Good Evening Mustang Families,
As we close out a wonderful fall, I want to take a moment to celebrate all that we’ve accomplished together. From the hard work of our students and staff, to the success of our Holiday Craft Fair, and the excitement of sports teams, field trips, and new learning adventures, this season has been full of growth and community spirit.
Adjusting to a new grade is never easy, but our students have shown resilience and enthusiasm every step of the way. We are so proud of their efforts and the support you provide at home.
As the holidays approach, we encourage everyone to find joy, have fun, and be safe. Take this time to rest, recharge, and enjoy special moments with loved ones. We look forward to welcoming you back in the new year, ready to work hard and continue building on the great start we’ve made. Wishing you peace, happiness, and a wonderful holiday season!
There are just a couple of reminders as we head into the last day of school on Friday before the break:
December 19th is the last day of school before the winter holiday break. A reminder that there is no pizza day this week and milk sales and popcorn sales are finished as well. Pizza will resume in the New Year.
January 5th: The first day back to school after the holiday break. The school day begins at 830am.
January 7th-30th : kindergarten registration is open. Please see our school website for more information and to register online. Please tell your neighbours as well.
-January 6th to 31st: Out of Area open in the UGDSB (see board website for details)
Important Dates:
December 19th: Holiday singing, performances, and award assembly (students only)
December 22nd to January 4th: Holiday Break (No School for Students)
January 5th, 2026: First day back at school after the break
January 5th: Family Transition Place (FTP) presentations begin on Mondays or Thursdays for 8 weeks for grades ⅘ to ⅞ (information previously sent home)
January 7th-30th:: Kindergarten registration begins for 26/27 school year
January 6th to 31st: Out of Area open in the UGDSB (see board website for details)
January 12th: GET REAL Inclusivity Workshop Grades 4-8 (letter went home)
January 13th: ODSS visit for grade 8s (course selection)
January 14th: Grad Photos (grade 8)
January 26th & 27th: Dairy Farmer’s Presentation: Grades K-⅚
January 30th: PD Day- no school for students
Upcoming Spirit Days:
-December 19th: (Christmas colours) OR Red, Black, green (Kwanzaa colours)
Reminders:
Slips, Trips & Falls: Please make sure that your child(ren) and you are wearing appropriate footwear for our wintery weather. This helps prevent slips, trips, and falls inside and outside our school.
No Bus Days: We Are Open for Learning! A reminder that on no bus days, we are here for learning. A very small percentage of our students are bussed, so teachers carry on with a normal learning day. Our school is open for all who can safely make it here. If your child (ren) will not be attending school, you need to call in their absence please. This helps Mrs. Mckenize with her safe arrival procedures in a timely manner. Thank you for your help with this. If a no bus day falls on a pizza day, we go ahead with our pizza day.
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/
Community Support: Hill of Headwaters Collaborative has a new opportunity for anyone in the community who may require access to care providers. Check out the link for Details: https://hillsofheadwaterscollaborative.ca/caredays
We have a great day of learning and fun planned on Friday! After that, have a fantastic winter break. Merry Christmas, Happy Winter Solstice, Happy Kwanza, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy New Year! We’ll see everyone back for learning on January 5th at 830am. Be safe and take care.
Andrea Papavasiliou, Principal
Weekend Reminders
Dear Families,
As we head into the weekend, here is some important information:
1. Thank you for your patience with the new doors.
Please do not allow anyone to enter behind you when you are buzzed into the school. We’ve had instances where delivery drivers and others have been let in without checking their purpose for entering. For safety, we need to ensure everyone entering is verified. Thank you for your cooperation.
2. A trend we are addressing in Grades 6–8.
Some students have been engaging in a behavior called “Yushing,” where one student pushes another student’s chin upward suddenly and says “Yush.” We spoke to students about this a few weeks ago, reminding them that putting hands on someone else is unacceptable. It has continued. This behavior can frustrate others and lead to conflict. Please take a moment to reinforce this message at home. We reminded students again today and there will be consequences going forward if it continues.
