Fern Ave. Public School Blog

OH, WHAT A NIGHT!! We danced, we laughed, sported new spring fashions and spent some money for a great cause.  Spring Fling 2012 raised over $8,600.00 for programs for our children next year and we have many people to thank. Thank you to Liz Leason our Spring Fling Lead, Jamie Cuthbert , Head of Fundraising and our awesome auctioneer, the captivating Katrina Herrndorf for her graphic talents and assistance with everything!  Thank you to Adam Eizinas for putting together the Muskoka Chairs and collecting donations.  A big shout out to our DJ, James Morrison for keeping us on the dance floor.  Thank you Jennifer Blunt for jumping in and guiding us through the logistics of the silent auction and a big thanks to Suzanne Shore for joining us for set up.  Thank you to our many ticket sellers and to the parents and teachers at Fern for supporting the event and collecting the silent auction items for their classes.  Thank you to our basket assembly helpers, Val, Michelle a

Our next School Advisory Council meeting is at 6:30 pm on Tuesday, April 24th in the Staff Lounge (Room 201).  We will be discussing: results from the Spring Fling! class models for 2012/13 school year new Fundraising initiatives for next year supporting English and French language streams at Fern Please join us and get a clear understanding of where your donation dollars are being used.

It’s time again for Fern’s annual SPRING FLING dance party and auction fundraiser!      Toronto Sailing & Canoe Club      1391 Lakeshore Blvd West      7:00 P.M. Tickets will be on sale all next week from the office or in the Junior yard from 3:30 to 4:30. Only $20. Remember how much fun this was last year! Cocktails, music and an auction to raise money for our kids’ school programs. Now we just need you!!! Questions/tickets—contact Liz at liz.leason@rogers.com or 416-697-5902

If you haven’t signed up your child yet for May’s lunch program, you can still provide your child with delicious, nutritious meals while enjoying the extra time you’ll save packing lunches. Download May’s order form and submit it into the secure mailbox outside the Ferncliff Daycare office (room 103). Hard copies of the menu and the order form are also available outside the office. For more information, please contact Tracy Kett at tracykett@rogers.com or (416) 535-0205.

The Fern Eco Team recently attended an Eco Forum held at Howard PS. Five Eco School Teams from our Family of Schools (FOS) came to the full day event - Howard PS, Indian Road, Annette/High Park Alternative, Runnymede PS, and Fern. The 5 Eco Teams decided to participate in the Earth Week Cellphone Recycling Program , which starts Monday April 16 . In partnership with the Toronto Zoo conservation program, we will be collecting old cellphones in an effort to help reduce toxic metals going to landfills in Ontario and reduce the pressure to mine essential minerals in gorilla habitat in the Congo Rainforest. Many of the minerals in cellphones can be extracted and reused. In 2010, 134 million cellphones were sent into landfills. The school cellphone collection box is located just outside the Fern office. Select the Toronto Zoo link for more details! Please support this cause by collecting friends' and family's old cellphones. Thank you for your continued support. Fern Eco Team

Please click here to download the Eco Team - Spring 2012 update .

Fern is gearing up to start an Ultimate Frisbee club for Grades 6, 7, and 8. The club is a co-ed venture and the ultimate aim is to participate in the TDSB tournament in May. We'll be meeting on Tuesdays and Fridays at Sorauren Park from 3:30 to 4:45. The school will supply the frisbees. Kim, a Fern parent, will be the coach and Sathi Basu will be the teacher coach. The first meeting is on April 10th at 3:30 at the Fern Baseball diamond.

CLEAN WATER PROJECT IN KENYA Over the past two years FTC raised, with the support of the Fern community, $5000.00 for a clean water project in Kenya. The money has been put toward a $100,000 Bore Hole in Eore Wuaso. To see a clip of a Bore Hole being dug in Kenya, go to: Craig Kielburger's Kenya Water Surprise! - YouTube Click here to download the FTC April Newsletter , or click below to view on the blog.

