Princess Margaret Public School

Good evening Mustang Families, It’s been another fantastic week at PMPS. Our Special Olympic athletes and student coaches started to practice for their big day in a couple of weeks, the grade three and six students are busy preparing for EQAO, and in recognition of Mental Health and Education Week, each class participated in a kindness art activity that was organized by our Child & Youth Worker, Tania. Last week, the grades 4-8s enjoyed a presentation from GET REAL about inclusivity involving the 2SLGBTQ+1 community. Thanks to our School Council for supporting this work. Next week is the Bike Rodeo. We have many students who are participating. For those students please remember your bike locks, helmets, and permission forms on the 13th. Good luck to our school’s chess team who will be competing at Credit Meadows ES next week in our county tournament. Go PMPS Mustangs go! Important Information Re: Donut Pick Up: Donuts will be available for pick-up on Friday afternoon, May 9th, from 2:50pm until 4pm in the school library. Thank you to everyone who supported this fundraiser! Please be reminded that these donuts will arrive freshly baked from Quest for Cakes Bakery and can be frozen. School Council volunteers will have alphabetical lists for distribution on Friday afternoon. Kindly pick up your donuts before 4pm. Thank you. UGDSB Math@Home: The UGDSB Math@Home document which has activities and games for families. The document includes 30+ pages of templates. UGDSB Math@Home for Grades 1 - 3 Important Dates: -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) Upcoming Spirit Days: -May 9th: Sparkle and sunshine day! Wear glittery accessories, shiny and sparkly clothes, or wear shiny jewellery! -May 16th: ART in the classroom! Just like board games day- take a period during your day and create some class art work!! -May 21st: Special Olympics Day! Wear Olympic Red and Olympic grey in support of our PMPS Special Olympics team. -May 30th:Beach day (Dress like you are going to the beach - no bathing suit.) Don’t forget about our Mustang Spirit Cup!! Congratulations to Mrs Ditchburn’s and Miss Bonger’s class for being our award winners for March and April! Thanks for taking the time to read through my weekly emails and your continued support. We’ll see everyone on Friday for another great learning day before heading into the weekend. Andrea Papavasiliou, Principal

Important Information Re: Donut Pick Up at PMPS : Donuts will be available for pick-up on Friday afternoon, May 9th, from 2:50pm until 4pm in the school library. Thank you to everyone who supported this fundraiser! Please be reminded that these donuts will arrive freshly baked from Quest for Cakes Bakery and can be frozen. School Council volunteers will have alphabetical lists for distribution on Friday afternoon. Kindly pick up your donuts before 4pm. Thank you.

Good evening Mustang Families, Happy May! The school year is flying by. Please be sure to check out important dates that are coming up down below. . PMPS is very busy in the coming weeks. This past week, PMPS was a polling station during the federal election and things went very smoothly, while students learned a little bit about the voting process. We also enjoyed a fun but competitive student versus staff basketball game last Friday which involved so much cheering. It’s safe to say that everyone had fun supporting their favourite team. The students are also enjoying the playgrounds being open as well as all of the equipment that has been provided to them from the School Council to support recess and DPA (daily physical activity). Thanks Council! Council would also like to thank all of our families for participating in our latest fundraiser. Your support means that the Council can continue to support initiatives at PMPS. Thanks PMPS families! As of today, we also completed all of the required drills for spring. Students and staff responded well and are prepared for emergencies. Tomorrow the grades 4-8s welcome GET REAL presenters. This will be a great experience. Thanks to our CYC Tania, for setting this up! Who wants a garden plot… Going , going, gone: All of our garden slots have now been spoken for the 2025 growing season. 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. May Communications Newsletter:The May Communications Newsletter is out! This is the monthly public-facing newsletter from the communications department. In this month's issue we have information about: Mental Health and Education Week Upholding Human Rights Empowerment Day And more! can view the newsletter here: https://www.ugdsb.ca/page/communications-newsletter Primary & Junior EQAO Math Webinars **Parent Info for Grade 3, 6, and 9** EQAO Math Night for Parents and Guardians: Join us for a free live webinar where EQAO staff will discuss math questions that Ontario students encounter when they participate in Ontario’s large-scale assessments. These assessments are taken by all Ontario students in Grades 3, 6 and 9. During the webinar, EQAO staff will show how these math questions help assess the skills students are learning in their math classes. Staff will also share valuable insights from the past three years of assessment results, which can help parents and guardians support their children’s math learning. Register EQAO Language Webinar for Parents and Guardians of Elementary School Students: Register for this free live webinar and learn about EQAO’s primary and junior Assessments of Reading, Writing and Mathematics. Participants will learn about the purpose of Ontario’s large-scale assessments. EQAO staff will explain the assessment format, highlight resources to support students, and answer questions from participants. The session will be approximately 45 minutes, followed by a live Q&A with EQAO staff. Register Important Dates: -May 1st: School Council meeting 6pm in the library: New members are always welcome! -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 Thanks for taking the time to read through my weekly emails and your continued support. We’ll see everyone on Friday for another great learning day before heading into the weekend. Andrea Papavasiliou, Principal