Thank you for your support, and have a great weekend!
Andrea Papavasiliou
Principal
Good Evening Mustang Families,
It’s been another good week here at PMPS. Our students are starting to get excited for the upcoming holidays. Our staff are striving to keep routines as consistent as possible as we continue to learn right up to the holidays. Please note the last day of school is Friday, December 19th, 2025. The first day back is January 5th, 2026.
We are thankful for all of our student leaders. From pizza days, milk sales, the craft fair, our daily announcements, our outdoor sign, office helping… our students do it all and we are appreciative of their leadership and service. Last week we had a fun staff and student volleyball game to close out a great season of playing (guess who won?), and Mrs. Ellis displayed the beautiful art installation from kindergarten to grade 8 (Be Here, Be You, Belong) and we hope that everyone had a chance to see it at the Holiday Craft Fair. Our school hallways look beautiful with festive art and door decorating. Clubs such as; choir and art club continue as well. This afternoon we welcomed the Earth Rangers into our school for an assembly and we met two animals: a barn owl and a tortoise. Students had fun learning about conservation and animals and what they can do to protect them.
Important Note from School Council:On behalf of our school, the PMPS School Council would like to extend a heartfelt THANK YOU to everyone who contributed to the success that was this year’s Holiday Craft Fair!! It truly does take a village to bring this event together and there are so many of you who helped to make this year’s event our very best yet! We raised just a little bit over $12,600. To our parent and caregiver community, we are very grateful for your support - through your donations of baked goods, items for our silent auction and classroom baskets, and donations to our food drive, to your volunteering and attending/shopping/bidding on Saturday - we are humbled by our generous community. Thank you.
Slips, Trips & Falls: Please make sure that your child(ren) and you are wearing appropriate footwear for our wintery weather. This helps prevent slips, trips, and falls inside and outside our school.
No Bus Days: We Are Open for Learning! A reminder that on no bus days, we are here for learning. A very small percentage of our students are bussed, so teachers carry on with a normal learning day. Our school is open for all who can safely make it here. If your child (ren) will not be attending school, you need to call in their absence please. This helps Mrs. Mckenize with her safe arrival procedures in a timely manner. Thank you for your help with this. If a no bus day falls on a pizza day, we go ahead with our pizza day.
Important Dates:
December 16th: Holiday singing assembly (students only)
December 16th: Grade ¾ & Grade ⅘ Library Visit
December 19th: Holiday singing, performances, and award assembly (students only)
December 22nd to January 4th: Holiday Break (No School for Students)
January 6th, 2026: First day back at school after the break
January 7th-30th:: Kindergarten registration begins for 26/27 school year
January 6th to 31st: Out of Area open in the UGDSB (see board website for details)
January 12th: GET REAL Inclusivity Workshop Grades 4-8 (letter coming home)
January 13th: ODSS visit for grade 8s (course selection)
January 14th: Grad Photos (grade 8)
January 26th & 27th: Dairy Farmer’s Presentation: Grades K-⅚
January 30th: PD Day- no school for students
Upcoming Spirit Days:
-December 12th: Jersey Day or Favourite Sport, or School Colours Day
-December 15th: Wear Blue, Silver, and white to celebrate Hanukkah starting on Dec. 14th.
-December 16th: Silver and gold for Posada Navidenas (Mexican Christmas begins Dec.16th)
-December 17th: Dress like your favourite holiday character (ex: reindeer, snowman, elf, etc.)
-December 18th: Festive hat, socks, and sweater day OR favourite sweater!
-December 19th: (Christmas colours) OR Red, Black, green (Kwanzaa colours)
Don’t forget about our Mustang Spirit Cup!
We have a great day of learning planned on Friday! After that, have a fantastic weekend!
Andrea Papavasiliou, Principal
This was our 29th annual event, and we are already looking forward to celebrating our 30th on December 5, 2026.
