Fern Ave. Public School Blog

As you may already be aware, the CBC is having a songwriting contest. It picks a street in every province and has someone write a song about it. Julie Black will be creating a song for the province of Ontario. It's been narrowed down to five streets and the CBC listeners must vote by the end of the week to decide on one street. Wildly, the street that's presently at the top of the heap is Roncesvalles Ave. Wouldn't it be neat if the students and families of Fern, Garden and Howard schools voted for this street in their neighbourhood? We think it would be great. Kate Brown & Brian Groombridge , parents

Fern Avenue students will be checked for head lice by Public Health on Thursday, October 7 , 2010, beginning at 9:15 am. Vera Ciric , school office

Once again Fern Avenue Public School is pleased to be hosting its annual Terry Fox run/walk on Thursday, September 30, 2010 (rain date: Friday, October 1st). All monies raised through our event will be forwarded to the Terry fox Foundation to further the cause of cancer research. Our event will take place on school grounds similar to previous years. Primary, junior and senior students will participate in the event in the afternoon, while JK/SK students will participate separately with their own classes. All students will participate with their class as part of their Physical Education and Health program. Students are encouraged to voluntarily donate “a toonie for Terry” but this is optional. Any donation is welcome. Cheques over $20 will be issued a receipt for tax purposes from the Terry Fox Foundation. Please ensure that your address is available on the cheque or included with the cheque. Thank you. We are very proud to be associated with the Terry Fox Foundation and belie

FROM: Chris Spence , Director of Education Many of us have witnessed over the last few days news reports about a horrific fire that left the apartment building at 200 Wellesley Street uninhabitable and forced families to leave their homes. This fire has left hundreds of our students and their families in shelters, hotels and other temporary locations with no idea of when they will be able to return to their homes. While our social workers and staff are doing what they can in these communities, they are reporting that families are under extreme stress. Our students are telling us that they urgently need food, emergency clothing, TTC tickets, school supplies and even tooth brushes, so I am calling on our TDSB family to help. If you are able to help, please donate to the Hope in Action Emergency Fund and the much needed items will be purchased on your behalf. Donations may be made: 1. Online at www.torontofoundationforstudentsuccess.ca 2. By cheque payable to TFSS - Hope in

Mr. Curry, the itinerant strings instructor, will be in the school Friday (Oct. 1) after lunch to meet the strings players - including players that may have experience from schools other than Fern. He will meet grade 6 experienced string players at 1 pm in the auditorium, and then the grade 7 and 8's at 1:30, also in the auditorium. This is just a brief introductory meeting and classes should start next week. Mr. Moy , principal

The first Ward 7 meeting of the new school year will be in a different format because of the upcoming municipal election.       Western Technical and Commercial School (cafeteria)       125 Evelyn Crescent map       Tuesday October 12, 2010 at 7:00 P.M. There will a short Ward 7 Council meeting from 7:00 to 7:30 pm, including the election of the Ward 7 Council Chair and the annual review of the Ward 7 Council mandate. From 7:30 to 9:00 pm, there will be a Trustee Candidates meeting. Dan Abrahams, whom many of you may know from previous events, will be moderating. There will be opening statements from the candidates, 5 or 6 selected questions and answers, and then questions from the floor. We will finish with closing statements from each of the candidates. If you have a particular question you would like to put to the Trustee candidates, please send it to ward7council@gmail.com .

Parents of all grade 8 students are invited to attend a meeting that will be held next Tuesday, September 28, at 6:30 pm in the auditorium. There will be a presentation by a tour company about the trip that is being planned for the students at the end of the year. There will be information on trip activities, accommodations, cost, scholarships as well as payment schedules and fundraising. Hope to see you there. Mr. Parvatam , teacher

Meeting times: Tuesday @ lunch Wednesday after school alternate Thursdays @ lunch Members should attend at least one meeting a week. Ms. Chakungal , teacher

The band music program is starting up. This is for grade 5 students who are interested in learning to play a band instrument. Students are selected for the program by a team, which may include the itinerant instructor, the classroom teacher, the school music teacher or the school principal. The team may use some of the following criteria to determine who will participate in the program: - Demonstrated interest in music - Participation in school music activities - Well developed work habits - A sense of responsibility This program supplements the regular music program that is offered to all students in every school. Forms will be given to all grade 5 students at the end or beginning of next week to be filled in with their parents. Sladjan Antic , itinerant music instructor, band

