Fern Ave. Public School Blog

Dear Parents/Caregivers, It has come to the attention of the Fern office staff that parents/caregivers have been emailing the Fern email address listed on the TDSB Fern Avenue PS website. We are asking that you kindly NOT use this email address as a means of reporting your child absent but rather call the Safe Arrival telephone number listed in our Fern parent handbook (416-393-9130) and leave a message. We appreciate your ongoing support and if you have any further enquires please feel free to contact Vera in the office. Thank you. Vera

General Interest Classes for Adults Now in the Neighbourhood! NEW this winter, West Toronto C.I., located at 330 Lansdowne Avenue just north of College Street, is hosting Toronto District School Board Learn4Life programs. There are a number of courses offered including Bridge, Egyptian Belly Dancing, French, Painting, Digital Video, Interior Design, Sushi Making, Yoga, Zumba, to name a few. Parents/guardians and any adults 18 years and older are welcome to join us. Classes run during daytime hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and begin the week of January 9, 2012. This program offers you an opportunity to relax, get fit, create a work of art, or learn a new skill or language. It's a great way to have fun and meet new people. Visit: www.learn4life.ca to register online or call 416-338-4111 for more information. West Toronto C.I. is once again offering Adult ESL Classes! Beginning January 9, 2012 the Toronto District School Board is offering an ESL Literacy Classes for Adults. Cla

Applications are now being received on-line at www.tdsb.on.ca/pars   for Grade 4 Extended French programs around the TDSB. Packages have been sent to all schools, and then on through to the grade 3 students/ families.  The information has been distributed to all Grade 3 students in English program at Fern. Please note: The deadline for applications is 15 December 2011.   This is not a process that is controlled by the school.  The deadline is non- negotiable.  

Click here to download the December newsletter.

This year, the School Council has put together an amazing package for our Holiday Shopping Fundraiser with the help of Planet Kid, Sweet Thrills, and Scooter Girl.

It may not feel like winter, but it has snuck up on us nevertheless with Maggie’s new winter menu —full of comfort food favourites—starting on Thursday, December 1. Don’t worry though, popular items such as pizza, sausages and chicken wings will have your child(ren) full, satiated and bursting with energy. We apologize for the short notice of introducing the new menu and appreciate your patience and support during this year’s pilot program. To learn more about the lunch program, click here or contact Tracy Kett at tracykett@rogers.com or 416-535-0205.

Please join us in our new location, Room 216 on Thursday evening, November 24 th from 6:30 - 8:00 pm. We promise to keep this meeting short and sweet! Some of the topics we will be discussing are: Fundraising Goals for this year Upcoming Arts Committee programs Scooter Girl -- Holiday Fundraiser. Shopping days are December 2 and 3. Holiday Concert Staff Appreciation We look forward to seeing you there.

The Communications Committee are the people who maintain this blog and send out the school's weekly e-mail newsletter. And now, to make sure we're doing the best job we can, we're conducting a super quick survey of parents and teachers. But we haven't heard from you. You can fill out the survey online by clicking the following link: http://tinyurl.com/fernsurvey2011 Teachers should fill out the following staff survey instead: http://tinyurl.com/staffsurvey2011 If you've filled out a paper copy of the survey, please return it to the office. All responses are due by November 25.

Hallowe’en for Hunger Did you know that this year Fern Avenue Public School (that’s you) brought in 886 pounds of non-perishable food!?! The food collected will be donated to a local food bank and given to people in need. Great job Fern! Vow of Silence - I Am Silent FTC invites grades 4-8 to take part in Fern’s third annual Vow of Silence on November 30th 2011. The Vow is our chance to “stay in solidarity with children who are silenced by the denial of their rights.” Last year 102,493 youth took the Vow of Silence in 57 countries. This year Fern students will have the choice of being silent for either 24 hours or the whole school day. Wanna participate? Sign up on November 23rd at 12:30 in room 211. Plum and Gwen Members of Fern’s FTC

Sorry for the delay in the results but there was a correction which needed to be made by TDSB before we posted the results. On a cold and wet October 20, Fern AVE PS had 11 students representing us at the City Finals held in Centennial Park. With the wind blowing in their faces, and the field slippery and wet, the students did a great job representing Fern Ave PS. Our results are below: Grade one team -- 5th, Grade one girls -- 10th, 43rd, 61st and 78th Grade 2 boys -- 56th Grade 3 boys -- 14th and 100th Grade 4 girls -- 103rd Grade 4 boys -- 124th Grade 6 Girls -- 5th and 72nd Congratulations to the runners! You did a great job representing Fern Ave PS. The Coaches would also like to thank all Cross Country runners for a wonderful season. See you next year. Roz Geridis Fern PS

