Dear Mustang Families,
We have had another successful week here at Princess Margaret. Children and staff are fully in the swing of being back at school. We can’t wait to welcome families back on our Meet the Teacher night on September 19th from 530-7pm. Mark your calendars!
This week, sports teams started back up here at PMPS. Cross country running started on Monday and both junior and intermediate soccer are going too. Our grade 1-8 choir started as well. Our instruments also arrived back from being cleaned and repaired over the summer. We can’t wait to get the grade 6-8 band up and running and students met this week to sign up. We held our first School Council meeting of the year tonight as well. Our next meeting is October 3rd at 2024.
Our student leaders are already busy doing announcements for us in the morning. Pizza and milk sales will start soon, as well as spirit days. Our grade 7/8 student council elections were held on Wednesday. I am so proud of the students as they prepared speeches and presented them to their peers. Peers voted in the executive for the 2024-2025 school year and the winners were announced today. It was a busy week at PMPS!
Next week, we will start with our safety drills that are mandatory. This fall, we have to complete three fire drills and one lockdown drill. I have invited Officer Amy to participate in the lockdown drill at our school. This helps the officer learn the layout of our school.
Please note, we had minimal changes to our school’s organization this year. All moves have been completed and we now meet Ministry requirements. Thanks to those families who were impacted and worked through this process with us.
Our Princess Margaret website is https://www.ugdsb.ca/PrincessMargaret/ and our Twitter/ X page is: @margaret_ps . Our school council also has a Facebook page and an Instagram page: @princessmargaretps. Staying connected during the school year is key.
OVER DUE: Welcome Back Information Package & Important Forms That Need to Be Returned:
The following forms were sent home the first day of school in white and require a signature.
-Student Verification form – please make necessary changes to the information on this form, sign and date
-Consent to Share Personal Information; newsletters/media/UGDSB websites/social media- please indicate your consent, sign and date
-Walking Trip form - please sign and date
New Procedure for Dropped Lunches: If you are dropping off a lunch, there will now be a lunch drop off table in the front foyer. Simply label your child’s lunch with their name and leave it there for pick up. Please let your child know that their lunch will be dropped off in the morning. The same procedure is for food service deliveries as well. Please let the driver know to label the lunch and please let your child know it will be dropped off in the morning. We are hoping this limits interruptions to student learning. Thank you.
Important Upcoming Dates:
-Our Meet the Teacher evening is September 19th, 2024 5:30-7:00pm.
-Our annual Terry Fox Run will be held on Friday, September 20th from 130-230pm in the last learning block. Please donate through School Cash Online if you are able.
-Friday, September 27th, 2024: Please wear purple to raise awareness about Rowan’s Law: Concussion awareness
-Wear orange on Monday, September 30th, 2024 for National Day of Truth and Reconciliation.
-October 1st, 2024: Picture day: Individual pictures (class pictures at a later date)
-October 1st, 2024: Grade ⅞ Town of Orangeville Fire Prevention presentations (more details coming come from homeroom teachers)
-October 3rd, 2024: Director and Superintendent visit to Princess Margaret
-October 3rd, 2024: School Council meeting 630-730pm in the library, all are welcome.
-October 3rd, 2024: Grade ⅞ Mr. Robertson’s Class: Skills Ontario Presentation (more details coming home from homeroom teachers)
-October 5th, 2024: World Teachers Day
Safety Reminders (We’re having trouble with the following):
-When dropping off and picking up kids, please remember that dogs must be leashed and kept on the sidewalk of our property. This is the expectation for all dogs (no matter the size or age). Some students have allergies, a fear, and there is the potential that someone could be scratched or bitten.
-Please do not park in our front bus loop at any time. Although we have limited bus students, we still have a couple of buses that carry students on them and the bus loop is also for emergency vehicles in case of an emergency.
-A reminder that the front parking lot is closed and parents/ caregivers may not park in it during pick up and drop off ( with the exception of an accessibility parking pass).
If You Move During the School Year: If you and your family move through the school year, please let Mrs. Mckenzie know. It is important to always have updated contact information for each child. Moving also means that your child will have to go to his or her home school (the area where they moved). This helps avoid overstaffing or understaffing a building and larger reorganizations. If you have any questions, please contact us.
Parent Resources:
Dufferin Parent Support Network: Please check out https://www.dpsn.ca/ for free parenting workshops. The Dufferin Parenting Support Network is a great organization of parents supporting parents.
DCAFS Behaviour Solutions: DCAFS offers a wide range of services designed to meet the unique needs of each child and family. They believe that every child deserves the chance to reach their full potential, and they are committed to helping them do just that. If you're looking for support for your family within a safe and welcoming community, look no further than DCAFS! Please see the link for some different workshops and events: https://behavioursolutions.dcafs.on.ca/events/
Reminders:
Milk & Pizza Sales: Coming soon! Pizza will be posted through School CashOnline (check out the information we sent home on coloured paper the first day of school). Milk is cash only and we will confirm once it is being sold again.
Supervision: Please remember that students should not be arriving before 820am in the morning and need to be picked up/ or leave the school at the dismissal bell at 250pm. Our school day is from 830am to 250pm every day.
Drop & Go: We know it can be tough, but once staff are out and on duty, please give your child a big hug and leave them with us. Staying behind, saying a long goodbye, or staying behind to watch or even return at recess, is often hard on our little ones who have trouble separating from you (their favourite people). A quick goodbye is often best and if your child is upset, we are able to calm them more quickly when parents and caregivers do not linger. Please know that we will communicate with you if this is not the case. Thank you for your trust.
School Volunteers: The UGDSB updated their School Volunteers Policy (205) a couple of years ago now. If you are volunteering in our school or plan to in the future, it is important to note that the following is required: a volunteer application, a volunteer agreement, an interview, a reference check and a vulnerable sector check (VSC) /offense declaration. A VSC will be required for field trip supervisors, volunteer drivers, classroom volunteers working with students, volunteer coaches/advisors. Please note: all volunteer drivers will need to complete a 508-3 Transportation of Students in Privately Owned Vehicles, a signed volunteer agreement, and a VSC/ Offense Declaration. This means that the school can no longer coordinate rides to sporting events unless we have parents/ guardians who have completed the VSC and other paperwork. Parents/ Guardians and family members must transport to games. The school will be able to provide letters that parents/guardians can use to apply for a VSC. Please note if you completed this process and we have your information on file, you will only need to complete an offense declaration. Please stop in the office if you are interested or ask your child’s teacher.
WOW Butter/ Peanut Butter Substitutes: Please do not send in peanut butter or peanut butter substitutes in your child’s lunch. We have a number of life threatening peanut and nut allergies, and these products create worry with staff and students, as they are hard to tell apart. Thank you for your cooperation.
We’ll see everyone for another day of learning on Friday. Have a wonderful weekend after a full day of learning tomorrow.
Andrea Papavasiliou, Principal