sent home Monday September 21st . If you are interested in seeking a role, please send a small blurb about yourself & the role you are interested in and submit to the office by Thursday October 1st. The School Council meeting is a forum for parents, caregivers, the principal and others to discuss school issues and ways to improve the school. The Council also fundraises to help provide classroom programs in art, music and science, just to name a few. Each member at the Council meeting has a vote so please come out and support Fern!

Dear Parents/Guardians: Student Safety is of utmost importance and parents need to be notified as soon as possible if their child has not arrived at school. The Safe Arrival Program complies with the  Education Act  and related Ministry of Education policies in respect of student attendance in order to maximize students’ academic success and well-being.     Many of you are now aware Fern Avenue PS has moved to an automated safe arrival program.    Automation will allow our families to be contacted in a timely manner allowing us to confirm absences much sooner than using a manual system.  This system reports allows us to better track student absences/lates and also help to send messages to the parents/guardians regarding their child’s attendance in a timely manner.   The system call-out will work as follows:   Parents/guardians identified in TDSB’s Student Information Systems who has access to student records, and emergency co...