Today we are looking at self-care. Taking care of our mental and physical health helps us feel strong and ready to start the week. #MHUG
Thank you so much Keira P for designing the Logo for the 2026 Mental Health and Education Week. Keira’s logo was picked by the Mental Health and Education committee from all the submissions we received.
Thank you to all other students who participated in the logo contest and submitted a logo.
LINK: https://www.ugdsb.ca/page/communications-newsletter
Good evening Mustang Families,
Happy May! The school year is flying by. Please be sure to check out important dates that are coming up down below. . PMPS is very busy in the coming weeks.
The students are also enjoying the playgrounds being open as well as all of the equipment that has been provided to them from the School Council to support recess and DPA (daily physical activity). Thanks Council! Council would also like to thank all of our families for participating in our latest fundraiser. By buying seeds, you have contributed $500 towards our school. Your support means that the Council can continue to support initiatives at PMPS. Thanks PMPS families!
As of tomorrow, we will have completed all of the required drills for spring. Students and staff responded well and are prepared for emergencies. Our last drill it took 1 minute and 35 seconds to exit 330 students and staff, and about 25 minutes for all classes to confirm that every student was accounted for. Pretty awesome!
Important Dates:
May:
-1st: Patel & Christie: Nature Journaling workshop am
-4th to 8th: Education & Mental Health Week
-5th: Empowerment Day-am Grade 7-8s
-5th: Grade 3 & 7 Swim to Survive
-5th: Primary Trip to Orangeville Theatre K-¾
-8th: Accessibility Presentation (Lauren Pires) K-3s: 120-150pm & 4-8s 2-230pm ( info already sent home)
-11th: Optimist Bike Roadeo
-12th: ODSS visit for grade 8s 9am
-15th: Bee Ambassador K-¾ (letter to go home)
-15th: EA & CYC appreciation day!
-19th: Victoria Day- No school for students and staff
-19th to 22nd: Rock Climbing at PMPS/ gym in use all week (permission forms sent out)
-20th: JK Orientation for new students (see email sent)
-21st: Special Olympics (rain date May 22nd)
-26th: Spring ⅞ Vaccination Clinic at PMPS
-28th & 29th: EQAO grades 3 & 6
June:
-2nd & 3rd: EQAO continued grades 3& 6 ( EQAO make up June 4th)
-2nd: Family Fun Night 5-7pm
-4th: Compass Run @ PMPS- last block
-5th: PD Day: am curriculum & pm report card writing: no school for students
-9th & 10th: Intermediate Trip
-13th: Finale for Bike Roadeo: Alder Street
-17th: Grades ¾ (pm) & ⅘ (am) at Island Lake for Indigenous Learning
-22nd: PMPS Grade 8 Grad
-25th: Last day of School with students
-26th: PD day for staff (school improvement plans and transitions)
Upcoming Spirit Days:
-Friday, May 1st: Attitude of Gratitude day! Classes can create a sticky note door - writing things you are grateful for in your life. Stick the notes on your classroom door.
Reminders:
Understanding Youth Today - Substance and Screen Use Parent/Caregiver Event May 6, 2026: This May, more than 10 local community partners are coming together to host an unforgettable event for parents and caregivers. On May 6, 2026, parents and caregivers are invited to attend the Understanding Youth Today: Substance and Screen Use event. Registration is required. Registration details are provided directly on the poster.
Rock Climbing at Princess Margaret: Rock‑climbing permission forms have been sent home for every student from Kindergarten to Grade 8. Thanks to the generosity of our School Council, a rock‑climbing walls and an obstacle course will be coming to Princess Margaret and will be set up in our gym from May 19 to May 22, as previously announced. There is no charge to families. To participate, each student must return a signed permission form, and clean indoor runners are required. Teachers will be sending the permission forms home this week. Please return the forms as soon as possible. Thank you—we are very excited to offer this fun and engaging experience for our students! More details are on the permission form.
Vision Screening From Public Health: Reminder of the Sight for Success initiative promoting awareness of vision health and supporting access to comprehensive eye assessments by licensed optometrists.
Sight for Success Vision Program | WDG Public Health
or in your life. Stick the notes on your classroom door.
Climber & Playground Safety: Students are reminded that running shoes must be worn on all climbers.. Crocs and sandals are not permitted on the climbers or while playing games like football and soccer. No long necklaces or bags/purses as they pose a choking risk. Thank you so much for your cooperation and for reinforcing this message with your children.
