Upcoming Events:

• Tuesday, September 16, 6:30 - 7:30 PM: RBPS School Council meeting (AGM)
• Wednesday, September 24: Rowan's Law Day (Concussion Awareness)
• Late September (Date TBA): RBPS Meet the Staff Event (details to follow)
• Monday, September 29: Professional Activity (PA) Day (No School for Students)
• September 22-24: Rosh Hashanah (Shanah tovah, to those celebrating)
• Tuesday, September 30: National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

Thank you to all our students and families for a successful first week back to school! Welcome to the first Bateman Bobcat Banner of 2025/2026. Every two weeks, we will share the Bobcat Banner via email and post a copy to the RBPS website. The Bobcat Banner has news about upcoming events and activities, showcases student work, along with other information we hope will be of interest to the Robert Bateman Community.

Voluntary $20 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. Our request is for a voluntary donation of $20 per student (up to a family maximum of $50). This fee can be sent electronically using Schoolcashonline, or sent as cash / check with your child(ren). We 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.

Arrival Time

Thank you to all the parents / guardians who support their child(ren) to arrive at school between 8:15 and 8:30 AM. This week, there have been very few students arriving after 8:30, and we appreciate all the work that goes into getting your child(ren) up and out the door every morning. This year, our common instruction times mean that most students will be starting either English or Math instruction right at 8:30. When students arrive late, they miss the first part of the lesson, and interrupt instructional time. We appreciate your support in helping your child(ren) to arrive on-time.

Drop-Off / Pick-Up

Thank you for all of your support in helping our first week back to school go so smoothly. We appreciate your patience during drop-off and pick-up.

Please do not allow your child(ren) to arrive at school before 8:15am, as there is no adult supervision until 8:15am.

The turning lane at the front of the school is for school buses and OSTA vans only between 8:15 - 8:30, and from 2:45 - 3:10. Parents are welcome to park in the turning lane if they are picking up or dropping off students in the middle of the school day. The staff parking lot is for staff only at all times.

Your child(ren)' s safety is our top priority; thank you for supporting us with this.

Early Pick-Up and End-Of-Day Dismissal

If your child(ren) has an appointment during the day, please let the office know (either by emailing Robert Bateman PS or by phone) so we can have them in the office ready for pick-up.

Given the busy traffic at the end of the day, we would ask that you avoid picking up your child(ren) between 2:45 and 3:00 PM. During this time, students may be in transit to the various locations to prepare for dismissal, loading onto busses and vans, or transitioning to EDP.

If your child has an appointment right after school, we would request that you either collect them at the regular 3:00 dismissal, or collect them from school earlier at 2:30 PM.

For Kindergarten: parents are asked to wait outside the gate prior to dismissal.

Kindergarten - Grade 6 Media Permission Forms

We would like to tell the community about the many positive things taking place in our school. We also want to strike the right balance between getting our message out and respecting the wishes of parents/guardians who do not want their children photographed or videotaped or their child’s name, work or photo displayed on the District’s or school’s websites. Therefore, please complete this form to let us know your preferences regarding sharing information. Please note that student names will never be posted publicly.

School Council

Please join us for the Annual General Meeting and first School Council meeting of the 2025-26 school year. This meeting will take place on Tuesday September 16 starting at 6:30 pm. Parents and Guardians are invited to attend, vote, and welcome to run for positions on the School Council. We will continue to hold our meetings using a hybrid model, so parents can attend either virtually or in-person. We hope to see you there.

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (Tuesday, September 30)

During September, students and staff at Robert Bateman PS will join people across Canada in observing National Truth and Reconciliation Day.  Leading up to September 30th and beyond, students at RBPS will continue to learn about the legacy of residential schools and their aftermath, in an age-appropriate context. We will make use of age-appropriate resources provided by the OCDSB Indigenous Education team, and our librarian, Ms Green, who continues to build our collection of Indigenous education resources.

Student Accident Insurance

Creating a caring and safe environment for our students is our top priority. Unfortunately, despite all reasonable precautions being taken, accidents can still happen. Some injuries may result in medical, dental or other expenses that are not covered by provincial health care or employer group plans and caregivers become responsible for these expenses.

The OCDSB does not provide student accident insurance. Caregivers are encouraged to consider purchasing accident insurance or student accident insurance for incidents that may not be covered by the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) or any additional medical plans they have.

Student accident insurance is available for purchase on a voluntary basis. Caregivers may apply online or call 1-800-463-5437. The accident insurance coverage options range from $17.00/year to $33.00/year. All plans provide 24/7 coverage and a variety of important accident benefits (benefit limits differ based on plan selected). If you have any questions, please call Jones DesLauriers Ottawa (formerly Binks Insurance Brokers) directly at 613-226-1350.

RBPS Staff: 2025-2026