It's Skating Time!!

All students will be going skating at various times this winter as part of their physical education classes.  Our first week of skating kicks off on December 15^th and runs through until the 19th - the schedule is available on our website at www.rbes.ca/calendar.   We will also be sending home a schedule for you.  Future schedules will be sent out prior to the week of skating. 

The required permission form is now available to all parents and can be completed online and submitted  by Friday, December 12^th. 

To complete the permission form go to:  https://powerschool.blackgold.ca/public/

For help with completing the permission form, go to: http://www.rbes.ca/permission-forms.html 

We need volunteer help!  

Every class requires 3 volunteers to help supervise and tie skates.  All volunteers are also welcome to skate with the class.  If you can help, please contact your child’s teacher.  

In this activity, as with any other physical activity, there is an element of risk.  Safety Guidelines for Physical Activity in Alberta Schools outlines that in order to provide the safest possible conditions in which to skate, it is important to know:

1.  CSA approved hockey helmets provide the best possible protection and no children will be allowed on the ice surface without a helmet.

2.   Parents should have skates checked for proper fit before children go skating.

3.   Children should have mitts or gloves, coats and waterproof pants or ski pants.

4.  Skates need to be transported in a cloth bag for the protection of the child as well as his/her classmates.

5. There may be some skates available in our “extra” skate box.

Thank you for your assistance and cooperation.

Congratulations X-Country Runners!

A huge congratulations goes out to the RBES cross country running team who celebrated their successful season at today's student assembly.  All the runners who participated in any or all of the following events: the John Bole Classic, the Devon Turkey Chase, and the Autumn Cross Country Classic received their certificates today in recognition of their great effort and super work in representing Robina Baker Elementary both on and off the track.

Additionally today we recognized all 93 students who came out for cross country running throughout year - these 93 students were all the runners who came out any participated in some fashion throughout the season, whether it was attending the meets, or simply coming out and running with the team during our weekly practices.  Our motto of the more movers the merrier definitely held true!

It was a great season!  Up next for intramural sports will be the introduction of the noon hour indoor soccer league in January, and eventually the much anticipated floor hockey season kicking off in mid-late February!  Should definitely be some fun and active months for the kids!

Quick call Tom Cruise...oh wait we have this covered!

Tom Cruise has nothing on the students at RBES!  The excitement level of the kids reached new heights this week as all the students in pre-kindergarten through to our super experienced grade fours took their turns trying to conquer the... Mission Impossible course!

A total of twenty-two different challenges ranging from the "Messy Bedroom Floor" and "Tunnel Crawl" through "Bomb Alley" and "Highs and Lows" (* all obstacles were creatively named by our kindergarten students) really served to get all the students moving their bodies up, down, through, and around!  Not mention getting their minds into mix as well as they worked on recognizing patterns and developing spatial and body awareness - most needed skills when attempting to tip toe your way through bean bags, chickens, pigs, pucks and nearly a 100 other obstacles!

It has definitely been a fabulous week in the gym...be sure to talk to your son or daughter about their Mission Impossible adventures!

Dribbling, shooting, and lay ups...oh my!

The students of Robina Baker have been busy perfecting their basketball skills these last few weeks.  From learning to dribble and pass the ball, to aiming their shots and practicing their lay ups the students have stayed active and worked to gain a better understanding of the fundamental skills and game rules needed to play an actual game of basketball.

From their initial efforts where the odd body check and travelling was an almost constant to the final "inter-squad" games with real passing, shooting and players playing defense the change in their level of playing ability was absolutely fantastic!

Our SpOoKTacuLaR Halloween...

Staff and students were able to burn some of their "early" sugar-induced energy on Thursday and Friday as they were treated to a series of SpOoKTacUlaR Halloween activities.  From the targeted challenges of "Alien Attack", "Ring the Witch" and "Brain Toss" through movement activities including "The Haunted Tunnel", "Floating Ghosts", and "S-K-U-L-L" everyone had a Halloween-themed blast, and most importantly stayed active while having fun!

The Fun and Relaxation of Yoga...continued!