Who wants a garden plot? We have 4 plots available at the school’s Community Garden for this summer. If you've walked past our school during the summer months, you've seen how successful this space can be for growing veggies (and sunflowers!). These plots will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. Please note that all gardeners are asked to take turns watering all the beds throughout the summer, using our rotating schedule. Our garden is a chemical-free, natural plot. We have plenty of seeds available to share! If you are interested, please e-mail Emily, our School Council Chair, at indianajane24@yahoo.ca for more information. Thank you.

Good evening Mustang Families, It’s been another busy week here at PMPS. Thank you to Ms Ellis for coordinating this year’s Earth Day assembly. It was a great showcase of the wonderful things that are happening here at PMPS; choir, band, drama, poetry… the list goes on! A final reminder, please come in and check out our lost and found display. Items will be out until April 25th and then remaining items will be donated. On Monday, April 28th, our school will be used as a polling station for the federal election. This means voters will be coming in and out of our school to cast their ballots. Please rest assured that student safety is my top priority. Classes will continue as normal, and Elections Canada will have extra staff at all schools for security. The extra staff will be present at the entrances and in the hallways to ensure that people go directly in and out of the polling area and nowhere else in our school. We also see this as a great educational opportunity for students to learn about elections and the electoral process. It’s a chance for them to learn how voting works and why every voice matters. National Day of Mourning for Persons Killed or Injured in the Workplace Monday, April 28, 2024: Our flags will be lowered from sunrise until sunset on Monday, April 28th, 2025, to mark the National Day of Mourning for Persons Killed or Injured in the Workplace. Running Shoes/ No necklace/ No bags etc on Play Structures: Our playgrounds are now open for the spring! A reminder that children can only use them if they have proper footwear. Proper footwear is running shoes that have a good tread on the bottom. Sandals and Crocs are not allowed. Please no necklaces, small purses, or bags, this can get caught and lead to choking. Thank you. Important Dates: School Council Donut Fundraiser: Friday, March 28th to Thursday, April 24th. Pick up May 9th- more details to come. Thank you for your support. -April 25th: CMHA presentations: grades ⅞ -CANCELLED By CMHA/We are working on rescheduling. -May 1st: School Council meeting 6pm in the library -May 2nd: GET Real Presentation at PMPS (grades 4-8) (letters have gone home) Upcoming Spirit Days: TBD Please remember to stay connected in the following ways: -Downloading the new mobile app - it’s everything Upper Grand in your pocket. For the latest updates, please sign up for notifications! Download for Android https://aptg.ca/V7pmln Download for iPhone https://aptg.ca/370LCh . -checking our NEW Princess Margaret website once https://uppergranddsbon.sites.thrillshare.ca/o/pmps. -Our Twitter/ X page is: @margaret_ps, we also have a Facebook and Instagram page. -your phone messages and text messages Thanks for taking the time to read through my weekly emails and your continued support. We’ll see everyone on Friday for another great learning day before heading into the weekend. Andrea Papavasiliou, Principal

