Fern Ave. Public School Blog

Each year some parents make special requests to the school concerning the September placement of their child(ren). In order to clarify our practices, we wish to explain the process involved in placing students and to make parents aware of the types of requests that will be considered. The document outlining class placements for the coming school year can be found here . Thank you.

Wood plate left at the French dance party. Please contact Cortleigh for pick up! Cortleighann@yahoo.ca

Thank you to all of the parents who attended the Parent Council meeting on March 6th 2018. Click here for minutes from this meeting and the committee updates document. Thank you and we hope to see you at the next meeting in May. Alex (Fern Ave. Parent Council Secretary)

Hello Everyone! We are already in planning mode for the much anticipated FERNAPALOOZA [formally The Spring Fling]! We need so many volunteers to make this happen. If you want to HELP there is a space for you to get involved. Remember, this fundraiser is for our much anticipated PLAYGROUND - we need all the help we can get in reaching our goal of $500,000. Please take a look at the volunteer sign up and place yourself where ever possible. Volunteers are NEEDED IMMEDIATELY for some positions - please read the description for the position you are interested in to note the start time. If you don't have the time to volunteer, no problem! Support the cause by coming out and having a crazy good time at the event on May 26 . Cheers to the Fern community, Rhonda Bromley Volunteer Coordinator Fern School Council

Grade 7 & 8 Students! Are you interested in joining the Ultimate Frisbee Team? If so, come out to a meeting this Thursday, March 29th @ 10:20 in room 305 .

Thank you to those who attended the parent council meeting on January 17th, 2018. Click here to access the minutes on the School Council page. The March minutes should be along soon. Alex (Fern Ave. Parent Council Secretary)

We are doing this super fun event for the kids and we need your help! Please sign up here to volunteer at next week's Dance Party ( Thursday, April 5 ) for the Fern kids! It's going to be an awesome day and an easy gig for parents who are available to give their time. Thank you so much for your support. We can't do it without you!

When: Wednesday March 28th, 7pm Where: Howard Library Cost: FREE By: Paul Szego, Ph.D., C. Psych Please join us on Wednesday night for what is sure to be an interesting and informative talk for ALL parents and caregivers. Dr. Szego will be talking about how in order to address a child’s challenging, inappropriate, or even aggressive behaviours, we must try to understand why they exist in the first place (and it’s seldom as simple as “They’re just looking for attention!”, or “They’re just defiant!”). In this talk, we will cover how to gain a better understanding of a child's needs and challenges, how to see a child’s behaviours from their point of view, as well as ways to create a more supportive home environment, and how to better engage with our children. Brought to us by the Howard Home and School Mental Health Committee

Dear Parent / Guardian, We are pleased to announce that your school has organized a clothing collection with Bag2School to raise funds for Fern. For each ton of textiles donated, $200 is paid to the school. Money raised will be provided to Fern’s Eco Team to support environmental initiatives in the school or community. Click here for more details.

The Senior Student Council during the week of March 26-29th will be building community through Spirit Week. Monday, March 26th will be Celebrity Day (dress as your favourite celebrity) Tuesday, March 27th will be Twin Day Wednesday, March 28th will be Character Day Thursday, March 29th will be Lazy/PJ Day Let's show our Fern spirit and have some fun!

GUITAR CLUB Beginners Grade 3 and up - $120.00 THURSDAYS 3:25-4:45 10 weeks March 29th-May 31st. While learning a couple of their favourite songs, students will learn basic chord shapes, strumming patterns, and theory concepts.They’ll learn the benefits of playing with others and how and what to practice at home. Students will also get a chance to record the songs they’ve worked on as an ensemble and there will be video accompaniments available online to help with home practice. Note: Students must provide their own guitar. Long and McQuade sells or rents for $8.00 a month. INSTRUCTOR: Fern dad and professional musician Brian Macmillan Brian has been a music instructor for over 10 years, helping kids and adults develop their musical language and have fun. He has played and recorded with Lowest Of The Low, The Barenaked Ladies, Irish Tenor John Mcdermott and The Wailin' Jenny's. ACTORS CLUB Grade 2-8 - $ 120.00 THURSDAYS 3:25-4:45 9 weeks April 5th -Ma

