When are parent teacher meetings scheduled? While you can ask to see a teacher of member of the administration any time there are “Parent Nights twice a year, one for each semester around the 8th week of the semester. Email is the best form of communication and teacher email addresses are posted on this site - FacultyWhat is the best way to contact teachers/What is the Communication Protocol if I have an issue? The Staff Directory is posted on this website and all teacher emails are available. You can also call the school at 905-632-5151 and leave a message in a teacher's voice mail. You should know that the staff have laptops and check email more frequently than they check phone messages as there are a limited number of phones in the building. Please do not show up at the school without an appointment asking to see a teacher. They are in classes, have assigned supervision duties, and generally need advance notice. If you do have an appointment, please go the main office and tell the secretary and she will call the teacher who will come and meet you and take you to an available room to talk. How many students are there at RBHS? It varies from year to year but in recent years it has been between 800 and 950. If we live in the RBHS area can our children go to another school? While this is really a question for the school board it can be done. Ask about Optional Attendance at the school office. I don't live in the RBHS area, can my son/daughter attend? Students living outside of the RBHS boundaries (Appleby Line to the West, QEW to the North and Burloak to the East) and wishing to attend, must go through the Optional Attendance process. This process is outlined on the HDSB website. How can parents get involved? The science is absolutely clear, the more involved parents are, the more successfully the children are. The main avenue for formal involvement at high schools is through the School Council. In addition, numbers of parents are involved in the activities their children are involved in, whether it be sports, music or club programs. What do I do if my child is facing a problem at school with a teacher or another child? There are incidents at every school and RBHS is no exception. If you are not sure what to do please take the matter up with the principal. It is heart-breaking to hear stories of families that left the RBHS community for issues that staff are trained and experienced to address and do address on a regular basis. Do speak up, we will all be better off for it! What do I need to know about “elective courses”. As your child proceeds through the school they will have more and more choices to make. The only course they will have to take for all four years is English. The biggest turning point is Grade 11 where the main choices are made. Course selections are made in February to give the administration time to plan for courses and teachers for the new year. What do I do if my child is struggling? RBHS has a very good “Student Success” program and there are staff dedicated to this function. This aims to address issues as they arise and to work on solutions to achieve success for each child. Contact the office and ask who to speak with. Help! I'm new to Canada, where do I start? Moving to a new high school can be both exciting and overwhelming at the same time but being new to the area, province or Canada can bring additional issues. However, there are some very useful websites available that will help you navigate through the Ontario Education System. Take a look at http://www.settlement.org/ under the heading of Education, it outlines all you need to know regarding the types of schools available in Ontario, what you need to register at an Ontario school, Special Education and much more. It also provides other useful information relating to arriving in Canada from overseas. For more specific information on the schools in the Halton Region, www.hdsb.ca provides valuable information such as school boundaries, programs and services, school calendars and community services. Details regarding The Ontario High School Diploma, Grade 10 Ontario Literacy Test and Graduation requirements can be found on www.edu.gov.on.ca. In addition the school office at Robert Bateman High School can provide you with information specifically relating to this school. We extend a warm welcome to you and your family to the area and to Robert Bateman High School. Good Luck! Why does school start so early! School start times are a hotly debated issue. There are a large number of factors that are taken into account and getting this "right" is next to impossible. Rest assured, RBHS does everything it can to get this issue and others successfully addressed. If school starts too early, most teens are clearly not at their best for learning. On the other hand, if you start too late, those playing sports are getting home from away games far too late. Add in issues with school busing (buses are shared with other schools and make up to three trips at the start and end of each day) and teacher union contract requirements and this is not an easy issue. What is "Pathways"? Pathways is a provincial program aimed to help secondary school students in their career choices. Find out more here - Pathways. What are "Volunteer Hours"? For many years it has been Provincial policy that a student may not graduate from high school without completing 40 community service hours. Most students have no difficulty meeting this requirement through local organizations. If you need help, contact the school or school council. Find out more here - HDSB - 40 Hours Volunteer Hours Requirement What is "Student Success"? In recent years more and more emphasis has been placed on improving the success rate of students. In many cases, the barriers to success can be reduced or removed through relatively simple solutions if applied in time. Through skilled and experienced staff many students will rapidly "turn things around" and go on to to success. This terrific program puts part of the responsibility on the school community to assist students with challenges to learning. Contact the Student Success staff through the school office. What kinds of supports are available for families that are going through a rough patch? RBHS families are no different from others in having to face challenges of one sort or another from time to time. The good news is that the school and the Board have a very good network of helpers and resources to assist at these times. For academic issues there is Student Success but the school also has access to social workers and public health nurses. Financial resources are available to enable students to participate fully their courses regardless of family financial difficulties. If you find yourself in this situation please contact the school. What is a "Specialist High Skills Major"? Many Halton Schools offer a specialist certification that allows interested students to spend additional time in a partciluar subject area for which they earn academic recognition. At RBHS the school offers SHSM programs in Hospitality, Health and Wellness and Autobody. More information can be found at HDSB SHSM Web page I have heard that sometimes police cars can be seen at the school, should I be concerned? On the contrary, RBHS is a very safe school with and excellent learning environment. The Halton Regional Police Service have an officer assigned to the school and part of her/his job is to stop by the school regularly to get acquainted with the building, students and staff. Our police officer sometimes attends Parent Council nights when topics such as drugs and alcohol are discussed. What is "LINK Crew?" Each year RBHS welcomes new students. Every effort is made to make the transition at the beginning of the year as quick and painless as possible for both students and staff. This is so the real work of education can get under way as soon as possible. The LINK Crew is a dedicated group of community minded senior students who volunteer to help new students settle in. They answer questions, lead tours and generally help the staff get the school organized for the new year. Access to Student Records We often receive requests from non-custodial parents for information with regards to their child. Be advised that, unless we are provided with documentation restricting the non-custodial parent’s right to access the child or school information, we interpret that there are no restrictions and we will provide access as requested. If you have any questions, please contact a school administrator. |
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