School Council has asked us to share these three announcements: You have just four days left to participate in our School Council's donut fundraiser!! Did you hear that we added incentives? The class that sells the most donuts will receive a classroom donut party!! AND the individual student who sells the most donuts will be awarded an extra order of donuts, for free! Together with our local Quest for Cakes Bakery, School Council are selling packs of 12 small donuts for $15. There are three delicious flavours, all nut free, Kosher dairy, with a full ingredient list on each pack: chocolate dip, celebration vanilla dip with sprinkles, and maple dip. A colour flyer was sent home with students earlier this month. There are a few copies left in the school office if you would still like one. This fundraiser is LIVE now on School Cash On-Line and runs until this Thursday night. Orders must be placed by PMPS families through School Cash On-Line. The donuts will be available for pick-up at the end of the school day on Friday, May 9th, just in time for Mother's Day!! These donuts are made fresh and can be frozen. Thank you for your support. Please join us this Saturday, April 26th, at 10am, for a school yard clean-up! In celebration of Earth Day this week, together with our local Hughes Real Estate Team, School Council is hosting a garbage pick-up, to help clean up our school grounds! Hughes Team will be supplying all the bags and gloves required, as well as bringing treats for all the helpers! We will meet outside the front of the school at 10am on Saturday and will form teams to work around the school yard. Please bring your families - everyone is welcome! Used book sale! On Tuesday, June 3rd, PMPS will be hosting another Family Fun Night! More details will come home soon, but in the meantime, School Council is asking you to please consider going through your child's home library and donate any gently used books you no longer need to this event. School Council will be hosting a book sale table, at which we will sell these donated books for $1 (soft covers) and $2 (hard covers). This is recycling at its best! And helps to keep books in children's hands, inspiring and educating young minds! We will have a box in the school office to collect these books, starting this week. Thank you! School Council thanks you for your support of these initiatives!

Good evening Mustang Families, It’s been another busy week here at PMPS. Our intermediate students played their final basketball games (thanks to Mr. Navarro and Mrs. Mikulik for coaching), some of our classes are busy growing seedlings, our new front hallway earth day display looks grea,t small groups of grade 8s are heading over to the high school for transition visits, our kindergartens visited the library this week, all classes received new outdoor equipment for DPA and recess (thanks School Council), and we are preparing for school wide Earth Day assembly on April 22nd (Thank you Ms.Ellis). Please come in and check out our lost and found display. Items will be out until April 25th and then remaining items will be donated. For all of our families who celebrate Easter, we wish you a joyous weekend. We have another great day of learning tomorrow, but a reminder that there is no school on Friday or Monday due to the Easter holiday. We’ll see everyone back for learning April 22nd (where is April going?). Donut Fundraiser Update: We have added incentives to our delicious donut fundraiser, from School Council and our local Quest for Cakes Bakery! For the class that sells the most donuts, they will receive a classroom donut party! And also, to the individual student who has the highest sales, they will receive an additional package of donuts for free! We are selling packs of 12 small donuts for $15, featuring 3 flavours: chocolate dip, celebration vanilla dip (with sprinkles) and maple dip. These donuts are nut free, Kosher dairy, and the full ingredients will be listed on each pack. This fundraiser is live NOW through School Cash On-Line and and will run until Thursday, April 24th. The donuts will be available for pick-up at the end of the school day on Friday, May 9th. If you have not yet received a color flyer for this fundraiser, please pick one up at the schools’s front office. School Council fundraisers help to support our school with things like important student programs, sporting events and gym equipment, and outdoor education materials, to name a few. Thank you for your support! Please remember to stay connected in the following ways: -Downloading the new mobile app - it’s everything Upper Grand in your pocket. For the latest updates, please sign up for notifications! Download for Android https://aptg.ca/V7pmln Download for iPhone https://aptg.ca/370LCh . -checking our NEW Princess Margaret website once https://uppergranddsbon.sites.thrillshare.ca/o/pmps. -Our Twitter/ X page is: @margaret_ps, we also have a Facebook and Instagram page. -your phone messages and text messages 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. Morning supervision begins at 820am and end of the day supervision ends at 3pm. Attendance/ Lates/ All Visitors: If your child is not going to be at school, please call our school office and report the absence on our attendance line. Please also do this if your child is going to be late. If a student is late, they must check in with the office and get a late slip. This allows the teacher to know that the student has checked in with the office, so attendance can be accurate. Our school day is from 830am to 250pm every day and it is important that students arrive on time, as there are important routines and announcements that they will miss if they are late. Thank you for your help. If you are coming into the school, please check in with the office. All visitors must check in with the office. Important Dates: School Council Donut Fundraiser: Friday, March 28th to Thursday, April 24th. Pick up May 9th- more details to come. Thank you for your support. -April 18th- 21st: Easter weekend for those who celebrate -April 22nd: Earth Day Assembly (Mrs Ellis is organizing) -April 23rd: OC Appreciation day! Thank you for all that you do Mrs. Mckenzie! -April 25th: CMHA presentations: grades ⅞ (letter has gone home) -May 1st: School Council meeting 6pm in the library -May 2nd: GET Real Presentation at PMPS (grades 4-8) (letters have gone home) -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 13th: Bike Roadeo at PMPS (more information to come) -May 13th, 20th, and 27th: Grade 3 and Grade 7 Swim to Survive program(more information to come) Thanks for taking the time to read through my weekly emails and your continued support. We’ll see everyone on Thursday for another great learning day. A reminder that there is no school on Friday or Monday. We’ll see everyone back on the 22nd at 830am! Have a great long weekend! Andrea Papavasiliou, Principal