Well Teacher Dawn returned today for our second session of yoga with all the students of Robina Baker Elementary.  It was great to see the kids so highly engaged and participating in the variety of activities, we have quite the crew of aspiring yogis.  In participating in the classes it is clear that the relaxation exercises were/are one of the best parts of the period - it's almost magical watching students' restless energy fade away as they work through the concluding relaxation exercises!

Feeling Zen Like...

Robina Baker Elementary is excited to once again be able to offer our students opportunities to experience physical movement activities that are not typically offered in elementary schools.  This year the students will again have the opportunity to have "Teacher Dawn" visit monthly to instruct some fun filled yoga sessions that will focus not only on age appropriate movement techniques; but also serve to highlight the benefits of yoga in busy lives as a means of "mentally resetting" and "calming one's mind".  Skills that are students could definitely benefit from!

Our first yoga sessions were great and the students all had a terrific time!  Fully expect our future sessions to be equally as fun...and relaxing!

Autumn Classic X-Country Information

So the final RBES cross-country running event of the season, the 51^st Annual Autumn  X-Country Classic has arrived.  This event is being held this Saturday, October 18^th at Hawrelak Park in Edmonton.  Driving directions were sent home earlier this week with participating runners for those who may not exactly know where the park is located.  Come Saturday morning we need all racers to meet at our designated area, as shown on the park map that was sent, no later than 11:25AM.  

We will have the team tent set up and school banner displayed however I fully expect the park to be crowded with other teams and spectators so please judge your time for parking and “searching” accordingly.  Racer's families please take note of parking and park/ride option information that was included in the race information package.

Lastly as the X-Country season draws to a close a huge thank you to all the parents who have managed to come out to support any or all of our team’s five races this season; or volunteered at any of our weekly practices.  Having “fans in the stands” always gives our runners an extra boost of energy – and having extra hands around to help with organizing or “racer herding”, if needed, is always a nice perk too!  So thank you again!

See you all on Saturday!

Coach Henderson

The Devon Turkey Chase

Hello X-Country runners!

So the Thanksgiving weekend has arrived and with it the annual Merriott Youth Foundation's Turkey Chase on Monday, October 13th.  Once again Robina Baker Elementary will be sending its cross-country running team to the event and helping support the Stollery Childrens Hospital and Merriott Youth Athletic Foundation.

To all those runners (and of course spectators) who are attending the event this weekend here is a schedule of the various fun activities which everyone is able to participate in.  

9:30 Pumpkin Carving Contest (the kids will start to carve their pumpkins)

10:00 Kids races 1 km / 2 km (grade 1/ 2 will run 1km; grades 3/ 4 will run 2km)

10:30 Mountain Climber

11:30 Pie Eating Contest 

11:45 Pumpkin Carving Contest Judging 

All runners please arrive and meet at the Lions Park Gazebo to get your race pinnies no later than 9:45...please!   Remember to wear your “best” running shoes and dress for the weather as it might still be chilly when you arrive.

Thank you and see you all this weekend!

Coach Henderson

Chase that Turkey!

Reminder to all Cross Country runners that TODAY, Monday, October 6th, is the deadline to register for the Devon Turkey Chase.

PLEASE HAVE YOUR  REGISTRATION/FEE PAYMENTS INTO THE ACORN SYSTEM BEFORE 3:00PM TODAY.

PLEASE NOTE: Late entries will be accepted after Monday, October 6th up until Thursday, October 9th but the entry fee for each participate will increase to $35 versus $25.

Agility training hits Robina!

Over the past few weeks the students of Robina Baker have been participating in a variety of activities aimed at improving their fitness in three distinct areas: cardiovascular health, strength, and agility.  Be it running, jumping, hopping, crawling, weaving or leaping through the air - our students proved themselves to be an energetic crew who are more than willing to "break a sweat" when they are having fun!

Our PE focus on these elements of fitness will continue throughout the year with the hope of creating an environment of growth and appreciation for physical movement in every student.

Another fantastic day of Cross Country running by our Robina Baker X-Country team as they competed in today's Leduc District Cross Country meet at Lede Park in Leduc. Our 64 racers gave it their best and kept their little legs "chugging" along even when they thought they might fall off!

