Princess Margaret Public School

The UGDSB will be sending out a test message to all families and staff this week. The test message will be sent on Wednesday March 19 at approximately 4pm. It will be sent to staff and families via text, email and phone. The message will clearly indicate that it is a test and no action is required. Thank you for your understanding.

Good afternoon Mustang Families, I would like to apologize for some delays in communication about the school closure this morning. I try to get messages out quickly but with alerts and emails going to over 40,000 people in the UGDSB, the system gets slowed down. Please make sure you are checking the following as it is posted on various platforms: : -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 -your phone messages and text messages We want to wish everyone a terrific March Break. A reminder that there is no school from March 10th to 14th. We will welcome everyone back on Monday, March 17th 2024 at 830am. We have one great day of learning on March 7th before we head into the break. A reminder that tomorrow is Live Free: Live Free Day, March 7th/25: Did you know that 1 in 4 children is at risk for food insecurity? March 7th is Live Free Day! Please remember to donate online through School CashOnline. Thank you to everyone who has donated all year long. We have raised about $1250 this school year for our breakfast and snack food program through online donations. Each month we spend approximately $1000 to $2500 on food for our students. Thank you for your support. The Orangeville Foodbank, Compass Church, Tweedsmuir Church, and President Choice are big contributors to our good program. Refund: Grade 6/7/8 Hockley Valley Trip: Grade 6/7/8 Parents and Caregivers, a refund is coming your way for half of the ski/snowboard trip. You’ll remember that originally we were supposed to visit Hockley twice, but only made it once due to inclement weather and bus cancellations. This refund may still take a few days but Mrs. Mckenzie is working hard on it. Thanks for your patience and understanding. Important Dates: -March 6th: School Council meeting 6-7pm ***now online*** . New members are always welcome! Email andrea.papavasiliou@ugdsb.on.ca -March 7th: Live Free Day: Please consider making a donation through School CashOnline. Donations are open all year long and we appreciate your support. -March 10th to March 14th: March Break, No School for Students -March 17th to 19th: Primary Orangeville Fire Presentations (information sent home) -March 18th: Curling Bonspiel for all curling members -March 19th to 25th: Wheelchair basketball program at PMPS for all students -March 20th: Grade 6 Classes, Metis Kitchen Party Presentation ( French)- letter coming home with more information from Mr. Navarro. -March 25th: Public Health Fluoride Varnish number one (sign up online if interested, all grades) Upcoming Spirit Days February: March 7th: Wear your blue, purple, or school spirit wear for Mustang Spirit Day March 17th: Wear gold and green and other accessories for St. Patrick’s Day 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. March Communications Newsletter The March Communications Newsletter is out! In this month's issue we have information about: Co-regulation and Declarative Language The 2025-26 Student Trustees Self Advocacy And more! You can view the newsletter here: https://www.ugdsb.ca/page/communications-newsletter Reminders: Ramadan: As we celebrate the holy month of Ramadan, we want to extend our best wishes to all students and families observing this important time. Ramadan is a special period of reflection, prayer, and fasting for many in our school community, and we recognize its significance. To support our students who are fasting and engaging in daily prayer, we want to remind everyone that we do have a prayer space in our school, in room 102. This space is available for students who wish to participate in prayer in a quiet and respectful environment. If your child will be utilizing the prayer space and/or needs other accommodations due to feasting etc., please let your child’s teacher know so we can ensure they know where the prayer space is located and provide the needed accommodations. Happy Ramadan or Ramadan Mubarak. 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 March Break. I hope everyone has a great break. Andrea Papavasiliou, Principal

Our school council meeting for this evening has shifted to online from 6-7pm. Our co-chairs will be sending out the link to anyone who is on the council email list. If you are new, please email andrea.papavasiliou@ugdsb.on.ca for tonight's link. Thank you.

Good Morning Families of Junior Sideline Basketball Players, Due to the school closure today, the junior sideline basketball tournament will be cancelled for this evening, Thursday, March 6th. Hopefully a new date will be communicated after the break.

