May 10th – Weekly
Hello Harris Mill Families,
Happy Mother’s Day on Sunday to all the moms reading this email! Warmer weather is on its way, parents please remember to pack sunscreen whenever possible. Please read the important reminders below and have a great weekend!
#1 Spring Concert: Thank you to all the students and staff who participated in this year’s Spring Concert, it was a huge success. A special thank you goes out to Madelle Dowhaniuk and Madelle Jarman for organizing it all. Great Work!
#2 STWDSTS First Rider Program for JKs starting in the fall – STWDSTS is pleased to announce its annual First Rider Program has been scheduled for Tuesday August 27, 2024. Online only registration will be open as of June 1 at the following link: https://stwdsts.ca/first-rider-program/ Please visit the above link for all applicable information including host sites, registration as well as other First Rider related materials.
#3 April 26th Dance-A-Thon: Thanks to our school community for making this year’s Dance-a-thon another phenomenal success! The target was smashed, with almost $9,000 in funds raised! Thank you for investing in our school’s future. There were 120 beautiful prizes donated, not counting the multiples and teacher donated prizes, which meant that many of the students were able to take a special something home 18 parent volunteers were on hand, counting out money and tickets, decorating the gym the night before, organizing the prizes, organizing face painting and delivering snacks to classrooms for over 250 students. 12 students were awarded gift cards, generously donated by a parent, for being the top fundraisers of their class. School Council meetings are held on the first Tuesday of each month, throughout the school year. This is when you get the opportunity to decide on exactly where these funds are allocated.
#4 Mental Health Awareness at Centennial: Please see the attached invitation on May 14th to an event about Mental Health awareness for parents, guardians and educators on how to support your children with anxiety, stress and mood. https://www.ugdsb.ca/harrismill/2024/05/06/mental-health-parent-workshop-may-14th-rockwood-centennial/
#5 Junior Track and Field: All of our junior students will be participating in track and field at Harris Mill on May 28th. Please bring running shoes, a hat, sunscreen and a water bottle. If you arrive wearing anything other than running shoes, you will not be able to participate. We are looking for a few parent volunteers to help out with our rest station and timing some of our races. If you would like to help out that day, please email Madelle Dowhaniuk at [email protected]
#6 Grade 5 Celebration: Save the date Grade 5 families! Our Grade 5 celebration will take place on June 26th at 1:30pm.
#7 Play Day: Play Day is coming to Harris Mill on June 24th. Please make sure you come wearing sunscreen, a hat, running shoes and bring a water bottle.
#8 Parent Digital Resources – Get Cyber Safe: 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 helping Children Stay Safe Online. When you get a chance please take a look at the information. https://www.getcybersafe.gc.ca/en
#9 TICK SEASON IS HERE: The memo attached here and links from Public Health may be helpful as we head back into tick season.
Blacklegged Tick and Lyme Disease
https://wdgpublichealth.ca/your-community/ticks-lyme-disease
#10 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 |
#11 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!
#12 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.
#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.
- 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.
- 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.
Harris Mill Important Upcoming Dates:
Sunday May 12th – Yearbook Orders Officially Close
Monday May 20th – Victoria Day (School Closed)
Tuesday May 28th – Junior Track & Field Meet
Tuesday May 28th – JK (Fall 2024) Orientation Event
Monday June 3rd – Gr 5s Rockwood Centennial Orientation Event
Categories: News • Newsletter