Robert Bateman PS

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Monday, September 26, 2022

Upcoming Events:

• September 25 - 27: Rosh Hashanah (Shanah tovah to those celebrating)
• Thursday, September 29: RBPS Meet the Staff Event
• Friday, September 30: National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
• Tuesday, October 4: RBPS Terry Fox Run (Rain Date: Thursday, Oct. 6)
• Friday, October 7: PA Day (No School for Students)
• Monday, October 10: Thanksgiving Monday(No School for Students)

Meet the Staff

On Thursday, September 29, RBPS families are invited to RBPS for our ‘Meet the Staff’ event. This is our first in-person meet the staff event in two years, and we are excited to welcome all our families back to the school.

The format for the event will be:

• 5:00 - 5:45: Parents and students are invited to visit their child(ren)s classroom, to meet their teachers / EAs / ECEs, and see their learning space;
• 5:30 - 6:45: Families are invited to the back field for a school picnic with staff. There will be pizza by the slice available for purchase, in addition to water and juice. (Please note that there will no longer be a food truck.) In addition, the RBPS School Council will have a dessert table with tasty treats available for purchase (cash only – loonies and toonies preferred). All proceeds from food sales will go to support special events and activities for RBPS students. Parents are also welcome to bring their own food and snacks. Please also bring lawn chairs or a blanket.

The purpose of this event is to connect with your child’s educators, to build the foundation for a positive home-school partnership for the year ahead. Staff will not be able to speak about the progress of individual students at this event. Please also note that students must be accompanied by a parent / guardian to attend this event.

If you will be purchasing pizza, could you please fill out this short survey, so we can be sure to order enough.

Extracurricular Activities

We are pleased to announce that extracurricular activities have returned to Robert Bateman Public School. Junior Cross Country and Grade 1 Lego Club will be starting this week, with additional sports and activities to be added in the weeks ahead. Most of our clubs and extracurricular activities will not require permission forms, because they are held during the instructional day, and do not involve leaving the property. Thanks to the RBPS staff for taking on these extra activities that are so enjoyed by the students.

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (September 30)

As a school community, we engage in learning activities to raise awareness and understanding of the lasting impact of Canada’s residential school system on Indigenous  communities across Canada. This is a vital part of our commitment to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) Calls to Action.

Please note, this is not a statutory holiday in Ontario and schools will be open, with learning activities taking place. However, some Indigenous families may decide to keep their children home on that day to engage in activities with family and community.

Indigenous self identification is a confidential process and should not be a requirement for students to be away from school on this important day. As this is a day of mourning for Indigenous communities, there is no expectation that students who are away from school on this day participate in any school-related activities.

This meaningful day signals a year-long, ongoing commitment to learning that centers the truth of the harmful effects of colonialism, including the residential schools system that caused the loss of Indigenous lives, languages and traditions for generations.

Some of the ways RBPS will recognize this day include:

• Activities and learning opportunities throughout the week in each class to give an age-appropriate understanding of reconciliation;
• Opening and closing exercises featuring a virtual opening address by Algonquin Knowledge Keeper Monique Manatch and a land acknowledgment by OCDSB Director of Education Camille Williams-Taylor
• School wide activities in which every class makes a personal contribution to an ‘Every Child Matters’ display.

We encourage you to review the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action and Spirit Bear’s Guide to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada Calls to Action.

Visit the OCDSB National Truth and Reconciliation Day webpage to learn more about:

• How the OCDSB is marking this day;
• Actions parents and students can take;
• Community and mental health resources for Indigenous students and families.

A Request from RBPS School Council: Pizza & Milk

School Council is excited to be able to share, that after two years of no fundraising activity, Wednesday pizza and daily milk days are coming back!

In order to make this happen for the children we need your help! Volunteers are needed to sort and hand out the daily milk and Wednesday Pizza at the first lunch break.

If you are interested, please email [email protected]ca The more the merrier, as many hands make for light work.

We are thrilled to be able to bring back these little things that our children have missed over the last couple of years!  All proceeds from these two fundraisers are donated back to the school via the School Council.

Terry Fox Run at RBPS: October 4

On Tuesday, October 4, students at RBPS will take part in our annual Terry Fox Run. Students will learn about Terry Fox and his story, and participate in a school-wide run for approximately 45 minutes. Parents are invited to donate online or send in loonies and toonies with their child(ren) for donation.Donations go to the Terry Fox Foundation for cancer research. Please note that these donations are completely voluntary, and we will not be comparing donation amounts between classes.

Staff List

Here is the RBPS staff list for 2022-2023.