Fern’s Free the Children (FTC) Club for Grades 4 to 8 has begun! FTC is the world’s largest network of children helping children through education. There are more than one million youth worldwide involved in innovative education and development programs in 45 countries. Fern’s FTC Club will focus on raising both awareness and funds to help improve the lives of deserving young people both globally (Kenya) and locally. The club meets Wednesdays at noon in Room 211. 20 staff and students from Fern’s FTC Club will be attending We Day at the ACC on September 30th. This all day event will inspire youth to “Be the Change”! To learn more about FTC, its initiatives and We Day, please go to www.freethechildren.com . Karen Ashforth , staff advisor, Fern’s FTC Club

Dear Parents and Caregivers of the Fern Avenue PS community, After careful and protracted discussions, I am very pleased to inform you that the TDSB’s decision to extract Ms. Cen from our teaching allocation has been revised and rescinded. Ms. Cen will remain a teacher with Fern Avenue PS for the 2010- 2011 school year, and remain the teacher for her previously assigned grades 7/8 class. Please join me in welcoming her back into our school. Yours truly, Mr. A. Moy , Principal Ms. S. Fetterolf , Vice-Principal, Acting

This year there will again be two separate classes of strings players. Junior strings will be children in grade 6, who played last year either at Fern or another school. We alternate every year with the band, so for fall 2010 there will be a beginner band offered to students in grade 5. The next beginner strings class will start next September, in 2011, and will be offered to children in grade 5 next fall. Senior strings is made up of experienced players - again, those from Fern last year, or any experienced students who are coming from other schools, are welcome to join the senior strings, made up of grade 7 and grade 8 students. Classes will be held on DAY 2 and DAY 4 in the afternoon and we will be rehearsing in the auditorium this year. Instruments are provided by the TDSB free of charge, as is the music and rosin needed to play a string instrument. Parents will sign a contract accepting responsibility for paying for any damages to the instrument, other than any accidental problems

The Primary Cross Country Running team has started practicing for the qualifying meet at Centennial Park. The meet will take place on Monday, October 4. The Primary team will practice every Tuesday and Thursday morning at 8:15 in the junior yard. On Friday mornings there is an optional practice. We will meet on Fridays at Sorauren Park at 8:15, and the runners will be escorted back to the school by 8:45. If your primary (grades 1, 2, and 3) child is interested please fill out and sign a permission form and join us for practice. If it is raining outside, we will meet in the auditorium for practice. Mrs. Heller , teacher

The Go Be Tweens will be starting on Monday, September 20, in the school Auditorium. The program is 3:30 to 5:30 pm, Monday to Friday. Registration is ongoing. Parents are welcome to drop in and inquire about the program. For more information, call Teresa at 647-292-7170, or email: The GoBetweensMail@Gmail.com . Teresa Emmanuel

The Intermediate Girls Entrepreneurial Group (IGEG) will be selling their original creations of jewelery tonight outside the main office. Sales will start at 5:30 and end at 6:40pm. Hope to see you there. Ms. Flengeris-Richards , grade 7/8 teacher

The intermediate girls basketball team is holding its tryouts this week and next, on Monday, Thursday, and Friday from 3:40 to 4:45. Practices are tentatively scheduled for those same three time slots, starting Sept. 27, depending on team members' availability. All senior girls are welcome to try out, and they can get their permission forms from Mr. Parvatam. Mr. Parvatam , coach

The Fern swimming pool is undergoing a revitalization and will not be available for use until mid-November at the earliest. Our two swim instructors for 2010-2011 are Ms. A. Ahumada and Mr. D. Tamm. Mr. Moy , principal

The following announcement is from Ms. Douglas , Fern's teacher librarian. Fern Avenue has a Junior Boys’ Book Club and a Junior Girls' Book Club, for students in Grades 4 to 6, and an Intermediate Book Club, for students in Grades 7 and 8. Run along the lines of a traditional book club, such as the ones to which many adults belong, the Book Clubs will meet every week at lunch in the Library. We will be discussing books, doing research into the historical contexts presented in books, and learning more about popular authors. We will be making maps, trying out food, engaging in art and drama activities, and attending author talks. Readers will be linked through Academic Workspace, a password-protected TDSB electronic forum so that our book discussions can continue outside of the school day. It promises to be a wonderful year! Families will be asked to help their readers locate copies of the chosen Book Club books, either by borrowing them from the public library or by purchasing

Thursday September 23, 2010 7 - 9 pm in the Auditorium Child Care provided We will be holding our first school council meeting of the year. Please come and join us!The following executive positions will be up for election at the meeting: Chair Co-chair Treasure Secretary Ward 7 - Rep The following committees are run by parent volunteers under the Fern School Council. New members are always welcome. · Communications Committee · Eco Team · Arts Collective · Playground Committee · Math, Science, and Engineering · Fern Food Program Advisory Committee