Super job runners and a huge thank you to the parents who were also able to come out and support our school team. Be it helping with safety pins or cheering from the sidelines your help was most definitely appreciated.

In terms of the Cross Country team's next running meet, The Bole Classic is next and is being held in the morning on Saturday, October 4th at Leduc Estates School (95 Alton Drive, Leduc). Participating racers are asked to be at the school by 10:15AM that morning so that they can take part in the course walk-through. THE ENTRY DEADLINE FOR THE BOLE CLASSIC MEET IS MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 29TH - if your son or daughter is attending please submit your $5.00 payment online via the Acorn System no later than the deadline.

Leduc District X-Country Meet Update

Quick reminder to those students taking part in the Leduc District Cross Country meet on Thursday, September 25 (tomorrow) at Lede Park in Leduc - remember to: 1) bring your "best" running shoes (those are the ones that tie up and don't fall off - no crocs, sandals, or galoshes please); 2) bring a water bottle - running hard will make you thirsty; and 3) bring along an extra snack to give you some extra fuel in the tank!


To all those parents who are able to attend, parking for the event will be on the west side of the Leduc Recreation Centre.  To get to the races simply walk towards the ball diamonds, our team will be set up along the east fence near the end with our "Robina Baker Elementary" banner!  Come on out and cheer on our 67 racers!!

Some pictures of the fun from the Peace Hills XC Meet...

A Great Day of Running in Peace Hills!

Wow what a great day!  The weather was fantastic, the runners were full of energy, and the coach found the course this year (long story).  I'll begin by saying thank you to all the parents who came out and support their children, having some extra eyes and helpers definitely made a single coach's job that much easier!

As mentioned earlier we had a great turn out for the meet with 32 runners representing Robina Baker Elementary at the meet which featured schools from around the province including Leduc, Edmonton, Red Deer, Ponoka, Stettler, Gwynne, Wetaskiwin, Vermillion, Hardisty, Racette, Holden and Hay Lakes.  To say that there were a lot of teams represented would be an accurate statement.

In terms of performance every runner left with an ear to ear smile, even those that had cases of butterflies while waiting on the start line.  Results for all runners were collected and these will be posted in the school gym and available to all runners at Monday's practice. 

Some performance highlights include:

• our youngest racer, Mylee who is in kindergarten but racing against the grade ones, finishing third in her race

• Toby finishing in fourth in the grade 2/3 boys race
• Kayln finishing in the top 10 in the 2/3 girls race with an 8th place finish
• Ms. Emily, on loan from RMS, finishing 5th in the grade 4/5 race
• The RBES 2/3 Boys team finishing 4th overall in the elementary boys category
• The RBES 2/3 girls team finishing in 2nd place overall in the elementary girls category

      and finally,

• the ENTIRE RBES CROSS COUNTRY TEAM FINISHING FIRST OVERALL amongst all the elementary schools participating in the meet!

Words cannot express how proud their coach is of all the runners...they all definitely gave their best efforts and represented the school in the best possible way!  Cannot wait for the fun of the next meets!

Coach Henderson

Peace Hills Here we come...

Thank you parents and students for sticking through the initial bumps of the registration process; in the end it all came together nicely and to everyone’s credit Robina Baker Elementary will be sending 32 eager athletes from kindergarten through grade four to compete at this weekend’s Peace Hills meet!

In an effort to help parents with planning their day the morning’s schedule of events will breakdown as follows:

8:30AM – 8:45AM – Meet at Peace Hills Park.  Look for the large “Devon Track” banner and Robina Baker sign which will mark our home base.

9:00AM – Elementary course walk through to familiarize all the students with the course they will be running come race time.

9:35AM – Grade one Boys – 1km race

9:42AM – Grade one Girls – 1km race

9:49AM – Grade 2 and 3 Boys – 1km race

10:08AM  - Grade 2 and 3 Girls – 1km race

10:18AM – Grade 4 and 5 Boys – 2km race

10:20AM – Grade 4 and 5 Girls – 2km race

Everyone should be well on their way home by 11:00AM at the latest.

X-Country News

Yes we are set for Peace Hills!  As of today 32 eager Robina Baker athletes will be competing this weekend at the Peace Hills Cross Country meet.  To those students who are attending an information letter is being sent home at tomorrow's practice on September 17th regarding the schedule of events for this weekend's meet.

