Fern Ave. Public School Blog

Dear Fern Hockey Families, My name is Vera Ciric. Many of you know me as the “front line” in the main office at Fern.  Together with Miya Oda, the French Immersion Kindergarten teacher, and Diego Morettin, one of our grade 8 fathers; we will be heading the Senior Hockey Team for 2014-2015 season. Our season kicks off on Wednesday, January 28 th , 2015.  We are scheduled to play five games which take place in the morning at three different arenas (George Bell, North Toronto and Ted Reeve Bub).  We will be asking our families to help us carpool the children from school to the arena and back to the school after the games and (possible practices).  Games are early in the morning beginning at 8:00 am; therefore we ask that players arrive at the arena no later than 7:15am in order to get dressed and ready to play.  We expect everyone to be ready to step onto the ice at 8:00 am.  Students must wait for a school representative (Miya, or Vera) before stepping onto the ice.  All students

Dear Parents/Guardians: Effective January 01, 2015 the fee for vulnerable sector screenings will increase to $20.00 per request for volunteers. Please feel free to call Vera Ciric should you require any further information. Thank you, Vera

Please click here for information on the City View Open House.

If the answer is yes, you’re not alone. According to our recent lunch survey, a number of families would love to move from writing cheques and submitting forms to ordering electronically. Not only would this be more convenient for families, it would also decrease the number of parent volunteer hours necessary to handle the orders, cheques, data entry, etc. each month. How can we make this transition? With your help! We are looking for someone who can research and evaluate organizations and websites that can enable the Fern community to order and pay for the lunch program online. We’d like to know what’s out there, what it costs, how it’s accessed, pros and cons of the system, etc. Then, once a system has been chosen, we’d like that person to help set it up for the Fern lunch program (which will include contact info, allergies, room number, months registered, among other fields). If you are interested and available for this short-term project please contact Soo Kim at Sookim@rogers.co

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FTC will be selling hand-made items in support of our local and global initiatives Locally we support Light Patrol we will be selling hand-made lumieres, necklaces, potpourri, bath salts, and cookies these will help to support Toronto’s homeless and street-involved youth Globally we support FTC’s initiatives in Kenya We will be selling Rafiki Friend Chains for $10 Selling Rafikis helps a mama in Kenya earn and living and send her children to school Dec 16th-Kindergarten Concert-1:15-2:00 Dec 17th-Primary Concert-5:45-6:45 Dec 18th-Lunch in the Front Hall-12:00-12:45

Fern Avenue Public School proudly presents Sparkles in the Snow Holiday Concert 2014 Featuring: Students from Grades 1 to 3 and The Kestrels Singing Group Wednesday, December 17 th at 6:30pm Come celebrate with us!! Parents and Guardians, please bring your child to the school by 6:00pm!!

Once again, the Fern Community is having a food drive for the Daily Bread Food Bank. This food drive offers an opportunity for students to both discuss the need of food banks and to take action to make a positive difference during this holiday and new year season. Unfortunately, the use of food banks is on the rise again in the GTA. The reasons for Food Bank use can vary widely from person to person and from family to family. The fact that people who use food banks use 75% of their money on housing leaves them with less than $6 per day for all other expenses. This can create a cycle of constant poverty. The need for Food Banks can also stem from other issues such as lost income, disability, being a new immigrant or becoming a single parent. Donations of non-perishable foods, such as canned goods, pasta, dried grains (ie. rice, beans, lentils) and baby food will be collected before and after the Winter Break each morning by the Grade 3 students of Room 207. Please do not donate pean

Please click here for the latest newsletter from Free the Children.

A Huge Thank you to the participants who supported the blood drive on December 3rd -Janet S./ Joanne S. / Moira M. / Tracey C. / Melanie H. / Theresa L. / Liz L /Ms. Flengeris and Mr. Moy. A very Special THANK YOU to the brave participants who donated for the FIRST time. Be sure to look for the Blood Drive to be held at Fern Avenue School – Spring 2015! Thank you Liz Leason Parent Council Chair

COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS FAIR: WHERE EVERYTHING BEGINS THE POWER OF TOGETHERNESS Saturday, April 25th, 2015 from 10:00am-2:30pm Central Etobicoke High School, 10 Denfied Street. Etobicoke This event will support students in the TDSB with Special Education needs and their families/guardians understand how to access available Community Services/Resources.

Dear Kindergarten families, Please note that our Kindergarten concert will now begin at     1:45pm, on Tuesday, December 16th.  We expect to begin at 1:45pm, so we encourage families to arrive on-time to avoid missing part of the concert. Please note that seating is on a first-come, first-serve basis. We will dismiss the children from the auditorium, to their families. Families are then welcome to head downstairs to the cafeteria for a light snack. Any children who do not have an adult present will stay and head to the cafeteria with their classroom teacher. We ask families to consider contributing a small snack to share with others. Great food options are: cheese, crackers, a light treat, fruit/veggies that do not need to be washed or cut. Please make sure your snack is peanut- and tree nut-free. If you would like your container returned, please label with your child’s name and their room number. The snack program will provide some refreshments. If your food item does not nee

The whirlwind of the holiday break may sweep you up and before you know it, school begins and you need to find the lunch box and thermos again! Why not alleviate your stress, energy and time and sign your child(ren) up for January’s lunch program? Better yet, sign up for the rest of the year and you won’t have to worry about uneaten lunches coming back home. As we mentioned earlier, Maggie, Ferncliff Daycare’s long-time employee and cook, has announced her retirement as of December 31, 2014 . Maggie has been providing yummy and healthy meals for both the daycare children and Fern’s lunch program participants for many years. The Food Committee would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Maggie for preparing food that students love to eat and for all her energy and hard work in helping us run a successful lunch program. So, what happens in January 2015?