FERN AVENUE PUBLIC SCHOOL NEWSLETTER128 Fern Avenue Toronto, ON

416-393-9130NOVEMBER 27, 2008

SafetyTo ensure safety in our schoolyard, students should not be riding bicycles, skateboards or scooters in the yard. We ask our Fern community to support our efforts in ensuring that our yard is safe at all times and refrain from bringing these items to school. We also ask that you take responsibility of your pets if they accompany you on school property.

As for recess times, we have been dealing with many unfortunate incidents. Students are bringing expensive and precious items such as i-pods, cellular phones and toys to school and are playing with them at recess time. These items must remain at home. The loss and/or damage of these items is causing considerable concern to students, parents, staff and administration. We encourage all students to please use recess times as an opportunity to engage in physical activities (such as sports and tag).

In addition, as our focus is to always maintain a safe and caring school environment, it has become evident that some of our students are purchasing unsafe contents from our community stores. We have been dealing with multiple incidents of students buying and setting off STINK BOMBS and/or small explosives like SPARK BOMBS on school property. We ask that you review with your child(ren) the affects of making such purchases and the consequences of using these items at school. Our staff is aware of their use and have been advised to report any use of/or incidents with these products to the office.

A reminder that cell-phones are not permitted to be on or used in the school or on school property during the school day (i.e., using a cell-phone during lunch time in the school yard is not permitted.

POOLWe understand that there are concerns regarding the frequent closing of the pool. We must close the pool when it is not up to health standards. The pool filters and plumbing (pipes) are in need of repair and we are doing everything we can to keep the pool open. TDSB plumbers have checked the system and cannot give us any short term solution except intermittent closure. Please understand that the filters and plumbing are an on-going issue and the cost to repair and replace them is cost prohibitive. Therefore thank you for your understanding as we continue to do our best to maintain the pool.

City Champions The season for the Fern football started with one faithful tryout. Little did they know they would end up winning the entire City Championship. The first tournament began at Swansea with the Falcons dominating the field. The Falcons went 2-0 and advanced to the Conference Tournament. The Team won two games and then advanced to the Conference Finals. The team won in a close game and were happy to be advancing to the City Semi-Finals. The game was close but a last minute drive gave the Falcons the lead allowing them to advance to the City Finals. At this point, the Falcons were beginning to feel the nerves. The whole Senior Division was invited to attend and cheer on the football team. The Falcons led at the half by 16 and foiled a last minute come back with an interception in the end zone. The Falcons won the first football championship and the first championship in over 20 years for Fern. The team also had an article featured in the Toronto Star. GOOD JOB BOYS!!!!

Buffalo Bills: A Surprise Visit to Fern Avenue Public SchoolWhat a surprise! Who would have ever thought that Fern Avenue Public School would be visited by some of the team members of the Buffalo Bills football team. On Tuesday November 11, 2008 team members #86 Derek Fine, #77 Demetrius Bell and #27 Reggie Corner met some of our senior students and staff over the lunch hour! With these team players, our students participated in some training routines that the Buffalo Bills endure in preparation for their football games. Later that evening, CFTO NEWS and CITY-TV showcased the visit on their 6pm newscasts. How exciting! Check out the Buffalo Bills website at www.buffalobills.com for more information.

A Day of RemembranceFern Avenue Public School distributed poppies to their students as a sign of remembrance on Tuesday November 11, 2008 Remembrance Day. They asked for a small monetary contribution to support our Canadian Veterans. Cash donations were received and totaled $313.56. These donations were forwarded to the Canadian Veterans on behalf of our Fern Community. Ms.Basu’s class hosted a solemn whole-school assembly on November 11, 2008 in remembrance of those men and women who served our country.

Scooter-Girls Fundraising Weekend

Just a friendly reminder that on Saturday November 29, 2008 & Sunday November 30, 2008. You can get your holiday shopping done early and raise money for Fern Avenue School by shopping at Scooter-Girl. The store is located at Roncesvalles and Fern Avenue. A portion of all sales goes directly to Fern Ave P.S.