Also parents please be advised that all fee information is now posted online for all upcoming meets including the Leduc District XC meet, the John Bole Classic, Devon Turkey Chase and Autumn XC Classic and are payable within the "optional cart" within the Acorn system.

The Leduc District Cross Country Meet at Lede Park in Leduc is our next meet and takes place during the morning of Thursday, September 25th.  Students will be leaving RBES at 8:40AM and returning to the school around noon.

** PLEASE NOTE online payment for the Leduc X-Country Meet is due this week, Thursday, September 18th.

PEACE HILLS CROSS-COUNTRY UPDATE

So where to start...I'll apologize once more for the registration confusion that was creating chaos!  With regards to the online collection of fees and forms there was indeed a break down in the communication between the school and our central office who is ultimately responsible for getting the needed info uploaded and ready for parents.  With that said we think we have smoothed out some of the wrinkles and should be ready to move forward once again (* parents watch your emails for a message from Mrs. Kloschinsky further explaining the changing field trip policies).

First.
With the Peace Hills meet this Saturday, September 20th there is no longer an online permission form needed as parents are responsible for their own child's transportation to and from the event, as well as general supervision of their child while at the event. 

The competitor entry fee of $8.50 should now be posted online and is accessible in the Acorn options cart for all students interested in attending.

Next.
Given that the entry deadline to submit the $8.50 fee was originally listed as tomorrow (Tuesday, September 16th), Mrs. Kloschinsky has decided to allow parents extra time to pay the entry fee and has extended the payment deadline to Friday, September 19th.  Registration is still due tomorrow but you may pay online anytime between now and Friday.

Lastly.
THE TEAM ROSTER FOR THE PEACE HILLS MEET IS DUE TO BE SUBMITTED TOMORROW (TUESDAY, 16TH) AND WILL BE SO IF YOUR SON OR DAUGHTER IS INTERESTED IN ATTENDING THE PEACE HILLS MEET PARENTS NEED TO:
 EMAIL THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION BY 3:00PM TUESDAY TO trevor.henderson@blackgold.ca:

• YOUR CHILD'S NAME,
• THEIR BIRTHDATE (DD/MM/YYYY)
• CHILD'S TEACHER'S NAME, AND
• INDICATE WHETHER YOU HAVE PAID THE ENTRY FEE OR NOT AS OF TUES.

Students can register even if the fee hasn't yet been submitted, we just need to know who is planning on attending this meet so that we can submit their information to the organizers on time.

Thank you...further information regarding the next X/C meets will be sent out once Peace Hills has been finished.

Peace Hills Cross Country Meet

The information regarding the Peace Hills Cross Country Meet was sent home today with those students who expressed an interest in coming out to participate with the RBES Cross Country Club - look for the orange note in your child's backpack.  Please note with this particular race the deadline to have permission forms and entry fees submitted is Monday, September 15th - sorry for the quick turn-around but unfortunately there is only a short period of time before the actual race entry deadline.

If you child is planning on attending this race the student permission form can be found online using Black Gold School's Power School portal; likewise the entry fee of $8.50/competitor is also payable online using the Acorn system.

And Off We Run...

Our cross country season is getting set to kick into full swing and our school runners will be practicing Monday, Wednesday and Friday at noon.  Our practices will consist not only of some running practice but also movement literacy and of course games all aimed at increasing/improving movement and cardiovascular endurance.  This year's runners will have the opportunity to participate in a number of races this cross country season.  As the majority of our meets are held outside of school hours, parents will be responsible for transportation to the meets in Wetaskiwin, Leduc, Edmonton, and Devon - with the exception of the LDAA District Meet in Leduc which will have transportation provided.

A. Peace Hills Cross-Country Meet – Wetaskiwin, AB

Our first meet is in Wetaskiwin on Saturday, September 20th at the Peace Hills Park. Please arrive for the race no later than 8:45AM as the course walk through for all runners is at 9:00am.  Our runners' races will be scheduled as follows:

Grade 1 boys at 9:35  1Km

Grade 1 girls  at 9:42  1Km

Grade 2&3 boys at 9:49  1Km

Grade 2&3 girls at 10:08  1Km

Grade 4&5 boys at 10:18  2Km

Grade 4&5 girls at 10:20  2Km 

Entry: $8.50 if paid before or by Sept. 15. 
(The racer entry fee increases to $12.00 if paid late -Sept. 16th through 19th.)     