Due to inclement weather, UGDSB schools and offices in Zones 2, 3, and 4 (Centre Wellington, North Wellington and Dufferin) are closed today to staff and students. Students are to shift to remote learning, where possible. Staff should not report to work in person, and should shift to remote working where possible. All buses and taxis are cancelled to those affected schools. Schools and offices in Zone 1 (Guelph) remain open today.

Good Morning Families of Junior Sideline Basketball Players, Due to the bus cancellation today, the junior sideline basketball tournament will be moved from Tuesday evening to Thursday, March 6th after school. Thank you for your understanding. Andrea Papavasiliou

The grade 6/7/8 ski/snowboard/snowshoe trip is cancelled for today due to buses not running in Dufferin County. We will work to try and reschedule but this may be challenging as Hockley Valley is only open to March 16th. If we cannot reschedule, we will issue refunds. More information to come. Thank you for your understanding. Andrea Papavasiliou.

Dear Mustang Families, An important heads up for Tuesday morning. Today, the large front window in the office is being replaced. This is necessary work due to the large crack in it. This is a big job as you can probably imagine. Our Office Coordinator, Mrs. Mckenzie’s desk needs to be dismantled for the window to be replaced. This will be challenging for Mrs. Mckenzie to do her work as she normally does. Her desk will be dismantled for most of the day. The window company should be here around 9am tomorrow and the work will take place for most of the morning. The desk then needs to be reassembled. Please be patient with us during this time. Everything might take us longer to complete. Please avoid the office if you can. You can call the office or email us as an alternative to coming in. jodi.mckenzie@ugdsb.on.ca Thank you for your understanding. Andrea Papavasiliou- Principal

Good evening Mustang Families, Thanks for supporting our Pink Shirt Day! It was incredible to walk around and see all of the pink in support of anti bullying and raising awareness about bullying. As I visited classrooms this week, I heard many great conversations about anti-bullying and strategies about what to do if you are experiencing it or witnessing it. As a school, we have worked hard on being allies and upstanders. We still have lots of work to do, but I am proud of the work we have done this school year and the programs and presentations we are providing in classrooms about many different subjects including character building, self regulation, being an upstander instead of a bystander, and bullying. . Our Child and Youth Worker, Tania has been a driving force behind all of this hard work. As we approach the holy month of Ramadan, we want to extend our best wishes to all students and families observing this important time. Ramadan is a special period of reflection, prayer, and fasting for many in our school community, and we recognize its significance. To support our students who are fasting and engaging in daily prayer, we want to remind everyone that we do have a prayer space in our school, in room 102. This space is available for students who wish to participate in prayer in a quiet and respectful environment. If your child will be utilizing the prayer space and/or needs other accommodations due to feasting etc., please let your child’s teacher know so we can ensure they know where the prayer space is located and provide the needed accommodations. Happy Ramadan or Ramadan Mubarak. Rescheduled Outdoor Playday: We have rescheduled our postponed playday from Friday, February 21st to this upcoming Friday, February 28th at PMPS during 1st and 2nd block. All students will be outside for the 1st and 2nd block. Please have your child(ren) come to school dressed for the weather. Extra mitts and socks are always a great idea. Volunteer Needed for our School's Breakfast Program: We are looking to fill a volunteer position with our school's breakfast program. This program is so important for our students, as full tummies help to fuel learning! We need assistance on Monday mornings at 8am to about 830am. All food is already at the school, in the office kitchen, and our volunteers prepare the breakfast options for our students in the library and help to clean up as school begins. There will be another volunteer present to assist who is familiar with the process. This commitment would run for the remainder of the school year. If you are interested in helping out, please call the office for more information. Thank you. Live Free Day, March 7th/25: Did you know that 1 in 4 children is at risk for food insecurity? March 7th is Live Free Day! Please remember to donate online through School CashOnline. Thank you to everyone who has donated all year long. We have raised about $1250 this school year for our breakfast and snack food program through online donations. Each month we spend approximately $1500 to $2500 on food for our students. Thank you for your support. Important Dates: -FTP program continues for ⅘ to 8: March 7th (make up for school closure in January) -February 28th: Winter Play day (1st and 2nd block) Dress to be outside. -March 4th: Grade 6-8 skiing/snowboarding at Hockley Valley -March 4th: Junior Sideline Basketball Tournament for team members -March 6th: School Council meeting 6-7pm. New members are always welcome! -March 7th: Live Free Day: Please consider making a donation through School CashOnline. Donations are open all year long and we appreciate your support. -March 10th to March 14th: March Break, No School for Students -March 18th: Curling Bonspiel for all curling members -March 19th to 25th: Wheelchair basketball program at PMPS for all students -March 20th: Grade 6 Classes, Metis Kitchen Party Presentation ( French)- letter coming home with more information from Mr. Navarro. -March 25th: Public Health Fluoride Varnish number one (sign up online if interested, all grades) Upcoming Spirit Days February: -Friday, Feb. 28th: Board Game day! Bring in your favourite board game and enjoy game stations in your classroom. Don’t forget about our Mustang Spirit Cup awarded to the class with the highest participation each month. We'll see everyone for another great day of learning on Friday. Andrea Papavasiliou, Principal

