Good evening Mustang Families,
It’s been another busy week here at PMPS. Thank you to Ms Ellis for coordinating this year’s Earth Day assembly. It was a great showcase of the wonderful things that are happening here at PMPS; choir, band, drama, poetry… the list goes on!
A final reminder, 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.
On Monday, April 28th, our school will be used as a polling station for the federal election. This means voters will be coming in and out of our school to cast their ballots. Please rest assured that student safety is my top priority. Classes will continue as normal, and Elections Canada will have extra staff at all schools for security. The extra staff will be present at the entrances and in the hallways to ensure that people go directly in and out of the polling area and nowhere else in our school. We also see this as a great educational opportunity for students to learn about elections and the electoral process. It’s a chance for them to learn how voting works and why every voice matters.
National Day of Mourning for Persons Killed or Injured in the Workplace Monday, April 28, 2024: Our flags will be lowered from sunrise until sunset on Monday, April 28th, 2025, to mark the National Day of Mourning for Persons Killed or Injured in the Workplace.
Running Shoes/ No necklace/ No bags etc on Play Structures: Our playgrounds are now open for the spring! A reminder that children can only use them if they have proper footwear. Proper footwear is running shoes that have a good tread on the bottom. Sandals and Crocs are not allowed. Please no necklaces, small purses, or bags, this can get caught and lead to choking. Thank you.
Important Update from School Council:
School Council has asked us to share these three announcements:
You have just four days left to participate in our School Council's donut fundraiser!!
Did you hear that we added incentives? The class that sells the most donuts will receive a classroom donut party!! AND the individual student who sells the most donuts will be awarded an extra order of donuts, for free!
Together with our local Quest for Cakes Bakery, School Council are selling packs of 12 small donuts for $15. There are three delicious flavours, all nut free, Kosher dairy, with a full ingredient list on each pack: chocolate dip, celebration vanilla dip with sprinkles, and maple dip. A colour flyer was sent home with students earlier this month. There are a few copies left in the school office if you would still like one. This fundraiser is LIVE now on School Cash On-Line and runs until this Thursday night. Orders must be placed by PMPS families through School Cash On-Line. The donuts will be available for pick-up at the end of the school day on Friday, May 9th, just in time for Mother's Day!! These donuts are made fresh and can be frozen. Thank you for your support.
Please join us this Saturday, April 26th, at 10am, for a school yard clean-up! In celebration of Earth Day this week, together with our local Hughes Real Estate Team, School Council is hosting a garbage pick-up, to help clean up our school grounds! Hughes Team will be supplying all the bags and gloves required, as well as bringing treats for all the helpers! We will meet outside the front of the school at 10am on Saturday and will form teams to work around the school yard. Please bring your families - everyone is welcome!
Used book sale! On Tuesday, June 3rd, PMPS will be hosting another Family Fun Night! More details will come home soon, but in the meantime, School Council is asking you to please consider going through your child's home library and donate any gently used books you no longer need to this event. School Council will be hosting a book sale table, at which we will sell these donated books for $1 (soft covers) and $2 (hard covers). This is recycling at its best! And helps to keep books in children's hands, inspiring and educating young minds! We will have a box in the school office to collect these books, starting this week. Thank you!
School Council thanks you for your support of these initiatives!
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 25th: CMHA presentations: grades ⅞ -CANCELLED By CMHA/We are working on rescheduling.
-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 (information has gone home to interested students)
-May 13th, 20th, and 27th: Grade 3 and Grade 7 Swim to Survive program (permission forms have been sent home by teachers of these grades)
-May 15th: Chess tournament at CMES (permission forms going home to team members soon)
-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: Special Olympics, Board Wide Event (more information to come)
-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: TBD
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
Reminders:
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.
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 Friday for another great learning day before heading into the weekend.
Andrea Papavasiliou, Principal