Fern Ave. Public School Blog

The Fern Avenue PS Knitting Club is kicking off, and we are seeking donations of any unwanted yarn and/or knitting needles. Our club is going to make items for those in our community who need some extra warmth during the harsh Toronto winters. If you'd like to help out, please bring your donations to the office and drop them in the box labelled "The Knitting Club." A big thank you from the Arts Collective for your help!!

Please be advised that The Hallowe'en Haunted House activity is no longer open to the Junior Grades owing to time constraints. Sorry for any inconvenience. Sathi Basu Senior Student Council Teacher

On behalf of Trustee Atkinson, please click here  for information on the upcoming Parenting Network event. Speaker Doone Estey will present at Humberside C.I. on Thursday November 7th at 7:15pm .

Please click here for the Fern October Newsletter. Thank you.

The draft version of our School Council by-laws were presented and discussed at last Wednesday's School Council meeting. You are invited to view the final draft . . . Fern Avenue Public School Council By-Laws (Draft) . . . and pass along any comments or concerns you may have to Lori Lyn Adams ( ) before November 12. From this, we will compile a final document, which will be discussed and voted on at the November 19th meeting of the School Council. Some background: School councils in Ontario are required to have by-laws in place to—at the very minimum—address election procedures, the filling of vacancies, conflict of interest guidelines, and conflict resolution. Executive members of the Fern Avenue Public School Council, plus interested parents, met late in September with a representative of PIAC to further the development of our School Council’s by-laws. One of the roles of the Parent Involvement and Advisory Committee is to help us in this process. After a discussion of

We need your help! Do you have even one hour, once a month, to spare at lunchtime? If yes, please let us know! The hot-lunch program is a volunteer-driven initiative and we are looking for more Fern community members who can help in Maggie’s kitchen from 11:30 to 12:45 . Some of our volunteers do not even have children in the lunch program yet they enjoy seeing the excitement and activity in the lunchroom, engaging with other parents, being a part of the hub that helps sustain the program and maybe sneaking in a hug or wink to their kids. Our awesome volunteers have found the experience rewarding and say that it’s a fun way to be a part of the Fern community and stay connected in support of healthy food, a healthy school and a healthy community. Anyone who is interested in volunteering please contact Pamela Lapierre at pamlapierre@gmail.com Thanks, Fern Food Committee

On the afternoon of Hallowe’en, the seniors will be participating in a Hallowe’en Dance in the auditorium. Bring $2 for entry to the dance, and $3 for a cookie and drink to go with! If you have decorations for the dance please bring them in! Hooray for the first dance of the year! Thank you, Student Council

On the morning of Hallowe’en, there will be a haunted house experience for the seniors and juniors in the auditorium! Bring $2 for entry to the Haunted House! (SPECIAL REQUEST FOR JUNIORS AND SENIORS: If you have any decorations/costumes/props that could be used in a haunted house, please bring them to room 308 ASAP! ) The haunted house will be designed and run by the student council! Have fun! Thank you, Student Council

JUST A REMINDER . . . Bright-Pics will be at Fern Avenue PS on Wednesday, October 30th beginning at 9:00am. If your child attends the afternoon kindergarden classes and you wish to have their picture retaken please bring them at 9:00am. Contact Vera Ciric in the main office, if you have any further questions.

Fall is here welcoming the arrival of the Fern Arts Collective artist’s workshops. Latin American Drummer, Rodrigo Chavez returned to Fern to kick-start the year with a percussion workshop for four of Fern’s classes. The students spent a week learning the rhythms of salsa, samba, conga, bolero, soca and rumba followed by a performance in the auditorium. The audience was treated to the contagious Latin rhythms and sing-along performed by the students. The lively and energetic show had our students and teachers dancing and moving to the rhythms, a beautiful reminder of why the arts are so essential and rewarding to our children’s education. Thank you to Ms. Ashforth, Ms.Tse, Mr. Cline, Mr. Nilolajevic, Ms. Grant and to all of the students that participated in this incredible workshop. We will be bringing more music to Fern this October with The Métis Fiddler Quartet's OAC “Stomp the Floor” workshop. Using fiddle music passed down from various elders, they will explore the history

Executive members of the Fern Avenue Public School Council, plus interested parents, met late last month with a representative of PIAC to further the development of the School Council’s by-laws. School councils in Ontario are required to have by-laws in place to—at the very minimum—address election procedures, the filling of vacancies, conflict of interest guidelines, and conflict resolution. And one of the roles of the Parent Involvement and Advisory Committee is to help us in this process. After a discussion of our concerns and expectations, we took the template provided by PIAC and modified it to our specific needs. You can download that document here: Fern Avenue Public School Council By-Laws (Draft) This draft will be presented and discussed at Wednesday’s School Council meeting, and we welcome any input or questions you may have. We will then incorporate all comments into a final draft, which will be voted on at a future Council meeting.

School Council Meeting Wednesday October 23 6:30 - 8:30 pm in the Auditorium New members are welcome. Fun and fresh ideas are encouraged!

