Fern Ave. Public School Blog

Primary choir will be cancelled for the next three Wednesdays, May 1, 8, 15, due to other school obligations. We will meet again on Wednesday, May 22 . Thank you, Ms. Heller

Wednesday, May 8th is the Bike Rodeo date for all of our Grade 4 and 5 students. This is a half day event and an amazing opportunity for our students to learn about Bike Safety, Signs and Signals, Helmet Fit and more. If your child is in Grade 4 or 5, please make sure she or he brings a helmet, lock and a bike (if he/she has one) on the day of the Rodeo. Students will be trying their hand at safe biking under the supervision of teachers, volunteers and specialized visiting staff. If your child does not have a bike, they can share one with a willing friend, but please do encourage your child to participate. An event such as this one cannot happen without volunteers. If you are able to spare any time at all through the day, please let your child’s teacher know. It would be greatly appreciated. Bicycle care and safety is a life skill and we encourage ALL students to avail this opportunity with enthusiasm and gusto! *Please note: On May 8th, all bikes are to be locked on t

Did you know that 100 million animals in a variety of habitats die every year because of the plastics that humans produce and dispose of? The environmental impact of microplastics not only affects animals but also us and our environment. My name is Saira(Room 305), and for my passion project I’m investigating and raising awareness of the effects that plastic is having on animals. I will be selling t-shirts that I designed for $10. All profits will go to https://plasticoceans.org/ . This is a Canadian charity that encourages Canadians to rethink plastic by reducing or eliminating plastic use. Come by and visit me for more information on May 2nd at the Passion Project presentations , where you can order a t-shirt. Or, you can place an order by emailing me at Saira.Aitken@icloud.com We can all make a difference by doing the smallest things, whether it is refusing single use plastics, lobbying governments to ban them, or convincing your friends to do the same! Please support this

When: Wednesday, May 15, 2019 Start Time: 6:30 p.m. Be there by: 6:00 p.m. Where: Parkdale Collegiate - Auditorium - 209 Jameson Ave. (Enter through front doors of school on Jameson Ave.) **Post this note on your fridge or bulletin board as you may need reminders later.** Rehearsal There will be a rehearsal on Tuesday, May 14 at Parkdale Collegiate which is one day before the actual spring concert. It is not a dress rehearsal and students will wear their school clothes. Students will be leaving right after afternoon attendance (approximately 12:45 p.m.). Feel free to join us walking there as we will appreciate extra supervision. Check with your child’s classroom teacher. We will return to the school hopefully in time for regular dismissal. Spring Concert On Wednesday, May 15, 2019 , Your child will be participating in a dance/movement piece as part of the Spring Concert at Parkdale Collegiate at 6:30 p.m. Only the following classes are participating in the D

Click here for information on a Community Open House for the opportunity to make connections with local community agencies that provide support now and after high school to people with special needs.

Where:  Fern Avenue When:  Tuesday, April 30th, 6:30 —7:30 pm Parents new to Fern Ave P.S. whose children are coming in to the Grade 4 Extended French, Grade 7 and Grade 7 French immersion, are invited for an information evening in the auditorium. **Please note the corrected time of this information session.

Please join us this coming Friday, May 3rd for the rescheduled Eco-Club Garden Clean-up and Eco Celebration! We will have gardening activities and events aimed and inspiring young minds to think about our native plant garden and its ecology. We need volunteers to help run specific activity stations on the day. If you are available to help at one of these stations, please sign up here for your volunteer slot. No experience or expertise necessary -- just your time! Thanks so much, and we hope to see you there. If you have any questions, please contact Eco-Club Chair Larissa Mohan at larissa@mohan.ca Best, Eco-Committee and School Council

What’s the Spring Fling? The best parent party of the year! Dance, enjoy fantastic local food, have a drink at our cash bar, bid at our live and silent auctions, and support our school. Get your disco on with this year’s theme Studio 54! When and Where? Saturday, May 25 2019, 8 pm , St. Casimir’s Church Hall, 156 Roncesvalles Ave. How Can I Buy A Ticket? Tickets are $30 and can be purchased online . What’s the Class Basket? Each year, every class assembles a themed class basket for the Spring Fling silent auction. You can help us by donating an item or gift card to your child’s class basket (please ask your child’s teacher or parent class rep for your classroom’s theme if you did not receive the hand-out we sent home). Or, make a monetary donation instead, which can be sent along to your child’s teacher or made at https://tdsb.schoolcashonline.com , by Monday, May 13 2019 . If you would like to send a cheque, please make cheques payable to the Fern Ave PS School Counci