Public Health VisitToronto Public Health has re-scheduled their visit to Fern Avenue Public School. The grade 7 and 8 students of Fern will receive their vaccination shots on Wednesday December 3, 2008 at 1pm. For those that submitted vaccination consent forms our grade 7 students will be vaccinated for HEP B & MEN C, and our grade 8 girls will be vaccinated for HPV.

Extended French Information NightFern Avenue Public School is hosting an extended French information night on Thursday November 27th, 2008. This is an opportunity for our feeder schools, parents and students to hear about the programs that Fern has to offer. The information session will commence at 6:30pm until 7:30pm. A flyer was sent out prior to the event. We hope that you be able to attend!

Springhurst LINC English ClassesSpringhurst LINC (Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada) offers full-time English instruction for adults. The program is funded by Citizenship and

Immigration Canada. Landed immigrants and accepted convention refugees are eligible to attend. They also offer child-minding for children from 18 months to six years of age.

Springhurst LINC is located at160 Springhurst Avenue (King & Jameson).

If interested, please visit theFern Avenue School Office to pick up a

flyer and LINC business card.

Free English classes will take place everyMonday to Friday from 9:00 AM to 2:30 PM.

Report Card DatesIf you can believe it, report cards are almost ready to be sent home for Term One of the school year. Please mark your calendars as these will be the dates of report card distribution for the 2008-2009 school year.

TERM ONE Monday December 1, 2008

TERM TWO Monday March 30, 2009

TERM THREE Wednesday June 25, 2009

Successful Parent-Teacher Interviews As parent teacher interviews are upon us, we encourage you to take this opportunity to find out about your child’s progress. Report cards will be sent home Monday December 1, 2008. Below are some questions and tips that you may find useful for your scheduled interview. Interpreters are available. Please contact your child’s teacher or indicate your requirements on the parent-teacher interview form.

Great Questions to Ask:What skills does my child need to work on? What activities can we do at home to strengthen those skills? Does my child complete his/her work and assignments efficiently and conscientiously? Is my child facing any struggles in class not related to her/his schoolwork?

Interview Tips:Talk to your child about school before the interview. Ask how they think they are doing and how the teacher can help them meet their goals.

Get an idea of what the curriculum is like, the level your child is working at, and areas where they are struggling.

Make a list of what you want to know before you go into the interview. You can even prepare questions ahead of time if it will make you feel more at ease. Knowing what you want to know and writing it down ensures that you don’t forget anything, and that you get the information you need.

Be open and honest. Feel free to add your own observations around your child’sbehaviour, strengths and weaknesses.

Find out what they’re learning. Ask curriculum questions, find out what your child has learned and what is coming up in the term ahead. Know the skills your child will need to be successful in the term ahead (i.e. knowing how to multiply and divide fractions).

Ask about strengths and weaknesses and possible problems. Find out about problems before they happen. This information will allow students to get help before they fall behind.

Find out how often and how much homework is being assigned as it relates tothe new Homework Policy 2008. Also ask if your child is completing his/her homework regularly, how long the work assigned should take to complete and does the teacher check the homework regularly and provide feedback. The answers to these questions will help you better monitor your child’s work habits.

Ask what you can do at home to help your child. Make a commitment to support your child’s learning.

Our staff at Fern Avenue would like to work in partnership with their parents and encourage open communication to support the learning of all of their students.

Winter ConcertThis year’s Winter Concert will take place Thursday December 18, 2008. The format of the concert will take place outside in the primary yard. All parents, students, teachers and staff will be engaged in the singing of holiday songs. This community affair will take place from 6:30pm until 7:30pm. We look forward to your participation and support in bringing in the holiday season! Also, we will be selling hot chocolate and glow bracelets. Our Parent Council will be selling pizza during the evening aswell.

