PMPS School Council Minutes – Final Meeting for this School Year - June 5th, 2025
In attendance: Andrea Papavasilliou, Rebecca, Sabrina, Emily M., Justine, Tracy, Brittani, Ida
Regrets: Billie Jo, Emily D., Vienna, Lindsay, Ashley, Sarah, Racquel, Kiri, Megan
1. Land Acknowledgement & Equity Statement - Andrea
a. For National Indigenous Peoples’ Month, students have had many opportunities to engage in learning (moccasin identifier program, trip to the Island Lake Indigenous Learning Centre, UGDSB-vetted resources, etc.) – see Principal’s Report for more details.
2. Principal’s Report (full report follows these Minutes)
a. The school community should watch for an invitation for in-person public consultation for the human rights review in 2025-26.
b. Construction has been making progress after school hours, and the school will be closed for the summer. All new lighting!
c. EQAO testing is complete, and students were successfully encouraged to slow down in their work.
d. 2025-26 school organization numbers show projected enrollment of 292. Attendance in the first week is needed for enrollment numbers to count.
e. We are lucky to have a 0.8 CYC (child and youth counsellor) and we are able to do some great pro-active work. Towards the end of June, she will deliver to each class a presentation about healthy responses to the transition of summer.
f. Pride Month celebrations were successful, with a flag raising, chalking, rainbow printouts, displays, morning announcements, etc. that focused on kindness, uniqueness, etc. Our school is celebrating our students having pride in themselves, “bursting with pride”.
g. EdSembli access help is available on the school website (this is the portal for viewing digital report cards).
h. Upcoming events - Jump Rope for Heart, Compass Run, lots happening in June!
i. Gold certification for healthy schools will be celebrated with a play day. Second year in a row that we have achieved a Gold certification!!
3. Family Fun Night - debriefing
a. Publicize - please bring a reusable water bottle
b. The book sale raised $177, pizza sales raised $150, total earnings for Student Council near $400 (including freezies and bracelets).
c. Volunteer positions, timing and placements need to be better communicated and supervised next year. Assign an overseer next year, confirming volunteer placements throughout the night, to ensure everyone gets a break.
d. Set aside extra pizzas, to ensure we don’t sell out. 3 volunteers required for this station.
e. Note on promotional material that we only sell pop. Bring reusable water bottles for our water stations.
4. Elections: School Council Positions for Next Year
a. A larger School Council is wonderful! But this creates much more work for the Chair. Emily M. Proposed (unanimously passed) to create new positions to better distribute tasks. Positions filled as follows:
i.Lead chair, Emily M.
ii.Co-chair, Billie Jo
iii.Volunteer Co-ordinators (2) - Brittani, Justine
iv.Financial Coordinator - Becki
v.Internal Social coordinator - Emily D.
vi.Social Media Manager - Emily M.
vii.Craft Fair Manager - Billie Jo
viii.Administrative Services (formerly “Secretary”) – Ida
· Emily M. to update ByLaws to reflect these changes
5. Fundraising Recap and Ideas for Next Year
THANK YOU to every member of Council for your integral role in our most successful year yet! We raised more funds than ever before this year AND were subsequently able to support more initiatives than ever before! This year, School Council funded:
· Council Insurance
· Sledge hockey
· Outdoor Courtyard equipment
· Equity Club games
· 5 turkey dinner donations to the Food Bank, in recognition of Quest for Cakes
· FTP presentations, grades 5-8, x8 sessions each class
· Year end trip to Niagara (reduced cost by $40/student)
· Get Real Movement presentations, Anti-Black Racism & Pride
· Accessibility swing in playground
· Curling equipment
· Ice time contribution for curling club
· Snow shoes for kindies
· Daily physical activity (DPA) equipment x13 sets
· Art supplies for grades K-5
· Compost for school gardens
· Kindie butterfly kits
· Kindi raised garden beds and soil
· Family Fun Night raffle baskets
· Emily M. would like to expand our mandate for next year. We will continue our outdoor education and mental health focus but will also include parental advisement initiatives. Emily proposed Council supports families more impactfully, taking a collaborative and proactive approach for those interested. For example, hosting more events (perhaps in partnership with other local school councils) with the OPP night, FTP parent presentations, Headwaters Food and Farming Alliance, etc. on topics like on-line safety, mental health, healthy lunch boxes, etc. We could create a survey for families as well, asking what they would like to see/talk about.
· October 4th Food Drive, in partnership with Orangeville Food Bank, hosted by Mayor Lisa Post. PMPS to host a pick-up station outside the school. Council to help!
Next meeting: Thursday, September 18th, 2025
Principal’s Report: PMPS School Council - Thursday, June 6th, 2025 6pm
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 celebrate and recognize National Indigenous People’s Month by sharing resources with staff and students (if time show board resources).
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:
Construction: Great progress in the last month on the construction in the building. Students and staff have noted how much brighter the school is. Construction will continue over the summer with updates to the boiler and HVAC.
EQAO: EQAO is over for another school year. Our grade three and six students worked hard and we are excited to see their results in the fall. Overall school scores in math, reading, and writing are made public in the fall as well as individual results for each student.