Our senior house league volleyball was a great deal of fun for everyone involved. We had four teams in a scheduled league. The games were all about playing volleyball with friends, peers and teachers, regardless of winning or losing. The volleyball house league was a great opportunity for many to experience the game in an organized setting for the first time, while for others to practise their skills. Finally, it was a great opportunity to be active with peers, playing a fun sport, while cheering for each other! Sarantos Katsihtis and Josh Doumont House league Volleyball Organizers

Our Junior house league basketball was a very exciting experience for our students at Fern Ave.P.S. Everyone who played had a chance to participate in basketball team play, regardless of age and skill level, and for some of our younger students for the first time. For many of our students it was also a great opportunity for socializing with friends and being active during lunch periods. All four teams had a close number of wins and losses through their two month scheduled games. The playoffs were even more exciting as most games were decided in overtime. Sarantos Katsihtis Gym teacher

Time to get your disco on for the Parent Party of the year! Spring Fling, May 25, 8 pm at St. Casimir's Hall Join us for a cocktail from our fantastic bar with your friends and neighbours from the school yard, enjoy some delicious snacks from local vendors, show off your dance moves, and check out the silent and live auctions. If you have not been before, it is a great, great time. This year's theme is Studio 54, so you can finally breakout that sequined jumpsuit! Tickets $30 per person available here . Look forward to seeing you there! Spring Fling Committee and School Council Exec

We are recruiting parent volunteers to make this the best experience ever for the Grade 7 and 8 cast and crew, and we need your help. We are in immediate need of volunteers with Hair and Make up and with Lighting. Click here for more information or contact Geoffrey Brooks (Director) at geoffrey.brooks@tdsb.on.ca or Samantha Schieman (Parent Volunteer Coordinator) at samantham0322@gmail.com There are many other ways your help is needed. Please find the link to the Lestat Private High volunteer sign up sheet at Volunteer Sign Up 2019 Keep an eye on the blog for further details and ticket information.

Please join us Friday April 26 for the Eco-Club Garden Clean-up and Eco Celebration! We will have gardening activities and events aimed and inspiring young minds to think about our native plant garden and its ecology. This event it part of Earth Week (April 22 to 26). We need parent volunteers in the following classes during the time slots listed below. If you can make it, please let your child’s teacher know. M. Dibon-Smith's class -- 9:15 to 9:45 Ms. Ashforth's class -- 9:50 to 10:20 Ms. Eyre's class -- 10:35 to 11:05 Ms. Balaisis' class -- 12:55 to 1:25 Ms. Hall's class -- 1:30 to 2:00 Ms. Couture's class -- 1:30 to 2:00 Ms. Tse's class -- 2:20 to 2:50 Ms. Mably's class -- 2:55 to 3:25 Mr. Ciric's class -- 9:50 to 10:20 Ms. Hulsman's class -- 9:50 to 10:20 Ms. Reimer's class -- 9:50 to 10:20 Additionally , we need volunteers to help run specific activity stations the day of the event. If you are available to help at

Dear Parents/Guardians, The following classrooms will be performing at the Spring Concert on May 15, 2019 : Rooms: 214, 201, 202, 211, 205, 203 and 308. More details to follow soon.

Do you have any new or gently used soccer equipment hanging around? Help give less fortunate children an opportunity to play soccer. Items needed: Soccer balls • Soccer jerseys • Soccer shorts • Soccer socks Cleats • Running shoes • Shin pads All donations go to Second Kicks, a non-profit charitable sports organization that collects and distributes used soccer equipment and uniforms to hundreds of teams across Canada and in disadvantaged communities internationally. Bring all your donations to the donation box in the office from now until Monday, April 29th . Thank you for your support!