NEWS FROM THE CLASSROOM

On Thursday November 6, our grade six class in room 201 was very lucky to have YTV come in and work with us. Six people came: Andy the host, Julian the producer and director, Tim the camera man, a makeup lady, Amelia the organizer and the audio man. Wow! That was a lot of people. They were here for over 2 hours, and by the end of it, we were exhausted. We learned that it takes a long time and many retakes to produce small clips. They made us work in groups for a clip called “The Debate” and then we worked individually for the “Top 6” feature. This was a great hands on experience making media come alive at Fern Ave. P.S. We had a great experience because if we want to go into the television world we would at least know a little bit about being so quiet and being very patient. We are looking forward to seeing ourselves on TV. Look for us on Saturday mornings: Crunch, channel 25, from the end of November until mid January. By Andie Mathison, and Sophie Antonyshyn on behalf of 201

The Mysterious EggThe students in room 214 have made an amazing discovery: a magical, mysterious egg! The egg is about four times the size of a normal chicken egg, multi-coloured, and with strange golden spots that seem to appear as we are watching! We are not sure where the egg came from, but after lengthy discussions, and a tallying and recording of our opinions, we have decided to keep the egg and care for it. We have been giving the egg all of the things that it needs to survive, and helping it to hatch with oral and written appreciation statements. They seem to be helping, because the golden spots are growing! We hope to do a good enough job for the egg to hatch. We are all excited to discover what might be born from it!

Our day at Warren ParkOn Monday November 17th, the grade sixes in room 201 visited Warren Park Outdoor Centre. The class learned about the elements of art by doing activities involving organic materials such as twigs, leaves, fallen branches and other materials that naturally came from the earth. One of their activities was called Unearthing Art. Their task was to create a sculpture out of organic materials to show the elements of art: shape, color, lines. They were shown other organic sculptures by artists like Andy Goldsworthy. They also learned about the primary, secondary and complimentary colors, and the last thing they learned was about composting, recycling and ways to save the environment. They all had an excellent time and can’t wait to learn more.

Fern Ave. P.S. Junior House League BasketballFern’s junior basketball house league is a huge success. Over 50 of our junior

students from all skill levels are participating in this fun sporting event at Fern. Our junior students have shown great sports spirit with every game played, and an ever increasing level of skill in the game of basketball.Furthermore, a large number of spectators are in attendance to cheer their friends and favourite team, in what has become a social as well as an athletic event for our students. All five teams have had great games, with most of these games ending in a close score, and with many last minute plays to decide the final score. The “Demons” and the “Warlocks” have ended up in the lead as we prepare for the playoff rounds. The excitement is definitely rising as the playoffs are set to start during the final week of November.In response to many of our junior students that have shown great interest in house league sports, there are two more house leagues that have been scheduled for this year: floor hockey in January-February, and indoor soccer for April-May.

ECO SCHOOL ASSEMBLIES:

JK-Grade 3 (Primary Division) had an assembly onFriday November 14th at 10:50am -11:30am in the auditorium.The grade 7 & 8 student ECO team presented on:What is landfill, how to Reduce, Re-use, & Recycle, Compost and its importance

Grades 4-6 (Junior Division) had an assembly onTuesday, November 18th from 10:50am -11:40am, in the auditoriumThe grade 7 & 8 student ECO team presented:What is landfill, how to Reduce, Re-use, & Recycle, Compost and its importance

We thank Joanne Somers for her dedication and hard-work in organizing these assemblies. And we thank our ECO-School council on their superb presentation.

Please join Garden Avenue P.S. At Their20th Annual

Holiday Craft Sale

Thursday November 27, 20082:30pm – 7:30pm

225 Garden Avenue

Take this opportunity to shop for unique, One-of-a kind gifts – without an admission fee

or fighting crowds at the mall!Shop for jewellery, pottery, sock monkeys, homemade sauces & chocolate, one-of-a-kind art pieces, soaps,Knit-wear, hats,

Chili Bar, Bake Sale..and MORE!

Grade 8 Parent Secondary Information EveningsHigh school is a big step in a student's school life. For many elementary school students and their parents, it can seem like a big and scary place. TDSB staff can help ease any anxieties and show all of the exciting possibilities the transition has to offer. In high school, students have the opportunity to explore a variety of different programs and courses, participate in a wide-range of extracurricular activities, develop life-long friendships, and prepare for post-secondary life.

From November through to January, TDSB secondary schools across the city are hosting parent information evenings to help grade 8 students and parents make informed decisions about high school. Discover a wealth of information about our secondary schools, including programs, special characteristics, and diploma requirements. To find out when your neighbourhood school is offering an information night, visit www.tdsb.on.ca where you can also view a short movie about some of the great program opportunities available in TDSB secondary schools.

