April 5th – Weekly

Posted April 5, 2024

Hello Harris Mill Families, 

Please read the important reminders below and have a great weekend!

#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/

Also on this PA Day there are specific guidelines on the work teachers will be completing during the day. This day will have focus for staff on Math Instruction and Mental Health, please see this link for more information: https://www.ugdsb.ca/harrismill/2024/03/18/professional-activity-day-description-april-8-2024-3/ 

#2 YEARBOOKS ARE COMING SOON: Purchasing this year’s yearbook couldn’t be easier! Yearbooks can be purchased online using SchoolCashOnline from April 8th to May 3rd. Each yearbook is only $25. NOTE: School Council has decided to kindly purchase every Grade 5 Student a yearbook as a Harris Mill keepsake. Thank you School Council!

#3 Wednesday April 10th is International Day of Pink! Every year, on the second Wednesday of April, people around the world are urged to put on a pink shirt and stand in solidarity with the 2SLGBTQIA+ community to continue fighting for equality and acceptance. Discrimination takes many shapes, whether it’s based on race, age, disabilities, gender or sexuality. The 2SLGBTQIA+ community is no stranger to the bullying and violence that stems from hateful beliefs. While progress has been made towards removing these social barriers from our society, discrimination still persists. 

#4 Our Dance-A-Thon DJ is booked!! April 26th is sure to be one of THE most fun school days ever!! This is Harris Mill’s biggest fundraiser, and to make this event a success, Children’s PRIZE donations are needed. School Council are collecting any unopened and giftable items such as games, crafts, new stuffies, fidget toys, Pokémon packs etc. will all be gratefully received! Students will be given tickets to have the chance to “bid” on items they wish to win. Items can be dropped off at the school office, or contact Charlotte Kerby or (647) 295 7212 to arrange collection/ drop off. Thanks so much for your support!  Last year we received 100 fantastic prize donations from parents! All profits will go back to our school. 

#5 Looking for Pots and Pans! The Kindergarten team is looking for donations of old car tires and pots and pans to enhance our outdoor classroom. If you have anything you would like to donate, please drop them off at the office. We would be grateful!

#6 UGDSB April Communications Newsletter: The April Communications Newsletter is out! This is the monthly public-facing newsletter from the communications department, so please feel free to share with your communities. In this month’s issue we have information about:

  • Every Day Counts! Student attendance 
  • Student career fairs
  • Mental health literacy for students
  • And more!

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

#7 Parent Digital Resources – Destreaming Math and the new curriculum: 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 all about the destreaming of Math in grade 9 and the 2020 Math curriculum https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1_-oL5KonVnfEWeeer3YS3DueuHXlvTeqROCmNp3_lAg/edit#slide=id.g3606f1c2d_30  When you get a chance please take a look at the information. 

#8 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. 

Type of Food How to order Available Days
The Lunch Lady www.lunchlady.ca

Note:   Orders must be placed/cancelled by 7am on the day of delivery. 

 Mondays – 2nd Break
Purple Pig Pizza  Orders are now finalized for the remainder of the year.  Wednesdays– 2nd break from April 3rd through June 19th
Booster Juice www.boostyourlunch.com

Note: Navigate to the Elementary tab along the top, pick Harris Mill PS, enter your students name and then select their teacher.  Orders must be placed/cancelled by Wednesdays the same week at 8pm

 Fridays – 1st Break
Subway/Pita Pit Fridays  School Cash Online to order

Note: Place your order by Sunday at noon each week, or order in advance for several weeks at a time.

 Fridays – 2nd Break

 

#9 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!  

#10 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/

#11 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.

#12 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/ 

#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.

#14 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.

#15 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. 

#16 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

Harris Mill Important Upcoming Dates:

Monday April 8th – PA Day (School Closed)

Wednesday April 10th – International Day of Pink (try and wear something pink to support equality for all)

Friday April 26th – Harris Mill Dance-A-Thon

Categories: News • Newsletter