Fern Ave. Public School Blog

Some members of the Let's Make Waves team have been hard at work putting a full press package together, in anticipation of the last TDSB Board meeting before summer break - June 25th at 7:30 pm. We need your help RIGHT NOW! This Wednesday night, there is a motion before the Board from Josh Matlow and Chris Tonks for the following: 1. That the Board reconsider its decision of June 27, 2007, as follows: That if, by February 2008, the provincial government does not agree to fund Board unfunded pools either through operating or capital grants or through a specific education mill rate, that the process of decommissioning all school-based pools effective June 1, 2008 be implemented. 2. That the Minister of Education be requested to appoint a professional with aquatics/auditing experience to help the Board review its pools before a single pool is drained in order to have correct and complete data before making decisions affecting aquatic programs. PLEASE EMAIL YOUR TRUSTEE TODAY! a) Let y

Parents, please come by the school and view the lost and found items. They are spread out in the school main floor hallway. Whatever is not claimed by next Tuesday will be sent to Goodwill. Thank you on behalf of the Early Years Team. Submitted by Tracy Spence , Ferncliff

The Math, Science and Engineering Committee has several initiatives planned for the next school year. This year, for the first time at Fern, we participated in the First Lego League (robotics) as well as Destination Imagination (blending art, science and imagination). We're eager to have more volunteers on our Committee and to bring even more enriching experiences to Fern for our children. We need your ideas and energy! Come and join us. We are also looking for a professional engineer who can volunteer in Professional Engineer Ontario's Engineer-in-Residence program at Fern. You would be working closely with teachers and students to help bring the excitement of science and engineering into the classroom. Please contact Haig at hbaronikian@yahoo.ca or 416.530.4877 for more information.

Photographs of the FUN FAIR Displayed in the School Lobby On Sale Now! Order by Friday, June 20th

Fern Spring Concert 2008 Date Change: Thurs. June 19 Time: 6:30 PM Please have all students involved arrive by 6:15 PM Grades 1 – 2 students meet in Auditorium Grades 3 – 6 students meet in their Classrooms See you there!

We will be serving coffee (possibly iced coffee), lemonade and light refreshments at the concert next week (June 18*) for about one hour. If anyone wants to help out, then it may be open longer! To volunteer, please contact Joanne Somers at joannesomers@rogers.com . All funds raised will go to the school council. * Rain date June 19.

Fern Avenue Ecoschool Committee proudly announces that we have once again achieved Gold Certification. This program formally recognizes our school's excellent environmental initiatives. Even though sadly we have lost the compost bins, we have managed to stay in the race with other initiatives: ''Shutdown" - the teachers are now shutting down their computers every night; and "Let the Sun In" - all classes turn off the lights when it is bright and sunny outside. Our level of electrical consumption has been markedly reduced and we can all be proud of our school community. Our continued recycling campaign is still going strong and we are looking at alternatives to the compost bins for the hot lunch program waste. Please contact Joanne Somers at (416) 530-1284 or email joannesomers@rogers.com if you are interested in joining our enthusiastic team.

1. FSL Policy Development Policies and procedures on aspects of FSL programs have developed at the Board over the years but there is no overall policy in place against which procedures can be developed and evaluated. The Gossling report of 2005 noted this and the Board responded by passing a motion for the development of an Extended and Immersion French policy "establishing a commitment to French-as-a-Second Language as a community-based program that supports French-language proficiency and bilingualism." System Superintendent Nadine Segal formed a policy review committee of staff to work on an initial draft. In May, the committee expanded to include trustees and FSLAC members. It will meet again in September and in the coming months, the policy will go to the FSLAC, to the Program and School Services Committee of the Board and then to the full Board. The FSLAC is proposing that the commitment be as stated in the Board motion but also include a commitment to research and inno

June 12, 2008 7:00 – 9:00 pm This is the last School Council meeting of the 2007/2008 school year. Please come and participate in deciding how to spend our money for the next school year. We also welcome everyone to join us in celebrating the work we’ve done and the beginning of summer with some home baked goodies and something to drink. Items marked with ** are those that require a decision from School Council members. Click here to download a copy of the proposed budget. Approval of Agenda, 2 min Approval of Minutes from the May 22 meeting, 2 min Chair’s Report (John Richmond), 5 min Ward 7 Report (Catherine Marjoribanks), 5 min Committee Reports, 15 min — Arts Committee — Greening Committee — Playground Committee — Science & Technology — Food Principal’s Report (Craig Tsuji), 10 min Treasurer’s Report (Amy Stein), 15 min Budget Proposal Discussion (John Richmond; discussion of the executive’s proposal), 60 min Budget Vote (John Richmond; does council accept the budget as propos

The Annual Fern Staff Luncheon will be held on Tuesday, June 24. This is a wonderful opportunity to thank our teachers, administration and support staff for another great school year. Contributions of nut-free hot or cold entrées and desserts are needed to create a sumptuous lunch buffet. Please contact Karen Mondok at karenmondok@hotmail.com with questions or to add your name and dish to our menu.

Ann Wright will be our roving photographer again at this year's Fun Fair. Photos will be displayed in the front foyer after the Fun Fair. Copies will be available for $1.00 each. See you on Friday! Submitted by Dianne Nicholson , parent and Fun Fair organizer

Ontario has a Provincial Parent Board whose role is to advise the Minister of Education on how to increase parent involvement. It also helps the minister develop effective programs and supports for parent involvement - locally, at the board level, and across the province. For more information on the Provincial Parent Board, please go to: http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/parents/ppb/ And the Board now has a Suggestion Box. If you would like to offer input or make recommendations to the Board, you can do so at: English: http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/parents/ppb/contact.html French: http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/fre/parents/ppb/contact.html Submitted by Catherine Marjoribanks , Ward 7 rep to the Parent Involvement Advisory Committee.

The new full-day kindergarten -- looking for parent input. Dr. Charles E. Pascal has been appointed by the Province to offer advice on implementation of the new program of full-day learning for four- and five-year-olds (full-day Kindergarten). Parents who are interested in this topic can go to the following site to learn more and to offer their own input. http://ontario.ca/earlylearning The site provides a discussion guide to help understand the process. Submitted by Catherine Marjoribanks , Ward 7 rep.

From Trustee Irene Atkinson – May 8th, 2007 meeting. To view this document, please click here .

Tuesday, June 10, 4:00 - 7:00 pm (remarks at 4:30) 79 Jackman Ave (Chester subway station) Premiere of Raising the Green Roof , a 15-minute documentary of the Jackman Green Roof. Event includes refreshments, industry experts, information and tours. Click here for more information.

Free Community Information Session on Education in English/Mandarin/Cantonese Wednesday, June 4, 6:30 - 9:00 pm 多伦多小学教育体制与ESL 课程、中文学校课程及在校安全话题 TDSB Elementary School: ESL, International Language Programs at TDSB & School Safety 地点(Location): Ryerson Community School 96 Denison Avenue, Toronto (near Dundas and Bathurst) 联系人 Contact ： 赵女士 Cathy Zhao 电话 Tel: (416) -596-0833 ext. 5 Click here for more information.

The sounds of spring and summer are soon upon us! Our outdoor Spring Concert will be held on Wednesday, June 18th. (Rain date: Thursday, June 19th). Bring a lawn chair, bring a blanket, bring a picnic! The concert will begin at 6:30 p.m. Student check in time is at 6:15 in your child’s classroom. P.S. Our incredible Fern staff singers will be making their world stage debut!