Milk Sales: Our wonderful Student Council continues to sell milk. The milk costs $1.25
We have a great day of learning on Friday and then please have a great weekend!
Andrea Papavasiliou, Principal
Good evening Grade 3 and Grade 6 parents/guardians,
I am writing to provide an update regarding Grade 3 and Grade 6 EQAO testing.
Please note that we have had to adjust our testing dates. EQAO testing will now take place on May 28, May 29, June 2nd, and June 3rd. One of the testing dates was originally scheduled for June 1st; however, we have been directed by the Ministry of Education that schools must recognize Ontario Day, and EQAO testing is now not permitted on that date.
It is very important that students arrive at school on time on each testing day, are well rested, and have eaten a good breakfast. Please remember that our Breakfast Club runs every day at 8:00 a.m-825am in our school library.
Thank you very much for your understanding, and we apologize for this late change.
Sincerely,
Andrea Papavasiliou
Principal
Good evening Mustang Families,
It’s a PD Day on Friday, which means there is no school for students and the reason I am sending our weekly update a little earlier.
We had another busy and exciting week at Princess Margaret! We successfully completed our first fire drill in many months, safely evacuating over 300 students and staff in just 1 minute and 20 seconds. This is an outstanding achievement and means students and staff know what to do in case of an emergency. Several more drills will be happening over the next two weeks.
We also hosted a successful intermediate badminton tournament at our school. Once again, Ms. Mikulik’s incredible leadership shone through, along with her students who helped plan and organize the event. A big thank you as well to Mrs. Landry for her support, and to all of our athletes who competed with excellent sportsmanship and spirit. Go Mustangs!
This week, classes participated in Earth Day activities, and we are thrilled to welcome an Indigenous artist into our school for learning and enrichment experiences.
There is always so much happening at Princess Margaret! We have begun planning for our annual Special Olympics meet and have already sent out applications for peer coaches. With spring finally here, students have also begun working in our school gardens.
I hope everyone enjoys a restful long weekend. While students are away on Friday, staff will be at school participating in professional learning, including training in artificial intelligence, Indigenous education, math and literacy, and racism.
Important Dates:
April:
23rd:Shannon Paul, Indigenous Speaker (Szabo, Westlake, Patel) info to come home.
-24th: PD day: No school for students
-27th: IPRCs full day
-28th: Island Lake Rowing Program Grades 6-8 (see email sent out April 14th)
-28th: Grade 3 & 7 Swim to Survive
-30th: Scientists in the School: Szabo 9am
Upcoming Spirit Days:
-Friday, May 1st: Attitude of Gratitude day! Classes can create a sticky note door - writing things you are grateful for in your life. Stick the notes on your classroom door.
Reminders:
Understanding Youth Today - Substance and Screen Use Parent/Caregiver Event May 6, 2026: This May, more than 10 local community partners are coming together to host an unforgettable event for parents and caregivers. On May 6, 2026, parents and caregivers are invited to attend the Understanding Youth Today: Substance and Screen Use event. Registration is required. Registration details are provided directly on the poster.
Climber & Playground Safety: Students are reminded that running shoes must be worn on all climbers.. Crocs and sandals are not permitted on the climbers or while playing games like football and soccer. No long necklaces or bags/purses as they pose a choking risk. Thank you so much for your cooperation and for reinforcing this message with your children.
Milk Sales: Our wonderful Student Council continues to sell milk. The milk costs $1.25
Thanks for taking the time to read through my weekly emails and your continued support. We’ll see everyone on Thursday, before students enjoy a long weekend due to our staff PD day on April 24th. We’ll see our students back on Monday April 27th at 830am. Have a great weekend!
Andrea Papavasiliou, Principal
Today is Administrative Professionals' Day! Thank you to all UGDSB Administrative Professionals, your dedication, skill, and hard work are appreciated across the Upper Grand DSB!
This May, more than 10 local community partners are coming together to host an unforgettable event for parents and caregivers. On May 6, 2026, parents and caregivers are invited to attend the Understanding Youth Today: Substance and Screen Use event. For more information and to register visit: https://shorturl.at/Yplml
Good evening Mustang Families,
Spring flowers, bring May flowers! We should have plenty of flowers after this week! Things are starting to really green up!
Thank you to all of our families who contributed to our cracker drive! Thanks to your generosity there were over 170 boxes of crackers collected. The cascading cracker event did not go as planned, as all the boxes were many different sizes and did not cascade. Lesson learned.