HELLO FERN PARENTS! PLEASE HELP BEAUTIFY THE SCHOOL YARD The Arts Committee parent volunteers are putting together a large scale installation project for all the kindergarten students and some junior classes. The Fern Family Tree will explore the idea of family and nature, and the visual arts process of planning, producing, and installing a large scale communal art piece. It will also contribute towards the needed beautification of our school yard. The project is a series of painted wooden cutouts of insects, leaves, and a large tree. They will be attached to the chain link fence on the east side of the school yard, directly in front of the kindergarten and primary doors. The kindergarten students will work on the insects and some of the junior classes will work on the tree and leaves. HERE IS HOW YOU CAN HELP We have been canvassing local businesses, but we still need supplies, such as: Exterior acrylic primer or Exterior acrylic primer and paint in one Exterior acrylic house paint in

Imagine 21 days without making lunches or emptying your child’s uneaten food into the green bin! Yes, it’s possible if you sign up your child(ren) for Fern’s delicious and healthy lunches in May. Download your lunch order form and the menu for May . Printed copies are also available in hard copies on the bulletin board outside the Ferncliff Daycare office (Room 103), or let us know if you would like them sent home with your child. Lunch orders and payments can be dropped off in a secure mailbox just outside the Ferncliff office by Monday, April 16 . (The lunch program is volunteer-driven so late orders create more work for the parents who run it and also results in delays in food ordering and timely deposit of payments.) We are still looking for volunteers to help serve Maggie’s yummy lunches. Your child does not have to participate in the program for you to be involved – it’s a great way to meet other parents, learn about the school community and help support healthy and delicious e

Grade 6 girls' soccer practice will begin next week. There will be a meeting on Thursday, April 5th, during morning recess, to receive the permission form. Practice will be held every Monday and Wednesday (3:30 pm to 4:15 pm) in the gym until April 18th. At that time, we will be moving the practice to the field (same days and time). All rain day practices will be in the gym. The first practice is Wednesday, April 11th. All players must have a signed permission form to practice. The first tournament will be May 7th at Swansea PS. If we qualify, semi finals will be held the week of June 4th and the City Finals will be on June 11th (locations and times are still to be determined).

Senior boys soccer tryouts and practices will be taking place on Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:35-5:00pm at Sorauren Park, starting Wednesday April 4th. Some Friday practices will be added as we get closer to the tournament date in late May. Our goal is for our students to improve their soccer skills, as individuals and as a team, to be competitive, and to have fun. The soccer team will be coached by Sarantos Katsihtis, a teacher at Fern Avenue PS.

Yes, it’s that time of the year when the big buzz around Fern Ave PS, and for Athletics in particular, revolves around track and field. This year’s surprisingly early track and field dates have us already preparing for our school teams. Our students are practising various track and field events during gym class, while division practices outside school hours will start on Thursday April 5th. Junior student practices will be held on Tuesday and Thursday mornings between 8:00-8:50, with coaches Roz Geridis and Sarantos Katsihtis. We've also planned Track and Field days for the primary and junior students: Primary - Wednesday April 11th in the afternoon Junior - Tuesday April 17th in the morning Teams will be selected based on a combination of records during practices and gym classes, and at the Track and Field days. Our goal is to challenge each student to try for their personal best and to enjoy participating in athletic events such as track and field. Tryouts for senior

The Fern Arts Committee presents: ACHÉ BRASIL DANCE EXTRAORDINAIRE! Thursday April 19 6:15 - 7:15 PM Fern Avenue PS Auditorium Bring the entire family for an energetic, action-packed performance by this incredible musical dance group from Vancouver B.C. This show represents the culture, traditions, beliefs, and the music and movement of the people of Brazil. This will be a spectacular show that you won't want to miss! Tickets: $6 each or 4 for $20 Available at: Fern Ave. PS Office Scooter Girl Mabel’s Bakery For more info and/or tickets contact: Katrina.Fern.Arts@gmail.com HAVE A SNEAK PEEK! Click: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqUKgWLr-jc

The minutes for the meeting of the School Council that took place on March 22 is now available for download from the  School Council  page.