The following announcement is from Ms. Douglas , Fern's teacher librarian. Attention Book Lovers in Grades 4 to 8! The School Library is looking for enthusiastic and hardworking students, in Grades 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8, who love books and who would be interested in becoming a Library Assistant. • Are you willing to attend monthly lunchtime meetings? • Are you interested in reading new books and talking to others about them? • Would you enjoy creating displays for bulletin boards and display cases to celebrate good books? • Could you help out with preparing books for circulation, checking books in and out, shelving books, and dusting? Come to a meeting on Thursday, September 16th at 12:00 p.m. in the Library to learn more!

FERN PHOTO day is on Tuesday, September 21 , 2010. Photographs will take place in the school auditorium and students are reminded for best photo results to wear bright colours.

Cross Country season is about to start at Fern. Students from grade 4 to grade 8 are invited to come out and practice running every Tuesday and Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. at Sorauren Park . Fern coaches this year are Ms. Cen, Ms. McKeown , Mr. Cline and Mr. Nikolajevic. Our first practice will start on Thursday, September 16 . Please meet us at Sorauren Park. After practice, teachers will walk with the students to the school. If it rains, we might still practice outside. If the rain is heavy and if there are thunderstorms, please meet us at the school by the office for an indoor practice. Our first competition is on October 4 at Centennial Park. All students, who practice on a regular basis, are allowed to compete. Grade 4, 5 and 6 students will run 2000 metres and grade 7 and 8 students will run 3000 metres. If the runners qualify, they will compete at the Conference Finals (Oct 12) and City Finals (Oct 21). Mr. Nikolajevic , grade 4 teacher

Starting September 21, there will be a Homework Club for Grade 4 students in the Extended French program. Students can study and practice their homework every Tuesday from 3:30 to 4:00 p.m. in room 206. If your child is interested please complete the Homework Club form that Mr. Nikolajevic has handed out. Parents need to pick up their children promptly at 4:00 p.m. from the junior yard. Mr. Nikolajevic , grade 4 teacher

Curriculum Night is set for September 16, 2010, from 6 - 6:30 pm . At this time, it is not decided whether or not SAC will have food available on site. Teachers will be available to speak to parents about curriculum expectations for their child, however the event is not meant to be a substitute for a parent-teacher interview. Interviews can be arranged for a separate and mutually agreeable time. We look forward to meeting the families and sharing information that evening in the hopes of developing a strong and positive partnership. Mr. Moy , Principal

Students who are interested in running for the student council executive positions (President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary) are meeting with Ms. Cen briefly at 11:45 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 10, 2010, in room 312. Mr. Moy , Principal

Ms. Douglas, Fern's teacher librarian, has provided a Student and Parent Brochure with information about using the library. The library is open from 8:00 a.m. in the morning and after school from 3:30 to 3:45 for students’ use. To download the brochure, click here .

Mr. Moy, Fern's principal, has provided some information for parents, regarding the first day of school. * Teachers will be outside the school to meet students by 8:45 am. They will have class lists, with teacher's name, room number, students' first names and first initial of last name. Parents will not be required to accompany the children into the school. * Please let your child's teacher know whether or not the student will stay for lunch; also who will be picking up the child at the end of the day, and does the child know them? * If you are not sure, please ask the teacher at which door you can meet your child for lunch pick up and dismissal. (Please remember that you are to wait outside and not in the halls.) * If you are dropping off lunch for your child, please use the box at the foyer - put a name and room number on the bag for identification. Dismissal Times Kindergarten: morning 11:30 am, afternoon 3:20 pm Lunch: 11:40 am, returning for 12:50 pm Dismissal: 3:3

Our school community web site has been dormant over the summer, but as we head into the new school year it will once again be the site to visit, whenever you want to find (or provide) news and info about the school. If you subscribe to our mailing list you will also receive emails about once or twice a week, alerting you to the latest news posted here. This web site and the email list are administered by Fern's communications committee, made up of parent volunteers. The information you find here comes from parents, the principal's office, teachers, and others. To submit an announcement for posting, please email it, without any formatting, in the body of an email to fernnoticeboard@gmail.com . Longer items may be sent as an attachment to the email, preferably in pdf format. A member of the communications committee will post it to this web site, usually within a few hours for simple unformatted messages, and within a day for longer submissions with an attachment. On behalf of the