Dear Mustang Families, Well, the excitement is in the air! For families who celebrate, Halloween is just around the corner, and many children are feeling very excited. Don't forget that our clocks also fall back this weekend.
Volleyball season is in full swing, Craft Club is creating some of the most adorable projects, and our courtyard has transformed into a spooky and fun space for our primary students. There has also been plenty of excitement surrounding pumpkins today. In one classroom, students counted an incredible 470 seeds inside a single small pumpkin. Pretty unbelievable!
I hope everyone who celebrates has a safe and enjoyable Halloween. For those families preparing for Diwali, I hope your preparations are going well.
There are lots of updates below. We look forward to seeing everyone back on Monday after a great day of learning and some fun on Friday! Have a wonderful weekend. 🎃🍂✨
Holiday Craft Fair Kid-Preneurs: PMPS is excited to bring back the Kid-Preneurs Market, at our upcoming Holiday Craft Fair, on Saturday, December 5th! We invite all students who love making things with their hands, like bracelets, ornaments, decorative items, and other cool crafts, to show off their creativity and become a young entrepreneur at our craft market! Students can set up their own table in the designated classrooms, sell their creations, and keep the money they earn! Forms are available from Ms. Lyon or from the front office. All participating students must fill out a permission form. We cannot wait to see what your imagination and creativity brings to our Holiday Craft Fair!
Poppy: Please Make A Donation: All students will be provided with a sticker poppy on November 11th to help recognize and honour Remembrance Day. Please consider making a donation. All donations go to the Canadian Legion. Teachers will collect the donations from now until November 11th or you can donate through School CashOnline. Thank you.
A heartfelt thank you to our wonderful families who have generously contributed to our school’s food program.
Your kindness and support make a meaningful difference—every donation, big or small, helps fuel our students' learning and well-being here at Princess Margaret. We are truly grateful for your continued care and commitment to our school community.
Attendance/ Pick Ups During the Day: It is very important that students attend school for the full day if they are well. Having consistent attendance helps to build children' s stamina, sense of routine, and academic success. If your child is having trouble attending school regularly please give me a call and I will help. Please call in all lates and absences. This is vital to our safe arrivals process, ensuring each child is safe. This needs to be completed as quickly as possible each morning, ensuring all of our students are safe. For families who are not confirming the whereabouts of their children with Mrs. Mckenzie, it increases her workload and our worry.
Sporting Teams & Participation: We have a number of sporting opportunities available to all of our students. Once a student tries out for a team, it’s important to read and sign the Athletics Code of Conduct. Coaches will send it home. All athletes will be given three grace incidents and then will not be allowed to try out or stay on the school team. It is important to understand that academics at school are the athlete’s first priority and that they must conduct themselves in a manner consistent with the board’s code of conduct. This has already been discussed with the intermediate division and teachers/coaches will clearly outline to the student when they have received a warning that counts as a grace incident. Thanks for your support.
Important Upcoming Dates:
***Ongoing Terra Cotta Cookie Fundraiser***
-2nd to 6th: Treaties Recognition Week
-4th: Popcorn pick up, late afternoon.
-5th: New Director &CEO Mr. MacDonald & SO Mr. Cousins visit
-9th: Guest speaker: Pr. Concepcion Grades 2-8 (email went home)
-11th: Remembrance Day
-11th: Progress reports go home
-13th at 830am- 26th 11am: Parent/Caregiver Sign Up for interviews (information will come home with progress reports).
-12th: Terra Cotta cookie fundraiser ends
-23rd & 30th: Diary Educator’s Program K-8 (letters will come home)
-25th: Grade 8 ODSS night 630-845pm
-26th: Interview Evening 3-7pm
-27th: PD Day (interview day)
-30th: Terra Cotta cookie pick up
-30th: Dairy Milk Presentations (K-2)
December:
-5th: 30th Annual Holiday Craft Fair at PMPS 9am-2pm.
-10th: ODSS guidance visit to PMPS (course selection Grade 8)
*** all dates are also posted on the bottom of our school website as well.***.
Spirit Days:
-October 30th: Black and Orange Day OR Costume Day
November spirit days are posted on our social media.
HALLOWEEN: Many schools celebrate Halloween with costume dress up and/or black and orange. Halloween is a day that is not observed by all students or staff. With this, it is considered a choice to participate as are all spirit days. Alternate and supportive accommodations are provided for students if school events take place (e.g. parade). Please reach out to your child(ren)’s teacher to speak more about accommodations.
Reminders:
Beginning November 1st, our Poppy Flag of Remembrance will fly proudly in honour of our veterans and all those who have served our country. The flag will remain raised until sunset on November 11th as we observe Remembrance Day and reflect on the sacrifices made by members of the Canadian Armed Forces. Lest we forget.
We are urgently looking for volunteers to read with our grade ones and twos. Volunteers must have a current VSC (last 6 months) and be available for at least one hour per week. Please email me, if you are interested (andrea.papavasiliou@ugdsb.on.ca). This makes a huge difference to our students.
We are #MargaretProud. If your child or family 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. It already has so many good news stories on it.
Milk Sales: Milk is cash only ($1.25) and frozen yogurt pops are $1.00 and on sale each day at first recess. Freezie sales are over. Thank you for your support.
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.
Spirit Wear: Spirit wear can be ordered at any time during the year now. Please visit http://princessmargaret.deco-apparel.com/
Andrea Papavasiliou
Proud Principal of PMPS