Good Evening Mustang Families,
The Holiday Craft Fair is quickly approaching! Mark your calendars for December 6th from 9am- 3pm. This is an annual event not only for our school, but our community and we can’t wait to have everyone come out and experience our vendors, bake sale, cookie decorating with Santa, kid entrepreneurs, and so much more! Thank you to our awesome student and school councils who are making it the most fantastic event! Below are some important ways that you can help support our greatest fundraiser of the year!
Bake sale forms: The second letter is coming out on Friday, Nov. 14th to encourage more families to bake for our bake sale! Thanks to those who have already agreed to make items for our bake sale.
Silent auction baskets: Each classroom donates items for a theme so a basket can be made for our silent auction. Student council members will be around to collect items on Thursday, Nov. 27th. The letter about the themes has been sent to all of our families.
A note from the School Council: We are looking for volunteers! Now that we have held our last formal meeting of 2025, we are fully focused on the upcoming Holiday Craft Fair, and we need as many helping hands as possible! The School Council is getting together in the school library on Thursday, November 20th at 6pm, to make all final arrangements for the Craft Fair. If you are interested in helping out, we would love to have you join us! We are also getting together on the evening of Monday, December 1st at 5pm to assemble all the items we have collected for the Silent Auction, which is part of the Holiday Craft Fair. If you are interested in helping us with this, please meet us in the library that evening. If we have plenty of volunteers, we can finish all the auction baskets that night! Thank you so much for your support. We will resume regular, monthly School Council meetings on Thursday, February 5th, 2026! All are welcome to attend.
Community Support: Hill of Headwaters Collaborative has a new opportunity for anyone in the community who may require access to care providers. Check out the link for Details: https://hillsofheadwaterscollaborative.ca/caredays
2 weeks from today, ODSS is running their grade 8 information night. Please remind families of this event by sharing the information below: ODSS Grade 8 Information Night
Dec 4, 2025. 6:30pm - 8:30pm
Meet the staff, Get connected
Learn about elective programs & tour the school
Review registration & course selection Process
Stay Connected: Our Princess Margaret website is: https://uppergranddsbon.sites.thrillshare.ca/o/pmps. Our Twitter/ X page is: @margaret_ps . Our school council also has a Facebook page and an Instagram page: @princessmargaretps. Make sure your UGDSB mobile app is up to date! Download the mobile app - it’s everything Upper Grand in your pocket. For the latest updates, please sign up for notifications! Download for Android https://aptg.ca/V7pmln Download for iPhone https://aptg.ca/370LCh . Staying connected during the school year is key. I, along with a volunteer, work hard to update our social media pages and school website each week.
Important Dates:
November 20th: Extra School Council Meeting for Craft Fair
November 20th: Grade 7 Human Trafficking Presentation (letters to go home)
November 25th: Fall Grade ⅞ Vaccination Clinic at PMPS
November 27th: Progress Report Interview Night 3pm-7pm
November 27th to December 10th: Book Fair at PMPS
November 27th: Terra Cotta Cookie Pick Up in Library 3-5pm
November 28th: PD Day & Interview Day 830am to 250pm
November 28th: Classroom donations due for Class Holiday Baskets
December 2nd: Junior Division Trip to Theatre Orangeville
December 4th: Grade 8 Information Night at ODSS 630pm
December 6th: PMPS 29th Annual Christmas Craft Fair 9-3pm (Please plan to attend)
December 8th: Grade 6/7 to ⅞ trip to the movies
December 9th: Grade ¾ & Grade ⅘ Fire Safety Presentations
December 10th: Grade ⅚ & Grade 6/7 Fire Safety Presentations
December 16th: Holiday singing assembly
December 16th: Grade ¾ & Grade ⅘ Library Visit
December 19th: Holiday singing, performances, and award assemblies
December 22nd to January 4th: Holiday Break (No School for Students)
Upcoming Spirit Days:
Friday, November 21 – Wear Pink. Students and staff are welcome to wear pink as a way of standing up to bullying.
-November 27th/25: Comfy clothes day or wear school coloursDon’t forget about our Mustang Spirit Cup!
Reminders:
🎄 Believe It or Not... It's Almost Here! 🎄
29th Annual Holiday Craft Fair
📅 Date: Saturday, December 6th
🕘 Time: 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
📍 Location: Princess Margaret PS, 51 Wellington Street
We can hardly believe it ourselves, but our beloved Holiday Craft Fair is just around the corner! This cherished community tradition is back for its 29th year, and we’re inviting all students, families, and friends to join us for a day filled with festive fun.
✨ What’s Happening at the Fair? We’ve Got Everything….
🍪 Cookie Decorating & 🎅 Photos with Santa
🛍️ Holiday Vendors & Kid Entrepreneurs – Find the perfect gifts!
🎁 Kids’ Shopping Room – A special place for little ones to shop for loved ones
🧺 Classroom Basket Raffle – Don’t forget to check with your child’s teacher about your class theme!
🍰 Bake Sale – Thank you for your delicious contributions!
🧘 Silent Auction – Incredible items up for grabs!