TDSB Recognizes November as Aboriginal Education Month

At Fern, our grade 5 and 6’s are coordinating a trip to the Roger’s Centre to partake in Aboriginal Education Day on Friday November 28th. In celebration of Aboriginal month, student’s will be involved in many learning opportunities that include, a demonstration of Pow-Wow dancing, singing, story-telling, visiting the food expo and observing the many vendors in the Aboriginal market if they wish to make personal purchases.

The TDSB has chosen November as Aboriginal Education Month, an occasion for all schools and workplaces to improve their knowledge and understanding of the histories, cultures, achievements, experiences and world views of First Nation, Inuit and Matis peoples in Canada and throughout the world. November was chosen because it is an historic month that encompasses several significant dates for Aboriginal peoples, including honouring Aboriginal veterans for Remembrance Day, Louis Riel Day, Feast of the Dead, and the annual Canadian Aboriginal Festival. The month of November also allows Aboriginal voices to resonate throughout the curriculum early in the school year, and beyond.

Throughout the month of November, there will be a number of exciting events, including a launch and reception, an Aboriginal Veterans Sunrise Ceremony, a student symposium to commemorate Louis Riel Day, and the Canadian Aboriginal Festival Education Day at the Rogers Centre. In recognizing Aboriginal Education Month, the TDSB acknowledges the rights of Aboriginal peoples in Canada as the original peoples of this land. The history of Canada begins with Aboriginal peoples, says the TDSB’s Anishnawbek Education Consultant, Eddy Robinson. The histories of First Nation, Inuit and Matis peoples are an integral part of Canada’s history; we must never forget that.

Parent Workshops & Information Sessions

The Toronto District School Board’s mission statement stresses the value of partnerships among students, schools, families and communities. The Continuing Education staff proudly support your efforts to ensure that this mandate is a reality in all communities. Parent Workshops/Information Sessions foster good parent and community relations. They offer parents the opportunity to learn about and discuss topics that support student success. Continuing Education supports your school’s efforts by providing resources, door prizes and goodwill dollars.

Workshops Offered: Family Literacy and/or Math Nights Literacy Modeling & Skills For ESL Parents Bullying at School and How to Deal With it Support for Early Readers Internet Safety Kids Have Stress Too! Family Fit Night: physical fitness, healthy eating and safety tips Child Development: what to expect (resource to be available Jan ’09) How to Help Students Resolve Conflicts

If you would like more information or want to find out about available resources, please contact Freda Trattner, Program Manager at freda.trattner@tdsb.on.ca or by phone at 416-394-3137.

Forest of Reading Programs Fern is once again taking part in the Ontario Library Association’s Forest of Reading programs, which include Blue Spruce (grades 1 to 3), Silver Birch (grades 4 to 6) and Red Maple (grades 7 and 8), and which challenge students to read nominated titles and then vote for their favourite book. Students in Grades 4 to 8 have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of this year’s nominated titles. I have read copies of those novels which are already in

the Library collection, and have enjoyed them all! To learn more about the Ontario Library Association’s Forest of Reading Programs, go to http://www.accessola.com/forest2009/. Interested in what I think about the books? Read my reviews at FernFolio, http://fernfolio.edublogs.org, as they are posted.

Thanks to the generous support of the School Council, and many kind parents, we have been able to order five copies of each of the ten novels nominated for the Red Maple prize, and of the five novels nominated for Silver Birch Express prize, as well as five copies of each of the ten novels nominated for the Silver Birch Fiction prize. We have also purchased two copies of each of the twenty-five books nominated in the Non-Fiction categories of Silver Birch, Silver Birch Express, and Red Maple. Students in the Boys’ and Girls’ Book Clubs will be reading the Silver Birch novels as part of our activities. Students in the Intermediate Book Club will be doing the same with the novels nominated for the Red Maple prize. Whether they are part of these Book Clubs or not, all junior and intermediate students are welcome to read, discuss and enjoy the books! Children in Grades 1 to 3 will be hearing the Blue Spruce books in the library during the winter term, and will be engaging in drama, drawing, speaking, writing and internet activities based on those books. I am sure you will be hearing all about these terrific picture storybooks at home! We hope to be able to secure some of the coveted tickets for the Red Maple and Silver Birch awards ceremonies. Students’ experiences meeting the authors and participating in a wide variety of activities based on the books last May were magical!