Tickets are now on sale for this year‘s musical at Fern...ALONE IN ROUND CORNERS!    This sequel to last year‘s hit, features live rock performances by, and stars, are amazingly talented senior students! THANK YOU to everyone who has purchased a ticket on line.  The online process was not able to identify the afternoon/evening performance date.  We are kindly asking that you bring with you proof of online purchase and your tickets will be available at the door. Please note if for example you purchased two tickets for Tuesday's performance but would like to come back and view Wednesday's show you still can go back in and purchase additional tickets. We do apologize for any confusion and do not hesitate to contact Vera in the office if you have any further questions.    ALONE IN ROUND CORNERS  runs on March 27 and 28th at 6 PM, with a special matinee performance March 26 at 1 PM. Tickets are available for $10 in advance from Fern Avenue cash online, and a limited num

Conservation Authorities are reminding residents of dangers that exist near streams, rivers, ponds and lakes around this time of year and urge people to keep family and pets away from the edge of all waterways. Spring is quickly approaching, and with warmer temperatures, people look forward to getting outdoors. Warmer temperatures generally also bring rain, melting snow and shifting ice which can contribute to higher, faster flowing water in watercourses. With warmer temperatures over the past few weeks, we have already experienced significant snow and ice melt in our watercourses throughout the Greater Toronto Area. However, the river and stream banks remain slippery and may be unstable and the extremely cold water temperatures can also lead to very hazardous conditions close to any body of water. Also, with the frozen ground conditions and intense rainfall that may accompany Spring conditions, the flows in TRCA watercourses will be faster and higher than usual. Please keep fami

Karen Kain School of the Arts (KKSA) is proud to host our summer leadership academy. The interest in this program continues to grow, and this year we will operate out of John English JMS map. This is a free half-day program for students who have completed grade 4 - 8. Registration information is posted on our website – http://schoolweb.tdsb.on.ca/karenkain/KKSA-Summer-Program Click here for additional information. Click here for the registration form.

Tickets are now on sale for this year‘s musical at Fern...ALONE IN ROUND CORNERS. This sequel to last year‘s hit, features live rock performances by, and stars, our amazingly talented senior students! Round corners, Ontario, it’s a small town with a big secret… A 100 acre forest where fears come to life. But when a tragedy orphans a young girl who runs away, a magic forest threatens to do much, much worse! ALONE IN ROUND CORNERS runs on March 27 and 28th at 6 PM , with a special matinee performance March 26 at 1 PM . Tickets are available for $10 in advance from Fern Avenue cash online, and a limited number of seats will be available at the box office. Come on out and enjoy the finale of the Round Corners trilogy! You may now purchase your tickets with School Cash On Line , please visit https://tdsb.schoolcashonline.com/ and follow the step by step registration. Please call Vera if you have any further questions.

Fern Ave Events Presents: FERN DANCE PARTY This year’s Fern Dance Party is a community event to raise school spirit and to get the kids out of their seats for a bit of fun! Students will be dancing in shifts throughout the day with the help of our professional dancers and an amazing video and light show! To help offset the cost to run this event, please consider sending your student to school with a loonie or a toonie. Teachers will be collecting the funds.

Dear Grad Parents and Guardians: This letter is to update you on the plans for this special day and to request your financial support for the planned events. Graduation day is Monday, June 25, 2018. There are two separate events planned for this day: · The graduation ceremony will take place at Parkdale Collegiate Institute (209 Jameson Avenue) from 4:30 – 6:00 pm. In addition to watching the grads receive their diplomas; this event will feature a photo montage of the students at various events throughout the year. Parents, siblings and other family members are invited to attend this event. Before the ceremony, a group photo of the grad class will be taken. Each grad will be provided with a copy of the group photo free of charge. · Following the ceremony, the grads are invited to a reception at the Lula Lounge (1585 Dundas Street West) from 6:30 – 10:00pm. The reception includes a dinner and dancing. This event is for the grads only, but will be supervised by Fern staff.

