October 13th – Weekly

Posted October 13, 2023

Hello Harris Mill families, 

Well the weather has really changed and the days at Harris Mill are a lot cooler. Please remind your child(ren) to pack extra layers as the weather is becoming more and more unpredictable throughout the day. Please check out these important reminders and have a great weekend! 

#1 SCHOOL PHOTOS: Mark your calendars and practise your smiles! Individual and class photos will be taken on Wednesday October 18th. After the 18th, Families will receive a proof sheet with an online code to view the student’s images with lots of additional online ordering choices. Please click for our website reminder –  https://www.ugdsb.ca/harrismill/2023/10/06/picture-day-is-coming-to-harris-mill-october-18th/

#2 Husky Spirit Wear: Our school’s spirit wear will be opened for ordering on school cash online starting Monday October 16th. The window for ordering will be 2 weeks with a close date of Sunday October 29th. Click here to access the available items and full details for ordering – https://www.ugdsb.ca/harrismill/2023/10/12/spirit-wear-orders-start-october-16th/ 

#3 GRADE 3 CCAT TEST WRITING: We’d like to remind you that our third-grade students will be engaged in preparatory sessions for the upcoming CCAT Writing assessments this week. The official CCAT Writing assessments are scheduled for the mornings of Wednesday, October 18th, Thursday, October 19th, and Friday, October 20th. To ensure your child’s participation, kindly avoid unnecessary absences during this time.

#4 CELL PHONES: Just a reminder that if your child brings their cell phone to school it is to be kept in their backpacks at all times during the school day. Please remind your child that if they need to contact parents during the school day the office will gladly help them. This ensures that staff are aware if there is a problem and can offer support. Thank you!

#5 Harris Mill and the UGDSB Need Noon Hour Supervisors: Harris Mill PS and other UGDSB schools are always looking for parents or community members who are willing to help out as a Noon Hour Supervisors, click here for more information – https://www.ugdsb.ca/harrismill/2023/09/18/ugdsb-career-opportunity-noon-hour-supervisor/

#6 School Attendance Matters Part 2: We are continuing to share information to help families support their child’s attendance at school. Below are some tips you can try that involve the routines and the environment at home.

  • Practise consistent bedtime and morning routines with your child. 
  • Parents can model the same routine at home, as it helps students stick to the routine of coming to school each day.
  • Having a set schedule for sleep and nutrition is key to a good morning and feeling good about coming to school.
  • Preparing for school at night so that the morning is less hectic can be helpful.  Organizing clothing, packing backpacks and including favourite foods can be reassuring.
  • Putting out clothes and making lunch the night before can help get your child out the door in the morning.
  • If your child does refuse to attend school, try having no screens/devices during the time when they are at home. Make staying home as boring as possible! Shutting down the home Internet can be helpful if this is a draw for your child to stay at home.
  • Creating an environment conducive for improved sleep hygiene (e.g. dark room, quiet, sound machine, light in morning, consistent bed and wake times).
  • Ensuring at least 30 minutes of screen-free time before bed and removing all electronics from bedrooms before bed can be helpful. 
  • Limiting screen time before bed is key to winding-down and getting a great night’s sleep!

For more information, please visit the UGDSB website: https://www.ugdsb.ca/parents/student-attendance-at-school-tips-and-strategies-for-families/

#7 Subway Fridays are back! Order now for a weekly treat delivered fresh on Fridays. Lunchbox by School Cash Online makes it easy to receive subs on Fridays. Place your order by Sunday at noon each week, or order in advance for several weeks at a time. Cancellations can be made up until the Wednesday before the delivery day. Click on the Lunchbox icon within School Cash Online to order now!

#8 Friday Oct 27th is a PA Day;  The school will be closed for students but please click the link to see the description of what staff will be completing on this day –  https://www.ugdsb.ca/harrismill/2023/10/05/professional-activity-day-description-oct-27-2023-2/

#9 Harris Mill Bullying Prevention Plan: Harris Mill’s Bullying Prevention Plan has been updated for this school year with input from many different voices including the most important – our students! Please take a look at the completed document here as it fully explains why the plan has been created and provides more information on how bullying can be addressed. The Bullying Prevention and Equity & Inclusive Plan also outlines the responsibilities for staff, students and parents/guardians.  Click the link for full information: https://www.ugdsb.ca/harrismill/resources/bullying-prevention-plan/

#10 SCHOOL COUNCIL SEPTEMBER MEETING MINUTES: The minutes from the September Harris Mill school council meeting are now available online. Please click the link to access – https://www.ugdsb.ca/harrismill/2023/10/05/september-school-council-meeting-minutes/

#11 FUTURE SPORTS TEAMS: Hello Husky Families. With school sport teams right around the corner we wanted to share some important information on how students will be chosen to participate in team sports. As a staff team we have decided that students will be chosen for teams based on the following criteria: 

  • In class behaviour
  • Recess behaviour
  • Husky Pride (respect, responsibility, kindness, caring, etc.)
  • Sportsmanship

It is important to note that these sport teams are not being chosen based on skills alone and are not competitive in nature. 

