School Council Meeting Minutes - Princess Margaret Public School
Thursday, May 1st, 2025
In attendance: Andrea Papavasilliou, Tracey M., Rebecca L., Sabrina F., Vienna R., Billie Jo R., Lindsay F., Ashley A., Justine O., Kiri K., Emily Y., Tracy P., Sarah C., Brittani S., Ida C.
Regrets: Emily M., Megan S., Meghann C., Racquel
1. Land Acknowledgement & Anti-Racism Statement - Andrea
2. Principal’s Report (full report follows meeting minutes)
We are focusing on attendance. Each day, an average of 9.5% of kids are absent, and 6.6% of kids are late. Lates and absences occur most frequently on Mondays and Fridays. With two months left, this is a great time for families to try to recommit to good attendance.
Cyber-threats and reduction of computers. Older equipment (that cannot be updated), which is at end-of-life, must be removed from schools because of vulnerabilities to cyberattacks. The board’s ratio for tech is TBA. Grades 3 and 6 are a priority because of EQAO. This will not impact special education SEA equipment.
The accessibility swing has arrived – thank you to School Council.
We have completed all of our mandatory drills (fire, tornado, etc.), with our best evacuation time being 1:18. We are practicing with our new audio-visual signals.
The construction work continues – adjustments to lights, HVAC, boilers, etc.
EQAO testing is coming soon
3. Teacher’s Report - Tracey M.
· The kindergarten program is hoping that School Council will fund the butterfly kit again. Council has voted to approve this.
4. Family Fun Night Planning – Emily Y.
Event is scheduled for Tuesday, June 3rd, 5 – 7pm
Volunteers needed to help Mrs. Ellis with art setup on Friday, May 30 at 3:00: School Council Volunteers confirmed are Emily Y., Justine, Billie Jo, Vienna, and Emily M.
Pizza - Justine and Brittani (Tracey M. will order)
Pop – Emily Y. will purchase
Coolers – Ida will loan hers
Baskets for raffle - Becky and Sabrina will purchase (spend $400 of PIC money)
Raffle and pizza tickets and event flyer - Billie Jo. She will also be greeter at the door.
Used book sale – Emily M. will manage this table, she will bring in collection box.
Games: 5 games will require supervision (x 2 hours each = 10 supervision spots needed)
School Council volunteers:
Tracy and Kiri (potato sack race)
Lindsay (bean bag toss)
Ida (bowling)
Ashley (frisbee)
Volunteers needed for croquet and 3-legged race ** teachers??
4. Other Business
· Movement to support graduation with $1000 (for awards engraving, etc.). We voted in favour of this.
· Donut distribution will be on Friday, May 9th. Emily M., Emily Y. and Vienna will help to distribute donuts to families. Emily M. has spoken to Jodi who has prepared an alphabetical list of orders.
Next meeting:
Thursday, June 5 (we will hold School Council elections) ** Last meeting of this school year!
Principal’s Report: PMPS School Council
Thursday, May 1st, 2025
Land Acknowledgement:
Princess Margaret Public School is situated on the ancestral, treaty and title lands of the
Anishinaabek Ojibwe Nation, specifically the Michi Saagig of the Credit land. This
Nation holds legal and specific rights in their respective territories. This area has been and continues to be home for Indigenous Peoples and non-Indigenous peoples.
My commitment this evening: to continue to alert staff to Indigenous learning opportunities. The grade 4/5 s and 5/6s signed up for Moccasin Identifier Program in May and we have numerous classes going to Island lake to participate in learning as well.
Board’s Equity Statement:
Anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism is deeply rooted in our country, society, institutions and our history, and much work needs to be done to address this systemic racism. As an educational community we have a responsibility to identify and describe racism and oppression and then work to dismantle it. The Upper Grand District School Board is committed to disrupting systemic racism and oppression in all of its forms. We will implement ongoing mandatory anti-racism and anti-oppression training for all staff, review our protocols and policies, including our hiring practices, and be fully transparent and accountable to all Upper Grand students, staff, families, and stakeholders in an ongoing manner.
Principal’s Report:
Attendance at PMPS: Did you know that April 29th we had 9.5% of our total student population absent and 6.6% were late to school? Our most absent day of the week is Fridays with 10.4% of our students away, followed by Mondays with 10.2% of our students away. Monday and Fridays are also the days of the week when most students are late. Grade 8s are the most absent grade and grade 1s are our most late grade. Grade 5s have the best attendance and grades 4s and 5s are the least late.
