Good evening Mustang Families,
It’s March! This school year feels like it is flying by! Does anyone else feel the same?
This week was another wonderful week at Princess Margaret!
One of the highlights for me personally was watching our students celebrate Holi. A very generous staff member taught us about their holiday traditions, made both sweet and savoury treats for our students, led a lesson on Holi, and even shared colours so everyone could take part in the celebration. It was such a joyful and inclusive experience for our school community. We need more reasons to celebrate in life, that’s why recognizing and learning about as many holidays and traditions as possible is really important.
Another highlight was watching two of our students who have been working so hard on their SPCA drive for animals. They created announcements, made posters, collected blankets and money, and even baked muffins to support the SPCA. This week, the SPCA came to pick up all the donations. The girls’ enthusiasm was heartwarming and showed that even our youngest students can make a big difference. Thank you to all the families and staff who supported their efforts.
It’s been great to see our students enjoying our class sets of snowshoes and cross country skis. Thank you to School Council (and all of you) who have helped us build these sets. They have been very well used this winter. Congratulations to our basketball teams who have been practising and playing hard the last two months. I am very thankful for our coaches.
Ramadan: As we continue to celebrate the holy month of Ramadan, we want to extend our best wishes to all students and families observing this important time. Ramadan is a special period of reflection, prayer, and fasting for many in our school community, and we recognize its significance. To support our students who are fasting and engaging in daily prayer, we want to remind everyone that we do have a prayer space in our school, in room 105. This space is available for students who wish to participate in prayer in a quiet and respectful environment. If your child will be utilizing the prayer space and/or needs other accommodations due to feasting etc., please let your child’s teacher know so we can ensure they know where the prayer space is located and provide the needed accommodations. Happy Ramadan or Ramadan Mubarak.
Ministry Approved School Year Calendars 2026-2027: The Ministry has approved the UGDSB elementary and secondary calendars for the 2026-2027 school year. They are now posted on our board website, and can also be accessed here:
Elementary - Cycle Day Calendar
March Communications Newsletter: The March Communications Newsletter is out!. In this month's issue we have information about:
School Year Calendar updates
Policy updates
Sustainability features
And more!
You can view the newsletter here: https://www.ugdsb.ca/page/communications-newsletter
Important Dates:
5th: School Council Meeting 6pm, Paralympian Andrew Healy talking to Council (virtual)
9th: Szabo Fire Presentation 935-1025am
10th: 115pm-215pm, Paralympian Andrew Healy Presentation (virtual)
10th: Pozinak & Ditchburn Fire Safety Presentation 935am-1025am
12th: Indigenous Speaker for kindergarten classes, Mrs. Pozinak’s class, Mrs. Christie’s class, and Mrs. Hickey’s class ( letter has been sent home with details)
13th: Dairy Farmer Presentation kindergartens 9am-940am and 940am-1020am
16th to 20th: March break
-25th: Superintendent Visit to PMPS, Mr. Viverios
-26th: Grade 7 Metis Virtual Presentations
-April 1st: Elementary Skills Canada: Junior Robotics Club, chosen team.
-2nd: World Autism Day
-3rd: Custodian and Maintenance worker Appreciation Day! Thank you to our incredible custodian team: Sheila, Dino, Helena, and Marie for always taking care of us and our building.
-3rd-6th: Good Friday & Easter
-8th: International Day of Pink: Anti Bullying & Anti-Homophobia: Wear Pink!
-9th: School Council Meeting 6pm
-24th: PD day
Upcoming Spirit Days:
-Friday, March 13th: Wear gold and green and other accessories for St. Patrick’s Day
-Monday, March 23rd: Crossing Guard Day! Make a thank you card to show your appreciation.
-Friday, March 27th: World Water Day, Wear blue in honour of water
-Thursday, April 2nd: Raise awareness and show support! Wear red and blue, celebrate neurodiversity.
Reminders:
EQAO Writing Dates for Grade 3 & 6 Students: Students in Grades 3 and 6 will be writing EQAO on:
• May 28
• May 29
• June 1
• June 2
We have very limited flexibility for makeup sessions this year, and we want to ensure that students and teachers have the full amount of time to work through the curriculum and not write too early in May. Please avoid scheduling family trips or appointments during these dates . More detailed information about EQAO will be shared with families closer to, but for now, please save these dates.
Free webinar series for parents/caregivers: Supporting Your Child’s Mental Health from School Mental Health Ontario:
We are excited to share a valuable opportunity to support your child’s well-being. School Mental Health Ontario is offering a free webinar series as part of the By Your Side Learning Hub, designed to help parents and caregivers navigate important topics to support their children’s mental health.
This expert-led series will provide insights and practical strategies on:
✅ balanced device use
✅ vaping
✅ body image
✅ anxiety
The webinars will also include answers to questions that parents/caregivers can provide ahead of the webinar, giving you the chance to ask questions and gain practical guidance.
📅 Sessions run March to June
English and French sessions will be offered on each topic. All webinar recordings will be uploaded to the By Your Side Learning Hub.
Milk Sales: Our wonderful Student Council continues to sell milk. The milk costs $1.25 each.
We have a great day of learning and fun planned on Friday! Have a great weekend once it gets here. I am very hopeful that spring is just around the corner!Remember to ‘spring ahead’ this weekend! Next week we’ll have sunsets after 7pm!
Andrea Papavasiliou, Principal