Good evening Mustang Families,
Wow, what a great week here at PMPS! Our Special Olympians and peer coaches attended their meet on Thursday and did a fantastic job demonstrating their skill and resilience. I am very proud of our older students who coached and encouraged our younger students. Our whole school cheered them out and back in at the end of the day. It was so heart warming to watch our olympians show off their ribbons and medals. We have wonderful students at PMPS! Go Mustangs go! A big shout out to our incredible staff led by Mrs. Brodie and supported by Mrs. Cairns and our EA team, who made this day possible.
Our grade 3 and 6s start EQAO next week and I am proud of their hard work. EQAO continues the week after as well. It is important that all students attend school and arrive on time. Please ensure a good night’s sleep and a nutritious breakfast. Don’t forget we have breakfast club from 8am to 825am each morning. Thanks for your help with this.
Thanks to the generous support of our School Council, we were lucky to host rock climbing all week at Princess Margaret. Each class participated in two sessions and had the opportunity to try a variety of obstacle courses and climbing challenges. It was wonderful to see students demonstrate bravery and step outside their comfort zones while having so much fun. Our kids deserved this experience and it was so wonderful everyone got to participate.
Thank you to our families who are working hard on their community garden plots. Much appreciation to our coordinator, Emily M. who organized the garden this year and who has been weeding.
Supervision: Please remember that students should not be arriving before 820am in the morning and need to be picked up/ or leave the school at the dismissal bell at 250pm. Morning supervision begins at 820am and end of the day supervision ends at 3pm. We have been noticing that some students are coming at about 8am.
Amaya Has a New Book — Be Among the First to Read It! I am excited to share some wonderful news from a familiar face in our school community! You may remember Amaya, the talented student author who visited our school a couple of years ago and spoke with students about her book Afro, No! We are thrilled to share that she will be returning to our school on June 3rd to introduce her latest work.With the support of her family, Amaya has spent the past year working diligently on her newest project. On May 20th, she will officially launch Emmie’s Next Chapter — a fast-paced, highly illustrated 100-page graphic chapter book filled with humor, heart, and expressive storytelling. The story follows Emmie, a girl who loves her life exactly the way it is—until her family announces they are moving from San Francisco to New York City. This engaging story speaks directly to children experiencing change, whether that means starting a new school, moving to a new place, or learning to embrace the unfamiliar. It is a powerful message about courage, resilience, and discovering that sometimes the hardest changes lead to beautiful new beginnings. As the story reminds us, home is not just where you come from—it is where you grow. Now 13 years old, Amaya wrote every word and illustrated every page herself, and she is incredibly proud to share this book with young readers. Since her first visit, Amaya has delivered over 100 presentations across more than 60 schools and three school boards, and has sold nearly 1,000 copies of Afro, No! Our school has been part of her journey, and we are excited to welcome her back and celebrate her continued success. She will read from her new book, talk about her writing process, and answer questions from students. I have purchased copies of the new books for classes to read before she visits.
Important Dates:
May:*** Freezie Sales start week of May 12th and runs each Tuesday and Thursday until we run out- 2nd break. ***
-25th: Primary Track and Field Standards Day
-26th: Junior Track and Field Standards Day
-27th: Intermediate Track and Field Standards Day
-26th: Spring ⅞ Vaccination Clinic at PMPS
-28th & 29th: EQAO grades 3 & 6
June:
-June 1st: Bursting with Pride @ PMPS: Happy Pride Month
-2nd & 3rd: EQAO continued grades 3& 6 ( EQAO make up June 4th)
-2nd: Family Fun Night 5-7pm
-June 3rd: Author Visit: Amaya James. Child author of Afro No and her latest novel, Emmie’s Next Chapter (more information will be emailed home)
-4th: Compass Run @ PMPS- last block
-4th: School Council- Last meeting 6pm (elections-everyone is invited to run for positions)/ First meeting of 26/27 September 24th/26 6pm in the library (same night as Meet the Teacher)
-5th: PD Day: am curriculum & pm report card writing: no school for students
-9th & 10th: Intermediate Trip
-12th: School wide play day
-13th: Finale for Bike Roadeo: Alder Street
-17th: Grades ¾ (pm) & ⅘ (am) at Island Lake for Indigenous Learning
-18th: Pozniak/Szabo/Ditchburn Trip to Orangeville Library ( permission form coming home)
-22nd: PMPS Grade 8 Grad
-25th: Last day of School with students
-26th: PD day for staff (school improvement plans and transitions)
Upcoming Spirit Days:
May 15th: Backwards and Inside Out Day!
May 21st: Special Olympics Day! Wear Olympic Red and Olympic grey in support of our 15 PMPS Special Olympics team.
May 29th: Beach day(Dress like you are going to the beach - no bathing suit.) Sunglasses sunscreen Hat Shorts
Reminders:
June 2nd/26: Annual Arts Night: Please mark your calendars for our Annual Arts Night and Family Fun Night on June 2nd from 5:00–7:00 p.m. There will be raffles, including a beautiful bike and helmet up for grabs. Student artwork will be on display, our choir and band will perform, and of course, we’ll have our Family Fun Night games. Pizza will be available for purchase online. We hope to see you there!
Spirit wear can be ordered at any time during the year now. Please visit http://princessmargaret.deco-apparel.com/.
Reminders:
Playground Update: I would like to share that many of our playground structures require a significant amount of repair. Across all playgrounds—except for the train structure in the kindergarten yard—the estimated cost for repairs is approximately $6,300. Fortunately, School Council, with the support of our families, has been saving funds each year to help maintain these structures, and requests have already been submitted to address these repairs as soon as possible.
However, I do have some difficult news regarding the kindergarten yard. While the train-themed playground structure is a much-loved feature, it was not installed at an adequate depth. Over time, the rebar from the structure has begun to surface, creating a safety concern. Despite our efforts over the years to manage this by adding pea gravel, this has not proven to be an effective long-term solution.
I obtained a quote to have the structure fully excavated and reinstalled, but the cost would be approximately $12,000. Unfortunately, this is beyond what School Council can afford at this time, especially given the possibility of additional issues in the future. The school board is responsible for the costs of removing it. I have asked that the pea gravel be taken out, the area levelled and sodded.
As per board policy, unsafe playground equipment must be removed. After careful consideration, School Council has made the difficult decision to proceed with this option. The train structure is now fenced off, and removal is scheduled to take place over the summer.
Moving forward, School Council will explore alternative ways to enhance the kindergarten yard, such as adding mud kitchens and other outdoor play equipment. Modern playground structures are increasingly expensive and difficult for smaller school communities to sustain in terms of both installation and ongoing maintenance.
I kindly ask for your cooperation in ensuring that children stay out of the fenced-off area before and after school hours.
Milk Sales: Our wonderful Student Council continues to sell milk. The milk costs $1.25
Thanks for taking the time to read through my weekly emails and your continued support. We’ll see everyone on Friday for another great learning day! Here’s to beautiful sunshine and warmer temperatures.
Andrea Papavasiliou, Principal