Tentative Class Organizations for 25/26:
A reminder that all organizations are tentative and school numbers are reviewed the first day of school, with the board reviewing numbers the first week of September and changes happening by the third week of September. This happens because we have students who move in and move out during the summer. We need to meet Ministry caps on class sizes. I do not share teacher assignments at this time and I do not take teacher or class requests. Our staff are working hard to build classes based on many factors including; academic, social, emotional, and emotional needs, friendships etc.
Our tentative organization for September includes:
-2 kindergarten classes
-1 grade 1 class
-2 grade ½ classes
-1 grade ⅔ class
-1 grade ¾ class
-1 grade ⅘ class
-1 grade ⅚ class
-1 grade 6/7 class
-2 grade ⅞ classes
- 1LRC 8 class
We will continue to have the STARS class (DCAFS day program at our school) and for the 25/26 school year DCAFS is moving their ETS (Early Transition to School program) to our school as well.
Child & Youth Worker Support & Plans for the Month of June: Last year the board increased CYC and social worker support in all UGDSB schools. We are lucky to have a social worker in our building a half day to a full day each week and our CYC here 4 days a week. Tania is planning presentations during the month of June and we wanted to share the content with our PMPS families.
Every class, K-8, will have a presentation in June focusing on preparing for the end of the school year and going into summer. The purpose of the presentation is to reinforce some of the topics discussed throughout the year in other presentations and to provide tips for a healthy summer. The topics within the presentation include:
-change and the feelings that come with it, both positive and negative
-easy ways to calm when feeling big feelings, which we will practice together
-ways to take care of our bodies over the summer, including healthy eating and healthy sleeping
-ways to take care of our mental health over the summer, including trying new things, screen time tips and staying connected to friends
-how to ask for help when struggling with any of these things
To end off, each class will have a Summer Plan activity to complete and take home. This plan will have them thinking about specific things they will do to have a healthy summer.
Pride Month at PMPS: The Welcoming Mustangs (our school’s GSA) are planning a few lead up activities followed by our school wide Bursting with Pride event to celebrate and recognize Pride month here at PMPS.
Mid May - lead up classroom activity
-classroom teachers will be provided with rainbow printouts for each student
-students will colour them and write positive affirmations/ways they are awesome in the clouds (see attached example)
-these rainbows and messages do not have to be 2SLGBTQ+. The purpose is to remind students that they have so much to be proud of in themselves and to celebrate what makes us all unique.
-once completed they will be displayed around the school for June
Throughout June
-there will be a display in the front display case showcasing and celebrating the 2SLGBTQ+ community
-there will be morning announcements highlighting people who have been prominent in supporting and bringing awareness to the 2SLGBTQ+ community and issues
Flag raising event "Bursting With Pride" - Whole School event
-on June 2nd at 1:10pm
-classes are encouraged to come out to be present for the pride flag raising
-after the flag raising, all classes are asked to head to the back tarmac (primary classes on the primary side, junior and intermediate on their side)
- there will be buckets of sidewalk chalk around the tarmac (if your class has their own chalk, it would be helpful if you could also bring those with you)
-students are asked to write positive messages/images about having pride in themselves
-each classroom teacher will be provided with a bag of rainbow stickers, one for each student
Support to Access Digital Report Cards for Parents/Guardians : To support upcoming report cards at the end of June, The Upper Grand District School Board has an online parent portal called Parent ConnectED. Parents/guardians are able to access their children's report cards digitally through this portal. To assist with access and support any technical challenges that families might experience, the UGDSB has created a support website for Parent ConnectED found here: UGDSB Report Card Support. This is also posted on our school website.
Within this website there is support on the following topics:
How to create a parent portal account
How to access report cards
A list of links to schools report card websites
The parent-teacher interview booking process
Information on 18+ students granting parental access
What to do if you forgot your password
Important Dates:
-June 6th: PD day-No school for students
-June 9th: Compass Run at School
-June 10th: Rescheduled CMHA Presentations for Intermediates (new letters went home)
-June 11th: Headwaters Farm Program Presentation- kindergarten (letter to go home)
-June 12th: Headwaters Farm Program Presentation- grade ½ class (letter to go home)
-June 13th: Jump Rope Event
-June 16th: Healthy Schools School Wide Play Day (morning two blocks)
-June 17th: JK Orientation-9-12pm approximately (more info to go home)
-June 19th: Track and Field Board event (more information to come)
-June 20th: Grade 1- 3 Trip to Orangeville Library: Author Visit (more info going home)
-June 23rd: PMPS Grad!!! (more information to come)
-June 25th: Public Health Fluoride Varnish #2 (more information to come)
-June 25th: Intermediate walk to Island Lake
-June 26th: Term 2 report cards go home & Last day with students
-June 26th: Last Day morning assembly, intermediate bbq and dance
-June 27th: PD day: No school for students
Upcoming Spirit Days:
-June 2nd: Colour Day!(Dress in as many colours as you can to celebrate Pride month)
-June 13th: Share the Sunshine Day: Dress in yellow or bright colours to symbolize sunshine and positivity. Let your kind spirit shine
-June 16th: School Colours to celebrate our PMPS outdoor playday!! Make sure to wear a hat and some sunscreen!!
-June 26th: Celebrate Canada!! Dress in red and white or wear Canadian accessories