A huge THANK YOU to all the parents, grandparents and awesome grade 7 & 8s that volunteered for the Fern movie night. We had volunteers designing posters, hanging posters, baking, serving pizza, selling tickets, making popcorn, moving chairs and more! And THANK YOU to all the families that came out for some movie fun and supported our school. We raised close to $1000 dollars - money that can go towards arts programming, and one more step closer to our play yard in 2020! One last special THANK YOU to Marco Koechli. Marco has been running the AV projection for every movie night for the last six years. After graduation this year, he will be moving on, so thank you for all the years of help Marco! It’s a lot of "please don’t touch the projector, kids" and we really appreciate it! The Fern Arts Collective

With the arrival of Spring, many of you will be cleaning out closets and purging items you no longer need. Fern’s Eco Team will be happy to take any textiles off your hands during Earth week April 22-25th . Please drop off all donations at Exit #4 in the Junior Stairwell. -All men’s, women’s and children’s clothing -footwear -outerwear -hats -mittens -scarves -belts -towels -purses -handbags -backpacks -soft bags -linens All items are to be placed in plastic bags. Donations will be collected and weighed by Bag2School on Friday April 26th and the school will receive $$ towards future eco initiatives! Thanks, Fern’s Eco Team

SENIOR BOYS SLO-PITCH TRYOUT AND PRACTICE SCHEDULE Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Tryout April 16 7:45 am Tryout April 18 7:45 am Tryout April 23 7:45 am Tryout April 25 7:45 am April 26 TEAM ROSTER POSTED April 30 Team Practice 7:45 am MAY 2 Team Practice 7:45 am MAY 7 Team Practice 7:45 am MAY 9 Team Practice 7:45 am MAY 14 Team Practice 7:45 am MAY 16 SLO-PITCH TOURN- AMENT @ FOREST HILL Note: After the team is chosen, we may try to add one more practice per week.

Hi everyone! This Monday, April 15th we officially launched our Jump Rope for Heart, and Hoops/Games for Heart events for our school with an assembly for our primary and junior students. The assemblies (Primary 12:55-1:25, Junior 1:30-2:00) were to inform our students of the importance of being physically active and how fundraising for the Heart and Stroke Foundation helps our society. Our presenter at the assembly shared stories on how children’s lives and health were greatly improved with the Heart and Stroke Foundation’s help. Finally, the modeling of the prizes at the assembly was to help kick-off the event with increased excitement. The actual events of Jump Rope for Heart and Hoops/Games for Heart will take place on Monday May 13th . The Primary/Juniors will be jumping rope in the morning (10:25am-11:30am) and the seniors will participate with hoops/games in the afternoon (2:20pm-3:30pm). There are a series of physical activities that the kindergarten classes will

Ultimate practice is cancelled due to the heavy rain and field conditions. Thank you, Ms. Castillo

Grade 7 student Gian Carlo Dela Vega's essay, "The First Time Learning to Swim" has been accepted for publication in the ESL/ELD Department's 2019 Student Writing Anthology Canadian Impressions. Congratulations Gian Carlo!   ESL Teacher Martha McGloin

The grade 7 and 8 badminton teams have just wrapped-up highly successful seasons. From early morning practices, to tournaments all the way across town, our badminton teams represented Fern with sportsmanship, excellent skills, and class all the way! Way to go, Fern badminton players! You made us proud. Sean Cross

Dear Parents and Guardians, From May 21-May 31st 2019, your child will be taking part in the provincial Assessment of Reading, Writing and Mathematics.  This assessment is administered to all Grade 3 and 6 students in Ontario's publicly funded school system by the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO), an independent agency of the Government of Ontario. The assessment consists of two booklets assessing language and a third booklet assessing mathematics.  Each booklet is made up of two sections, for a total of six sections.  Each section will take about one hour to complete.  Grade 3 French Immersion students will only participate in the assessment of mathematics. EQAO assessment questions are directly based on the expectations set out in The Ontario Curriculum, which is what teachers teach in the classroom every day.  Therefore, your child does not need to prepare in any special way. Unless special accommodations have been previously discussed, students will wri

Fern's Junior Badminton season is over. The Junior Team won a tournament, advanced to win a match on home court, but lost in the third round to Givins-Shaw. We had some excellent experienced players, plus some beginners who courageously agreed to play because we needed 5 boys and 5 girls plus alternates to compete. Team members were flexible, and very helpful in giving each other tips and encouragement. GO FERN! Coach Hall --

Are you an expert in the field of photography, visual or culinary arts? A professional musician, perhaps? Are you in the field of engineering or maths, medicine or sport? On Thursday, April 18th, from 12:40-2 pm , the senior division will be running their 3rd session of the Passion Project. We are hoping to enrich the students’ experience by bringing in experts- YOU- to work with them. If you are available to join us, please email nicole.kertesz@tdsb.on.ca . Thank you!