We have added incentives to our delicious donut fundraiser, from School Council and our local Quest for Cakes Bakery! For the class that sells the most donuts, they will receive a classroom donut party! And also, to the individual student who has the highest sales, they will receive an additional package of donuts for free! We are selling packs of 12 small donuts for $15, featuring 3 flavours: chocolate dip, celebration vanilla dip (with sprinkles) and maple dip. These donuts are nut free, Kosher dairy, and the full ingredients will be listed on each pack. This fundraiser is live NOW through School Cash On-Line and and will run until Thursday, April 24th. The donuts will be available for pick-up at the end of the school day on Friday, May 9th. If you have not yet received a color flyer for this fundraiser, please pick one up at the schools’s front office. School Council fundraisers help to support our school with things like important student programs, sporting events and gym equipment, and outdoor education materials, to name a few. Thank you for your support!

Good evening Mustang Families, What a busy week! We held a basketball tournament for our junior and intermediate players at PMPS, completed special education meetings with awesome parents and students, and tomorrow we wrap up the week with Police Officer Amy presentations for grades 1-3! In the next couple of weeks, we will start with our spring safety drills that are mandatory. This spring, we have to complete three fire drills, one lockdown drill, one evacuation drill and a tornado drill. Officer Amy will be invited to participate in the lockdown drill at our school. This helps the officer learn the layout of our school. Over the last couple of weeks, students have noticed that we have had new lights and signs installed in anticipation of a new lockdown system that is automated. This is a great addition to our school because sometimes places like the shop, the gym, or library may be too loud for announcements. The lights alert students and staff to stop and listen to directions. Staff will receive training in the coming weeks. We are also in queue for a new front door system that will have our front door locked during the school day, but with an intercom buzzer system that allows parents and volunteers access. We are in phase 2 of this project so the change will be happening in the next year or so. More information will come as we receive our date of installation. April Communications Newsletter: The April Communications Newsletter is out! This is the monthly public-facing newsletter from the communications department. In this month's issue we have information about: Practicing gratitude Free dental health services And more! You can view the newsletter here: https://www.ugdsb.ca/page/communications-newsletter Dogs on School Property: As the weather slowly starts to improve, please remember that dogs are not allowed on school property. Some of our students have a fear of dogs. Please wait with your dog off school property for your child(ren). Thank you for your support. School Council Donut Fundraiser: Have you heard?! School Council is selling delicious donuts with our local Quest for Cakes Bakery! We will be sending a colour flyer home with students later this week, so you can see them for yourself! We are selling packs of 12 small donuts, featuring 3 flavours: chocolate dip, celebration vanilla dip (with sprinkles) and maple dip. These donuts are nut free, Kosher dairy, and the full ingredients will be listed on each pack. This fundraiser is live NOW through School Cash On-Line and and will run until Thursday, April 24th. The donuts will be available for pick-up at the end of the school day on Friday, May 9th. School Council fundraisers help to support our school with things like important student programs, sporting events and gym equipment, and outdoor education materials, to name a few. Thank you for your support! IMPORTANT MESSAGE: JK Orientation This email went home to all of our new JK students for next year. Please pass along to friends who may have missed it: Thank you for pre-registering your child for junior kindergarten September 2025 at Princess Margaret Public School. We are excited to welcome them! Please see the attached link for important information on our Kindergarten Orientation that is coming up on June 17th, 2025.We hope to see everyone then! 2025 kindergarten orientation information https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/13YUPVAn1eYSqaofYs9WoV91BDdgYIwvy9Q3vHnExwpU/edit?usp=sharing Thank you. The PMPS Kindergarten Team Thanks for taking the time to read through my weekly emails. We'll see everyone for another great day of learning tomorrow, before the weekend starts. Andrea Papavasiliou, Principal

