Dec 8th – Weekly

Posted December 8, 2023

Hello Harris Mill Families, 

Our first full week of December is now over and it couldn’t have been more awesome! Be sure to ask your child(ren) about Harris Mill’s “Light Up the Season with Kindness” poster that is on display in the front hall and quickly filling up with all the amazingly kind things our students and staff are doing around our school. Please check out these important reminders and have a great weekend! 

#1 Harris Mill Gives Back: Harris Mill students, families and staff showed their generosity yet again with some great donations to the community through our annual 5 Days of Giving Holiday Food Drive. Many kind donations came in throughout the week and celebrated on Friday by wearing fun, colourful, cozy socks. Thank you to everyone who helped!

#2 Save the date! Harris Mill presents a Winter Soiree! Stop by December 20th from 6-7:30pm to see some beautiful artwork by our Harris Mill Huskies, play some literacy and math games with your friends and family and to see our winter storybook doors! 

#3 Kindergarten Registration is Fast Approaching: Here’s what you need to know – https://www.ugdsb.ca/harrismill/2023/12/04/kindergarten-registration-is-fast-approaching-heres-what-you-need-to-know-2/ 

#4 UGDSB’s December Communications Newsletter: The December Communications Newsletter is out! In this month’s issue we have information about:

  • Where to get updates on inclement weather
  • Information for families about students transitioning to high school
  • Policy feedback opportunities
  • And more!

Download the newsletter here: https://www.ugdsb.ca/community/communications/communications-newsletter/ 

#5 NO PIZZA Reminder: Wednesday, December 13th will be the final day for pizza lunches in 2023.  If you placed an order for your student for next term, pizza lunches will re-commence on Wednesday, January  17th.  Ordering for next term is done through school cash online and will be open until December 8th.

#6 PLAYGROUND SURVEY (message from School Council):  There were 34 participants in the recent school playground survey.  Thank you to those who completed it online. Your individual comments were all acknowledged at this week’s School Council meeting. 

To provide you with some reassurance, there are some important facts we’d like to share:

▪️The playground/ play structure has an annual inspection, which was last passed in June of this year

▪️Funds are spent on maintaining the playground every year

▪️The school board has a stringent criteria and many inspections and modifications were made prior to opening

▪️It is a School Board decision to close ALL school play structures for the winter season

We’re taking feedback into account and will be deciding how best to proceed in developing the playground in upcoming meetings, so if you would like to find out more and vote on next steps, please come along and have your say! 

#7 LUNCHLADY: You asked, and we listened!  Parent Council has worked hard to get more lunch options into the school this year.  As of Monday, November 20th, you will have the benefit of choosing to order hot healthy dishes for your students from Lunch Lady.  All you need to do is go online to www.lunchlady.ca, sign up, and register your students.  All ordering and payments are done through this site.  Orders will be delivered every Monday beginning November 27th (aside from holidays and school closures) at second break.  Orders must be placed/cancelled by 7am on the day of delivery.  Not only is this a great fundraiser for our school funds which will go towards teacher wish-lists, technology and playground improvements, but our kids also get the added benefit of a hot lunch of their choice.  Any questions, please reach out to our Lunch Committee Lead Jennifer Shaw at [email protected] 

#8 Inclement Weather? Get Updates! UGDSB is sharing information on websites and social media, reminding families of where to get updates/alerts about bus cancellations and delays (i.e. STWDSTS) and where info gets posted about school closures due to inclement weather (i.e. UGDSB websites and social). Please check out the link to learn more: https://www.ugdsb.ca/blog/its-that-time-of-year-again-everything-you-need-to-know-about-ug-inclement-weather-procedures/ 

#9 Strengths to Grow: Invitation to Parents & Guardians: Parents and guardians of elementary school children are invited to participate in the Strengths to Grow research study. This approved brief study is entirely online and can be completed at any time. Participants will complete two 10-minute surveys and the 30-minute Strengths to Grow program which helps parents identify and develop their child’s unique strengths. Every participant receives free access to the Strengths to Grow program. For more information, follow this link: https://bit.ly/strength-research

#10 The Daily Snack Program: is being offered at our school again this year. This program offers nutritious foods to all students to support learning and healthy development. Nutritious food helps kids learn and focus. Because all students have universal access, they are welcome to enjoy food from our nutrition program. We receive funding through The Children’s Foundation Food & Friends program for a portion of the costs and the rest of the cost is covered through donations. If you are able, here is how you can help:

  • Volunteer your time.
  • Donate to the program on the Children’s Foundation Food & Friends donation page . If donating through the Children’s Foundation, be sure to add our school’s name in the box on the donation page so the donation can be directed to our student nutrition program.
  • Donate grocery gift cards.
  • Ask your employer or a local business to donate.
  • Encourage your child to feel comfortable eating healthy food from our program.

Thank you for your support of our student nutrition program and for helping us bring healthy food to hungry minds. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call the school.

#11 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/

#12 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.

#13 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!

#14 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. 

#15 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

#16 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!

#17 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:

Friday December 15th – Comfy Cozy Pyjama Day for the whole school!

Wednesday December 20th – Harris Mill presents a Winter Soiree (6pm to 7:30pm) 

Friday December 22nd – Sparkle and Shine Day for the whole school. All students and staff are encouraged to dress in something that makes them happy! 

Friday December 22nd – Last Day of School before the 2 week Winter Break

Monday January 8th – First day of school in 2024

Categories: News • Newsletter