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Tuesday, December 5, 2023
Upcoming Events:
- Tuesday, December 12: RBPS School Council Meeting
- December 18 - 22: RBPS Spirit Week (Details coming soon)
- 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
Progress Reports / Parent - Educator Interviews
Thank you to all the parents who attended our Parent - Educator Interviews on November 23 and 24. If you were not able to attend and have questions or concerns about your child(ren)’s progress, please reach out to your child(ren)’s teachers by telephone or email. Also, if you have not been able to access your child(ren)’s Progress Report, please reply to this email, or call the school so we can assist.
RBPS Scholastic Book Fair
Thank you all for your support of the Scholastic Book Fair. Thanks to your purchases, over $5,888 of books and accessories were purchased, which means that the school library will have an additional $2,700 to add to our book collection. Thanks to Ms. Green for your work in organizing this event!
Information on New Findlay Creek Elementary School
The public information meeting for the new Findlay Creek Elementary School was held on Wednesday, November 27 at Vimy Ridge Elementary School. At this meeting, Board staff presented the proposed boundaries for Vimy Ridge Elementary School and the new Findlay Creek Elementary School (opening September, 2024). The 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. One of the two options presented would allow students going into Grade 6 to either remain at Robert Bateman School for one more year, or return to their home school in Findlay Creek.
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.
RBPS School Council: Tuesday, December 12
All parents are invited to attend the RBPS School Council meeting on Tuesday December 12, 2023 at 6:30 pm in the school library. This meeting will use a hybrid (in-person and virtual) format; any parent who would like to attend virtually is invited to send an email to [email protected] in order to receive the meeting link. An agenda will be shared with parents in the next week.
Drop-Off and Pick-up On Inclement Weather Days
Yesterday was our first inclement weather day of the 23/24 school year. On days when weather may result in unsafe driving conditions, the Ottawa Student Transportation Authority (OSTA) will post bus and van cancellations to their website by 7:00 AM. On days when bus and van transportation is canceled, school remains open, and parents are invited to drive the child(ren) to school, and pick them up at the end of the day. If transportation is canceled, parents are welcome to use the turning circle to drop off / pick up their children; please ensure that you drive very slowly when entering / leaving the turning circle.
Also, for parents who are driving their child(ren) to school, please note that supervision does not begin until 8:15, and ends at 3:15, so please do not drop off your child(ren) before - or pick them up after - these times.
Arrival in AM
This is a gentle reminder to our parents to please ensure that your children arrive prior to 8:30 AM. Late arrivals make the morning more complicated for our amazing front office staff of Ms Stephanie and Ms Sandra, and can disturb the lessons that have started in class, in addition to students missing instruction. Your cooperation in this is much appreciated.
Multi-Faith Prayer Space at RBPS
At Robert Bateman PS we are proud to offer a learning community that is welcoming to all of our students. One of the ways we build an inclusive community is through our multi-faith prayer room for Grade 5 and 6 students.
The practice of having a multi-faith prayer space at RBPS started last year as a student-led initiative. After consulting with a number of parents of different faith backgrounds, it was decided that Grade 5/6 was the right age level to allow students to participate. Any Grade 5 or 6 student who would like to attend is welcome to do so.
At this time, interested Grade 5 and 6 students in Mme Boudreau’s and Ms Flanderss classes have worked to draft a set of rules and expectations for the ‘North Hall’ prayer space, which opened this week. The ‘South Hall’ prayer space will open in the next week. (Having two prayer spaces was more practical given our growing student population.)
On a personal note, I am impressed by the responsibility our Grade 5 and 6 students demonstrated in taking ownership of this initiative, and working to make a plan and write the expectations. Please reach out to me directly if you have any questions.
Staff Profiles (In every Banner, we profile a different staff member…)
Staff Name: Suad Hassan
Role: Educational Assistant
Time at Robert Bateman: 3 weeks
Background: Born and raised in Ottawa and I am the oldest of three (my sister and I are 10 years apart!!). Grew up playing gymnastics and swimming and I am a big soccer fan. I have been working with children for a decade now.
Interesting Fact: I used to be a student at RBPS, I graduated 15 years ago!!