Nov 3rd – Weekly

Posted November 3, 2023

Hello Harris Mill families, 

What an action packed week here at Harris Mill! Lots of excitement with Halloween happening and the colder weather showing up. Please keep packing the warm layers to ensure everyone stays warm when we are playing outside. Be sure to check out these important reminders and have a great weekend! 

#1 Harris Mill School Council meets Tuesday Nov 7th  at 7:00 pm at the school or on Google Meet. Click here for more info and the Google Meet link: https://www.ugdsb.ca/harrismill/2023/10/26/parent-council-meets-nov-7th-7pm/

#2 Harris Mill Remembrance Day Ceremony: Due to November 11th falling on a Saturday this year, our school will be honouring Remembrance day on Friday November 10th. The ceremony will take place at 11:00 am in the gym. Parents/Guardians are welcome to attend. Also, anyone wishing to contribute to the Royal Canadian Legion’s Poppy Fund can go online and donate through our School Cash Online.

#3 School Photo Proofs Have Gone Home: Your child(ren) has received their school photo proof to bring home this week. The information on how to order is on the proof sheet. All orders are due by Tuesday November 14th through the photography company’s website directly.  Re-take Day: Monday November 13th will be school photo re-take day. If your child missed our original photo day on Oct 18th they will have their photo taken on this day. Also, if you would like your child’s photo to be retaken please let their teacher know in a note ahead of time so they can participate. 

#4 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/

#5 ACCESSIBILITY & EQUITY: There may be times throughout the year when we ask parents to send in money to cover the cost of field trips, pizza, special events, etc. We understand that for some families, these funds may cause financial hardship. We never want a child to miss out due to financial hardship. If you are ever in this situation, please contact the school, and we will arrange to have the school cover the cost.

#6 Trustee Vacancy in Town of Orangeville: The Upper Grand District School Board is accepting applications to fill the vacant trustee position representing the Town of Orangeville. This position is for the term of December 2023 to November 2026. 

About School Board Trustees- The UGDSB has ten elected trustee members who represent the municipalities within the counties of Dufferin and Wellington. Trustees are accountable to UGDSB communities and to the province for continuous improvement in the level of student achievement in their schools. 

School board trustees hold no individual authority. Individual trustees are given no authority through the Education Act. Once the Board of Trustees has voted, individual trustee members are legally bound by the majority decision, regardless of whether they supported it during debate or voted in opposition.

Trustees are responsible for setting board policy and priorities. They are responsible for ensuring that the board’s funding allocation is spent in keeping with the board’s budget and within the framework of provincial legislation and policy.

For more information on the application process, see the posting on the UGDSB website

#6 CANADA DENTAL BENEFIT:  Applications for the second period of the Canada Dental Benefit are open. Eligible families can receive up to $650, to help with expenses for their children under 12 who receive dental care between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2024. canada.ca/dental

#7 Subway Fridays are still going strong! 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 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!

#9 Video Surveillance: Harris Mill Public School is monitored by 24 hour video surveillance. Security cameras are in operation for the safety of the students, staff and the school community and for the protection of the Upper Grand District School Board property. For additional information please contact the Principal (519-856-0309) of the school or contact the F.O.I. Co-ordinator at the Upper Grand District School Board office at 519-822-4420.

#10 DOGS ON SCHOOL PROPERTY: We kindly ask that all families who walk their dogs to the school refrain from taking their dog into busy areas around the school (ie Kindergarten drop off and pick up areas, the back tarmac and sidewalk of the school area during drop off and pick up times). We have many students who for various reasons are uncomfortable around dogs and to help these students transition easier to and from school we ask that all dogs be kept well away from these areas around the school. Thank you for your help and understanding. 

#11 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

#12 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!

#13 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.

Harris Mill Important Upcoming Dates:

Tuesday November 7th – School Council Meeting @ 7pm

Friday November 10th – Harris Mill Remembrance Day Ceremony (Parents welcome to attend)

Saturday November 11th – Remembrance Day

Monday November 13th – Picture Re-take Day

Wednesday November 15th – Progress Reports go home 

Thursday November 23rd – Parent Teacher Interviews after school

Friday November 24th – PA Day – Parent Teacher Interviews – School Closed for students

Categories: News • Newsletter