NOTICE: The UGDSB will be sending out a test message to all families and staff this week. The test message will be sent on Thursday February 27 at approximately 4:30pm. It will be sent to staff and families via text, email and phone. The message will clearly indicate that it is a test and no action is required. Recipients of the messages shouldn’t notice much difference from board-wide messages sent in the past, with the exception that recipients will now receive a text message, in addition to phone call and email. Recipients will have the option to opt out of receiving text messages. A reminder that the text message will come from the following shortcode: 277849. Thank you for your understanding.

Dear Mustang Families, Tomorrow, Wednesday, February 26th is Pink Shirt Day! Students are encouraged to wear pink to raise awareness about bullying and the impacts it can have. Some important ideas to talk about at home: This day reminds us all to be kind and speak up when we or others around us are being bullied. Wear pink to show your support and let’s lift each other up every day! 1 in 5 kids is affected by bullying. You can be the one being bullied, you can be the one watching someone else being bullied, or you can be the one hurting others. Be kind and speak up! Bullying is NOT cool. Bullying is NOT okay. Bullying is NOT your fault. Be kind and speak up! Think before you post! Cyberbullying is using online and cell phone technology to hurt others. STOP talking to the person bullying you, BLOCK the person, TALK to a trusted adult, and SAVE the messages from the person bullying you. Learn more at PREVNet or call Bullying Canada 1-877-352-4497. We encourage everyone to report any incidents of bullying. There are multiple ways to report in the UGDSB. Online Bullying Reporting Tool: An online bullying reporting tool is available to UGDSB students in every grade – victims or witnesses – to report incidents at any time, from anywhere. The tool makes it easy for kids to reach out and let an adult in authority know when there’s a problem. Parents are also welcome to use the tool, either to report incidents they have witnessed themselves, or by passing on second-hand accounts from younger children. This tool can be easily found on the board’s website, school websites or on the UGCloud landing page for students. Reports go directly to the school principal for follow-up. School administrators will receive the report and will respond accordingly dependent upon the situation reported and the availability of contact information Educators and administrators are key personnel with whom to make a report of bullying. Have a good evening. Andrea Papavasiliou Principal

Hello Mustang Families, A couple of things as we begin our week at PMPS: Rescheduled Outdoor Playday: We have rescheduled our postponed playday from Friday, February 21st to this upcoming Friday, February 28th at PMPS during 1st and 2nd block. All students will be outside for the 1st and 2nd block. Please have your child(ren) come to school dressed for the weather. Extra mitts and socks are always a great idea. Volunteer Needed for our School's Breakfast Program: We are looking to fill a volunteer position with our school's breakfast program. This program is so important for our students, as full tummies help to fuel learning! We need assistance on Monday mornings at 8am to about 830am. All food is already at the school, in the office kitchen, and our volunteers prepare the breakfast options for our students in the library and help to clean up as school begins. There will be another volunteer present to assist who is familiar with the process. This commitment would run for the remainder of the school year. If you are interested in helping out, please call the office for more information. Thank you. It’s going to be a great week. Andrea Papavasilou, Principal

