Check-in and Update

Dear James Robinson Community,
We hope this message finds you and your families safe and well. Here are a few updates to share with the community:

1.      Have questions? Mrs. Patrick and Mrs. Franklin will be holding virtual office hours twice each week. We will join a virtual meeting room Tuesdays 9-10 am and Thursdays 3-4 pm. If you have questions for us, or need to connect, instructions for how to login are in italics at the end of this message. We look forward to the opportunity to say hello and hear from you. If you want to connect and cannot participate during these hours, please get in touch at james.robinson.ps@yrdsb.ca and we will make alternate arrangements.

2.      If you are talking to your child about racism in the coming days or weeks as we continue watch the anti-black racism protests unfold in the media, here are two links to support initiating a conversation with your child.

a.      https://www.nationalgeographic.com/family/in-the-news/talking-about-race/

b.      https://www.todaysparent.com/family/parenting/how-to-talk-to-kids-about-racism/

3.      Staff are currently working on report cards which are based on the time period of Feb. 3rd – March 13th .  This means that only subjects that were taught during this time will be reported on the Term 2 report card.  There will be no penalty for work not completed after the March Break.

4.      The Board is working with the Ministry and Health Department to develop a plan for families to access the school to return materials (e.g. library books, sports jerseys, musical instruments) and pick-up belongings.  We do not have any dates at this time, but appointments will likely be booked through Edsby once we are given the “green light” to release the process for safe retrieval of belongings. More information will be forwarded in the days to come.

5.      Don’t forget to log into the JRPS Staff Masked Singer Google Classroom each morning to see our daily masked singer and earn Colour House points. The Google Classroom code is su347jo. Not sure how to access Google Classroom? Ask your child’s teacher or e-mail our main office at james.robinson.ps@yrdsb.ca

6.      We have had a lot of inquiries about Banana and Mo, our faithful library gecko pair, so we decided created an Instagram account for them! Follow bananamogram on Instagram to see their adventures during lockdown.

Stay safe and well,

Gillian and Janice


JRPS Parent Virtual Meeting Room: Tuesday 9-10 am, Thursday 3-4  pm
Please join this meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone.
https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/424963949
You can also dial in using your phone.
(For supported devices, tap a one-touch number below to join instantly.)
Canada: +1 (647) 497-9391
- One-touch: tel:+16474979391,,424963949#
Access Code: 424-963-949
New to GoToMeeting? Get the app now and be ready when your first meeting starts: https://global.gotomeeting.com/install/424963949

Kindergarten - Grade 8 Registration

Kindergarten Registration

While schools may not be open, families can still register for Kindergarten. Our school, along with all elementary schools in the Board, is now offering online registration. Families can access the online Kindergarten registration information at bit.ly/KindergartenYRDSB.


Please note: A laptop or desktop computer is strongly recommended to complete the online registration, rather than a mobile device.

Alternatively, families can also complete the elementary school registration form and email it directly to the school. Once schools re-open, families will need to bring in their documents (e.g., birth certificates) for verification.


School Registration (Grades 1-8)

Families new to York Region District School Board registering a student in Grades 1-12 can submit the registration forms via email. 

1. If you are required to register through the Reception Centre, please send a completed school registration form to reception.centre@yrdsb.ca. Families can contact the Reception Centre directly with questions or if additional support is required.

2. Families who do not need to register through the Reception Centre can send a completed student school registration form to their school email address. Use the school locator tool to identify your home school. School email addresses are available on the school websites.


We look forward to welcoming our new students and families to our school. Families are welcome to send questions regarding registration to the school's email address found on the schools’ website.

Message from Our Trustee

Dear families, 

I hope that you and your loved ones are keeping well and are healthy. The past few months have been full of change and uncertainty as we respond to the global pandemic and try to reduce the spread of COVID-19. As a Board of Trustees, we know that our families have experienced this pandemic and the school closures in different ways, and we want you to know that our thoughts have been with you all. 

Our school board moved quickly to introduce our Learning and Caring Plan through an intentionally phased approach. Our plan focused on both supporting student well-being and providing continuation of learning for more than 127,000 students. A plan was developed that respected each family’s unique situations and focused on maintaining a caring, safe and inclusive learning environment. To support this, over 20,000 pieces of technology were distributed to ensure that all of our students could access the learning opportunities available to them, and resources and plans were put in place to support all of our learners, including students with special education needs and English language learners. 

More information about the Learning and Caring plan as well as tips, resources and supports for students and families to support well-being and online learning can be found at www.yrdsb.ca/covid19. 

We are all part of a larger community and I am inspired to see the many different ways schools, families and students maintained their connections with one another. It was also moving to see the many inspiring ways our school board, students, staff and families acknowledged our frontline workers and made contributions to the fight against COVID-19. As a school board, for example, we donated over 145,000 pieces of personal protective equipment, including gloves, masks and more. 

Each and every one of us has made a difference - in staying home as much as possible and following public health guidelines. I know that this has meant making sacrifices. 

To our graduating class of 2020, I know this is not the graduating year you had hoped for. I appreciate that the school closures will not affect your ability to graduate, however this unique situation and the need to postpone graduations has been disappointing. I remain tremendously proud of all of our graduates and look forward to celebrating this important milestone with you as soon as we are able to reschedule the graduation ceremonies.

In addition, I know that you have missed out on field trips, awards events, athletic banquets, spirit days, assemblies, our annual Celebrating Student Success awards and the many other ways we extend learning, connect as a community and celebrate the achievements of our students. 

We have also been unable to gather together as we normally would in our schools and communities to celebrate or recognize important dates, including Sikh Heritage Month, Pesach, Good Friday, Easter (Western), Vaisakhi, Holy Friday, Orthodox Easter (Eastern), Ridvan, Jewish Heritage Month, Asian/South Asian Heritage Month, Ramadan, Pride, National Indigenous History Month, Italian Heritage Month and Portuguese Heritage Month. As a Board, these dates of significance are important for us to acknowledge and we will continue to celebrate and value the wealth of diversity in our community.

As the school year comes to a close, I want to wish you and your families a safe, healthy and happy summer. I look forward to a time when we can welcome your children back into our schools again. We know that families have questions about what the return to school will look like. We will continue to share information with you as it becomes available. In the meantime, we encourage you to continue following public health guidelines and to stay connected. 

A message from the Chair of the Board of Trustees is also available on the Board website at www.yrdsb.ca.

Allan Tam

Trustee, Markham, Wards 4 and 5 

Google Classroom: A Guide for Parents Live Webinar

In this strange new world of teaching and learning, we parents are on a steeper learning curve than our students as we work to support them in this on-line environment.

This Friday, April 17, at 1:00 p.m. there will be a live webinar for parents on how to support your child navigating Google Classroom. 

We hope you take the opportunity to join in.

Click this link to join: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rx0hjhyufms&feature=youtu.be

Geroge McKelvey Remembered

George McKelvey, retired principal of James Robinson P.S., passed away peacefully on April 1st in his 85th year. He spent the entirety his life serving the Markham community through many leadership positions through his work and active volunteerism. 

George was actively involved most recently with his church, the Lions Club and Markham Horticultural Society. George will always be remembered for being a friend to many with a genuine interest in others and his community. He was a former Ward 4 Councilor for the Town of Markham (1994 – 2006), principal of James Robinson PS and a regional treasurer for the Retired Teachers of Ontario.

He was loved by many and will be missed by all who knew him. JRPS will fly our flag half-mast to observe his life and passing.