☕ Holiday Café – Enjoy coffee, tea, and treats
🛒 The Famous Bake Sale – Starts at 9:00 AM sharp!
We are so grateful to our School Council, Student Council, and all of our amazing community partners who are working hard to make this year’s fair unforgettable.
💡 Want to Help?
If you or a family member owns or works for a local business and would like to donate to our Silent Auction, we’d love to hear from you! Please contact our school office.
Thank you for your continued support in making this event a magical experience for our school community. It is our biggest school fundraiser of the year! We can’t wait to share this event with you! See you on Saturday, December 6th from 9am to 3pm.
Interview Evening and Day: Progress reports have been shared with families and we would like to invite all parents/ guardians in for an interview. Please read the following to learn more about interviews. Online Signup for Parent-Teacher Interviews: The window to sign-up for an interview begins November 17th 8:30am and closes November 27th at 830am. Please sign up for a parent-teacher meeting between these dates. Interview times are available either Thursday, November 27th from 3:00 - 7:00 PM and November 28th from 8:30 AM - 2:45PM. If a teacher is not available on the 27th or 28th, they will communicate alternate dates and times with you.
To sign up for a meeting:
*** Use UGDSB’s family portal at: UGDSB Family Portal or
1) Go to : www.ugdsb.on.ca/pti or use the UGConnect App - Parents
2) Enter your child’s OEN number (the OEN is on the progress report at the top) then their date of birth.
3) Select the teacher, day and time slot for your meeting
Important: Once you have signed up for an interview, it will be assumed that a parent/guardian will be participating in person. Please email the teacher if a phone call is your preference. You may receive a call from the School/Unknown Caller. If you need assistance, please contact Mrs. Mckenzie, our office coordinator at 519-941-3731 ext 221. Our staff look forward to meeting with you and talking about your child’s progress.
Parent WHY survey: Please take a moment to fill out the WHY survey from Public Health and the UGDSB. We have partnered to create one survey to replace multiple surveys from the past. The new
survey will provide the information we need to inform programs and supports for students. The results will also help identify opportunities to improve the well-being of children and youth in our community. It is vital to have parent voice in this survey. Students and staff are all doing the survey ( letter was sent home previously). Thank you in advance. Parent Survey: https://redcap.link/2026parentwhy
PD Day Information for Elementary & Secondary Parents/Guardians:
Date: November 28, 2025
Length: Full Day
Elementary Topics: Parent / Teacher Interviews
Entity Hosting: Upper Grand DSB
Presenter(s)/Facilitator(s): Administrators/Individual
Elementary Description:
Teachers will be engaged in conducting scheduled parent/teacher interviews.
Just a quick reminder now that we’ve had our first snow bus day here in Dufferin County. Here are a few things to consider:
-No Bus Days: We Are Open for Learning: A reminder that on no bus days, we are here for learning. A very small percentage of our students are bussed, so teachers carry on with a normal learning day. Our school is open for all who can safely make it here.
-Call in if Absent: If your child (ren) will not be attending school, you need to call in their absence please. This helps Mrs. Mckenize with her safe arrival procedures in a timely manner. Thank you for your help with this.
-Pizza Day/ Pasta Day on a no bus day? Yes, if a food day falls on a no bus day, pizza, pasta etc day will go ahead.
Community Recognition Board: We are #MargaretProud. If your child has done something wonderful in our community or accomplished a big goal, please send in a picture and a short note and/or a clipping from the newspaper or online site to me, Mrs. PapaV. We have a board celebrating our amazing PMPS students across from the gym.
📚 Our School Book Fair is Coming Soon!: The annual Book Fair will run from November 27 to December 10, 2025 — kicking off during Progress Report Interview Night and continuing through the PD day on Progress Report Interview Day. After that, families are invited to stop by every day after school for 20 minutes to browse and purchase books and other fun items.It’s a great way to build excitement for reading and support our school library — we hope to see you there!
English: https://bookfairs.scholastic.ca/bf/princessmargaretschool11
French: https://bookfairs.scholastic.ca/bf/princessmargaretschool11
Milk Sales: A reminder that our Student Council continues to sell milk for $1.25 at 1st lunch. All profits benefit our students.
Parent Resources:
Dufferin Parent Support Network: Please check out https://www.dpsn.ca/ for free parenting workshops. The Dufferin Parenting Support Network is a great organization of parents supporting parents.
DCAFS Behaviour Solutions: DCAFS offers a wide range of services designed to meet the unique needs of each child and family. They believe that every child deserves the chance to reach their full potential, and they are committed to helping them do just that. If you're looking for support for your family within a safe and welcoming community, look no further than DCAFS! Please see the link for some different workshops and events: https://behavioursolutions.dcafs.on.ca/events/
We’ll see everyone for another day of learning on Friday. Thank you for your ongoing support of our school staff and school council. Donations to the holiday craft fair and School Cashonline food program, cracker drive, and fundraising initiatives such as the Terra Cotta Cookies are greatly appreciated. Princess Margaret PS is a great community who supports one another. #Mustang Proud
Andrea Papavasiliou, Principal