August 29, 2025 Principal Message
Admin Corner
Good afternoon, Robina Families,
What a wonderful start to the school year we've had! These first few days have been filled with so much excitement, new beginnings, and joy.
Each year during our staff workdays, I take time to reflect on the summer and the wonderful things that took place the previous year while looking ahead to what's to come. One of the most common comments I hear from people across the division is how lucky we are at Robina Baker to have students from Pre-K to Grade 4. Having this age range creates such a unique environment, and one of the greatest things about it is that we get to see so much joy. Over the summer, I made a point of capturing moments of joy in my own children, who range in age from Grade 1 to Grade 6.
As we begin the 2025-2026 school year, I've encouraged our staff to find those same moments of joy in our building and to help our students cultivate their own. We'll be finding new ways of learning, discovery, and fun to make sure RBES continues to be the best place to be!
Learn more about spreading the joy here.
As we look ahead to another great year, I want to take a moment to acknowledge a few things that we like to remind parents about annually. Thank you for your continued engagement here at Robina Baker!
Mr. Coffin & Mrs. Kirton
Important Reminders
Pickup and Drop-off Plans Each year, we like to remind everyone to have a clear pickup plan in place with their child's teacher. If your child is taking the bus, please make sure the teacher knows, especially if they are only taking it sometimes or if they take a different bus in the morning versus the afternoon. If someone other than a legal guardian is picking up your child, or if there is an unexpected pickup change, please notify both the classroom teacher and the office.
Verification Forms Please watch for these forms to be completed soon. They are important because they provide us with the most up-to-date information, including changes to your address and email, as well as crucial permissions for photos and walking field trips.
Temperatures The heat has been significant this week. We have been doing our best to keep cool with fans, open windows, and for a few lucky classrooms, air conditioning. Thank you for sending your children to school in appropriate clothing and with water bottles.
Thank you to everyone who came out for our Welcome Back BBQ. It was wonderful to have our community together again. You may have noticed that our School Council and Fundraising Society had a table set up. They have already kicked off the year with a fundraiser and also extended an invitation to our first School Council meeting of the year, which is on September 15, 2025. We’ll be sure to share the agenda next week!
Volunteers We love volunteers—they help make our school the greatest place to be! If you are interested in volunteering, please click here and complete the volunteer form on PowerSchool.
Before School Routine and Bell Times
The first bell of the day is at 8:25 a.m. Having your child arrive as close to this time is possible is best as this is about the time when the bus arrives at the school. Please DO NOT send your children to school prior 8:20 a.m. as there is no supervision outside until that time. Before School, students in Grades 1-4 will be permitted to play on the new park, old park, or in the fields. Once the bell rings, students will need to go to their entrances.
If you need childcare prior to 8:20, please get in touch with Happy Kids Childcare to see if they have availability for before-school care.
Entrance 1 - 1B, 2A & 3B
Entrance 2 - 3A & 4A
Entrance 3 - 1A & 4B
Entrance 4 - EIPK, K3 & Happy Kids
Entrance 5 - K1, K2, 2B & 3-4C
You will notice a new sidewalk has been installed on the west side of the school. This is to ensure that a safe surface (particularly in the winter) can be accessed.
New Sidewalk for Safer Access
We’re excited to share that a new sidewalk has been added on the west side of the building, leading to the back tarmac! This improvement means families whose children use the back entrances can now drop off safely at the front of the school and still have a clear path to the back.
When winter arrives (though we’re not rushing it!), the sidewalk will also make it easier for us to clear and salt the way—helping ensure safe access for everyone year-round.
School Supplies
If you have not yet picked up your school supplies, you can find information on our website by clicking below. There are two ways to get your school supplies, online through School Start or using the lists to shop for yourself.
School Supply Info
Mabel’s Labels For Your Supplies
If you purchase Mabel’s Labels to label your school supplies, your child’s supplies will be labeled all year and Robina Baker will get paid!
New This Year: SafeArrival Reporting System
We’re excited to share that Black Gold is introducing the SafeArrival Reporting System for attendance. This new system makes it faster and easier for parents to let us know when their child will be away from school.
With SafeArrival, you can:
- Report absences in advance – let the school know ahead of time if your child will be away.
- Quickly respond to absence notifications – confirm and provide a reason if your child is unexpectedly absent.
Best of all, you can manage attendance for all of your children in one place, making communication simple and convenient.
For more information and how to get started, click here.
Have Bus Questions?
Wondering if your child can take the bus, how much it costs, or how to get a bus pass? Check out the Black Gold Transportation Frequently Asked Questions page! You’ll find answers to these and many more transportation-related questions all in one place.
Library Corner
Library Corner:
- Welcome back to the library!
- First of all, I would like to thank the Parent Council for funding new shelving, tables, and stools for the library! It’s going to be beautiful once it’s all done! Come check it out at the end of September when it will hopefully be all done.
- OR, come check it out at the Scholastic Book Fair in October! More details to follow.
- Book limits for students are as follows:
Grades PK, K and 1 - 1 book
Grades 2 and 3 - 2 books
Grade 4 - 3 books
- Please email me, not your teacher, if you have any questions or concerns about library items. [email protected]
- Amazon Wishlist. We have a wishlist for the library! If you would like to buy one of these books for the library, please don’t forget to have Amazon send us a gift note with your name on it. I like to acknowledge the person who purchased the book. Thanks!
- Happy Reading!
Black Gold Information
Community Information
