Good evening Mustang Families,
As February continues, we are recognizing Black Heritage, Black Brilliance, and Black Futures month here at our school. We are learning about influential black role models on our daily announcements, during classroom activities, and through school displays. We are proudly flying the Pan African flag for the month of February to recognize this month. Walking from classroom to classroom students are participating in read alouds, reading independently, writing poetry and biographies about black brilliance. Please ask your child all about it.
Our junior and intermediate classes have picked the students who will represent them at our school wide speak off on Monday. All students did a tremendous job. Public speaking is no easy task, but our students did it with confidence and grace. Our curling team continues to learn the game and we just hosted our local schools at our PMPS badminton tournament. Our primary students are also getting excited about the 100th day of school. Our grade 6-8 students had a blast snow shoeing, skiing, or snowboarding this week at Hockley Valley. We welcomed Officer Amy tonight to PMPS who hosted a great parent information night about how to keep your child safe online. Officer Amy is a great community partner and shared some very important information that gave all of us lots to think about it and talk about with our kids. Thanks Officer Amy. PMPS is a busy place!
Important Dates:
-FTP program continues for ⅘ to 8: February 5th, 12th, 19th, 26th, and March 7th (make up for school closure in January)
-February 10th: Westside IPRCs
-February 12th: report cards and IEPs go home
-February 12th grade ⅞ Metis Presentations (virtual)
-February 17th: Family Day, No School
-February 19th: Dental Screening JK/SK, grade 2, 4,and 7
-February 21st: Winter Play day (1st and 2nd block) Dress to be outside.
-February 26th: PINK SHIRT DAY
-February 26th: Grade 8 IPRCs with ODSS
-March 4th: Grade 6-8 skiing/snowboarding at Hockley Valley
Upcoming Spirit Days February:
-Friday, Feb. 7th: School Colours Day! PMPS students and staff can wear purple, grey, blue, or white to show their school pride
-Friday, Feb. 14th: PINK, RED, WHITE Day! Wear pink, red, or white today to show your love of Valentine’s Day
-Friday, Feb. 21st: OLYMPIC OUTDOOR PLAYDAY! Dress as a sports player OR dress like a snowflake/snowperson
-Friday, Feb. 28th: Board Game day! Bring in your favourite board game and enjoy game stations in your classroom.
Don’t forget about our Mustang Spirit Cup awarded to the class with the highest participation each month.
VALENTINE COOKIES to Support our Year End Trip for Grades ⅞: Available on School Cash online at $3.00 each. Cookies are from Quest for Cakes and are a vanilla cookie, dipped in icing, and sprinkles. They are on sale until February, 10th, 2025. Pre-orders only
Attention Parents/Caregivers Public Health Immunization Notices: Immunization notices have been sent for elementary students who do not have up-to-date immunization records. To get missing vaccines listed in the notice, you can book an appointment with your healthcare provider or with Public Health at wdgpublichealth.ca/appointments. To check or update your child's immunization record, visit immunizewdg.ca. Visit wdgpublichealth.ca/vaccination for more information about receiving a notice. Please note all inquiries and concerns go through Public Health. As a school we have no control over the immunization notices.
Parking lot reminders: Tonight, we almost had a three vehicle accident in our parking lot. Our parking lot is closed from 815am- 310pm everyday- all vehicles except for school buses and those with special needs parking permits, may not enter during this time . Please no parking in special needs parking without a permit, no stopping, no parking in the bus loop or no parking zones, do not block the exit from our parking lot by parking across the exit to the street and please be kind to staff who are helping to enforce these rules, including By Law who come out consistently but randomly.
2025-26 School Year Calendars: Planning for the next school year has begun and the Upper Grand District School Board is seeking feedback on the proposed 2025-2026 school year calendars. Staff, students and families in our district are invited to take a few minutes to provide their input on the UGDSB’s draft 2025-2026 School Year Calendars via an anonymous online survey. To learn more and complete the survey, please visit https://www.ugdsb.ca/article/7580. The deadline to provide feedback is February 15, 2025.
February Communications Newsletter: The February Communications Newsletter is out! In this month's issue we have information about:
Student immunization notices from Public Health
Feedback sought on the UGDSB’s draft Accessibility policy
And more!
You can view the newsletter here: https://www.ugdsb.ca/page/communications-newsletter
Reminders:
Grade 8 Grad Wear: The PMPS Grad Site is now live! https://pmpsgrads.deco-apparel.com/
Scent Aware: All students, staff, and visitors please refrain from wearing perfumes, colognes etc. while coming to PMPS. We have students and staff who are triggered by strong scents and some have severe allergic reactions or asthma attacks as a result. Thank you for your understanding.
Parents/Caregivers in School During Day: A reminder to all of our families that all visitors to our building must check in with the office. Parents, caregivers, and siblings are not allowed to go down school hallways during the school day. Although your child knows you are a safe adult, not all school staff and students do. Thank you for your cooperation.
Important: Are you confirmed to be moving for the 25/26 school year? Staffing for the 25/26 school year has already begun believe it or not. Having accurate enrollment numbers of students, means that I can staff the school accordingly. The same can be said for the school that your child will be attending when they leave PMPS. If you know that your family is moving from now to September 2025, can you please let myself or Mrs. Mckenzie know by emailing us, calling the office, or coming in to speak to one of us? Thank you in advance.
Milk Sales: Our wonderful Student Council continues to sell milk. The milk costs $1.25 each. Milk sale profits support our Student Council.
Parent Resources:
Parent Support Network: Please check out www.parentsupportnetwork.ca for free parenting workshops. The 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/
DCAFS Walk In, Talk In Clinic: Open to Everyone!
Talk-In Clinic is your primary gateway to essential mental health support. Talk-In Clinic is open Wednesdays between 12:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. (last appointment at 5:30 p.m.). Please come as early as possible to ensure an appointment. If you prefer, you can call ahead at 519-941-1530 to provide some basic information. This is support for children, youth, and families.
Stay warm and take care. We’ll see everyone on Friday for another great learning day!
Andrea Papavasiliou, Principal