Fern Ave. Public School Blog

Please find attached a FLYER with pertinent information regarding a Pool Update at Fern P.S. and upcoming meetings regarding the Fern pool. uploads/PoolFlyer.PDF

Very Important Crossing Guard Changes 1. The pedestrian crossing at Galley Avenue and Roncesvalles is going to be closed Sept.28 for excavation. The crossing guard is being relocated from Pearson Avenue and Roncesvalles to Garden Avenue and Roncesvalles for September 28th only. The crossing guard will be back at Galley Avenue and Roncesvalles on September 29th 2.) The pedestrian crossing at Marmaduke Avenue and Roncesvalles will be moved to Howard Park from Sept. 30th to October 7th If your children walk across Roncesvalles, you are strongly encouraged to walk your children to school.

The following committees are run by parent volunteers under the Fern School Council. New members are always welcome. Communications Committee Eco Team Arts Committee Playground Committee Math, Science, and Engineering Fern Food Program Advisory Committee To learn more or to contact the members of a specific committee, click here . Or choose "School Council Committees" from our Links menu.

The Fern Pool was re-opened by the TDSB Board on Wednesday September 23, 2009. The projected day to open is as close to October 12/09 as possible. Our pool is operational, which means the facility itself is functional and can be used by permits only at this point. It is not yet staffed by the TDSB, and we are working toward having it staffed (caretaker and lifeguards) by October 12, 2009 . To keep our pool open, we still have the issue of the shortfall of permit revenue. Our parent group and Aquatics Working Group (AWG) are still brainstorming on how to generate more than $15,000 to keep the pool open. To ensure that our pool remains open, we must work collectively with our community to address further risk of pool closure. There is an AWG meeting scheduled for Tuesday September 29, 2009, from 5 - 7 pm at the Canadian Tire Conference Centre located at 2200 Yonge Street, 3rd Floor . The meeting will be held by David Crombie to bring the Toronto Community together to develop str

As many of our community members already know, Fern Avenue Public School produces a monthly newsletter. We do our very best to communicate updates, upcoming events, good news stories, showcase student work and provide parents with information pertaining to school events, school initiatives, school sports and much more. We also encourage our community to read the newsletter on-line. As an ECO school we are trying to do our part in producing as few paper copies as possible. We hope that you enjoy reading our first newsletter of the year! uploads/SeptemberNewsletter2009.pdf

It’s Time For Our QSP Magazine Fundraiser! PLEASE SUPPORT OUR BIGGEST FUNDRAISER OF THE YEAR! Proceeds from the magazine sale support programs and activities at Fern Ave PS that benefit our children, including Scientists and Artists in the School, improvements to the playground and much much more! This year’s fundraiser is taking place from Tuesday September 22nd to Tuesday October 6th. Please refer to the catalogue that your child brought home for the selection of great magazines. For your convenience orders can also be made on-line at www.qsp.ca, our School’s GROUP NUMBER is: 9160 All questions about the fundraiser can be e-mailed to Andre Breau at abreau@look.ca . Make a DIFFERENCE! We need your help more than ever! Please Support our biggest Fundraiser of the Year!

Here is something worth marking on your calendar. Please read the attached information. uploads/HumanTrainPosterFAQ.pdf

Saturday September 26, 2009 HUMAN TRAIN FOR CLEAN AIR Main Rally at Sorauren Park, 1 PM Plan to hop on board the Human Train to send a message to scrap plans to run hundreds of polluting diesel trains a day through our neighbourhoods, and direct Metrolinx to use only clean, quiet electric trains for any expansion of rail traffic along the Georgetown corridor. The Route of the Human Train The Human Train will get rolling in Weston at 8:30 am with “Whistle Stops” in a number of communities along the way. People will gather in Sorauren Park at 1:00pm to welcome the Human Train for the Main Rally of the day! At 2:30, the Human Train will leave Sorauren Park for a parade through Queen West. We urge everyone to join us at SORAUREN PARK for this family-friendly main event at 1:00 pm. We will all gather together in the largest park beside the railway tracks to demonstrate the strength

Fern Avenue Public School 128 Fern Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M6R 1K3 Tel: (416) 393-9130 September 16, 2009 Very Important Crossing Guard Change for Sept. 17th The pedestrian crossing at Galley Avenue and Roncesvalles is going to be closed Sept. 16 and Sept. 17th for water main repairs. The crossing guard is being relocated from Pearson Avenue and Roncesvalles to Garden Avenue and Roncesvalles for September 17th only. The crossing guard will be back at Galley Avenue and Roncesvalles on September 18th If your children walk across Roncesvalles, you are strongly encouraged to walk your children to school.