Spring is a great time to recommit to making it to school every day and to do so on time. Attendance letters will be going home to all parents and caregivers next week whose child(ren) are absent or late for more than 10% of the school year. As of April 29th, there have been 126 days of school. Please reach out to your child’s teacher or myself, if we can support you and your child(ren) with attendance. We are here to help. The letter will have more information.
Cyber threats & Removal of computers/ipads etc: As I am sure that you have seen in the media, some boards have had their IT systems hacked and it takes some boards years to recover. Some of our devices are no longer able to be updated because of the age of them. This means that the school and board are vulnerable to cyber attacks. This also means that these devices will be removed from all schools. The board has determined a ratio of devices for each school and some devices will be replaced, while others will not be. There is not enough money to do so. The priority will be that each teacher and staff who needs a computer to complete their daily work has a working computer, that grade 3s and 6s have access to computers so that they can be prepared forEQAO. Please be patient as I learn more and work through this. Every school is in this position.
Accessible Swing Has Arrived & New DPA/Recess Equipment: Thank you to the School Council who purchased an accessible swing for our playground. It was installed today (May 1st) and is being inspected on Friday, May 2nd. This will make the swings accessible for students with a physical disability. Thank you! Our new DPA and recess equipment arrived. Students and staff helped to sort it into bags for each class, labelled it, and pumped up balls. Students have really appreciated the new supplies. Thank you again!
Spring Drills & New Lockdown System: As of today (May 1st), we completed all of the required drills for spring. Students and staff responded well and are prepared for emergencies. Our best time evacuating almost 300 students and about 40 staff was one minute and 20 seconds. Our slowest time was one minute and 45 seconds. Our new lockdown system was installed Tuesday evening. On Wednesday we completed our lockdown drill. The system is easy to initiate. It alerts the lockdown team at the board level, strobe lights with a siren sound (both inside and outside the school) and a prerecorded message plays inside. When our doors are locked with the new door system, the system will unlock doors for police arrival. When the decision was made to lift the lockdown, a prerecorded lockdown message is played and another email goes to the board lockdown team to say that the lockdown is over. The lights stop flashing and the front door is locked once again.
Ongoing Construction: Our summer lighting project was moved up and crews are working after school until the early morning. This should cause no disruption to students or staff. Once this work is completed and we no longer need heat, we are having work completed to our boilers and HVAC system as well.
EQAO: May 21st to June 3rd: EQAO at PMPS grades 3 and 6: All students need to be at school well rested and ready to go! Our students will do great! Letters are going home to families this Friday, May 2nd with more information.
Important Dates:
-May 2nd: GET Real Presentation at PMPS (grades 4-8) (letters have gone home)-Parents welcome
-May 5th to May 9th: Education Week and Mental Health Week
-May 9th: Whole group grade 8 visit to ODSS (more information to come)
-May 9th: Donut pick up (if ordered, more details to come)
-May 13th: Bike Roadeo at PMPS (information has gone home to interested students)
-May 13th, 20th, and 27th: Grade 3 and Grade 7 Swim to Survive program (permission forms have been sent home by teachers of these grades)
-May 15th: Chess tournament at CMES (permission forms going home to team members soon)
-May 16th: EA & CYC Appreciation Day: We have the best team at PMPS hands down! Thanks for all that you do!
-May 16th: Jump Rope Kick Off Event!(more information to come)
-May 19th: Victoria Day, no school
-May 20th: Grade ⅘ & ⅚ in Library from 115-215pm: Moccasin Identifier Program
-May 22nd: Catch up vaccination at PMPS (more information to come)
-May 22nd: Kindergarten Officer Amy presentations (letter has been sent home)
-May 21st: Special Olympics, Board Wide Event (more information to come)
-May 21st to June 3rd: EQAO at PMPS grades 3 and 6: All students need to be at school well rested and ready to go! Our students will do great! (more information to come)
-May 28th: Intermediate track and field standards day
-May 29th: Indigenous Games Trip to Island Lake: Shaw, Fendley & Westlake (more info to come)
-June 2nd: Bursting with Pride School Event & Flag Raising
-June 3rd: Arts Night and Family Fun Night 5-7pm (more information to come)
-June 5th: Grade 8 Intermediate Trip to Niagara Falls
-June 5th: Last School Council meeting of the year: Elections for 25/26 6pm
-June 6th: PD day-No school for students (more information to come)
-June 9th: Compass Run at School(more information to come)
-June 11th: Headwaters Farm Program Presentation- kindergarten (letter to go home)
-June 12th: Headwaters Farm Program Presentation- grade ½ class (letter to go home)