Good evening Mustang Families, Another great week, but short week here at PMPS! Spring must be around the corner, right? We are taking advantage of what snow we have by cross country skiing and snowshoeing. We feel lucky to have these resources at our school! Basketball tryouts are in full swing and our curling team goes for another win next Monday! Go Mustangs go! A reminder that tomorrow, Friday February 21st we have our school wide PMPS winter play day. All students will be outside for the 1st and 2nd block. Please have your child(ren) come to school dressed for the weather. Extra mitts and socks are always a great idea. Snow Hills & Safety: I have communicated extensively with the students that they must stay off the snow hills before, during, and after school. I am working with our snow removal company to have them taken down, but this takes time as snow removal crews have been working around the clock lately. Students have been too rough with another on the hills; the hills are too high and kids are getting hurt. While most students have been respectful, some of our junior and intermediate students have not and continue to disregard staff, sometimes being disrespectful. This is not what I expect from our students. Please review with your child (ren) the importance of staying off the hills for their own safety and to listen to staff. Thank you in advance. Error With Pasta Day March 12th: We made a mistake. We mistakenly posted a pasta day for March 12th (March Break). Before we caught this error, 41 orders came in! (Thanks for your support!). We will be issuing refunds (this can take several days). Thanks for your understanding and we are sorry for our error. The next pasta day will be March 26th. Important Dates: -FTP program continues for ⅘ to 8: February 26th, and March 7th (make up for school closure in January) -February 21st: Winter Play day (1st and 2nd block) Dress to be outside. -February 26th: PINK SHIRT DAY -February 26th: Grade 8 IPRCs with ODSS -March 4th: Grade 6-8 skiing/snowboarding at Hockley Valley -March 4th: Junior Sideline Basketball Tournament for team members -March 7th: Live Free Day: Please consider making a donation through School CashOnline. Donations are open all year long and we appreciate your support. -March 10th to March 14th: March Break, No School for Students Upcoming Spirit Days February: -Friday, Feb. 21st: OLYMPIC OUTDOOR PLAYDAY! Dress as a sports player OR dress like a snowflake/snowperson -Friday, Feb. 28th: Board Game day! Bring in your favourite board game and enjoy game stations in your classroom. Don’t forget about our Mustang Spirit Cup awarded to the class with the highest participation each month. Reminders: Attention Parents/Caregivers Public Health Immunization Notices: Immunization notices have been sent for elementary students who do not have up-to-date immunization records. Robo calls from Public Health are going to all families tomorrow (Friday) whose children are on the list to be suspended. To get missing vaccines listed in the notice, you can book an appointment with your healthcare provider or with Public Health at wdgpublichealth.ca/appointments. To check or update your child's immunization record, visit immunizewdg.ca. Visit wdgpublichealth.ca/vaccination for more information about receiving a notice. Please note all inquiries and concerns go through Public Health. As a school we have no control over the immunization notices or control over the suspension. They are issued by Public Health and we must hand them out. Parking lot reminders: Our parking lot is closed from 815am- 310pm everyday- all vehicles except for school buses and those with special needs parking permits, may not enter during this time . Please no parking in special needs parking without a permit, no stopping, no parking in the bus loop or no parking zones, do not block the exit from our parking lot by parking across the exit to the street and please be kind to staff who are helping to enforce these rules, including By Law who come out consistently but randomly. Thank you for yout patience as the snow is making things even more difficult. Milk Sales: Our wonderful Student Council continues to sell milk. The milk costs $1.25 each. Milk sale profits support our Student Council. 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! Andrea Papavasiliou, Principal

Due to inclement weather, all UGDSB schools and offices are closed today to staff and students. Students are to shift to remote learning, where possible. Staff should not report to work in person, and should shift to remote working where possible. All buses and taxis are cancelled to Upper Grand schools.

Due to inclement weather, all UGDSB schools and offices are closed today (Feb. 13) to staff and students. Students are to shift to remote learning, where possible. Staff should not report to work in person, and should shift to remote working where possible. All buses and taxis are cancelled to Upper Grand schools.