Transportation: PARENTS (NO-BUS) - Parents will be responsible for getting their child to and from the race.

Place: Peace Hills Park, Wetaskiwin (Map and directions to follow)

B. LDAA Black Gold District Meet – Leduc, AB

Our second meet is the LDAA Black Gold District Meet on Thursday, September 25^th in Leduc at Lede Park.  This race takes place during school time with the runner walk-through taking place about 9:30 with races starting about 10:00.  On race day students will board the bus at 8:45a.m., drive to Leduc, do the walk through, run their race, board the bus for home about 11:30 a.m., and come back to Devon for their lunch and afternoon classes.  Scheduled races will take place as follows:

Race 1:   Girls born 2006 and younger (Grades 1’s, 2’s and most 3’s)

Race 2:   Boys born 2006 and younger (Grades 1’s, 2’s and most 3’s)

Race 3:   Girls born 2005 (Grade 4’s and some grade 3’s)

Race 4:   Boys born 2005 (Grade 4”s and some grade 3’s)

Entry: $3.00                 

Transportation :  Bus Transportation Provided

Place :  Lede Park, located behind the Leduc Recreation Centre on Black Gold Drive . (Map and directions to follow)

C. John Bole Classic – Leduc, AB.

Our third meet is on Saturday, October 4^th(date and time tentative pending confirmation from organizer) and is the John Bole Classic Cross Country Meet being held at Leduc Estates School. The course walk through is at 10:30am with the meet starting at 11:00am for the girls and about 11:10am for the boys of approximately 1000 metres.  Racers should be at the school no later than 10:45am so that they are ready to go on time.   With this event there is only one race for the girls and one race for the boys, with all grade 1, 2, 3 and 4 students participating in the same race.  Track shirts and stickers will be handed out at the meet in Leduc. Remember to take running shoes home on Friday!

Entry:  $5.00      

Transportation:  PARENTS (NO-BUS) - Parents will be responsible for getting their child to and from the race.

Place: Leduc Estates School, 95 Alton Drive, Leduc (Map/directions to follow)

D. The Devon Turkey Chase.

   - supporting the Stollery Childrens Hospital – Devon, AB

Our fourth meet is here in Devon! It is the Devon Turkey Chase being held on Thanksgiving Monday, October 13^th at 10:45am.  The race distance is 1000 metres (1K), the same distance as most of the races we have been running. Some of our older runners may want to enter the 2000 metres (2K) race instead.  Any students who raise $100.00 for the Stollery Hospital receive a signature hoodie (See attached donation letter).

Entry: $25.00 (as this is a fundraiser for the Stollery Children’s Hospital).  Race organizers have also set up an option whereby parents who volunteer to help with the event can have the entry waived.

Transportation: PARENTS (NO-BUS) - Parents will be responsible for getting their child to and from the race.

Place:  Devon Lions Park Gazebo, Devon

Please check online at www.devonturkeychase.com for more race details and prize information.   
E. Autumn Cross-Country Classic – Edmonton.
Our fifth and final race of the season will be the Autumn X/C Classic being held in Edmonton at Hawrelak Park on Saturday, October 18^th at 12:00pm.  Students participating are asked to meet at the designated meeting spot at Hawrelak Park no later than 11:30am (meeting details to follow). 

The grade one and two students will be racing 1200m, while the grade 3 and 4 students will be completing the 2000m course. 

Entry: $7.00

Transportation: PARENTS (NO-BUS) - Parents will be responsible for getting their child to and from the race.

Place: Hawrelak Park, Edmonton (map and directions to follow)

With all races there will be more detailed information sent home with those runners who are attending each event.  Please note all races are optional and runners may pick and choose those events which they want or are able to participate in - they may do them all or only a few, it's their choice.

Yours in sport,

Trevor Henderson

Robina Baker Elementary