Our third annual food drive, "We Scare Hunger" is just around the corner! Your children can drop off canned goods to the box in their classrooms, starting October 23rd, running to October 31st . Food Banks Canada has suggested a few key items: •canned fish •canned meat •canned stew •canned soup •canned beans •canned fruit •canned vegetables •canned milk Thanks for supporting the Good Shepherd Food Bank! Members of Fern's FTC

The TDSB, together with the Parent Involvement Advisory Committee, and the Special Education Advisory Committee, are excited to host a special education event for parents/families within the TDSB.  This event will take place  on Saturday, October 19, 2013  at Earl Haig SS.  Workshops will include such topics as: technology; transitions - elementary; transitions - elementary to secondary; Individual Education Plan (IEP); parent consultation in the development of an IEP; Identification Placement and Review Committee; and many more.  Please see the attached flyer to view all the workshops available and details of the event.    Please Note:  Registration is online ONLY at www.tdsb.on.ca/parentconference .    

Formerly known as Halloween for Hunger, WE SCARE HUNGER will run from October 23rd-31st . Last year the Fern community donated 1202 pounds of canned goods for the Good Shepherd Food Bank. This year, we hope to surpass this amount! Donations can be dropped off to your child's class. Fern FTC

Student Agendas will be on sale for $7 at tomorrow night’s Fern Curriculum event, in the main foyer. They are available for Primary, Junior and Senior students, if they have not already purchased one. Thank you. Mr. A. Moy Principal Fern Avenue Junior and Senior Public School Toronto District School Board 128 Fern Avenue Toronto, ON M6R 1K3 416 393-9130 fax 416 393-9132

Dear Parent(s)/Guardian(s), Please click here for an introduction letter from Ricardo A. Rodriguez, Fern Guidance Counsellor. Thank you for your continued support and cooperation. Ricardo A. Rodriguez Itinerant Guidance Counsellor WR7 Fern P. S. 416 393 9130 ricardo.rodriguez@tdsb.on.ca

Fern Avenue PS parents and guardians are welcome to attend an information evening regarding the transition from Grade 8 to Grade 9. Click here for more information.

Starting October 7th, we will be out in the community spreading awareness about child hunger and raising funds for Student Nutrition Programs. Exciting, right? You’re probably asking yourself, “Hey, what can I do to help?”. Great question. It’s easy: Get Involved. If you’re a student, staff, or parent, it’s not too late to get involved yourself. For ways to help, visit http://tfss.ca/feed-tomorrow-2013 . Spread the word. Tell your family, tell your friends, tell the people you work with. One of the biggest steps to influencing change is creating awareness. Post on Facebook, Tweet, forward this email; why not do it all! You can make a difference. www.tfss.ca Donate! This one’s really important. While you’re “spreading the word”, get everyone to donate. This year, donating is easier than ever. You can text “ TFSS” to 45678 and donate $5 instantly! As always, you can also donate by visiting tfss.ca , and clicking “Donate Now”. The grim reality is that one in three childre

For interested parents of grade 3-7 children: Each year the Claude Watson School for the Arts auditions students for admission to the school. There are 60 places available in the grade four year. Auditions for possible vacancies in grades 5-8 will also be held. The screening process for students is a series of studio experiences in dance, drama, visual arts and music. Auditions take place at the school, located near Yonge St. and Sheppard Ave. and are conducted by a team of adjudicators, both professional artists and teachers. The auditions will be conducted on Saturdays during the months of February and March. The school will be holding two information evenings at the Claude Watson School for the Arts, 130 Doris Ave. on Tuesday, October 22, 2013 and Wednesday, October 23, 2013 at 6:30 p.m .

Parents/Guardians/Caregivers: All students are required to line up with their classes at the start of the day, and after lunch. The number of students entering through the front doors each morning and after lunch is reaching very high numbers. All students must enter and exit through the rear doors of the school! Students that are being driven and dropped off at the start of the day, must line up at the back of the school with their classes, therefore are expected to walk around rather than cutting through the school. Teacher supervision starts at 8:45am in back yards. All students are required to be at school on time and lined up by 8:58am, for morning entry. Your assistance in ensuring that this process is followed is appreciated. Thank you, Linda Tasevski Vice-Principal

Has your family finally settled into a routine? School, homework, hockey, gymnastics, music lessons…. Have you had to skip some meals or eaten fast food to fit everything in? Now’s your chance to ensure that your child(ren) eats one nutritious – and delicious – meal each school day. Sign up for Fern’s hot-lunch program today for lunches starting in November. To save more time, sign up for the rest of the year right now! Click here to download the order form and here for the menu. Hard copies are also available on the bulletin board outside of room 103. The deadline for your order is Tuesday, October 15 to begin lunch on Friday, November 1 . If you’d like to learn more about Fern’s hot-lunch program, click here or contact Tracy Kett at tracykett@rogers.com or 416-535-0205.

Please click here for the October Newsletter for Free the Children.

Please click here for information on the upcoming Curriculum Night on October 9th 2013.

Please click here for the September newsletter.