Click here for information on an upcoming workshop for parents to help support their children who experience anxiety and worries.

The senior co-ed volleyball team had fun and played hard at the division tournament at King Edward P.S. on Tuesday, April 9th. Faced with stiff competition, the Falcons came together as a team and made their coaches proud. Unfortunately, we didn't make it through to the next round, but the players showed great skill and sportsmanship. - Mr K. and Mr Dumont

Dear Parents/Guardians, Junior track and field try-outs for this Tuesday morning will be postponed for Wednesday April 10th, due to heavy rain forecast. The rest of the try-outs remain for every Tuesday and Thursday. Thank you.

Want to know what's happening in the school? Questions for the Principal or School Council? Want to make your voice heard? Then please come to our School Council meeting this Wednesday April 10th . There is only so much we can accomplish on Facebook, and our meetings are actually entertaining and informative. Bonus: we provide pizza and free child care. Of course you should come. An outline of our tentative agenda: -Update from Student Council (did you know we have one? it's always eye-opening to hear what the Big Kids are up to); -Update from the Principal; -Update on how the provincial government cuts will effect the TDSB Budget; -Report on the status of staffing allocation for 2019/2020; -Update on ongoing construction/renovations and upcoming infrastructure improvements; -Status of fundraising; -Upcoming School Council fundraising and community engagement events; ...and more. Please RSVP if you plan to attend so we can plan accordingly. To RSVP, or if y

Fern Fun Flick - Incredibles 2 Wednesday April 17 Doors open at 6pm - Movie starts at 6:30pm There will be Pizza and Treats! $5 , includes popcorn Bring Your Own Water Bottle! We need volunteers to run these events. If you can volunteer, even an hour for set up or tear down, please reach out to Tanis at tanisdarling@me.com

The Junior Badminton team won a hard-fought match against JICS today, and the team now advances to the next level. Excellent play and sportsmanship on both teams, with the Falcons having the home-court advantage. Thank you, Coach K. Hall

Dear Parents and Students, Fern Ave. Public School will have athletic apparel/spirit wear on sale for two weeks. Currently there are shorts, hoodies, short and long sleeve t-shirts, and performance t-shirts on sale in a variety of colours. The athletic apparel is useful for class trips, gym classes and sports teams such as cross country and track and field. Furthermore, the sports clothing with our Falcon logo looks great and is wonderful for our school community spirit. Finally, a small percentage of the purchases go to support our school teams and athletics programs. If you are looking for a greater variety of products, please refer to our late fall sale that will include numerous items including sports gear and hats, cups and bags. Please read the instructions carefully while ordering. The cut off date is April 22nd, 1:00pm. Distribution by May 1st. Our Fern Falcons online store can be found at https://fernspring19.itemorder.com/sale

Fern Ave Public School is getting ready for this year's original Senior musical, "Lestat Private High," May 8 and 9 in the Fern Auditorium. Set in a old Gothic high-school, strange events surround the school’s closing....Animals in the neighbourhood are getting sick, the school’s ageless caretaker is becoming weaker by the day, and staff is being let go when they start asking questions. Three unusual friends must work together to solve the mystery of Lestat Private High. Featuring live music performances by Fern Grade 7 & 8 students, Lestat Private High will be a wickedly good time. Keep an eye on the blog for details about tickets and how you can get involve Logo Design: Mr. Ciric

This year's Fern Ave P.S. original Senior musical is coming May 8 & 9 ! We are recruiting parent volunteers to help make this this the best experience ever for the grade 7 & 8 cast and crew, and we need YOUR help. Please find the link to the Lestat Private High volunteer sign up sheet at: Volunteer Sign Up 2019 We are in immediate need of the following volunteer roles: Set Construction/Design - We've already designed the set, but we need parent volunteers to build and paint the set. Many hands make for lighter work. Lighting Manager - Do you have expertise in lighting? We need you! We need someone to gather lighting equipment, and run the lights during the show. You will need to attend a few rehearsals and all 4 performances on May 8th and 9th. We will have some student crew, but hope to gather a team to help put up and take down lighting. We would also love to have someone run a spotlight! If you can help us out, please contact the director Geoffrey Bro

The flyer with information regarding the Queen Victoria Summer Program can be found here .

A huge thank you to our resident artists, Mr. Ciric and Ms. Reimer, on a fantastic job done on the gym Fern Falcon!