Dear Mustang Families,
What a successful week here at Princess Margaret. Children and staff are fully in the swing of being back at school. The building feels settled and has a feel that we’ve been back more then just a few days. I am really proud of our students and staff. We can’t wait to welcome families back on our Meet the Teacher night on September 24th from 530-7pm. Mark your calendars!
This week, sports teams and clubs started back up here at PMPS. intermediate soccer and garden club has started and our grade 1-8 choir starts next week as well. We can’t wait to get the grade 6-8 band up and running. We have new beautiful student art work all over our school in beautiful black frames thanks to Ms. Ellis and we have a fantastic display dedicated to Terry Fox in our front foyer.
Please note our flag will be at half mast at the end of day on Friday, September 11th, and be raised on Monday morning to mark Firefighters’ National Memorial Day, which is on Sunday, September 13, 2026.
Next week and the week after, we will start with our safety drills that are mandatory. This fall, we have to complete three fire drills and one lockdown drill. I will invite Officer Amy, our community officer to participate in the lockdown drill at our school. This helps the officer learn the layout of our school.
Our Princess Margaret website is https://www.ugdsb.ca/PrincessMargaret/ and our Twitter/ X page is: @margaret_ps . Our school council also has a Facebook page and an Instagram page: @princessmargaretps. Staying connected during the school year is key.
OVER DUE: Welcome Back Information Package & Important Forms That Need to Be Returned:
The following forms were sent home the first day of school in white and require a signature.
-Student Verification form – please make necessary changes to the information on this form, sign and date
-Consent to Share Personal Information; newsletters/media/UGDSB websites/social media- please indicate your consent, sign and date
-Walking Trip form - please sign and date
Important Upcoming Dates:
-24th: Meet the Teacher (530-7pm) & First School Council meeting of the year (6pm)
25th: Terry Fox Run (last block)
28th: PMPS Picture day ( individual photos only)
-30th: Truth & Reconciliation Day (wear orange)
October:
-2nd: GET REAL inclusion assembly grades 4-8 (letter coming home)
-5th:World Teacher’s Day
-7th: Our new Superintendent Visits, Mr. Roy Cousins
-12th: Thanksgiving- No School
-13th: Grade 7 Immunizations
-14th: All IEPs go home
-15th: Fall Dental Screenings (more info to come)
-16th: Developmental Language Disorder Awareness Day
-20th: ECE appreciation day
-26th: PD Day -no school for students
-27th to 29th: CCAT grade 3 testing
-28th: PMPS individual picture retakes, staff photo, and class photos
November:
-2nd to 6th: Treaties Recognition Week
-5th: New Director &CEO Mr. MacDonald & SO Mr. Cousins visit
-11th: Remembrance Day
-11th: Progress reports go home
-27th: PD Day (interview day)
December:
-5th: 30th Annual Holiday Craft Fair at PMPS 9am-2pm.
Spirit Days:
-September 18th: Blue and White Day! To support and inspire our Toronto Blue Jays!
-September 29th: Wear Purple Day! Raise awareness about Concussions!
-September 30th: Orange Shirt Day! Wear an Orange shirt to support and acknowledge the history of residential schools.
-October 9th: Fall Colours! Wear fall colours like brown, red, orange, or yellow to celebrate Fall and Thanksgiving!
-October 16th: October is Global Diversity Awareness Month! Let’s promote cultural diversity, inclusion, and mutual respect worldwide by wearing lots of bright colours!
-October 23rd: School Colours Day! PMPS students and staff can wear purple, grey, blue, or white to show their school pride!
-Preparation for Diwali: Each class can make a colourful paper chain - with a sunflower on it- to be ready for Diwali on November 8th. Paper chains due to Miss. Lyon on November 6th!
-October 30th: Black and Orange Day OR Costume Day
Parking Lot: A reminder that the front parking lot is closed and parents/ caregivers may not park in it during pick up and drop off ( with the exception of an accessibility parking pass). This year we have three buses and two taxis dropping off our students with special needs and/or bussing needs.. Our parking lot is not designed for this amount of traffic and additional cars only add to the congestion. Please do not block the exit at any time. Our buses are on a strict schedule and dropping ff and pick up at several different schools. Thank you.
If You Move During the School Year: If you and your family move through the school year, please let Mrs. Mckenzie know. It is important to always have updated contact information for each child. Moving also means that your child will have to go to his or her home school (the area where they moved). This helps avoid overstaffing or understaffing a building and larger reorganizations. If you have any questions, please contact us.
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/
Reminders:
Milk & Pizza Sales: coming soon! Pizza will be posted through School CashOnline. Milk is cash only and we will confirm once it is being sold again.
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. Our school day is from 830am to 250pm every day.
Please see below for a message from Public Health.
We’ll see everyone for another day of learning on Friday. Have a wonderful weekend after a full day of learning tomorrow and thank you for your ongoing support. It makes a world of difference.
Andrea Papavasiliou, Principal
WDGPH - Energy Drinks (Sept. 2026)
A message from Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health
Energy Drinks and Young Children: What Families Should Know
Energy drinks, like Monster®, Red Bull®, Rockstar® are widely available and often marketed as products to boost energy and performance. However, these drinks are not recommended for children because they can contain a lot of caffeine and other ingredients that can affect children's health and well-being.
They can cause:
Trouble sleeping
Fast heartbeat
Headaches
Feeling nervous, worried, or restless
What Families Can Do
Start conversations early - Talking about energy drinks before your child is offered one can help them make informed choices. Try asking:
Have you seen energy drinks before?
What do you think they do?
Why do you think people drink them?
Share simple facts - You might say:
Energy drinks have a lot of caffeine.
Too much caffeine can make it hard to sleep and focus.
Energy drinks are not recommended for children.
Support Everyday Habits - Children get the energy they need from healthy daily routines. You can help by:
Offering water throughout the day.
Encouraging physical activity and a good sleep routine.
Providing regular meals and snacks.
Making water, milk, and smoothies easy choices at home.
Help Children Think About Advertising - Energy drink ads often make products look exciting and fun. Ask questions like:
What is this ad trying to tell us?
Who do you think this ad is made for?
Is it showing the whole story?