Fern Ave. Public School Blog

Each year Fern offers its students and families an opportunity to purchase Fern swag/spirit wear. We are working with Axis Gear , a local business to offer families the opportunity to purchase.  Families can go online to view and order and pay for their purchases. The link to the website is  https://fernavespiritwear.itemorder.com/sale

Thank you to parents that have contacted us regarding the lunchroom supervisor positions.  We are still in need of a few more supervisors, and encourage you to contact us for more information if you or someone you know are interested in filling this role.

The Fern school council meeting dates have been set with school administration. Please mark your calendar and attend as you are able to.  The ZOOM link will be emailed the morning of the meet. All are welcome to attend!  Wednesday, Nov. 10th 6:30-8:30 pm  Wednesday, Dec. 8th 6:30-8:30 pm  Wednesday, Jan. 26th 6:30-8:30 pm  Wednesday , Feb. 23rd 6:30-8:30 pm  Wednesday, March 30th 6:30-8:30 pm  Wednesday, April 27th 6:30-8:30 pm  Wednesday, June 1st 6:30-8:30 pm

The flyer for Parkdale CI's virtual info night on November 23 can be found here .

Please click here for the latest Fern School Council minutes.

We are looking forward to our annual Halloween Parade and festivities on  October 29th .  Weather permitting classes will parade outdoors around the track at the times listed below.  Families are invited to come and take photos but will need to remain on the sidewalk on Wright Ave. as we cannot gather in our school yard.    9:30-9:50- Heller and Foster  9:50- 1O:10- Oda & Gilmour  10:20-10:40- Nitsis &Ashforth  10:40-11:00- Centeno & Jameison & Edelshtien  11:00-11:20- Jolie & Eyre  11:20-11:40-Tse and Mably  11:40-12:00- Nave & Brown  1:00-1:20-Tchaptchet & Roch & Balaisis  1:20-1:40- Otarova & Zahradnik  Students are welcome to wear their Halloween Costumes on this day or wear Black and Orange if they prefer. For families new to Fern, this is an annual event and is sure to be a lot of fun! We will ensure physical distancing and cohorts are maintained. 

Join us for the School Council Meeting  November 10 via ZOOM,  6:30 - 8:30 Details to follow.

Click here for the Fall Hearts & Minds Newsletter.

Click here for Western Technical-Commercial School's Open House flyer.  

Presently the entry point to Early French Immersion is Senior Kindergarten. However, the entry point will change to Junior Kindergarten for September 2022 .  There will be a one transition year wherein students who will be entering Junior Kindergarten and Senior Kindergarten in 2022 will be eligible to apply to the Early French Immersion program during the November 2021 application period. Moving forward (2023), the only entry point for Early French Immersion will be Junior Kindergarten.  The application to the Early French Immersion program will remain an online process managed by the Central French Department and will take place during the month of November.  All information and the online application are available at www.tdsb.on.ca/french website or click on Early French Immersion . Early French Immersion: Applications must be completed online between November 1 to the end of November.  French Immersion Virtual Web Chat Information Sessions for families interested in the applicati

We were to re-open our pool on Monday, October 18th, but this has been put on hold until we receive final updates on the safety guidelines to reopening the pool.  Please be informed we need two aquatic instructors plus a teacher on deck for pool to be operational at all times. We are currently down one aquatic instructor and we understand there is a Provincial shortage of aquatic instructors at this time.  We will keep you updated as we have more information.

We are looking forward to our annual Halloween Parade and festivities on October 29th .  This year we will parade outdoors around our beautiful new track weather permitting. Students are welcome to wear their Halloween Costumes on this day or wear Black and Orange if they prefer. For families new to Fern, this is an annual event and is sure to be a lot of fun! We will ensure physical distancing and cohorts are maintained. Families are invited to come and take photos but will need to remain on the sidewalk on Wright Ave. as we cannot gather in our school yard.  Costume considerations at school:        Costumes should:   allow for movement without risk of tripping allow for totally open and unimpaired view of surrounding  allow for normal breathing, there are no masks as students will be wearing masks for COVID-19    protocols  not include weapons or replicas of weapons allow students easy independent access to washrooms  allow students to wear clothing over or under the costume as w

