Bateman Bobcat Banner
Monday, January 15, 2024
Upcoming Events:
- Tuesday, January 16: RBPS School Council Meeting (6:30 PM)
- Friday, January 19: Black Excellence Day
- Friday, January 26: PA Day (No school for students)
- Tuesday, January 30: RBPS Kindergarten Information Night (6:30 PM)
- February: Black History Month
- Monday, February 5: Ottawa Public Health Vaccine Catch-Up Clinic
Welcome Back & Staffing Update
Welcome Back and Happy New Year! We hope that all our RBPS families had a relaxing and enjoyable break. We have a few staffing updates to share.
Penelope Sinclair, who joined us in the fall in a half-time Educational Assistant (EA) position, has secured a full-time EA position in another school. In her place, we are pleased to welcome Ms Leila Sugulle as Term EA for the remainder of the school year. In addition, Mme Nicole Leveque will continue in her role as homeroom teacher to class EF1/2A for the next few months, and Ms Donna Dufour will continue in her role as Primary Special Needs (PSN) homeroom teacher for the next 4 months. Also, today we welcome Mr. Alex Thomas, who will be replacing Mr. Jason Hirst in the Grade 5/6 English class for the next 4 months. We are also pleased to announce that Ms Emma Thom, who had previously been our Designated Occasional Teacher (DOT) will be moving into a term Kindergarten position, teaching all four Kindergarten classes for part of the day, every day.
Voluntary $10 RBPS Student Fee
In the past, Robert Bateman PS. along with other schools in the OCDSB and across the province, have collected voluntary student fees from families. These fees are used to support additional activities to enrich the student programs, such as guest speakers and special presentations, and to subsidize field trips. During COVID, the collection of these fees was suspended. Now that we have returned to hosting special events and guest presentations, we would like to resume the voluntary collection of student fees. Normally, we request a voluntary donation of $20 at the beginning of September, but given that we are approaching the halfway mark of the school year, we would like to instead request $10 per family. This fee can be sent electronically using Schoolcashonline, or sent as cash / check with your child(ren). I would like to emphasize again that this fee is voluntary, and information on which families choose to make this donation will not be shared (i.e. there will be no lists of names in the classrooms). Thank you in advance for considering this request.
Black Excellence Day
January 19th is Black Excellence Day at RBPS and across Ontario. On this day, students will participate in learning activities that affirm and celebrate the identities of people of African descent, particularly Canadians of African descent. Visit the OCDSB Black Excellence site for more information and resources.
Pizza Days and Snow Days
We have been lucky so far this year that there have been no snow days on Thursday pizza days. If buses are cancelled on a Thursday, Pizza Day will be postponed, and you will need to send a lunch with your child(ren). Pizza Day will be rescheduled to Friday that same week.
We have 5 more pizza days in the current Term #1, the last day is February 15th. Watch for information on ordering for Term #2 pizza days in the next Bobcat Banner.
Upcoming Ottawa Public Health Vaccine Catch-Up Clinic
On Monday, February 5, Ottawa Public Health will be running a vaccine catch-up clinic. This clinic will be for school-required vaccines, such as polio, measles, mumps, etc. There may also be a limited supply of Covid 19 and flu vaccines available at this clinic. More information on this clinic will be coming soon.
RBPS Food Drive
The RBPS Food Drive continues this month. Thank you to Ms Dana Campbell’s class and Mr. Jason Hirst’s class for organizing this event. Any nonperishable items (see attached list for suggested items) can be sent with your child(ren) throughout January.
Welcome to Kindergarten Information Evening: Tuesday, January 30 at 6:30 PM
On Tuesday, January 30, we invite all parents / guardians of children who will be starting Kindergarten in September 2024 to an in-person Kindergarten information event at Robert Bateman School. If you have neighbors, friends, or family with young children (turning 4 before January 1, 2025) you are welcome to share this information with them. Please note: If you live in the Findlay Creek neighbourhood, you should attend the Vimy Ridge Kindergarten Information Evening on Thursday, February 8 at 5:30 PM, rather than the RBPS event.
Staff Profiles (In every Banner, we profile a different staff member…)
Staff Name: Emma Thom
Role: Kindergarten Teacher
Time at Robert Bateman: 4 Months
Background: Born and raised in Ottawa, and is oldest of 4 with three younger brothers. Graduate of Ridgemont HS and both of Ottawa’s Universities.
Interesting Fact: I play and coach competitive ringette