Check out the attached pictures for some exciting courses for students offered by the UGDSB continuing ed department.

Tomorrow, April 9th, is the International Day of Pink. This is an annual event where people wear pink to show their support for anti-bullying and promote inclusivity, particularly for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. The day aims to raise awareness about the negative impacts of bullying and discrimination, and to foster a culture of respect and understanding. We encourage students to wear pink shirts, paint their nails pink, wear pink accessories etc. their support tomorrow. On a different note, popcorn sales will continue on Thursday for $2.00 per bag.

Please see the attached photo for some great workshops offered by the Parenting Support Network- all are free!

Good evening Mustang Families, I am sending this week’s email out a little earlier, so that I can remind everyone of the PD day that is this Friday, April 4th. This means no school for students on Friday. Today, we raised the Autism Awareness flag in recognition of World Autism Awareness day. The flag will remain flying for the month as the Town of Orangeville proclaimed April as Autism Awareness month. It was a wonderful experience to gather as a school and recognize the month. News from Our Welcoming Mustangs Student Group: On International Day of Pink, April 9th join us in showing solidarity and standing up against bullying and discrimination! We invite anybody and everybody to speak out against gender stereotypes, 2SLGBTQ+ discrimination and bullying. Show your support by wearing pink and painting your nails pink! School Council Donut Fundraiser: Have you heard?! School Council is selling delicious donuts with our local Quest for Cakes Bakery! We will be sending a colour flyer home with students later this week, so you can see them for yourself! We are selling packs of 12 small donuts, featuring 3 flavours: chocolate dip, celebration vanilla dip (with sprinkles) and maple dip. These donuts are nut free, Kosher dairy, and the full ingredients will be listed on each pack. This fundraiser is live NOW through School Cash On-Line and and will run until Thursday, April 24th. The donuts will be available for pick-up at the end of the school day on Friday, May 9th. School Council fundraisers help to support our school with things like important student programs, sporting events and gym equipment, and outdoor education materials, to name a few. Thank you for your support! After school games: We are asking that only siblings of players stay for the after school games that are hosted by our school. Our gym space is limited and we want parents who have left work, made special plans etc. to be able to come into the gym and watch their child play. Intermediates and former PMPS students are not to enter the gym unless they have a sibling playing. This also assists our coaches who are often refereeing and coaching. Monitoring the behaviour of non players is hard to do on top of the refereeing and coaching as well. Thanks for supporting our parents who want to be able to come into the gym to see their child play and our coaches. Important Dates: School Council Donut Fundraiser: Friday, March 28th to Thursday, April 24th. Pick up May 9th- more details to come. Thank you for your support. -April 3rd: Custodial and Maintenance Appreciation Day: Thanks Mrs. Barclay and her team for all that they do for PMPS and the same goes to our hardworking maintenance staff! -April 3rd: 6pm School Council (New members are always welcome) -April 4th: PD day: No School for students -April 9th: International Day of Pink: Wear pink and if possible, wear pink nail polish ( see message above) -April 10th: basketball tournament at PMPS (Mr. Navarro is organizing) -April 10th: FTP grade 7 Human Trafficking Presentation (letter coming home) -April 11th: Grade 8 Grad retakes at PMPS (please let your child’s teacher know if they need a retake) -April 11th: Officer Amy; presentations to grades 1 to 3 (letters going home) -April 15th: Kindergarten Town of Orangeville library visits (more information to come) -April 15th: Intermediate basketball tournament at ODSS(more information to come) -April 18th- 21st: Easter weekend for those who celebrate -April 22nd: Earth Day Assembly ((Mrs Ellis is organizing) -April 23rd: OC Appreciation day! Thank you for all that you do Mrs. Mckenzie! -April 25th: CMHA presentations: grades ⅞ (letters going home) -May 2nd: GET Real Presentation at PMPS (grades 4-8) (letters going home) -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 13th: Bike Roadeo at PMPS (more information to come) -May 13th, 20th, and 27th: Grade 3 and Grade 7 Swim to Survive program(more information to come) -May 14th: Special Olympics, Board Wide Event (more information to come) * See your email or website for a complete list of dates for May and June. Upcoming Spirit Days March & April: -April 11th: Wild and Creative Outfit Day!(Wear wild and creative hats, socks, and clothing!) -April 17th: Easter Colours and Accessories! (Wear pastel colours and accessories!) -April 22nd: Earth Day (Dress like the world! Wear brown, blue, and green!) Earth Day Challenges!!! - Walk with your division around the school. - Learn with the lights off. - Outdoor Learning (Spend as much time learning outside as possible). Thanks for taking the time to read through my weekly emails and your continued support. We’ll see everyone Thursday for another day of learning before the PD Day and the weekend. Andrea Papavasiliou, Principal

