May 30, 2025 Principal Message

Good afternoon, Robina Families,

Well, we’ve made it to the end of May! This week, we had a very important event recognizing all our wonderful VOLUNTEERS! In front of the school, we were handing out coffee and appreciation to our wonderful volunteers. Without the support of our community, we would not be able to do so many things within the school. Grandma Readers, Toast Program, School Council, Field Trip Volunteers, Assembly Speakers, or joining us on special walks, just to name a few. We need and value everyone who jumps in to help us out! It takes a village! 

As I mentioned last week, on a personal note, I wanted to let the community know that I will be away from the school beginning June 2nd as I undergo knee surgery. During my absence, Mrs. Kirton will be our Acting Principal. Thank you for stepping up to help at this time Mrs. Kirton - we all appreciate you!  We are also excited to welcome Mrs. Bernadette Hawkins who will act as Assistant Principal. Mrs. Hawkins recently retired as principal at Calmar Elementary School and has been a guest teacher in our building. She also has some great roots at Robina and knows our community and school well. 

I hope to be back before the end of the school year, but time will tell if that will be the case! Wishing you all a wonderful few weeks ahead. Mrs. Kirton will take over the Principal's Corner for the next couple of weeks!

Have a great weekend!

Mr. Coffin

Volunteer Appreciation

Thank you to the volunteers who came for our coffee, juice, and cookies on Thursday.

Our Robina Baker School community thrives because of our incredible volunteers! We're so grateful for every single one of you, from those who jump in for occasional tasks like tying skates or special projects, to the parents who dedicate their time to our fundraising and school councils, and everyone who makes field trips so much fun.

A heartfelt thank you to our beloved Grandma Readers who share stories with us weekly, and a truly special shout-out to Mrs. Ashdown! She's here daily, expertly making our toast "butters it just right" and meticulously organizing our hot lunch.

Parents, grandparents, and all of our volunteers, your passion makes Robina Baker a better place - thank you!

Order on PowerSchool or send in cash.

Next Year's School Supplies

It might feel early to think about next year's school supplies, but School Start is offering early order incentives. Order now and avoid the panic of July's back-to-school rush, so you can just keep enjoying your summer.

School Supply Info

Raptor Spirit Wear Call-Out!

Do you have gently used Raptor tees, hoodies, or other spirit wear kicking around? Maybe your child has moved on to Riverview or even John Maland and you're ready to part with their Robina Baker gear?

We’d love to give those items a second chance!

Please consider donating any gently used Raptor Spirit Wear to the school. In the fall, at our Welcome Back BBQ, the Parent Council will host a Pre-Loved Spirit Wear Sale—with items available for just a loonie or two!

It's a great opportunity for new families or students who haven’t had the chance to grab some gear to show their Raptor pride!

Drop donations off at the school office anytime. Thanks for helping us spread the spirit!

AGM Invitation – June 9th at 6:00 PM

On behalf of the RBES School Council and Fundraising Committee, I warmly invite you to attend our Annual General Meeting on June 9th at 6:00 PM.

It’s been a fantastic year for us, marked by a renewed sense of purpose—especially after the long journey of park fundraising. We’ve welcomed many new faces to the team, and I couldn’t be prouder of all that we’ve accomplished together.

As several parents prepare to transition out of the school community, succession planning will be a key focus for the coming year.

It’s been an absolute thrill to represent our school council as Chair for the past three years. While I’d be happy to serve one final term, it’s time to start thinking about who might take over after that. Ideally, we’d have someone step into the Vice Chair role for the next school year, so we can work closely together and ensure a smooth handover.

If you’re even slightly curious about joining school council, please don’t hesitate to reach out—or better yet, join us on June 9th!

We’re also looking to welcome new faces to our Fundraising Committee. Our current president will be moving on in 2026, and I’ll be stepping down from the Vice Chair role at the end of this term. These roles are straightforward and mostly involve decision-making around how funds are spent and which fundraising opportunities to pursue.

Looking ahead, we’ll be starting work on a new playground for the younger students—a much-needed replacement for the aging play structure by the 1949 building. Thankfully, this new project is expected to be a smoother process than the last one, which faced multiple setbacks.

I’m incredibly proud of the team we’ve built. We’re open-minded, supportive, and we play to each other’s strengths. No one is ever asked to take on something outside their comfort zone. Come as you are—that’s exactly who we need!

We’d love to see some fresh faces at the AGM and set ourselves up for a strong, seamless future.

Serena Grimson

• It has been a pleasure to work with your children this year! They are enthusiastic about books and reading which is so heart-warming! Keep up the good work!
• End of Year - The last library periods for students will be the week of June 2-6. The books will be due the following week so that I can start putting the library in order. There will be no more library classes after June 6. 
• Overdue notices - I will be sending overdue notices out after June 12th so you will know which books to look for.
• Lost Books - Books that have not been returned by the last day of school will be marked as lost and the amount will be put on your Powerschool account. Please be assured that if the book is found after that time, the amount will be taken off, or if you have paid, credited to your account. 
• 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