Fern Ave. Public School Blog

Please click here for the update on progress reports.

Please click here for the November Mental Health and Well-Being newsletter from the TDSB.

Just a reminder that there will be a School Council Meeting this Thursday, December 3rd, in the staff room at 6:30 PM. Child care will be provided. Thank you.

Please click on the image below for information on the Direct Ask Campaign regarding funding for Fern activities outside of the TDSB budget. Thank you!

WHO: Fern students and staff WHAT: Special drop-in lunch featuring a student favourite – cheese and bean tortellini with tomato sauce, garden salad (bread, fruit and milk included) WHEN: Monday, December 7th WHERE: Cafeteria HOW: Bring $3.75 cash (and your appetites!) WHY: So that you might consider joining the hot lunch program. Click here for full details

Dear Grade 8 Parents/Guardians,  A Montreal Excursion Consultation form was sent home with the grade 8 students on Wednesday, November 25, 2015.  Please respond as soon as possible or contact Mr. Nikolajevic at bogdan.nikolajevic@tdsb.on.ca , if you have any further questions or concerns. Thank you.

Dear Parents/Guardians, Just a reminder that on line applications for Early French Immersion (for a Junior Kindergarten aged child) close on Thursday, December 03, 2015 . Should you have any further questions please call our main office. Thank you.

Click here for the January Lunch order form. A reminder that orders are due by Wednesday, December 16th for lunches starting Monday, January 4th, 2016.

Get your holiday shopping done and help support Fern and our community! Our friends at Scooter Girl Toys have offered to donate a percentage of your total purchase the weekend of December 05-06 to the Fern Parent Council Fundraising team. Remember to mention that you are a Fern Parent. Thank you for your support and see you there! Click  here  for the poster. Scooter Girl Toys 187 Roncesvalles Avenue Toronto

Red Nose Campaign In Support of Students in Need Dear Parent/Guardian, Fern Avenue Public School will be participating in the Red Nose Campaign to assist Toronto students in need. From December 1st to December 18th our school will be selling flashing red noses for $3.00 each. All proceeds will go to the Toronto Foundation for Student Success (TFSS) to help provide food, warm clothing and other essentials to Toronto students in need. The TFSS is the independent charitable foundation for the Toronto District School Board that has been supporting our students for over 15 years. For more information about TFSS and their programs, please visit tfss.ca . We encourage our students to participate and help support this great cause. Noses will be on sale during recess in the main foyer and during the Winter/Holiday concert. We are also encouraging our Fern Families to wear their RED NOSE to our upcoming Winter/Holiday concerts (December 11, Kindergarten/December 17, Primary/Junior) as a

Please click here for the November newsletter.

Please note that Central Toronto Academy will be hosting its Grade 8 Open House on Thursday, November 26th from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. (digital flyer here ).

Want to purchase some Fern Athletic wear but not sure which colour of hoodie, size or style suits you well. Come on out this Wednesday, November 18th from 3:15 to 4:00 PM in the down stairs gym and check out the samples. Once you figured out you want don't forget your order form and cheque payment. Go Falcons Go!!!

The Bully and The BeanStalk Thursday Nov. 19th. In the Fern auditorium Show Time: Primaries 12:55 - 2pm Show Time: Juniors 2:25-3:25 Parents welcome to attend too !! In support of teacher requests to bring more live performances to all the students at Fern we are pleased to bring you Michael McMurtry's one man rendition of the classic Jack and the Beanstalk. The play teaches a valuable lesson about empathy, self-assertion and "inner" strength, and features Michael's signature parade of colourful characters, clever staging, musical diversions and audience participation. A magical coming -of-age story that will captivate audiences of all ages. The Arts collective showcased Michael's show "Cinderfella" at an evening performance two years ago and it was truly amazing! Not only is seeing live theatre a invaluable experience for children but seeing one man play each character brings the whole experience up to another level. Fern A