On April 22nd, we are proud to celebrate Office Coordinator Appreciation Day, and we have someone incredibly special to recognize!Our amazing Office Coordinator, Mrs. McKenzie, is truly the heart of our school. She is the friendly face that welcomes everyone through our doors, the calm and caring presence on busy days, and the person who somehow manages to help everyone—often all at the same time!Mrs. McKenzie goes above and beyond every single day for our students, staff, and families. She supports all students and staff with kindness, patience, and a wonderful sense of humour that brings smiles to our faces. She is truly the face of our school, and she makes everyone feel heard, valued, and welcomed.Our school would not run the way it does without her—and quite honestly, we couldn’t survive without Mrs. McKenzie! From all of us—students, staff, and families—thank you, Mrs. McKenzie, for everything you do and for being such an incredible part of our school community. Please join us in giving Mrs. McKenzie a big round of applause on April 22nd.
Rock Climbing at Princess Margaret: Please watch for a rock‑climbing permission form coming home for every student from Kindergarten to Grade 8. Thanks to the generosity of our School Council, a rock‑climbing walls and an obstacle course will be coming to Princess Margaret and will be set up in our gym from May 19 to May 22, as previously announced. There is no charge to families. To participate, each student must return a signed permission form, and clean indoor runners are required. Teachers will be sending the permission forms home this week. Please return the forms as soon as possible. Thank you—we are very excited to offer this fun and engaging experience for our students! More details are on the permission form.
Vision Screening From Public Health: Reminder of the Sight for Success initiative promoting awareness of vision health and supporting access to comprehensive eye assessments by licensed optometrists.
Important Dates:
April:
-21st: Badminton at PMPS 4-7pm
-21st: Grade 3 & 7 Swim to Survive
-22nd: OC appreciation day: Thank you to Mrs. Mckenzie for ensuring everyone is safe, for keeping our school running, and for all of the work that she does for our school nutrition program. She is kind, caring, funny, and dedicated.
22nd: Staff & Student Badminton Game
23rd:Shannon Paul, Indigenous Speaker (Szabo, Westlake, Patel) info to come home.
-24th: PD day (mental health & curriculum): No school for students
-27th: IPRCs full day
-28th: Island Lake Rowing Program Grades 6-8 (see email sent out April 14th)
-28th: Grade 3 & 7 Swim to Survive
-30th: Scientists in the School: Szabo 9am
Upcoming Spirit Days:
-Wednesday, April 22nd: Earth Day (Dress like the world! Wear brown, blue, and green!)
-Friday, May 1st: Attitude of Gratitude day! Classes can create a sticky note door - writing things you are grateful for in your life. Stick the notes on your classroom door.
Milk Sales: Our wonderful Student Council continues to sell milk. The milk costs $1.25
Thanks for taking the time to read through my weekly emails and your continued support. We’ll see everyone on Friday for another day of great learning before the weekend.
Andrea Papavasiliou, Principal
We are excited to share that the Island Lake Rowing Club will be visiting Princess Margaret Public School on April 28th, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. to introduce students to the sport of rowing.
During the presentation, students will learn what rowing is, how the boat works, and some fun facts about the sport. There will also be an erg (rowing machine) race, which will be projected on a screen. Pre‑selected student volunteers will have the opportunity to see how far they can erg in 45 seconds—and there may even be a friendly teacher race!
Flyers with information about the Island Lake Rowing Club will be distributed at the presentation, including details about their Try‑a‑Row Day in June. The club coach will be present, along with university students who work for the club and continue to row while attending post‑secondary school.
The goal of this experience is to provide students with another opportunity to be active and learn about a new sport, learn about the importance of healthy living, and become aware of a local community club that is close to our school and easily accessible.
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out.
Warm regards,
Andrea Papavasiliou
Principal, Princess Margaret Public School
There are just seven days left to shop our exciting, new seeds fundraiser from the Canadian company Make it Sow! These seed kits are a fun, affordable way to help support our school while engaging your child in growing their own food and flowers! The seed kits come in a variety of fun themes, including a Kid's Garden Plot, Flower Bouquet, Pollinator Garden, Chef's Herb Garden, Strange and Fun Garden, Salsa Garden, and even Pet Grass!
Visit the online fundraising order page here: https://makeitsow.com/shop/#code-submission and remember to use our unique ordering code, exclusively for PMPS: PMPS_2026 Please ensure you include the student’s name when you place your order. You will see that there is a section for this on the order screen. This will help to facilitate a smooth distribution process at the school.
Seed packets will be coming home with your child the week after the fundraiser closes, so there is no need to arrange pick-up! Thank you for supporting our school!