This fair would not be possible without our amazing community partners who support our students and programming here at the school. A heartfelt thank you to all the vendors and the many businesses that generously donated to our silent auction and contributed to special touches like our café and cookies with Santa. Your support makes a real difference, and please know that all funds raised go directly toward enriching the incredible learning experiences we provide for our students.
Thank you to our parents and caregivers who baked late into the evening last night and contributed to our bake sale—our biggest yet! We also deeply appreciate the families who donated to our classroom basket themes. Your generosity was outstanding and very much appreciated. Thanks too for attending our event. We hope you had fun.
If you were able to donate to the Orangeville Food Bank, thank you as well for helping support this important community resource.
We also want to recognize our wonderful students—and even past students—who volunteered their time today. They made us proud by welcoming guests and helping the day run smoothly with responsibility and kindness.
A huge thank you to our dedicated staff, especially Mrs. Mikulik, our craft fair leader, who consistently goes above and beyond to make this event possible, often with the help of their extended families.
Finally, none of this would happen without our hardworking and committed School Council. They begin planning for next year as soon as this year’s fair ends, always keeping the focus on what’s best for our school and our students. We are lucky to have them.
We are a small but mighty community, and I couldn’t be prouder of what we accomplished together today. Have a wonderful rest of your weekend—and we’ll see you all at next year’s Holiday Craft Fair.
Good Evening Mustang Families,
Can you believe it? Christmas Craft Fair is only two sleeps away! In case you may have missed it, here are the details:
29th Annual Holiday Craft Fair
📅 Date: Saturday, December 6th
🕘 Time: 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
📍 Location: Princess Margaret PS, 51 Wellington Street
We’re inviting all students, families, friends, and community members to join us for a day filled with festive fun.
✨ What’s Happening at the Fair?
🍪 Cookie Decorating & 🎅 Photos with Santa
🛍️ Holiday Vendors & Kid Entrepreneurs – Find the perfect gifts!
🎁 Kids’ Shopping Room – A special place for little ones to shop for loved ones
🧺 Classroom Basket Raffle – Don’t forget to check with your child’s teacher about your class theme!
🍰 Bake Sale – Thank you for your delicious contributions!
🧘 Silent Auction – Incredible items up for grabs!
☕ Holiday Café – Enjoy coffee, tea, and treats
🛒 The Famous Bake Sale – Starts at 9:00 AM sharp!
We are so grateful to our School Council, Student Council, and all of our amazing community partners who are working hard to make this year’s fair unforgettable. Please bring a donation to the food bank if you are able!
Good luck to our grade 8 students tonight as they travel to ODSS for grade 8 information night. Details here: ODSS Grade 8 Information Night
Dec 4, 2025. 6:30pm - 8:30pm
Meet the staff, Get connected
Learn about elective programs & tour the school
Review registration & course selection Process
It has been a busy week here at Princess Margaret as we prepare for the Holiday Craft Fair, our junior students travelled to Theatre Orangeville to take in a holiday play (their behaviour was fantastic!) and the ODSS band visited and played for our students and many of the students loved it. What a talented bunch of high school students! Individual EQAO results are coming home with students who were in grade 3 and 6 last year on Friday. Our school scored well. Please see my email from last night or check out our live feed on our school website. Check the dates below as December is busy!
December Communications Newsletter: The December Communications Newsletter is out! In this month's issue we have information about:
Information about Kindergarten Registration
Career Pathways Exploration Programs
And more!
You can view the newsletter here: https://www.ugdsb.ca/page/communications-newsletter
Flags at half mast on Saturday, December 6th, 2025: This will mark the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.
Popcorn Sales to Support End of the Year Intermediate Trip & Grad: Popcorn will continue on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday- first nutrition break (10:40) outside of the office. Lots of flavours to choose from for $2.00 per bag.
