Bateman Bobcat Banner
Monday, December 18, 2023
Upcoming Events:
- RBPS Spirit Week (All students / staff / volunteers are invite to participate)
- Monday, December 18: Team Jersey / Sports Day
- Tuesday, December 19 - Wacky Hair / Decorated Headscarf/ Crazy Hat/ Crazy Socks Day (Note: Those who choose to participate can pick one - not all - of these)
- Wednesday, December 20 - Batemanwear / Bateman Colours (Blue and Green) Day
- Thursday, December 21 - Inside Out / Backwards Day
- Friday, December 22 - PJ / Comfy-Cozy Day (Stuffed animals optional)
- Friday, December 22: Last Day of School for 2023
- December 25 - January 5: Winter Break (School Closed)
- Monday, January 8: First Day of School for 2024
- Tuesday, January 16: RBPS School Council Meeting (6:30 PM)
- Friday, January 26: PA Day (No school for students)
- Tuesday, January 30: RBPS Kindergarten Information Night (6:30 PM)
Final Bateman Bobcat Banner of 2023
This marks the final Bateman Bobcat Banner of 2023. It has been a pleasure this fall to welcome the many new families who joined us from the Findlay Creek community, in addition to the many families who have moved into the Hunt Club Park neighbourhood.
For the final week, we will continue with a regular school program covering the Kindergarten - Grade 6 curriculum, as teachers wrap up projects and units of study, and consolidate learning before the upcoming break. There will also be a spirit week and a few fun end-of-year activities, including our traditional school-wide holiday sing-a-long on the last day of school. We have also been taking time to recognize and celebrate the different holidays that take place at this time of year, with announcements and special displays for Hanukkah (which ended on Friday), Christmas, and Kwanzaa. We wish a Merry Christmas and Happy Kwanzaa to families who are celebrating, and to all of our families we hope you have a wonderful holiday season, a very Happy New Year, and we look forward to welcoming all the Bobcats back in 2024!
New Kindergarten Class at RBPS
As a result of our growing student enrollment, we have been allocated an additional Kindergarten class. On Thursday, December 14, a number of students from the Green, Red, and Blue Kindergarten Classes moved into the new Yellow Kindergarten Class. This means that instead of three classes of 30 students each, we now have 4 classes of about 23 students each.
The Homeroom teacher for the Yellow Class will be Ms Taylor Clarke, who currently teaches the English Kindergarten Program in the Blue class. Mme Valerie Pinkham will teach the French Kindergarten Program for the Yellow class, following the alternating-week model currently used in the Green and Red Classes. The Early Child Educators (ECEs) for the Yellow class will be Ms Fatma Elenezi in the AM, and Ms Jenn Eagan in the PM. We welcome both Ms Fatma and Ms Jenn to the RBPS team!
Grade 6 Leadership Launch Day
On Thursday, December 14, the Grade 6 students at RBPS took part in a Leadership Launch Day. As the senior students at Robert Bateman, our Grade 6 students are role models for younger students, and we want to give them the tools to step into this leadership role.
Ms Fuller and the Grade 6 teachers planned a day where all the Grade 6 students worked in small groups to learn about what it means to be a leader, and how we can make a positive impact in our school and our community. In addition, we welcomed a special guest speaker, Stephane Okenge, shared his journey in resilience and maintaining a positive attitude in the face of adversity.
I appreciate the work of the Grade 6 team in planning this day, and look forward to sharing more updates of the special activities our Grade 6 students will be running throughout the year.
Food Drive in Spring
In past years, RBPS has run a Community Food Drive in December in support of the Pavillion Food Bank. After consulting with the Pavillion Food Bank, we have switched to running our RBPS Food Drive in the spring. This will provide the food bank with food during a time when they traditionally start to run short, while still teaching our students important lessons about giving back to the community.
New Findlay Creek Elementary School: Feedback Welcome
There are still a few weeks left for parents to share their feedback on the proposed boundaries for Vimy Ridge Elementary School and the new Findlay Creek Elementary School (opening September, 2024). The current recommendation is that all students living in the Findlay Creek community will attend either Vimy Ridge Public School or the new Findlay Creek Elementary School, starting in September 2024. One of the two options presented would allow students going into Grade 6 in September 2024 to either remain at Robert Bateman School for one more year, or return to their home school in Findlay Creek. The other option would see all students living in Findlay Creek attending either Vimy Ridge ES or Findlay Creek ES in September 2024..
A copy of the report presented at the meeting is available here. Parents are invited to share their feedback on the proposal at [email protected] Board staff will present a final report with recommendations to the Board of Trustees in January, and a final decision will be made at the January 30 Board meeting.
Staff Profiles (In every Banner, we profile a different staff member…)
Staff Name: Valerie Pinkham
Role: French Kindergarten Teacher in Blue / Yellow Classes
Time at Robert Bateman: 4 Months
Background: I was born in Montreal and grew up taking art classes and playing hockey. Now I enjoy spending time outside hiking, walking my dogs and going for coffee. Before coming to Robert Bateman I taught grade 5/6 for 6 years in the Aylmer area of Quebec.
Interesting Fact: I have 3 dogs