Fern Ave. Public School Blog

Click here to download our first newsletter of the school year.

Thanks to so many parents who turned up for the first council meeting of the year! It is great to see so many folks getting involved in the committees and nice to see some new faces. I would like to welcome Adam Eizinas and Lori Lyn Adams who will be taking over as Ward 7 Representative and Treasurer for this school year. Liz Leason will be returning as Secretary - so a big thanks to Liz as well for her continued support of the school and the council. Unfortunately Nick Szymanis is unable to commit time to the council this year, but has assured us he will be back to help with the spring fling - so again, a big thanks to him. The position of Chair (and Co-Chair) are still available on the Executive so if you feel this is something you may be interested in and you want make a bigger contribution to the Fern School Community then I would encourage you to look into this. We will be once again be holding elections for these positions at the next council meeting. For those of you ne

The Claude Watson School for the Arts offers an enriched arts education for students in grades four through eight who reside within Toronto and have demonstrated a talent in music, drama, dance and visual arts. Entry to the Claude Watson program is by audition only. Information sessions will be held for parents interested in applying to the program on October 18 and 19 beginning at 6:30 p.m. Registration is not required. Claude Watson School for the Arts 130 Doris Avenue Toronto, ON Further information and applications are available at claudewatson.org .

Please note, that the Seniors will be participating in the Terry Fox Run in the afternoon at Fern Avenue PS , and not at Sorauren Park. Thank you and regards, Eric Dibon-Smith

Please note, Fern’s school-wide Photo Day will take place as scheduled, this Friday, September 30th. We have made arrangements with our photographer, that we will take additional full class pictures during Photo Retake Day on November 1st , so children who are absent on Friday will be included in their class photo and have individual photographs. We did try to re-schedule from the 30th, but their booking circumstances and production timing made that impossible. Thank you. Mr. A. Moy

Practice on Friday, September 30th has been cancelled. First Race day is this Monday, October 3rd -- we are looking for volunteers. Forms went home today. Thank you, Roz Geridis Fern PS

If you would like to join the Fern mailing list please enter your information here.   You will receive an email that asks you to confirm your subscription , you will not be able to join the list until you confirm. Please look for the email it may be sent to your junk mail. Thank you.

2011/2012 TTC Student Discount Card Progrm will be at Fern Avenue PS on Tuesday, September 27th in the a.m. Students in grade 7 and 8 who are 13 years of age or will turn 13 during this school year are also encouraged to have their photographs taken. The price of the 2011/2012 TTC ID card will be $5.25 per student. Please send the exact amount on the photo day with your child. Should you require additional information do not hesitate to call Vera in the main office. Thank you.

The following are the next Parent Council (SAC) meeting dates at Fern Avenue PS. Meetings take place in the school auditorium at 6:30pm (time is subject to change). October 20, 2011 November 24, 2011 December 15, 2011 January 26, 2012 February 16, 2012 March 22, 2012 April 19, 2012 May 17, 2012 June 21, 2012 Your interest in attending is most welcome. The council looks forward to having you participate.

There is a newly mounted television screen located in our main entrance foyer. This will be a monitor connected to our newly installed solar panel array on the roof and is meant to indicate the amount of energy being generated and sent back into the electrical grid. It is a project awarded to the school when we achieved Platinum status according to the Eco School assessment conducted by the TDSB and is one of the first five to be constructed in the TDSB.

Our annual Terry Fox Run will take place on Wednesday September 28, 2011. Our primary classes will run in the yard during the morning. The junior classes will run during the morning at Sorauren Park. Our senior students will participate in the afternoon at Sorauren Park. Should we encounter inclement weather conditions, we have scheduled a rain date on: Thursday September 29, 2011.

We welcome our Fern Community to our Curriculum Night on Wednesday October 5, 2011 from 6:30-7:30pm. Families and friends are welcome to visit classrooms and meet our teachers during the evening. We look forward to seeing you all there.

FREE THE CHILDREN Newsletter September 2011 FTC CLUB Fern’s Free the Children (FTC) Club is up and running! FTC is the 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. FTC was founded in 1995 by international child rights activist Craig Kielburger. This year, our members will continue their important work raising both awareness and funds to help improve the lives of deserving young people all over the world. WE DAY On September 27th, 15 students and staff from Fern will be attending We Day. This all day event is being organized by Free the Children to address top social issues of the day. The host of speakers and entertainers will empower, inspire, and celebrate the power of young people to change the lives of others. This all day event will encourage our members to continue their important work raising both awareness and funds to help

Our first Parent Council meeting of the year will be taking place on Thursday, Sept 22 at 6:30 pm in the auditorium. We will be looking to elect new members to the Executive Council, has well as find new volunteers for the committees. There will also be an update on the new lunch program at the school.... so come on out and show your support. Find out what will be happening at the school this year and get involved! If you have any questions please email LDOOHER@rogers.com.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2011 is PHOTO DAY at Fern Avenue Public School. For best results wear bright colours and don't forget to bring your SMILES :)

Forms were handed out today for the Junior and Senior Cross Country Team. We will practice every Monday and Wednesday. Practice begins Monday, September 19 at 8:15 am in the junior yard. Permission forms should be handed on Friday, September 16 or brought to the first practice.

On Monday, Sept. 19 , we have a guest speaker, Andy Thibodeau, addressing our Intermediate division students for the afternoon. The talk is titled, Share your Care! , and will be followed by a leadership funshop. His website is www.andypresentations.com , and he is on www.youtube.com/andyspeaks . On Tuesday, Sept. 20 , we are collecting donations for east African relief, as part of a TDSB-wide initiative. Any amount is appreciated. We encourage everyone to wear their Fern clothing or colours to show our school spirit that day. Curriculum Night will be held on October 5, 2011 from 6:30- 7:30pm. We look forward to hosting parents as they tour their children's classrooms. Thank you. Mr. Moy

The October lunch order deadline is this Thursday, September 15, and we're sure you don't want to miss Maggie's delicious lunches! Click here to see the menu for October, click here to read the information letter, then download the order form and follow the instructions. Due to unforeseen circumstances, the deposit box has not been installed yet, so please hand in your order at the school office. If you have any questions about the lunch program, please contact Tracy Kett at tracykett@rogers.com or (416) 535-0205. We've added the October menu to the calendar on the right, or you can click here to download it as a PDF.

Brightpics will be at our school on Friday, September 30th taking individual and classroom photographs. Please remember to bring your smiles:)

Congratulations again to all the staff, caretakers, students and volunteers who make our Platinum Eco team such a success. We want to draw your attention sky-wards this week as the much anticipated SOLAR PANELS are being installed on the roof! The Student Eco team meetings will recommence next week, we will be making Bird Seed Feeders. We will also be collecting plant seeds from our garden beds for next spring. Look out for our amazing TOMATOES, CARROTS AND ZUCCHINI which are growing out the front of the school!

The Fern Ave PS Food Committee is pleased to announce that Maggie’s delicious and nutritious hot lunches will be available to all Fern students starting in October 2011. By popular demand, Ferncliff Daycare and After School Group and the Fern Avenue PS Food Committee, composed of volunteer parents, have collaborated to run a lunch program that will be prepared in-house for the whole school. Please see the attached information letter and order form to sign up, and stay tuned for more information on October's menu. PLEASE NOTE - orders and payment must be handed in by the 15th of the month.