Important Dates:
Ongoing food drive for the Orangeville Food Bank until December 10th
December 5th: Inside Out & Backwards Day
December 6th: PMPS 29th Annual Christmas Craft Fair 9-3pm (Please plan to attend)
December 8th: Grade 6/7 to ⅞ trip to the movies
December 9th: Grade ¾ & Grade ⅘ Fire Safety Presentations
December 10th: Grade ⅚ & Grade 6/7 Fire Safety Presentations
December 16th: Holiday singing assembly
December 16th: Grade ¾ & Grade ⅘ Library Visit
December 19th: Holiday singing, performances, and award assemblies
December 22nd to January 4th: Holiday Break (No School for Students)
Upcoming Spirit Days:
-December 5th: Inside Out & Backwards Day
-December 12th: Jersey Day or Favourite Sport, or School Colours Day
-December 15th: Wear Blue, Silver, and white to celebrate Hanukkah starting on Dec. 14th.
-December 16th: Silver and gold for Posada Navidenas (Mexican Christmas begins Dec.16th)
-December 17th: Dress like your favourite holiday character (ex: reindeer, snowman, elf, etc.)
-December 18th: Festive hat, socks, and sweater day OR favourite sweater!
-December 19th: (Christmas colours) OR Red, Black, green (Kwanzaa colours)
Don’t forget about our Mustang Spirit Cup!
Reminders:
📚 Our School Book Fair Continues!: The annual Book Fair will run from November 27 to December 10, 2025 — kicking off during Progress Report Interview Night and continuing through the PD day on Progress Report Interview Day. After that, families are invited to stop by every day after school for 20 minutes to browse and purchase books and other fun items.It’s a great way to build excitement for reading and support our school library — we hope to see you there!
English: https://bookfairs.scholastic.ca/bf/princessmargaretschool11
French: https://bookfairs.scholastic.ca/bf/princessmargaretschool11
See you Saturday for the Holiday Craft Fair from 9am to 3pm.
Andrea Papavasiliou, Principal
Dear Families,
I wanted to share some great news with you tonight! The province has just released the EQAO results for the 2024–2025 school year, and they show that the hard work happening at Princess Margaret is making a real difference.
Here’s how our students performed:
Grade 3 Results
Reading: 88% of students met the provincial standard
Writing: 100% of students met the provincial standard
Math: 88% of students met the provincial standard
These results are above both the provincial and board averages—an incredible achievement!
Grade 6 Results
Reading: 92% of students met the provincial standard
Writing: 88% of students met the provincial standard
Math: 46% of students met the provincial standard
While our reading and writing scores exceeded some provincial and board results, math remains an area for growth—not just for us, but across Ontario. For comparison, 51% of students provincially and 58% in Upper Grand met the math standard.
This is a huge win for our students, who worked so hard throughout the year, and for our dedicated staff, who continually reflect on their teaching practices to ensure every child develops the skills they need to succeed.
Individual student results will be sent home by Friday.
Thank you for your continued support as we celebrate these successes and focus on areas for improvement together!
Warm regards,
Andrea Papavasiliou, Principal
Natalia and Kaylee will now have their own fobs for building access. For parents who need entry during before- and after-care hours, please call the Princess Margaret YMCA phone number. Kylie and Natalia will be able to grant access remotely after confirming your identity by voice.
We apologize for not sharing this information sooner. Thank you for your patience as we work through any small adjustments.
Andrea Papavasiliou
Subject: Important Update: School Door Access
Good morning Mustang families,
I’m pleased to share that all school doors are now locked during the school day to enhance safety.
If you need to enter the school during the day, please press the button on the black panel at the front door. A staff member in the office will greet you and unlock the door remotely. We appreciate your patience as we adjust to this new process.
The front door will remain unlocked for entry to the breakfast club and morning arrival. At all other times, visitors will need to use the intercom at the front entrance. It is important that all students arrive to school on time and use their normal entrance. If not, this creates additional work for our OC, Mrs. Mckenzie and entry may be delayed.