TTC Photo Day for our senior students will take place October 14, 2009 (AM) at Fern Avenue Public School. TTC FARE OVERVIEW: Student fare privileges are only available to teenage students who are 19 years of age or under at the commencement of the school year, effective September 8, 2009. Students must attend regular full-time classes at approved schools up to and including the high school level in Toronto. Children's fares are available to students 12 years of age or under -- a Student Discount Card is not required. We strongly suggest, however that any students about to turn 13 years of age obtain a card during the October photo visit. A letter to parents will be distributed approximately one week prior to the TTC Photo Day from the Fern P.S. office.

The Fern School Student Eco-Team had their first meeting on September 15, 2009 and they have identified the need for more blue/gray recycle bins in the classrooms. If you have any of these laying around the house please drop them off at the school office. Once again the school achieved Gold Certification and the Fern Eco-Team and school community are striving to maintain this fantastic achievement. Submitted by Joanne Somers , Fern Eco-Team

In consultation with the TDSB Grounds Staff, we will determine when the grass has had sufficient time to take root. At that point we will have the fence removed around our new grass in the senior yard. Parents have been inquiring as to when this will happen, and we continue to keep you up dated as we hear from the TDSB Grounds Staff. We hope to have the fence removed by the end of October for all of our students to enjoy. We appreciate your continued support with this.

Attached you will find an Athletic Calendar produced by the TDSB. It shares information as to when conferences, finals, championships and other pertinent dates/athletics take place. We hope that you find this of interest. uploads/TDESAA%20Calendar.pdf

Dear Parents/Guardians, The date on the Student Media Release form sent out in the Student Package last week reflected the 2007-2008 school year. A new Student Media Release form will be sent home today reading 2009-2010. We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused. Please return the form back to your child's teacher. Thank You!

FERN AVENUE P.S CURRICULUM NIGHT THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 17, 2009 6:30-7:00pm Visit Classrooms 7:00-7:30pm Gathering In the Auditorium Meet The Faculty More Information About Curriculum 7:30-8:00pm Parent Council Meet & Greet Looking Forward To Seeing You There! Stay Tuned….More Information to Come!

The Human Train for Clean Air ride/march organized by the Clean Train Coalition will be making a "whistle stop" at Sorauren Park on Saturday Sept. 26. Indeed, the Sorauren stop is shaping up to be the major event of the day. Event organizers have put out a call for volunteers. Below are the needs; if you can spare an hour or two or contribute skills, please e-mail the contact person indicated. Many thanks! More details on the march and many upcoming Sorauren events are posted on our web site: http://www.soraurenpark.com Volunteer Needs for Sorauren Park Whistle Stop of the Human Train for Clean Air March Pre-event:Flyering and distributing drop cards in Brockton, Sorauren and Roncey areas (various dates, including Sept 19/20 at the Polish Festival on Roncesvalles): 10 people needed. Contact lancedixon@rogers.com for details and schedules.At the event at Sorauren Park, Sept. 26:Volunteers will be needed from about 12:30pm-2:30pm on Sept 26th.Contact farzanadoctor@rogers.com

Welcome Back for another school year! Please find attached staffing changes, room numbers and additional information to start off the new school year! uploads/BLOGWelcomeBackLetter.doc

Fern Avenue Public School 128 Fern Avenue Toronto, Ontario M6R 1K3 Tel: (416) 393-9130 Dear Parents/Guardians, The safety of our students is of utmost importance. As you know, Roncesvalles is under construction. I have been in contact with the police, construction manager, and crossing guard coordinator with regard to the traffic flow and pedestrian crossovers and crosswalks. For those students who have to cross Roncesvalles, I would strongly suggest that you walk your children to school. I also encourage all parents when possible to walk their children to school to avoid any traffic congestion on Fern Avenue with back up of cars turning onto Roncesvalles. For the upcoming week of September 7, 2009: the following is an update on the intersections along Roncesvalles Avenue with crossing guards. 1. Galley Avenue - pedestrian cross-over is open. 2. Fern Avenue - the intersection, including the pedestrian cross-over, is closed. The intersection is anticipated to be re-opened during the

It's the 2009 - 2010 School Year at Fern! Communications Update: The Communications Committee at Fern is made up of parent volunteers. This year, the Communications Committee will continue to work with the school office, teachers and parents in an effort to increase the flow of communication to the website. If you have any information you want to share with the school community, send a message to fernnoticeboard ( at ) gmail ( dot ) com . Join our Mailing List: To join, visit http://schools.tdsb.on.ca/fern/mail and sign up. If you were on the mailing list last year, you do not need to sign up again. Save Trees : The principal and staff at Fern Public School produce a monthly newsletter, in an effort to cut down the amount of paper used by the school, it is now posted on the website instead. If you prefer a paper copy, contact the office at 416-393-9130.

As we start off the new school year, I'd like to share with you the results of the communications survey that the communications committee conducted by email in June. The main themes of the survey results were: - high approval for electronic communications (this Notice Board and the email list) - a wish for more information about school activities, including classroom updates, after-school clubs and sports team tryouts - more advance notice of upcoming events For full survey results, click here . Amy Stein , communications committee member (parent volunteer)