PMPS Weekly Update October 19th, 2023
Good evening Mustang Families,
It’s been a great week at PMPS again this week. Our volleyball teams are busy practicing, our garden club is cleaning out the gardens for winter, and we have a craft club starting next week for our students.
We want to thank parents/ guardians who are being respectful of our school and board’s expectation that dogs wait off school property on the sidewalk. A few parents continue to break the rules and argue with staff. We are asking everyone to be kind to staff who are simply trying to keep everyone safe. One of the students is very frightened of dogs and will try to hurt them. We have had parents themselves report feeling intimidated by dogs on our property. Please keep everyone’s comfort and safety in mind. It does not matter the size, the breed or whether dogs are in the arms of owners, they are not to be on school property. Thank you for respecting this rule and not arguing with staff. Arguing will not change the expectation that dogs are to be off school property on the sidewalk.
Don’t forget you can also follow our school Twitter feed: @margaret_ps . I update our website regularly as well: www.ugdsb.ca/PrincessMargaret/ . We have so many great things happening at our school and I like to share with our community. Our school council also posts to Instrgram @princessmargaretps.
Upcoming Recognition/ Spirit Days:
October 31st: Black/ Orange or Costumes
Important Dates:
-October 27th, 2023: PD Day. Staff will be working on workplace violence training in the morning and in the afternoon, and will be writing progress reports that go home in November.
-November 2nd: School Council meeting in person, new members are welcome always welcome. We meet at 6pm in the library and try to keep the meeting to one hour.
-December 2nd, 2023: Save the date: Our Holiday Craft Fair is on the first Saturday of December. We are still looking for vendors. If you are interested in being a vendor please contact Mrs. Mckenzie in our office.
IEPs: If your child has an IEP, please remember to return the consultation page to your child’s teacher.
Upcoming PD Day: Just a reminder that Friday, October 27th is a PD day. Staff will be completing health and safety training in the morning and writing progress reports in the afternoon. There is no school for students.
Holiday Craft Fair Kid-Preneur Applications: At this year’s upcoming Holiday Craft Fair, on Saturday, December 2nd, we will once again be hosting a Kid-Preneur Market where our students can have their own table to sell their handmade items! These tables are offered free of charge to our students and will be securely located in one of our classrooms. If your child likes to make crafts and would be interested in selling them, please see Mrs. Mckenzie in the office for an application form with more information.
School Council Terra Cotta Cookie Fundraiser: PMPS Parent Council is excited to present this year’s first fundraiser with Terra Cotta Cookies! Each cookie box comes with 40 pre-made/pre-proportioned cookie dough drops that can go straight from the freezer to the oven, easily making delicious cookies to share with your friends and family! There are 12 cookie flavours to choose from, all of which are peanut and nut-free, including 2 gluten-free choices and a vegan option! Starting today, you can start selling cookies to your family and friends using a fundraising webpage exclusively for our school: https://fundraising.terracottacookies.com/current-fundraisers/princess-margaret-public-school-orangeville-2023/ No paper forms required! Every box of cookies sold raises funds for PMPS! All orders must be placed on our webpage by 4pm on Thursday, November 2nd. The cookie dough boxes will be available for pick-up in the school library from 3pm-5pm on Thursday, November 16th. Thank you for supporting our school!
Cracker Donations: Thank you for your generosity so far! We are still in need of boxes of crackers! We are asking for students to bring in a box of crackers to help our snack program. Boxes can be brought to the front office to be fed to Snacker the Cracker monster. Thank you for all your support towards our snack program where we eat to fuel our minds. Any questions, ask Mrs. Larsen in the library! Thank you to everyone who has donated so far!
Video Surveillance Reminder:The purpose of video surveillance at UGDSB schools is to serve the safety and security needs of the board and is not intended to infringe on anyone’s right to privacy. Please take some time to read the policy. Policy 203
Milk Sales: Student Council continues to sell milk, Monday to Friday 1st break only for $1.00. Milk sale profits support our Student Council.
