Dear Mustang Families,
What a great week here at PMPS! Our school was represented proudly at the Dufferin County Junior Soccer Meet on Thursday and will be again on Friday by our intermediate team. Our junior team played with great team spirit and had fun. Next week, our runners will represent us at our County Cross Running Meet. The team has shown great dedication as they have trained every day the last couple of weeks. This week, we also gathered as a school to celebrate our top fundraisers for our Terry Fox Run. Top fundraisers threw a pie at their classroom teacher and the overall top fundraiser threw a pie at me. We are very proud of our school for $1000 in memory of Terry and cancer research.
Milk sales start tomorrow (Friday). The company has increased their price and for us to break even (making very little to no profit) we needed to increase our cost to $1.25 for this school year. Students require cash to purchase.
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.
Our school’s EQAO results were released publicly today (please see below). We will continue to work as staff to refine our teaching practices and support student learning with a specific focus on math and literacy. Individual student results will be coming home to students who wrote the test year in the coming weeks. I am proud of the students who wrote the test last school year.
GRADE 3 EQAO RESULTS: Percentage of students who met the provincial standards.
EQAO | 23/24 | 22/23 | Difference | Board |
Math | 50% | 64% | 14% down | 64% |
Reading | 69% | 68% | 1% up | 73% |
Writing | 50% | 55% | 5% down | 64% |
GRADE 6 EQAO RESULTS: Percentage of students who met the provincial standards.
EQAO | 23/24 | 22/23 | Difference | Board |
Math | 58% | 25% | 33% up | 56% |
Reading | 83% | 66% | 17% up | 86% |
Writing | 89% | 79% | 10% up | 85% |
Please note our flag will be lowered at the end of day on Friday, September 27th, and raised again on Monday morning to mark Police and Peace Officers’ National Memorial Day, which is on Sunday, September 29, 2024.
Important Upcoming Dates:
-Friday, September 27th, 2024: Please wear purple to raise awareness about Rowan’s Law: Concussion awareness
-Monday, September 30th: We are recognizing National Truth & Reconciliation Day. Please wear orange if you are able.
-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 sent home by 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. (minutes are below from September’s meeting)
-October 3rd, 2024: Grade ⅞ Mr. Robertson’s Class: Skills Ontario Presentation (more details sent home by homeroom teachers)
-October 5th, 2024: World Teachers Day! We are thankful for our teaching staff and appreciate all that they do.
-October 9th, 2024: Grade 8s travel to the Orangeville Agricultural Centre for Carer Pathways presentation (more details were sent home to grade 8 families)
-Monday, October 14th, 2024: Thanksgiving for those who celebrate. No School.
-Wednesday, October 16th, 2024: All IEPs are sent home with students who have an IEP.
-October 22nd to October 24th, 2024: Grade 3 CCAT Testing (information and consent forms were sent home in mid September)
-Thursday, October 24th, 2024: Early Childhood Educator Appreciation Day: Thank you to Mrs. Bradford and Mrs. Taylor who work with our youngest students. We appreciate you both.
Friday, October 25th, 2024: PD Day: No school for students. Teachers are working on math professional development and mental health training in the morning, and writing progress reports in the afternoon.
Reminders:
Signing Your Child Out: If you are picking up your child early, please note that you need to come into the office and sign your child out on our log sheet. Thanks.
Student Medication: A reminder that students cannot carry medication with them for safety reasons. If your child requires medication while at school, please contact the front office. We will send home a consent for you to fill out and we will safely store the medication for your child. Thanks in advance. This excludes puffers for asthma- as children with puffers are permitted to carry their puffers. Please note, there still needs to be a plan on file with the office.
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/
We’re Still in Need of School Volunteers & Emergency LunchSupervisors (Paid position): 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.
We have a great day of learning on Friday planned. After Friday, I wish everyone a beautiful fall weekend. I’ll see everyone back on Monday for another great week of learning.
Andrea Papavasiliou, Principal