#12 ILLNESS PREVENTION: KEY PROTECTIVE MEASURES – As a school, we want to remind everyone of the importance of many standard protective strategies to help keep staff and students safe and healthy. Strategies such as frequent hand washing, respiratory etiquette and making the most of our outdoor spaces for learning continue to contribute to the health and well-being of students and staff. Classes in the UGDSB will continue to have a standalone HEPA filter unit, with more than 2500 units deployed across the system. In addition to these measures, the UGDSB will continue to support students, staff and visitors to our schools and respect their individual choices about masking. 

Management of Illness in Schools – The UGDSB will continue to follow the direction of WDGPH for appropriate responses to illnesses in our community. Please visit their website for the most current information about COVID-19: https://wdgpublichealth.ca/covid-19/covid-19-information-public/status-cases-wdg

#13 HALLOWEEN AT HARRIS MILL: Our school celebrates Halloween with costume dress up or by wearing black and orange if a student chooses to participate. Note: there will be a school wide parade early in the morning on Oct 31st. 

We will ask that parents carefully consider the costumes their children wear to school. If students choose to wear a costume they should come to school wearing it. Please have regular clothes available for your child, as they may need to change out of their costumes part way through the day. Class specific activities may be communicated as applicable by your child’s teacher.

  • Accessories (ie. Masks and replica weapons) are to stay home
  • Inflatable costumes are to stay at home as they can be accidentally damaged and not safe on our stairs
  • We ask that students not share candy/drinks/treats; however, students may bring a treat for themselves in their lunch
  • A reminder that costumes should not be scary as we have young students who may be frightened.

If your child(ren) does not participate in Halloween please inform their teacher and there will be alternate activities available.

Costumes:  It is our responsibility to ensure that school community members avoid using identities and cultures as costumes. This includes appropriative costumes/cultural stereotypes (i.e. cultural garments), black/brown face, transphobic costumes (i.e. man dressed as a woman), body-shaming and objectifying costumes, and costumes that joke about situations that have caused harm (i.e. COVID pandemic). Such costumes perpetuate stereotypes and can cause harm that can further marginalize and oppress community members.

#14 UGDSB’s FALL PIC EVENT: The Upper Grand District School Board’s Parent Involvement Committee (PIC) is inviting UG parents/guardians to join them at the free PIC event on October 25, 2023. Please click the link for full information – https://www.ugdsb.ca/harrismill/2023/09/18/inspiring-engagement-with-parents-school-councils-ugdsb-pic-invites-you-to-its-fall-event-2/

#15 Morning Drop Off Safety: To help us ensure the safety of all our students at Harris Mill, parents are asked to stay on the edge of the tarmac close to the yellow posts when dropping off their grade 1-5 child(ren) before school starts. If parents are dropping their child off late (Kindergarten to Gr.5) Please go to the front office doors and connect with the Office staff. Thank you!

#16 Wanting to Volunteer at Harris Mill?: We really appreciate and value all our parent and guardian volunteers who give up some of their time to help us out, whether that be in the school or on a field trip. To get started volunteering this year there are a couple of actions to take. 

  1. Anyone who is new to the volunteer role at Harris Mill must first contact Ms. Evans, our Office Coordinator, for full information on how to submit a vulnerable sector check. 
  2. Those volunteers who have already submitted a vulnerable sector check to the school previously must also see Ms. Evans to complete a quick annual offence declaration. Please note: Following the UGDSB Policy 205: School Volunteers, your vulnerable sector check remains valid for 5 years, as long as you sign a yearly Volunteer Agreement with Annual Offence Declaration.

#17 The New BusPlanner Delays App is now available : If your child(ren) ride the bus this app will display:

  • Delay and cancellation notices for specific routes or runs
  • School closure announcements for weather-related shutdowns
  • General notices for all subscribers.

Click the link for more information: https://www.ugdsb.ca/harrismill/2023/09/12/harris-mill-bus-families-stay-connected-with-the-new-app/

Harris Mill Important Upcoming Dates:

Wednesday October 18th – School Photo Day

Friday October 27th – PA Day (School is Closed)

Sunday October 29th – Last day to order Spirit Wear through cash online

Tuesday October 31st – Halloween (Parade early in the am)

Categories: News • Newsletter