Weather & Being Dressed Appropriately: It’s that time of the year when it feels like summer on some days and winter on others. Please make sure to be checking the weather in the morning so children are appropriately dressed for the weather. Children go outside in light drizzle and snow. Storing an extra set of pants and socks is a good idea in your child’s backpack, as this avoids a call home for wet pants. If your family needs help purchasing boots and warm winter wear, please contact your child’s teacher or Mrs. Papavasiliou (PapaV). We can help.
CANADA DENTAL BENEFIT: Applications for the second period of the Canada Dental Benefit are open. Eligible families can receive up to $650, to help with expenses for their children under 12 who receive dental care between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2024. canada.ca/dental
ATTENDANCE SUPPORT WEEK 3: This week our tips for supporting your child’s attendance at school focuses on ways to involve the school. See below for some strategies you could try.
- Know that there are supports in your child’s school. Connect with them as soon as an issue starts. Connecting earlier is better than when your child has missed a lot of school.
- If your child wants to leave school, try to have them connect with a caring adult in the school first to see if things can be worked out before your child goes home.
- Reach out to your school Principal and/or Guidance department for help if your child is not coming to school. Let’s talk! There is no judgement!
- A welcoming school approach has proven to be quite effective. Ensure your child is familiar with their school Principal, Vice-Principal and other caring adults in the building.
- Talk to the school team about anything you are hearing might be difficult for your child at school. School staff are always ready to help problem solve.
- Have a mental health plan created with your child and school staff and ensure there is a safe place to go in the school when your child may need some quiet time.
- If going into the classroom is hard – remember coming into the school building and meeting with a caring adult in a safe space is an important step in getting back to school.
For more information, please visit the UGDSB website: https://www.ugdsb.ca/parents/student-attendance-at-school-tips-and-strategies-for-families/
Reminders:
HALLOWEEN: Many schools celebrate Halloween with costume dress up and/or black and orange. Halloween is a day that is not observed by all students or staff. With this, it is considered a choice to participate as are all spirit days. Alternate and supportive accommodations are provided for students if school events take place (e.g. parade). Please reach out to your child(ren)’s teacher to speak more about accommodations.
Costumes: It is our responsibility to ensure that all school community members (e.g., students, staff, parents in our building…) avoid using identities and cultures as costumes. This includes appropriative costumes/cultural stereotypes (i.e. cultural garments), black/brown face, transphobic costumes (i.e. man dressed as a woman), body-shaming and objectifying costumes, and costumes that joke about situations that have caused harm (i.e. COVID pandemic). Such costumes perpetuate stereotypes and can cause harm that can further marginalize and oppress community members. We also ask that violent, scary, and bloody costumes are also not worn, as these costumes scare some students. All props and accessories stay at home as well, so they are not lost. If costumes violate the above criteria, students will be asked to remove their costume and parents/guardians will be notified. Thanks for helping to make our school a safe and inclusive environment for all. Teachers will provide more guidance about the details around Halloween (e.g. when costumes should be worn etc).
Attendance/ Lates: 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.
Delivered Lunches to the School: Please note that Skip The Dishes/ UberEats etc deliveries are discouraged. Often drivers drop food, not indicating who the delivery is for. We often have student office helpers at lunch time, as our hardworking Mrs. Mckenzie needs a break. As you can imagine, having multiple meals delivered without indicating who they are for and without a label can confuse everyone. If you are dropping off a lunch or having it delivered, please make sure your child knows it is coming, what it is, what time (1040am or 1250pm) it is being delivered, and to come and get it after coming in from recess. We do our best, but mistakes can happen. Rest assured, we will never let a child go hungry, as we have our food program here. Thanks for your support and understanding.
Thank you for your continued support. We’ll see everyone tomorrow for a great day of learning. Have a great weekend.
Mrs. Andrea Papavasiliou (PapaV), Principal
Categories: News