Good evening Mustang Families, Another great week here at PMPS! The curling team continues to do well, winning their first game this week and improving their play. Junior basketball has started for grades four through six as well, as well as intermediate basketball tryouts. Our primary students celebrated their 100th day at school! It’s hard to believe that we are over half way through our school year! It’s a great time to note all of the wonderful things that we have happening in our school some of which include: our grade 6-8 band, the beautiful artwork that is displayed all over our school, the outdoor learning in kindergarten, , the Family Transition Place programming, the student nutrition program (thank you to our wonderful volunteers who make this happen every day!), student leadership, the quality of instruction, the friendly nature of our students, the student work, the GSA: Welcoming Mustangs, our Equity Club that is learning about games around the world, ... the list goes on. Thank you for supporting our staff and the work we do here with your child(ren). TONIGHT, Please check your child (ren)’s communication book/bag and/or backpack for their term one report card and IEP (if applicable) that was sent home today. The board is switching its provider for how I send out mass emails/phone calls/text messages to staff and families. You shouldn’t notice much of a change with this switch, however there is a difference that I want to make sure you’re aware of. In the event that a text message is sent to a group (e.g. all parents/guardians at a school), the message will come from the following shortcode: 277849. I believe I have already sent one text and that was last week when the school was closed. Report Cards & IEPS: As with Student Progress reports in the Fall, the UGDSB is continuing to use the online report card system for the 2024-25 school year. If you previously accessed our Electronic Report Card system this year, no action is required at this time for you to access your child(ren)’s term one report. Please note, we have also chosen to send home paper copies of the report card as well with each child. The online system has had several technical issues the last few days. If you cannot access reports online, please do not worry, you are not the only one and the board is working hard with the provider to correct the issues. Elementary reports should be available for parents to download from the Parent Portal on Wednesday the 12th if the errors are corrected. Sorry for this inconvenience. Please check your child’s backpack for the paper copy. To access reports; Please visit the UGDSB website at https://sites.google.com/ugcloud.ca/parenthelp/report-cards-parent-portal and see https://www.ugdsb.ca/parents/connected/ for further help in accessing and downloading student reports in the portal (if the links do not work, please try cut/copy/paste into your browser) If your email address has changed, or you are new to our school board since the November progress reports, please contact your school office coordinator, Mrs. McKenzie at 519-941-3731 ext 221 or push 0. IEPS (modified and alternative goals only) will be going home on the 12th as well. Please remember to read the IEP, keep it, but to send back the signed consultation page please. Parent/Guardian Webinar: Worry or Anxiety?: The next webinar in the Positive Parenting Webinar Series is coming up. On February 20, 2025, at 7pm, parents/guardians are invited to join the free webinar on Worry vs Anxiety. Discover what's normal and when it's time to seek additional support. Learn how to talk to your child about their emotions, while confidently navigating challenging situations. To register for the webinar, click here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_m4vil6M0S2KM3Oet8blBJg#/registration Important Dates: -FTP program continues for ⅘ to 8: February 19th, 26th, and March 7th (make up for school closure in January) -February 17th: Family Day, No School -February 19th: Dental Screening JK/SK, grade 2, 4,and 7 -February 21st: Winter Play day (1st and 2nd block) Dress to be outside. Upcoming Spirit Days February: -Friday, Feb. 14th: PINK, RED, WHITE Day! Wear pink, red, or white today to show your love of Valentine’s Day Don’t forget about our Mustang Spirit Cup awarded to the class with the highest participation each month. We’ll see everyone on Thursday and Friday for great learning days! A reminder that on Monday, there is no school as it is Family Day. Enjoy the long weekend! We’ll see everyone back on Tuesday. Andrea Papavasiliou, Principal

Please check out ur website and Twitter post for some great programming (being home alone, babysitting, guitar playing) that is offered through our board's continuting education department. Thank you. https://5il.ca/go7

INCLEMENT WEATHER: Due to forecasted inclement weather for Wednesday Feb. 12, all Community Use of School Facilities is cancelled for this afternoon/evening.

We are currently investigating a persistent issue regarding ConnectED accounts, affecting all student and parent accounts. The system is currently unavailable.  We are actively working to resolve these issues.

INCLEMENT WEATHER: Buses are cancelled in Zones 3 and 4 today (North Wellington and Dufferin) - schools remain open. Please note that the Transportation website is having technical difficulties. To confirm - buses are cancelled in Zones 3 and 4, but schools remain open.