Topics: The Individual Education Plan (IEP) & The Identification, Placement and Review Com ite (IPRC) Date: Tuesday 22 November 2011 Time: 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. Locations: EAST REGION 140 Borough Drive Council Chambers, Main Floor WEST REGION 1 Civic Centre Court Boardroom, Main Floor Registration: NOT required Parking: Available at both locations If an interpreter or child minding is required, contact the number indicated at least one week prior to the event: East: 416-396-9039 or 416-396-9003 West: 416-394-7406 or 416-394-7413 Special Education Information Sessions for Parents/Guardians of TDSB Students

This is just a reminder that on-line applications for extended french (the entry point is grade 4) close on December 15, 2011. Please refer to the TDSB website for further information.

Grade 8 Visit Day to PCI: Friday, December 2, 2011 Interested Grade8 students and their teachers may visit PCI in the morning from 9:30am to 11:00am or in the afternoon from 1:00 to 2:30pm. Grade 8 Parents and Students Open House : Thursday, December 8, 2011 Grade 8 students and their parents can tour our facilities, meet the teachers and learn about the programs from 7:00 to 9:00pm. IB Information Night for Grade 8 Parents and Students: Tuesday, December 6, 2011 Students and parents interested in the International Baccalaureate Programme can learn about the programme and application procedures from our I.B. Coordinator and teachers.

Homework Help & School Support has arrived! The Ministry of Education and the Toronto District School Board have partnered to expand an exciting free online initiative to support all students registered in grades 7-10 at TDSB schools. Do you have a child registered in grades 7-10 who struggles to understand how to find slope? Maybe your teenager is struggling with ratios? Extra help is now available. Free Online Math Tutoring Available In the evening, your child can get math support at Homework Help (https://homeworkhelp.ilc.org). Your child can now log in to Homework Help Sunday-Thursday, 5:30pm to 9:30pm, for one-on-one math tutoring. There are interactive discussion rooms for each grade where students can view a current lesson, watch tutors draw on the whiteboard — and then type their own question. Other math resources on the Homework Help website include videos of teachers leading students through the 20 most commonly asked math problems, interactive math tutorials and highligh

It is with great sadness that we inform you of the sudden death of one of our Howard students’ parents, Jenna Morrison, in a tragic bicycle accident on Nov. 7th. These few days have been a difficult time for the Howard PS community as they mourn this tragic loss of life. As a Family of Schools, we are seeking to initiate a Loonie for Lucas campaign to support this young man through life. Fern Avenue PS would like to support the Morrison family with a Loonie for Lucas day. Student’s who bring in a loonie, are to give it to their classroom teacher. All loonies will be collected and then brought down to the school office. We ask that all Loonies be sent to the school no later than Friday November 25th. Once all loonies donated have been handed in, we will forward them to the family on behalf of the Fern school community. Thank you for your support.

There will be a meeting for Grade 7 parents this Tuesday, November 15 at 7pm for an Information Night regarding their children’s upcoming 3-day, 2-night, overnight Leadership Trip. We will convene in our staffroom on the second floor, in the newer wing. Mr. Jay Haddad will be speaking. He is the activity leader for the experience. Please attend with any questions you may have. Thank you. Mr. A. Moy, Principal Fern Avenue Junior and Senior Public School

This is a picture of the GREEN TOMATO MUFFINS which we recently enjoyed from our harvest of the last of our AMAZING tomato crop! Twenty-four lucky staff at FERN AVE PS got to try these muffins and the response from most was, "WOW, THIS IS AMAZING.... WHAT IS IT?" Most were very surprised that they were sweet muffins made from tomatoes. The response was so great that we have been asked to share the recipe. Thanks to Natalie Celuch for making the muffins and giving us the recipe !