INCLEMENT WEATHER: Community Use of Schools is cancelled at all UGDSB schools on Wednesday April 2, 2025.

School Council Donut Fundraiser: Have you heard?! School Council is selling delicious donuts with our local Quest for Cakes Bakery! We will be sending a colour flyer home with students later this week, so you can see them for yourself! We are selling packs of 12 small donuts, featuring 3 flavours: chocolate dip, celebration vanilla dip (with sprinkles) and maple dip. These donuts are nut free, Kosher dairy, and the full ingredients will be listed on each pack. This fundraiser is live NOW through School Cash On-Line and and will run until Thursday, April 24th. The donuts will be available for pick-up at the end of the school day on Friday, May 9th. School Council fundraisers help to support our school with things like important student programs, sporting events and gym equipment, and outdoor education materials, to name a few. Thank you for your support!

ODSS is hosting a Dress and Suit Drive to help students find affordable formal wear for Grade 8 grad, prom and summer weddings. We are looking for formal wear donations - especially suits and dress pants in sizes for grade 8 grads. Donations of dresses, suits, dress shirts, shoes, jewelery and ties are greatly appreciated and can be brought to the front office of ODSS Monday to Friday 8 am to 4 pm. Join us on May 1st from 4 pm to 7 pm and shop incredible deals - suits and dresses for $10, shirts and shoes for $5 and accessories for just $2. This event is open to the entire community so let's come together to support our students and make prom unforgettable. ODSS

Popcorn sales continue this week on Tuesday and Thursday to support our grade 7/8 year end trip. The cost per bag is $2.00. Thank you for your support. The Grade 7/8s