Andy Stanton and Mr Gum On Monday, October 27th, Andy Stanton paid a visit to Fern Avenue. Author of the Mr. Gum series and resident of London, Andy was in Toronto to

take part in Harbourfront’s International Authors Series. We were fortunate to have Scooter Girl approach the school to arrange for Andy’s visit. Students in Grades 3, 4, 5 and 6 were delighted to meet Andy Stanton, whose five books have caught their imaginations and kept them laughing. If possible, Andy’s reading was more absurd and magical, even, than his books. The children were thrilled by his larger-than-life personality, and his dramatic

and comedic talents, and awed by his ability to remember the real name of the girl whom most people refer to as Polly.

Thank you to Andy Stanton for creating a magical afternoon for our students, to Scooter Girl, for making his visit possible, and to Andy’s publisher, who came along for the visit! Visit Egmont Publishers to learn all about Andy Stanton and his books, at http://www.egmont.co.uk/mrGum/. Thank You! Thank you to the many generous individuals and families who have made donations to the Library this year, in particular the families of Jack Groombridge, Lydia and Diane Hoffmann, Minnow and Plum Holtz-Carriere, and Lidjia Rasa. The unstinting support of students, staff, families and the community makes so

much possible at Fern!

LEAD VOLUNTEER NEEDEDThere are some senior students who would love to start a photography club, and are looking for someone to lead it for them. Fern has the equipment needed, and it could be held in Room 308. A teacher will be present to help, and expenses will be shared by the members. It is best to run this as an after school extra curricular activity. If you have any expertise in this area, and can spare the time, and are keen to expire, please contact Ms. Basu at 416-393-9130.

Etobicoke School Of The Arts Information UpdateIn order to accommodate for the Dec 1st issue date of Term One Report Cards, the ESA application deadline has been extended to Fri Dec 5th, 2008. ESAhopes that this extension will allow students to include a copy of their Term One report cards with their applications.

If a report card is not available by Dec 5th, students should still submit their application and forward the report card to ESA when it becomes available.

All students who submit an application package by Dec 5th, 2008 will receive an audition. Students will be telephoned with their audition time between Jan 5 –Jan 11, 2009.

Keele Street P.S.99 Mountview Avenue

International Languages-Elementary/

African Heritage Program

www.ILEprograms.ca

This year we are offering the following language classes in our after school program to students from JK- Grade 8:

KOREAN, MANDARIN SIMPLIFIED, RUSSIAN, SERBIAN, and SPANISH.

Classes run every Tuesday from 4:30-7:00 pm

We are currently accepting registrations for all of the above classes and

NEW ITALIAN AND POLISH CLASSES

Registrations are every Tuesday, from 4:30-7:00 pm, in the school office of Keele St. PS

Students will be registered on a first come first serve basis.Please bring student’s Health Card and $20 (materials fee) for registration.

More on International Languages At Keele Street Public School The International Languages-Elementary/African Heritage program is an optional after-school language program which is available to all students enrolled in the Toronto District School Board. This program runs from September to May of each year and is designed to give students the opportunity to appreciate other cultures and learn additional languages of their choice.

We are currently offering Korean, Mandarin Simplified, Spanish, Russian and Serbian language classes. In order to best serve our community, we are currently accepting registrations for New Italian and Polish classes.

Our International Languages program is offered at Keele Street P.S. on Tuesdays from 4:30-7:00 pm. Our program accepts children ages from Junior Kindergarden to Grade 8.

For the registration please come to the school office at Keele St. PS (every Tuesday from 4:30-7:00 pm) and bring student’s Health Card and $20 Material fee (covers the whole year).

For any further inquiries please contact our Continuing Education hotline at 416-338-4001 or visit the web site www.ileprograms.ca