Fern Avenue Public School is holding a Scholastic Book Fair during the week of November 14th to 18th in the Music Room, across from the Main Office. Funds raised during this event will help to support the literacy initiatives of the school library, including the Boys’, Girls’ and Intermediate Book Clubs, the Silver Birch and Red Maple Reading Programs, and the Get Caught Reading Program. It will also make it possible to put the most up-to-date resources urgently needed by teachers and their students. The Scholastic Book Fair will be open - 12:15 pm - 4:00 pm Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 8:30 am - 11:45 am Wednesday 4:00 pm - 7:00 pm Thursday evening We are looking for adult volunteers who might be able to give us a couple of hours to help out with manning the desk during this fund-raiser! No experience necessary! If you would like to help with the Book Fair, please speak to Ellen Douglas, in the library, or call or e-mail me! Many thanks! Ellen Douglas Fer

We are missing some FERN green t-shirts. They were loaned out for the cross country meets, but some have not returned. If you have any green FERN t-shirts at home, please return them to the office before Friday. Thank you, Cross Country Coaches

The Communications Committee is conducting a super quick survey to help us improve communication between Fern Avenue Public School staff, parents, and the community. You may have already received a paper version of this survey, but if you'd prefer, you can take it online by clicking the following link:       http://tinyurl.com/fernsurvey2011 Teachers should fill out the following staff survey instead:       http://tinyurl.com/fernstaffsurvey2011 Paper copies should be returned to the office. All responses are due by November 25. You feedback is appreciated.

Dear Fern parents, We have been receiving positive feedback from students and parents alike praising both the delicious, nutritious meals and the convenience of not having to scramble around to pack lunches, which often come home uneaten. Our daughter “is very picky about what she will eat, but she will eat most things prepared at the school,” one parent says. Another parent adds, my son “was also getting too skinny from not eating well at lunch and coming home starving,” however now he is getting a well‐balanced meal and “he LOVES the food and says it's really yummy.” If you haven’t done so already, you still have the opportunity to sign up for Fern’s hot lunch program. (If you have already signed up for three or more months, there is no need to do anything more. We will e‐mail you a reminder when your child’s last paid month is approaching.)

If you haven’t done so already, don’t forget to sign up for December's menu of hot lunches. To order your lunches for December, download the application form and drop off your payment at room 103 by Tuesday, November 15th. To check out our menu, download it here , or browse through it on the online School Calendar.

In light of the recent passing of a Howard Park PS Parent: Please join Carla and friends to honor Jenna. Jenna has touched our hearts in many ways, and she will be missed! Jenna a mother from Howard, a Thai Massage therapist and a Yoga instructor for Centre for Well Being and other locations. Please take part in this Celebration of Light held at:      Centre for Well Being      480 Roncesvalles Avenue      Friday November 11 at 7:30 pm Please RSVP by email at Centreforwellbeing@bellnet.ca or call 416-760-9210

http://www.tdsb.on.ca/wwwdocuments/Trustees/Ward_7/docs/E28_W7_Council_Update-2011-10-18.pdf Let me know if you have an interest in attending the next Ward 7 Parent Council meeting held at Runnymede PS, Tuesday November 29th, 7pm. Adam adameizinas@gmail.com

It is a busy, but exciting time for Grade 8 students and their parents! Our Parent Information Nights at Parkdale PS and Carleton Village PS on Transitions to 9 were a success. Students and their parents are now visiting Secondary School Parent Nights. Please be sure to go over the Choices for 9 brochure your child brought home. There is key information and dates in it. Students were just told their home schools and are starting to decide where they would like to apply. Please note that optional attendance forms will be available in January and the deadline to submit them is February 1. We are looking forward to our trip to Western Technical-Commercial School on November 15 and our trip to Parkdale Collegiate Institute on December 2. We also look forward to Andrew Lin, co-ordinator of the Pre-IB program at Parkdale Collegiate coming to talk to our students on November 22 and we also are having a representative from the TOPS program at Bloor Collegiate Institute come as well. I

A MESSAGE FROM LUISA BROWN #86829 & Vicky Deol #82144 11, 12 & 13 Division Crossing Guard Co-ordinators 200 Tretheway Drive 416.808.1235/416.808.1061 Each year both Safe Kids Canada and Fedex collaborate to lauch this contest. Last year the contest was won by one of the Crossing Guards in Toronto. The Crossing Guard was so proud, as was the school she represented. Generous awards and media exposure are given both to the nominating school and the Crossing Guard. Nominations can be put forward by students, teachers or parents. Nomination forms for this contest along with further information can be found at the website http://www.safekidscanada.ca. We encourage your participation in such a commendable program. Please keep in mind that the final day for nominations is Friday November 25, 2011. Good Luck!

Once again the FERN AVENUE Hooded Sweaters are back and for sale. Buy a hoodie and show your Fern Spirit...hoodies are now available for our younger students as well. Please see Vera if you have any questions concerning sizing. Hoodies are $30.00 (taxes included), if paying by cheque please make them payable to Fern Avenue Public School. Thank you!