Fern Parents! We have revived the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Committee (“STEM”) at Fern to broaden the school’s participation in these subjects. We want to build on the great arts and eco foundation at Fern in the many ways these areas overlap with STEM (when arts are added into the mix, the acronym becomes STEAM). The STEM Committee’s goals are threefold: 1) To get kids excited about science, math, and creative problem solving 2) To replace and improve Fern’s technology 3) To increase and vary parent engagement in the school community We want to seek ways to enhance the science and math curriculum at Fern, and to support the staff and administration to expand STEM-based extracurricular activities such as clubs or a school science fair. We want to see our kids excited about these subjects, and learn how to create technology rather than just be consumers of it. We also want to bring Fern’s technology in line with the technology at other schools in the TDSB. As

On behalf of the Parkdale Collegiate Parent Council I wanted to extend an invitation to your Gr 8 students and parents to attend the two Parkdale Collegiate Open Houses. On Friday Nov 27 Parkdale Collegiate will be open during the day for Gr 8 tours to allow students to visit the school, meet the teachers and talk with student representatives. We will be holding a second Open House on Thursday, December 3rd, 2014 at 7 p.m for individual students and parents to see first hand the amazing benefits of attending PCI. The sessions will provide information about Parkdale's regular academic and our world renown International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Program. Recognized as the leader in international education, the IB program fosters the knowledge, skills and attitudes that enable students to excel in university. It is a rigorous university-preparation program designed to equip students with the skills necessary for a 21st century workforce. The IB program is well recognized by

Fern Avenue PS Spirit Wear is happening again at Fern Avenue. Please note Orders are due to Vera in the main office by Monday, November 23, 2015 . Click here for the order form. Please choose size carefully and note NO CASH Cheques are payable to: 4th Quarter Inc.

Karen Kain School of the Arts is an Arts focused Middle School. Students can only access the program through the audition/workshop process. Our Parent/Guardian and Student Information Night is scheduled for Wed. Nov. 25, 2015 at John English Junior Middle School beginning at 6:00PM. Please click here for more information.

Short memorable performance by grade 7s from Remembrance Day assembly will be repeated for senior students. Parents welcome to attend. 10:30am, Thursday 12 November Auditorium

Dear Parents/Guardians, Our Local Legion branch has generously provided poppies (or poppy stickers for the kindergarten and primary grades) for students to wear on November 11th, Remembrance Day. The Poppy Campaign provides: Emergency needs for veterans and their dependents Medical equipment for local hospitals, drop in centers, meal-on wheels and transportation services for veterans and the elderly Refurbishing of housing accommodation and care facilities for veterans If you wish to help support our veterans in the community, all donations will be greatly accepted on their behalf by Vera in the main office. Thank you.

The Parent Involvement Advisory Commitee ( PIAC ) is holding their 9th annual conference on Saturday, November 14th. This one-day conference is open to all TDSB parents and school council members. The conference is free, however registration is required. Click here for more details.

Please click here for information regarding Progress Reports.

Dear parents and guardians, Please see below for the latest update from the board: Labour Update from TDSB

Click here for the Western Tech Open House flyer. Click here for more information.

A review process has been underway since last spring with respect to Secondary Gifted Intensive Support Programs (ISPs). The review process considered revising the program boundaries for the secondary Gifted ISPs in order to: Address equity of access to secondary Gifted ISPs across the District; Introduce the program in regions of the city where no program currently exists with a more reasonable proximity to student home addresses; Address accommodation pressures at a number of the current Gifted ISP secondary schools due to increased growth at the elementary level. This review process included four community consultations as well as Local Feasibility Meetings that concluded on September 28, 2015. Click here to read more about the recommendations the Board has approved. Click here for a map of Gifted Secondary Attendance Areas.

Many Halloween treats contain peanuts or nut products that could cause severe reactions in some of our students. We ask that these treats not be brought to school. Your assistance is strongly urged in ensuring that our school remain safe for all students. Thank you.

IMPORTANT! In consultation with Health Canada, a Canada-wide recall has been issued for all lots of the Allerject epinephrine auto-injectors by Sanofi Canada. A similar recall is taking place in the United States, where it’s sold as Auvi-Q. Allerject is used as an emergency treatment by patients who are at risk and/or have a history of serious allergic reactions such as anaphylaxis. This recall is due to issues that may potentially affect the delivery of the required amount of epinephrine. Please inform the parents of any student in your school using this product. Parents should contact their health care provider or pharmacist for more information about this recall. More information about this recall is available on the Health Canada website  or by contacting the Public Enquiries Line toll free at 1-866-225-0709.