Good afternoon Mustang Families, It was a great week here at PMPS. Students enjoyed our wheelchair basketball program and learned about what a tough and fun sport it really is, while also learning about accessibility. We have many presentations and special programming over the next few months happening at PMPS. Since school seems to fly by once spring comes, I have done my best to list some of these things down below. Thank you to our staff who work hard to bring different opportunities to our school for our students. School Council Donut Fundraiser: School Council is running a new fundraiser with our local Quest for Cakes Bakery! We are selling packs of 12 small donuts, featuring 3 flavours: chocolate dip, celebration vanilla dip (with sprinkles) and maple dip. There are 4 of each flavour per pack. These donuts are nut free, Kosher dairy, and the full ingredients will be listed on each pack. This fundraiser will launch on Friday, March 28th, and will run until Thursday, April 24th, through School Cash On-Line. The donuts will be available for pick-up at the school the week of May 9th - details confirming pick-up will be shared before that week. School Council fundraisers help to support our school with things like important student programs, sporting events and equipment, and outdoor education materials, to name a few. Thank you for your support! Popcorn Sales Today & Tomorrow: Our grade 7/8s are selling popcorn for their year end trip for $2.00 today and tomorrow until they sell out. All students are welcome to purchase. Thanks for your support. Winter or Spring? One day it is warm, the next frigid. A reminder that it is a good idea to keep a close eye on the weather, so students know what to wear in the morning. Another good idea is to pack an extra pair of pants and socks in children' s backpacks as the snow melts and we have a return to mud. This avoids us having to call home for a pant or sock request during the day. Important Dates: School Council Donut Fundraiser: Friday, March 28th to Thursday, April 24th. Pick up May 9th- more details to come. Thank you for your support. -April 3rd: Custodial and Maintenance Appreciation Day: Thanks Mrs. Barclay and her team for all that they do for PMPS and the same goes to our hardworking maintenance staff! -April 3rd: 6pm School Council (New members are always welcome) -April 4th: PD day: No School for students -April 10th: basketball tournament at PMPS (Mr. Navarro is organizing) -April 10th: FTP grade 7 Human Trafficking Presentation (letter coming home) -April 11th: Grade 8 Grad retakes at PMPS (please let your child’s teacher know if they need a retake) -April 11th: Officer Amy; presentations to grades 1 to 3 (letters going home) -April 15th: Kindergarten Town of Orangeville library visits (more information to come) -April 15th: Intermediate basketball tournament at ODSS(more information to come) -April 18th- 21st: Easter weekend for those who celebrate -April 22nd: Earth Day Assembly ((Mrs Ellis is organizing) -April 23rd: OC Appreciation day! Thank you for all that you do Mrs. Mckenzie! -April 25th: CMHA presentations: grades ⅞ (letters going home) -May 2nd: GET Real Presentation at PMPS (grades 4-8) (letters going home) -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 13th: Bike Roadeo at PMPS (more information to come) -May 13th, 20th, and 27th: Grade 3 and Grade 7 Swim to Survive program(more information to come) -May 14th: Special Olympics, Board Wide Event (more information to come) -May 15th: Chess tournament at CMES -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 coming home) -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) Upcoming Spirit Days March & April: -March 28th: World Water Appreciation : Dress in blue or as your favourite water creature (in honour of World Water day Mar. 22 and Earth day Mar. 29 -April 2nd: Autism Awareness Day: Wear Purple -April 11th: Wild and Creative Outfit Day!(Wear wild and creative hats, socks, and clothing!) -April 17th: Easter Colours and Accessories! (Wear pastel colours and accessories!) -April 22nd: Earth Day (Dress like the world! Wear brown, blue, and green!) Earth Day Challenges!!! - Walk with your division around the school. - Learn with the lights off. - Outdoor Learning (Spend as much time learning outside as possible). We'll see everyone for another great day of learning on Friday. Andrea Papavasiliou, Principal

School Council Donut Fundraiser: School Council is running a new fundraiser with our local Quest for Cakes Bakery! We are selling packs of 12 small donuts, featuring 3 flavours: chocolate dip, celebration vanilla dip (with sprinkles) and maple dip. There are 4 of each flavour per pack. These donuts are nut free, Kosher dairy, and the full ingredients will be listed on each pack. This fundraiser will launch on Friday, March 28th, and will run until Thursday, April 24th, through School Cash On-Line. The donuts will be available for pick-up at the school the week of May 9th - details confirming pick-up will be shared before that week. School Council fundraisers help to support our school with things like important student programs, sporting events and equipment, and outdoor education materials, to name a few. Thank you for your support!

