Monday, February 10, 2025

Upcoming Events:

• February: Black History Month
• February 10 - 13: RBPS ‘Food From the Heart’ Food Drive
• Tuesday, February 11: RBPS School Council (6:30 PM)
• Wednesday, February 12: Term 1 Report Cards / Kindergarten Communication of Learning sent to parents via email
• Thursday, February 13: Tropical Beachwear Spirit Day (All stu
• Friday, February 14: PD Day (No school for students)
• Monday, February 17: Family Day (No school for students)
• Tuesday, February 18, 6:30 PM: Parent Information presentation on Gr 1 - 6 Human Growth and Sexual Health Curriculum
• February 24 - 28: Luv2Groove Dance Workshops
• Tuesday, February 25: Toonie Tuesday in support of the Education Foundation
• Wednesday, February 26: Pink Shirt Day (Anti-Bullying)
• Thursday, February 27: RBPS will be polling site for Provincial Election (Expect reduced parking availability) 
• March 10 - March 14: March Break (No school for students)

Quick Links:

• Please report your child’s absence or late arrival using School Messenger, or by calling 1-833-202-1417
• SchoolCash Online
• Media Permission Forms

First Term Progress Reports 

On Wednesday, February 12, you will receive an email inviting you to view your child(ren)’s First Term Progress Reports (or Communication of Learning for Kindergarten students). You will be able to contact your child(ren)’s teacher(s) to discuss their progress, and you are also invited to reach out to discuss your child(ren)’s progress at any time throughout the school year. 

These reports will be available through the online portal (hardcopies will not be sent home). As was the case for Progress Reports in November, you will need your child(ren)’s Ontario Education Number (OEN) to access the report cards; it can be found on previous report cards. If you do not have your child’s OEN, please contact the school office by email, robertbatemanps@ocdsb.ca to receive this information.

RBPS ‘Food From the Heart’ Food Drive

This week marks the beginning of our  'Food From the Heart' drive to support the Pavilion Food Bank. We are asking all our  collect non-perishable food items in their classrooms, with daily suggestions for donations (see below). The class that collects the most food will win a movie and popcorn party! Donations can also be made through SchoolCash Online. We hope that many parents and families will take part in this opportunity to make a difference, while teaching our students important lessons about giving back to the community.

RBPS School Council: Tuesday, February 11: 6:30 PM

All parents are invited to attend the RBPS School Council meeting on Tuesday, February 11 at 6:30 pm in the school library. This meeting will use a hybrid (in-person and virtual) format; any parents who would like to attend virtually are invited to join using this GoogleMeet link. An agenda will be shared soon.

Welcome to Kindergarten Information Evening

Thank you to all the families who attended our Kindergarten Information Evening a couple of weeks ago. The presentation is available here. Families who will be starting Kindergarten in September can expect an invitation to our afterschool Welcome to Kindergarten event in June. Any family in our neighborhood with a child who will be turning 4 before January 1, 2026 is invited to register for Kindergarten at RBPS here.

Pizza Days - Term 1 Ends on Feb 13th

Term 2 pizza days will start on February 20th and run for 16 weeks until June 12th. Order online now through SchoolCashOnline. The deadline for ordering is Monday, February 17.  For those families who prefer to pay with cash or cheque, there will be paper copies of the order form at the office front desk. Deadline for ordering in person is Thursday, February 13.

Each slice of pizza is $2.50, so a total of $40 per slice for the full 16 week term. Thank you also for considering the option to donate a slice to a student in need.

Once again, we will be offering a Ramadan option for those students who will be fasting. Students who choose this option will not receive pizza on March 6, 20 & 27, therefore the cost will be $32.50 for a 13 week term.

Hunt Club Park Community Association Winter Festival

The Hunt Club Park Community Association Winter Festival will be held on Saturday, February 22nd, 10:30am-1:00pm in Elizabeth Manley Park, across from our school. This annual event will include sleigh rides, hot chocolate, hot dogs, s’mores and more. The Hunt Club Community Association has been an ongoing supporter of Robert Bateman School in the past through generous donations, so we ask you to consider supporting this upcoming event. Tickets can be purchased on the day of the event.

Parent & Community Volunteers

Thank you to all the parents and community members who volunteer at RBPS. This could include volunteering on Pizza Days, going on a field trip, coming in once a week to read with students, or a number of other activities. We appreciate all of our parent and community volunteers, and are always looking for more. If you have even as little as 45 minutes a week to volunteer, please consider reaching out to our Volunteer Coordinator, Ms Darla Fuller, either by email at darla.fuller@ocdsb.ca, or by telephone at 613-737-3169.

Voluntary $10 RBPS Student Fee

Thank you to families who choose to donate for the voluntary 24/25 RBPS student fee. 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. 

In September, we requested a voluntary donation of $20, but given that we are approaching the halfway mark of the school year, we have changed the requested amount to $10 per student. 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 if you paid the $20 fee earlier in the fall, please disregard this request. 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.

Grade 1 - 6 Health Curriculum: Human Development and Sexual Health Strand

The Ontario Health Curriculum includes a variety of strands, such as healthy eating, staying safe at home and in the community, and the dangers of drugs and alcohol. One of the units of study is “Human Development and Sexual Health”. Topics in this unit include respecting differences in others, the importance of physical hygiene during puberty, and other topics which vary by grade. This year at RBPS, all classes will be teaching their Human Development and Sexual Health units sometime between April 1 - May 2 (specific dates and times for each class will be sent home in the next 2 weeks). Parents will have the opportunity to request that their child be exempted from this unit of study. Before those forms are sent home, I would like to invite all RBPS parents to an information session on Tuesday, February 18 at 6:30 PM in the RBPS library, to share the specific information that will be taught in each grade, and answer any questions from parents. Our goal in hosting this session is to ensure that all parents have accurate information on what will be taught, and what will not be taught, in order to make informed decisions. 

Human Development and Sexual Health is not part of the Kindergarten program, but all Kindergarten parents are very welcome to attend. 

Luv2Groove Dance Workshop

During the week of February 24 - 28, instructors from Luv2Groove will be delivering workshops to all RBPS classes from Kindergarten - Grade 6. Luv2Groove instructors deliver programs that meet the different Grade expectations of the Ontario Dance and Physical Education Curriculum in a fun and engaging way, and are accessible to all students, whatever their past dance experience. We should also note that students will not be dancing with partners. You can learn more about Luv2Groove’s school program here.

Webinar for Parents on EQAO Math Assessments

Join EQAO staff for a free live webinar to learn about the math questions that Ontario students encounter when they participate in Ontario’s large-scale assessments. EQAO assessments are written by all Ontario students in Grades 3, 6 and 9. During the webinar, staff will show how the math questions help assess the skills students are learning in their math classes. Staff will also share valuable insights from the past three years of assessment results, which can help parents and guardians support their children’s math learning.

Registration link is here.

Note: the same webinar will be offered on Tuesday, January 28 from 6:30 – 7:30pm and on Tuesday, February 18 from 6:30 – 7:30pm. Choose your preferred date when you register.

RBPS Activities (In every Banner, we highlight a different activity at RBPS.)

Activity Name: Friday, February 14 PD Day

What is it?:  On Friday, February 14, staff at RBPS will participate in a full-day of learning, with a focus on English and French Literacy, Mathematics, and well-being and safety for students and staff. This day will consist of presentations by Literacy and Mathematics specialists, a careful review of our current Literacy and Numeracy student achievement data, and time in divisional teams to plan and revise specific units and activities based on new learning.