Good evening Mustang Families,
It’s been another busy week here at PMPS. Our intermediate students played their final basketball games (thanks to Mr. Navarro and Mrs. Mikulik for coaching), some of our classes are busy growing seedlings, our new front hallway earth day display looks grea,t small groups of grade 8s are heading over to the high school for transition visits, our kindergartens visited the library this week, all classes received new outdoor equipment for DPA and recess (thanks School Council), and we are preparing for school wide Earth Day assembly on April 22nd (Thank you Ms.Ellis).
Please come in and check out our lost and found display. Items will be out until April 25th and then remaining items will be donated.
For all of our families who celebrate Easter, we wish you a joyous weekend. We have another great day of learning tomorrow, but a reminder that there is no school on Friday or Monday due to the Easter holiday. We’ll see everyone back for learning April 22nd (where is April going?).
Donut Fundraiser Update: We have added incentives to our delicious donut fundraiser, from School Council and our local Quest for Cakes Bakery! For the class that sells the most donuts, they will receive a classroom donut party! And also, to the individual student who has the highest sales, they will receive an additional package of donuts for free!
We are selling packs of 12 small donuts for $15, featuring 3 flavours: chocolate dip, celebration vanilla dip (with sprinkles) and maple dip. These donuts are nut free, Kosher dairy, and the full ingredients will be listed on each pack. This fundraiser is live NOW through School Cash On-Line and and will run until Thursday, April 24th. The donuts will be available for pick-up at the end of the school day on Friday, May 9th. If you have not yet received a color flyer for this fundraiser, please pick one up at the schools’s front office.
School Council fundraisers help to support our school with things like important student programs, sporting events and gym equipment, and outdoor education materials, to name a few. Thank you for your support!
Please remember to stay connected in the following ways:
-Downloading the new mobile app - it’s everything Upper Grand in your pocket. For the latest updates, please sign up for notifications! Download for Android https://aptg.ca/V7pmln Download for iPhone https://aptg.ca/370LCh .
-checking our NEW Princess Margaret website once https://uppergranddsbon.sites.thrillshare.ca/o/pmps.
-Our Twitter/ X page is: @margaret_ps, we also have a Facebook and Instagram page.
-your phone messages and text messages
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. Morning supervision begins at 820am and end of the day supervision ends at 3pm.
Attendance/ Lates/ All Visitors: If your child is not going to be at school, please call our school office and report the absence on our attendance line. Please also do this if your child is going to be late. If a student is late, they must check in with the office and get a late slip. This allows the teacher to know that the student has checked in with the office, so attendance can be accurate.
Our school day is from 830am to 250pm every day and it is important that students arrive on time, as there are important routines and announcements that they will miss if they are late. Thank you for your help.
If you are coming into the school, please check in with the office. All visitors must check in with the office.
Important Dates:
School Council Donut Fundraiser: Friday, March 28th to Thursday, April 24th. Pick up May 9th- more details to come. Thank you for your support.
-April 18th- 21st: Easter weekend for those who celebrate
-April 22nd: Earth Day Assembly (Mrs Ellis is organizing)
-April 23rd: OC Appreciation day! Thank you for all that you do Mrs. Mckenzie!
-April 25th: CMHA presentations: grades ⅞ (letter has gone home)
-May 1st: School Council meeting 6pm in the library
-May 2nd: GET Real Presentation at PMPS (grades 4-8) (letters have gone home)
-May 5th to May 9th: Education Week and Mental Health Week
-May 9th: Whole group grade 8 visit to ODSS (more information to come)
-May 13th: Bike Roadeo at PMPS (more information to come)
-May 13th, 20th, and 27th: Grade 3 and Grade 7 Swim to Survive program(more information to come)
-May 14th: Special Olympics, Board Wide Event (more information to come)
-May 15th: Chess tournament at CMES
-May 16th: EA & CYC Appreciation Day: We have the best team at PMPS hands down! Thanks for all that you do!
-May 16th: Jump Rope Kick Off Event!(more information to come)
-May 19th: Victoria Day, no school
-May 20th: Grade ⅘ & ⅚ in Library from 115-215pm: Moccasin Identifier Program
-May 22nd: Catch up vaccination at PMPS(more information to come)
-May 22nd: Kindergarten Officer Amy presentations (letter coming home)
-May 21st to June 3rd: EQAO at PMPS grades 3 and 6: All students need to be at school well rested and ready to go! Our students will do great! (more information to come)
-May 28th: Intermediate track and field standards day
-May 29th: Indigenous Games Trip to Island Lake: Shaw, Fendley & Westlake (more info to come)
-June 2nd: Bursting with Pride School Event & Flag Raising
-June 3rd: Arts Night and Family Fun Night 5-7pm(more information to come)
-June 5th: Grade 8 Intermediate Trip to Niagara Falls
-June 5th: Last School Council meeting of the year: Elections for 25/26 6pm
-June 6th: PD day-No school for students (more information to come)
-June 9th: Compass Run at School(more information to come)
-June 13th: Jump Rope Event
-June 16th: Healthy SchoolS School Wide Play Day (morning two blocks)
-June 17th: JK Orientation-9-12pm approximately (more info to go home)
-June 19th: Track and Field Board event (more information to come)
-June 23rd: PMPS Grad!!! (more information to come)
-June 25th: Public Health Fluoride Varnish #2 (more information to come)
-June 25th: Intermediate walk to Island Lake
June 26th: Term 2 report cards go home & Last day with students
June 26th: Last Day morning assembly, intermediate bbq and dance
June 27th: PD day: No school for students
Upcoming Spirit Days March & April:
-April 17th: Easter Colours and Accessories! (Wear pastel colours and accessories!)
-April 22nd: Earth Day (Dress like the world! Wear brown, blue, and green!)
Earth Day Challenges!!!
- Walk with your division around the school.
- Learn with the lights off.
- Outdoor Learning (Spend as much time learning outside as possible).
Reminders:
Emergency Response Training & Spring Drills: The safety and well-being of our students is our highest priority. Although I hope that an incident that requires a response from emergency personnel will never occur in our school, we must be prepared to respond quickly and effectively in case it does. Each year our school must conduct drills to ensure staff and students are prepared in the event of a real emergency. The following number of drills are required in the springtime:
● 3 fire drills ( 3 to be completed this week)
● 1 lockdown drill (completed last week)
● 1 tornado drill (completed last week) and 1 evacuation drill (completed this week)
For each of these drills, there is an education component to explain why they are necessary. All drills are conducted in a manner that is sensitive to the needs of our students. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to me.
Over the last couple of weeks, students have noticed that we have had new lights and signs installed in anticipation of a new lockdown system that is automated. This is a great addition to our school because sometimes places like the shop, the gym, or library may be too loud for announcements. The lights alert students and staff to stop and listen to directions. Staff will receive training in the coming weeks. We are also in queue for a new front door system that will have our front door locked during the school day, but with an intercom buzzer system that allows parents and volunteers access. We are in phase 2 of this project so the change will be happening in the next year or so. More information will come as we receive our date of installation.
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.
Thanks for taking the time to read through my weekly emails and your continued support. We’ll see everyone on Thursday for another great learning day. A reminder that there is no school on Friday or Monday. We’ll see everyone back on the 22nd at 830am! Have a great long weekend!
Andrea Papavasiliou, Principal