Good afternoon Mustang Families, Happy first day of Spring! I hope everyone had a great March break. It is certainly nice to have everyone back learning. Our curling team finished their season this week with their good play at the Orangeville curling club Bonspiel. We’re very proud of their accomplishments as they finished well overall. Our amazing basketball teams are also starting their first games soon. Go Mustangs go! We also welcomed the wheelchair basketball program to our school this week. It’s great to see the kids trying this incredibly challenging sport and learning about equity in sport. Grades K-3 also learned about fire safety from Firefighter Kelly this week. Lots going on at our wonderful school! A reminder that it is a good idea to keep a close eye on the weather, so students know what to wear in the morning. Another good idea is to pack an extra pair of pants and socks in childrens’ backpacks as the snow melts and we have a return to mud. This avoids us having to call home for a pant or sock request during the day. Our School Council met on March 6th. Please see the minutes at the end of this email. Our next meeting is on April 3rd at 6pm in the school library. New members are always welcome. The School Council has supported us in many different ways this school year so far. They can do this because of our community’s support through fundraisers. Thank you for your continued support. Please read below for all of the ways that the Council has supported us this school year which includes: Council Insurance $151.20 Sledge Hockey $1187.00 Courtyard Equipment $2146.08 Equity Club games $189.80 Food Bank donation, in honour of Quest for Cakes, x5 turkey dinners $390 Family Transition Place for 2025 - grades 5-8, x8 sessions each class $1890.00 Grades 7&8 year end trip to Niagara $2000.00 Get Real Movement presentations on Anti Black Racism $791.00 Accessibility Swing for primary playground $1600.00 Get Real Movement presentations on 2SLGBTQ+1A (in May) $800 Curling equipment x2 sets $1500.00 Ice time contribution for our curling team and supplies $500 15 sets of xs snowshoes $765.00 STEM equipment for kindergartens $180.00 DPA (Daily Physical Activity) & Recess equipment for 13 classes $3380.00 Please remember to stay connected in the following ways: -Downloading the new mobile app - it’s everything Upper Grand in your pocket. For the latest updates, please sign up for notifications! Download for Android https://aptg.ca/V7pmln Download for iPhone https://aptg.ca/370LCh . -checking our NEW Princess Margaret website once https://uppergranddsbon.sites.thrillshare.ca/o/pmps. -Our Twitter/ X page is: @margaret_ps, we also have a Facebook and Instagram page. -your phone messages and text messages Important Dates: -March 19th to 25th: Wheelchair basketball program at PMPS for all students -March 25th: Public Health Fluoride Varnish number one (sign up online if interested, all grades) Upcoming Spirit Days February: March 28th: World Water Appreciation : Dress in blue or as your favourite water creature (in honour of World Water day Mar. 22 and Earth day Mar. 29 Don’t forget about our Mustang Spirit Cup!! Congratulations to Mr. Westlake’s class for winning the spirit cup for the month of January. Professional Activity Day Description: April 4, 2025 Information for Parents/Guardians: Date: April 4, 2025 Length: Full Day Elementary Topics AM: Mental Health and Well-being and Mathematics Elementary Topics PM: Mathematics, Guidance and Career Education Entity Hosting: Upper Grand DSB Description: Elementary Morning (150 mins): Mental Health and Well-being (75 minutes). The day will begin with a guided discussion about mental health in schools, including the history of current best practices for how educators and mental health clinicians can work together in our system. Curriculum Implementation (75 minutes) focused on Mathematics. Teachers will explore math routines, fractions, manipulatives, problem solving and EQAO preparation. Afternoon (150 mins) Curriculum Implementation focused on: Mathematics - Teachers will explore math routines, fractions, manipulatives, problem solving and EQAO preparation. Guidance and career education. Elementary teachers will explore their role in student skill development and career exploration. Thanks for taking the time to read through my weekly emails and your continued support. We’ll see everyone Friday for another day of learning before the weekend. Andrea Papavasiliou, Principal *School Council minutes can be read on our school website, under the News section and this week's update.