PMPS Weekly Update January 11th, 2024
Good evening Mustang Families,
Happy New Year! We hope you and your family had a great holiday season. We’re glad to have our students and staff back, they have settled back in nicely. We have a number of great things going on here at PMPS. Some examples include our curling team starting practicing and competing next week as well as our badminton team, our grade 8s will have an ODSS visit for grade 9 course selection, our school choir continues to practice and sounds great, and Family Transition Place has started their series of presentations and workshops with our juniors and intermediates.
An important reminder that all children born in 2020 can now register for junior kindergarten from January 9th-26th. Please see our school website for more information and to register online. Please tell your neighbours as well.
Our Twitter account is full of updates, please check it out: @margaret_ps . I update our website regularly as well: www.ugdsb.ca/PrincessMargaret/ . Our school council also posts to Instrgram @princessmargaretps. Please take a moment to have a look.
Upcoming Spirit Days:
Friday, January 12th: Lohri: Bold Colours Day
Friday, January 19th: School Colours day
Thursday, January 25th: Favourite Character Day/ School Colours
Important Upcoming Dates:
January 15th: ODSS visit to PMPS, Grade 9 course selection
January 17th: Grade 8 Grad Photo Day
January 23rd: Grade ⅘ Fire Safety Presentation
January 24th: Grade 6 Fire Safety Presentation
January 26th: PD Day: No School for Students. Teachers are working on assessment and evaluation for upcoming term one report cards
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. Please note if a pizza day falls on a no bus day, pizza day will go ahead.
ILLNESS PREVENTION MEASURES: As we New Year it is a good time for reminders about some of the supports in place to keep students and staff healthy throughout the cold and flu season:
Key Protective Measures
- Continue to follow key strategies such as frequent hand washing, respiratory etiquette and making the most of our outdoor spaces for learning continue to contribute to the health and well-being of students and staff.
- Classes in the UGDSB will continue to have a standalone HEPA filter unit with more than 2500 of these units deployed across the system.
- Hand Sanitizer – Hand sanitizer is available for students, staff and visitors.
- In addition to these measures, the UGDSB will continue to support students, staff and visitors to our schools and respect their individual choices about masking.
The UGDSB will continue to follow the direction of WDGPH for appropriate responses to illnesses in our community. Please visit their website for the most current information about respiratory illnesses including COVID-19 on their updated site:
In addition, families can go to the UGDSB’s website for illness prevention strategies: https://www.ugdsb.ca/blog/management-of-illness-in-schools-key-protective-measures/ and to follow our Daily School Absence Reporting Dashboard to see trends in schools across our district: https://www.ugdsb.ca/board/daily-school-absence-reporting/ Thanks for all your efforts to reduce illness in our communities and keep students and staff healthy!
Public Health Information Session: Youth Vaping: Concerned about the impact of vaping on youth? Join Associate Medical Officer of Health Dr. Matthew Tenenbaum for a free online session. Get more details and register here: https://bit.ly/48qSkOb.
Emergency Food Programs: The Dufferin & Area Food Access Guide lists many local emergency and community food programs serving Dufferin residents.The Dufferin & Area Food Access Guide lists many local emergency and community food programs serving Dufferin residents. Download it here: https://hillsofheadwaterscollaborative.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Dufferin-Food-Access-Guide-2024-11-x-8.5-in.pdf
News from Immigrant Services About Summer Camps: Happy New Year!This is Binaya Nyaupane from Immigrant Services Guelph Wellington. I am a Settlement Worker in School (SWIS) assigned to your school for 2023-2024 school year. I am hoping to pass along some information that may be helpful to some newcomer families; SWIS is hosting a virtual information session on “Summer Camps and Activities” for Dufferin and Wellington County families on the following date: January 25, 2024 Time 4:30 pm to 5:30 pm
The flyer is attached herewith. Registration link: https://is-gw.ca/event/summer-camps-and-activities-wellington-and-dufferin-counties/
January Communications Newsletter for Families: The January Communications Newsletter is out! This is the monthly public-facing newsletter from the communications department. In this month’s issue we have information about:
- Kindergarten registration for the 2024-25 school year
- Course selection for students starting high school next year
- Policy feedback opportunities
- And more!
Download the newsletter here: https://www.ugdsb.ca/community/communications/communications-newsletter/
Reminders:
Period Equity Products: A reminder that period products are available here for any students who need them. Our machine can be found upstairs in our use for all bathroom (single stall) or students can ask any staff member.
Front Doors Locked: Our front doors will be locked each afternoon at 330pm. This will help support the security of the YMCA and the Before and After Care program and the many valuable resources we have in our school. Thank you for your understanding
Parking Lot: A final reminder about the following: please no pets on school property, our parking lot is closed from 815am- 310pm everyday and that means the parking lot is for staff parking only, no parking in special needs parking without a permit, no parking in the bus loop, and please be kind to staff who are helping to enforce these rules. Failure to comply, may result in a caution to trespass letter and then a trespass order. Thank you for your cooperation.
Emergency Lunch and Recess Supervisors Needed: If you love working with wonderful children, who are enthusiastic, fun and engaging, Princess Margaret wants you as a Lunchroom/Yard Supervisor. We have an urgent need for supplies while our regular staff are away. We require individuals who are caring, energetic, and have the ability to ensure the safety and security of our students. The position requires a commitment of approximately 80 minutes per day (two 40 minute nutrition breaks: 20 minutes eating and 20 minutes outdoor recess time). This is a paid position, minimum wage per hour. Your responsibilities include: monitoring lunchrooms and outside recess. Our two nutrition breaks/ yard times are from 10:20- 11am and again from 12:30-1:10pm. Lunchroom supervisors are required to have a vulnerable sector criminal record background check. If you want to be part of a great school community with awesome students, please call me, Andrea Papavasiliou (Principal) at 519-941-3731 ext 223. Similarly, if you know someone who would be fantastic in this role, please pass this information along to them. Thank you.
Take care. See you tomorrow for another day of learning.
Andrea Papavasiliou, Principal
Categories: News