Harris Mill Public School

Mar 8th – Weekly

Posted March 8, 2024

Hello Harris Mill Families, 

It has been an awesome first full week of March. A reminder to have a safe and happy March Break this coming week, enjoy the time with family and friends! Please read the important reminders below and we will see everyone back at school on Monday, March 18th!  

#1 Important – April PA Day date change: The UGDSB has made the decision to move the PA Day originally scheduled for Friday, April 19th, 2024 to Monday, April 8th, 2024. They have made this adjustment due to the fact that the solar eclipse is set to occur during school dismissal, when students will not have full supervision and will be travelling home. Complete details about the change can be found here: https://www.ugdsb.ca/blog/important-april-pa-day-date-change/

#2 Ministry of Education Parent Resource Flyer:  The Ministry of Education is pleased to inform you that the Parent’s Guide to Ontario’s Education System was launched today.  

This new resource will provide parents with helpful information that supports them to have a stronger role and actively participate in their children’s education. The guide covers a number of subjects such as knowing how their child is doing in school, learning about suspension and expulsion processes, attending a school council meeting or parent involvement committee meeting, and knowing about specialized supports to help all children succeed.

This initiative is part of the government’s recent efforts to increase transparency and accountability in our school system.

The full guide can be found at www.Ontario.ca/educationguide.

The attached promotional flyers available in 10 different languages (English, French, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Punjabi, Tagalog, Arabic, Spanish, Portuguese and Hindi) include a QR code that links to the full guide. Click the link to access these flyers: https://www.ugdsb.ca/harrismill/2024/03/07/parents-guide-to-ontarios-education-system-has-been-released/ 

#3 Parent Digital Resources – SCIENCE AT HOME: Every week we will try to share a resource that parents/families can access to support their child(ren)’s development and learning. This week’s site is made for fans of science and projects you can complete at home: https://ingeniumcanada.org/online-resources-for-science-at-home   When you get a chance please walk through the site and explore! 

#4 A Guide to Harris Mill Food Orders: To help make things easier, please refer to this quick chart to help with food orders. It will be updated as needed. 

#5 Please Call The School: To ensure that all of our students are safe every morning we kindly ask that all parents call the school office (519-856-0309) to let us know if their child will be absent or late. When the office does not have confirmation of where the child is then we must call all available numbers until we have confirmation that the child is safe. Thank you for helping us out with this!  

#6 Harris Mill and the UGDSB Need Noon Hour Supervisors: Harris Mill PS is actively looking for one more person who can fill in as a Noon Hour Supervisor as needed throughout the week. Also 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/

#7 Morning Drop Off: Just a reminder that students should not be dropped off at the school before 8:15 as there is no supervision happening before this time. Also an ongoing reminder that 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 for your help with this to ensure all our students are safe.

#8 Immunization Information from WDG Public Health: A reminder to make sure that your child(ren)’s immunization record is up to date with Public Health. Anyone who has questions about immunization records/exemptions, etc., please contact Public Health (1-800-265-7293 x 7006) or check www.wdgpublichealth.ca for more information.

#9 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/ 

#10 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.

#11 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.

#12 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. 

#13 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

• Cases of respiratory illness generally increase throughout the fall and winter months. Please review the most current guidance from the Ministry of Health throughout the season: https://www.ontario.ca/page/protection-covid-19-and-other-respiratory-illnesses

Harris Mill Important Upcoming Dates:

Monday March 11th to Friday 15th – March Break Holiday (School Closed)

Friday March 29th – Good Friday Holiday (School Closed)

Monday April 1st – Easter Monday Holiday (School Closed)

Categories: News • Newsletter