On Thursday March 8 at 1PM Me to We 2 is hosting a movie for the Primary Grades to raise funds to help support Sauti Moja’s Maasai Land Rights Initiative for the Maasai in Northern Tanzania. Tanzania’s rich and diverse land is increasingly being set aside due to an ever-growing tourism industry. This is proving difficult for the Maasai, who depend on this land for grazing, their lifestock, and their traditional way of life. Sauti Moja’s initiative aims to educate, mobilize, and empower the Maasai residents of Longido District so that their needs are met in the face of these challenges. For more information, please visit: sautimojatanzania.com We are asking for a suggested donation of $5 per child for the movie and popcorn. Donations can be made directly at: sautimojatanzania.com/donate . Alternatively, donations can be submitted directly to your child’s teacher. A tax receipt will be issued for donations of $10 or greater (cheques should be made payable to WE Charity). Th

The Chess Institute of Canada is bringing its popular and rewarding after-school Chess Club back to Fern Public School this spring. All levels of chess players are welcome - beginners will be gifted with the universal language of chess knowledge, and advanced players will be challenged and raised to new levels. All players will have a lot of fun and will benefit from the experience of chess club in profound and meaningful ways. While learning or expanding their chess knowledge, students also gain important values and life skills such as goal setting, creative analysis, resiliency, respect for others, responsibility for decisions, taking risks, dealing with unexpected and disappointing outcomes, reflecting critically, realizing there are choices in every situation, etc. Our instructors are all skilled chess players, experienced teachers and engaging personalities who will appeal to and elevate your child's natural abilities through this ancient mental martial art. Chess Cl

A friendly reminder that registration is this Thursday, March 8th at 7am , if you didn't sign up for the Spring term in the winter. Come get ready for the soccer season with Swahili Soccer Club , Tuesdays Gr. 1-2 and Wednesdays Gr. 3-6. Join the Art Garden for creative fun and learning. Tuesdays Gr. 2-3 and Wednesdays Gr. 4-6. Full information can be found here . email: fernfriendsprogram@gmail.com

Dear Parents, “Alone in Round Corners” is almost upon us! We are collecting props, practicing songs, and trying a bit of magic! Please note that the 1 pm performance has had to be moved one day sooner to Monday, March 26 . The evening performances on Tuesday March 27 & Wednesday March 28 @ 6:00pm have not changed. We will be selling tickets shortly through the service Fern Avenue Cash Online for $10.00 each. This is recommended due to the high demand for seats for the shows. Please follow instructions on how to register. Tickets will also be available at the door, as well as t-shirts and hoodies commemorating the show. Thanks to everyone for their continued support, and see you soon! Mr. Brooks

We are looking for a 8'x 8' black (non see-through) curtain for the school musical. If you have anything like this at home and you would like to lend or donate it to the school, please let Vera know in the office. Thank you on behalf of the Cast.

Dear Parents/Guardians, The final immunization clinic for grade 7 students at Fern Avenue PS will be held on Thursday, May 10, 2018. The following vaccines will be given: Second dose of hepatitis B and human papillomavirus to Grade 7 students Toronto Public Health nurse will also immunize Grade 7 and 8 students who missed their hepatitis B, meningococcal, and human papillomavirus vaaines at earlier scheduled clinics Thank you for your ongoing support to keep all students healthy. Should you have any further questions please contact Vera in the main office.

Dear Parents/Guardians, In celebration of la semaine de la Francophonie, please join us on Thursday March 22nd for Fern's second "5 à 7" , a two-hour video dance party! This is a free event and opportunity for the whole family to enjoy an evening of French-language music and dancing with the Fern community. Thank you in advance for your RSVP on the evite so we can plan accordingly! There will be an appetizer/dessert potluck, which you may sign up for on the evite. There will also be slices of pizza for sale to help fundraise for Grade 8 graduation events. Don't forget to add your favourite French-language song so we can add it to the playlist! Merci, Mme Kertesz, Mme. Couture and School Council

Dear Parents/Guardians, Just a reminder that Fern Avenue PS is now a school that is Cash On Line for all field trips, some fundraisers and special events. We do encourage this safe and convenient way for parents and guardians to pay for their children's school fees. Please refer to the school cash online step by step process for registering and paying. Once you register, Vera the Office Administrator, will be able to attach your child(ren) to the cash on line website giving you access to pay and give you email confirmation of payment. Please feel free to contact Vera should you have any further questions or contacts. Thank you.