The front door is locked when the panel is lit white, and it is open when the panel is lit green. When it is green, please enter the school without using the intercom.
Please see the communication that was sent out last school year and again at the beginning of this school year, for more information about why the Upper Grand District School Board has moved to this process.
Thank you for your understanding and support.
Andrea Papavasiliou, Principal
Communication about door access that was previously sent out:
The Upper Grand District School Board (UGDSB) is committed to providing a safe, secure learning and working environment for students, staff, and visitors. Over the next couple of years all elementary schools are upgrading their door access systems and will consistently have their exterior doors locked during the school day.
I am writing to let you know that this board-wide project of upgrading the system used to access elementary school sites across the district is coming to our school shortly. We expect to have the system installed over the summer and live by Fall 2025.
Parents, guardians, volunteers are as always welcome to attend the school as per usual, however will need to use the intercom at the entrance to contact the office prior to having the doors opened. All visitors to schools are still required to sign in at the school’s main office and wear a badge/sticker identifying them as a visitor to the school once signed in.
If you would like additional information please see the link below which will take you to the board’s website and to Policy / Procedures 322 that outlines the management of access to schools sites across the system: https://www.ugdsb.ca/o/ugdsb/page/policy-322-safe-operation-of-schools-and-board-sites
Thank you for your patience and understanding and we look forward to welcoming you the next time you are at the school!
Andrea Papavasiliou, PMPS Principal
Hello Princess Margaret families,
Just a quick note as we start the week. We know it’s cold and flu season, and we had quite a few absences today. Miss Mackenzie, our office coordinator, is responsible for ensuring that all children are either safe at school or safe at home—this is part of our Safe Arrival process.
This morning, it took quite a while because many families had not called in their child’s absence. Please remember to call the school when your child will be away. This helps Miss Mackenzie confirm everyone’s safety quickly and efficiently. Thank you for your cooperation!
One more reminder: we currently have winter clothing displayed in the front foyer, along with a few school supplies. If you are in need of anything, please feel free to take what you need. We will be putting these items away soon to prepare for the holiday craft fair.
Thank you so much,
Mrs. Papavasiliou (PapaV)
Principal
Good morning, Mustang families!
Today, Friday, November 28, the school is open for in-person interviews, and we can’t wait to connect with you! Please note that our book fair and winter clothing/school supply pick up is also open in the front hall. Take what you need.
Thank you for partnering with us to support your child’s success. We look forward to seeing you soon!
Subject: Update on Parent Interview Night
Good afternoon Mustang families,
I’m writing to provide an important update regarding our parent interview night scheduled for this evening. Due to the weather, we have been directed to move interviews to virtual or phone calls, or to reschedule for another time. Please note, interviews are not cancelled, we just need to change how we are doing them.
Teachers will be reaching out this afternoon to confirm whether you would like to:
Switch to a virtual meeting (e.g., Google Meet; you need a computer or the app on your phone)
Have a phone interview
Reschedule your appointment for a time that works for you and the teacher at a later date
For families who are available tomorrow, we will have a full day of interviews as planned at this current time. If something changes, I will be sure to reach back out and update you.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. The school and board feel this is the safest option given the forecast and the fact that some staff travel long distances. We also want to ensure families are not on the road in unsafe conditions.
Please note:
All community use of the school is cancelled for tonight.
If you choose a phone interview, please ensure your phone accepts blocked calls at the scheduled time. Teachers will be calling from a blocked number as they are not permitted to stay at school.
If you choose a virtual meeting, please check your inbox (and junk folder) for the meeting link.
Thank you for your patience and understanding—Mother Nature has certainly surprised us! Stay warm and safe.
We will have our scheduled clothing and school supply shop open on Friday and next week (supplies pending).
Please come as soon as possible after dismissal to pick up Terra Cotta Cookie Orders.
Andrea Papavasiliou
Principal