The entry point to Early French Immersion is changing to Junior Kindergarten.  For entry to Early French Immersion for September 2022 only, the entry group will include Junior and Senior Kindergarten students. Families of children born in both 2017 and 2018 may apply in November 2021 to begin the program in September 2022.  It is an entirely online process. All communication will be sent via the email address you provide. Please check your email regularly, including junk mail folders. Please visit the application site www.tdsb.on.ca/pars For children born in 2018 : Please select the “Non-TDSB Student” option and follow the steps to generate an identification number. You must then return to the PARS site and follow the application procedure with this number. Once in PARS, please select the Early Immersion Program from the drop-down menu, and complete the application process.  On-time applicants will be offered a placement via the email address you have provided. You MUST take action t

Hello Everyone!  The Claude Watson Arts Program is committed to championing artists with or without formal training, who demonstrate passion and potential in their pursuit of excellence in the arts.  Click here for our Open House flyer for grade 8 students interested in a specialized arts high school program: Dance, Drama, Film, Music or Visual Arts at Earl Haig S.S. Students, family and friends are invited to attend our Virtual Open House on Wednesday, November 10th at 6:30 PM .  For application and audition information please visit our website at www.claudewatson.ca  

Great news!  We are able to proceed with school photos (individual only) as Britepics have confirmed they have a vaccination disclosure policy in place and all their photographers scheduled for our photo day will provide us with validation of their vaccination status.  Thank you for your patience and understanding! All our Fern Virtual students are invited to Fern for their photo from 8am-9-am or 3:30pm to 4:30pm in our auditorium .

Click here for information on the extracurricular senior soccer House League.

Click here to access the letter from Mr. Katsihtis regarding 2021-22 Sports at Fern. Click here for the Phys Ed Guidelines. The Curriculum can be found here .

Good afternoon Parents/Guardians,  Ensuring the health and safety of our students and staff is a priority and everyone plays a role. Toronto Public Health has made updates to its COVID-19 screening for students/children in childcares and JK to Grade 12 schools.  Please use this updated version when conducting your daily screening before coming to school. Here is the revised TDSB Health Pass paper version and these updates are reflected in the TDSB Health Screening App.  One of the most important thing families can do to help mitigate the transmission of COVID-19 is to screen their children daily for any COVID-19 symptoms and keep them home from school if they are sick or have had close contact with anyone diagnosed with COVID-19. ​​​​​​​ Thank you for your continued support in keeping our schools safe and healthy.

Hello Fern Families :  Fern PS is scheduled to start the C-19 Saliva Test program on October 11th.  Please see below for more detailed information.  Dear School Community,  The Hospital for Sick Children is pleased to provide the COVID-19 Saliva Testing Program in partnership with your school. Under this program, we offer COVID-19 saliva test kits for symptomatic staff, students, and household members, or those who have been identified by Toronto Public Health (TPH) as a high risk/close contact of a confirmed COVID-19 positive case. We also offer cohort and/or outbreak testing as recommended by TPH.  Through participation in this program, we hope to provide a test that is painless and accessible, reduce COVID-19 cases in your school, keep schools open, promote healthy childhood development, and support the health and safety of your community.  Where do I pick up my kit? Saliva kits will be provided to your school administration if testing criteria is met: 1. Have symptoms consistent wi

Dear Parents/Guardians,  During the last month there has been a bit of confusion regarding the Kinder Hot Lunch/Snack and Bagged Lunch email postings. Many of you have expressed a concern you are not receiving any of my email posts or reminders regarding the above mentioned purchases.  Through careful investigation, I have discovered many of you have inadvertently turned off the notification button when you set yourself up on School Cash Online. Once signed into SCO, go to the top right corner and click on "My Account". Then, click on 'Manage email notifications". There will be a selection to check a box to turn ON or OFF notifications. Please confirm this is ON. Also note the following applies to all field trips, school fund raisers, etc. Please feel to email or call me should you have any further questions or concerns.  Regards, Vera

Fern will be holding our annual Curriculum Night on October 6th starting at 6:30pm .  Due to COVID-19 safety measures, curriculum night will once again be held in a virtual format. Classroom teachers will be sending families their curriculum night information.

The Ministry of Health has provided a school based immunization program for students (Gr.7-12) that is delivered by the local Public Health department. Due to pandemic related disruptions, students have missed the opportunity to receive these vaccines over the past 2 years.  Toronto Public Health will be offering the school-based vaccines by appointment to eligible students in Grade 7-12 (born 2004-2009) at clinics throughout Toronto. The process is easy and you can book an appointment at:  tphbookings.ca .  The following vaccines will be available at the TPH community clinics: Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) Meningococcal Disease Hepatitis B. Please note : COVID-19 vaccines are separate from the school-based immunization program.  Please bring your immunization record with you to the appointment, where TPH staff will fully assess the vaccination history and obtain consent.