FAQs

Got a question that’s not listed here? Email us at info@ebots.ca or call the office 905-923-3268.

Summer Camps FAQ

Q: What is the adult to student ratio?

A: Our WeeBots (SK to Gr. 4) classes are a maximum of 6 and our E-Bots (Gr. 5+) classes are a maximum of 8.  One teacher per class. In some cases we may have a volunteer present.

Q: Will my child be in front of a computer all the time?

A: In house classes involve working on the computer for concepts and learning sessions but there will be opportunity for them to move around testing them at the tasks assigned.

Q. Do you do robots all day long when you are in an all day program?

YES… except for lunch, we do robots and learning all day long! No swimming or outside play, you can do that when you get home! When this is “your thing”, it’s not an effort ….it’s paradise!

Q What is your covid protocol for in classes?

A: We are not operating under any special covid protocols, other than what we feel is common sense. If you are more comfortable sending your student with a mask, please do so!  Also please do not send your student if they have any concerning symptoms.  If they have been very recently in the presence of someone positive, and you are in a waiting period, you might consider the rest of the participants.  

There is hand sanitizer provided at the front door when they arrive and sanitizer is available in the classrooms. 

Washroom visits are one at a time.  

Q: What time can I drop-off and pick-up?

A: Generally, 10 minutes before class time is all that is necessary. Teachers will be watching at the door as to when students arrive. 

FOR THE SUMMER classes:

We offer an early drop off and late pick up as we understand that sometimes our programs don’t fit into work schedules;

Drop off between anytime after 8:15 AM; $30/per week.

Pick up before 5:00 PM; $40/per week

$60/per week if you require both.

You can select this option when you register for summer camp.

Q: For classes what does my child need to bring?

A: Nothing. If your child wants to bring a journal to take their own notes, they are welcome to do that. The use of MP3’s, hand held games or cell phone games will only be allowed before or after sessions and lunchtimes. Please label all important items as they are not our responsibility.

Q: Do you provide lunch in the summer?

A: No, we do not.  Your child will need to arrive with a packed lunch. We have a “no peanut butter/nuts policy” in place, pack what you would if they were eating at school. We do not have a fridge, so insulated is best.

General FAQ

Q: Does my child have to have experience with Robotics or computers?

A: No, learning from the beginning, whether it has to do with the operation of the computer or manipulating the robot is what they are coming to us to learn. Should they have some computer experience, then they will get a recap and may even learn something they didn’t know before!

 

Q: What is the refund policy?

A: Refunds requested two weeks before the start date – registration fees will be refundable minus a $50 administration fee.

Refunds requested within 2 weeks of the start date – 50% of the registration fee will be refunded.

Refunds requested less than one week before the start date- No refunds will be granted. However, we will be more than happy to provide a 50% credit that must be used in the next season of programs or it will be forfeited.

Once a class has begun, there are no refunds, and no credits. 

Q. What happens if my child misses a class?

A: For our weekly learning program we do require a commitment to each lesson as we are building the concepts of programming each week. If your child misses a class, they will miss something they will need for the next, that is your responsibility to their learning.

We do not do make-up classes nor do we record classes online, as we are here each week to provide the weekly lessons.  We provide a recap at the beginning of each class of the previous lesson.

For summer camps it will be very important for your student to attend each day. Every morning there will be a review from the day before so a missing student will have an opportunity to learn what they missed and will be able to practice it through the day as there is more time. However please be aware if your student gets covid or has to isolate that they will miss the week and we cannot be responsible for that situation. Parents will have to be diligent to keep their students safe before a week at camp, so there are no effects to their attendance. 

Q: What if I just found out about your program and want to start a program late?

A: This is not an option during our summer camps. However in our fall, winter, spring sessions if the first class is missed, there is still an opportunity to catch up in the 2nd class only. After that the classes run as is. 

Q: My child loves LEGO, they will be so excited to build!

A: We are currently operating with no building of robots in the first class as we did before covid. Robots have been built by us to reduce the number of hands that are in the lego bin.  Robots are sterilized between classes.

At E-Bots, understanding how to move a robot and command it is our first commitment. There may be programs we offer later where children will get instruction and support for lego robot building. Traditional “static” lego building is very different to building a robot on the move!

Q: My child has done a robotics class somewhere else

A: Not all robotics programs are the same! We will only do assessments on students who in the past have actually learned and worked with the LEGO Mindstorms programming platform and have robotic environment programming.

Unfortunately, LEGO has changed their programming platform over the last two pandemic years from EV3-G language to Scratch and Python. So if they only know EV3-G it is not applicable now, but if they have been students who have aken previous classes with us in EV3-G, you will need to contact the office to see which of our new levels they will need to rejoin with. 

If your child has NO experience with LEGO Robotics they will start in Robot 1. 

Q: Do you have a team for the First Lego League?

A: YES, we usually have 4 teams operating from E-Bots each year, The FLL season begins in the Fall each year.  

Conversations and invitations with our current students will begin in the spring and summer as we see children who we feel would benefit from this program.  

Experience teams, which are operated like a class in the fall with attendance at competition, is open to students who have completed successfully, robot 3.  They can register for this learning opportunity in the summer when Fall registration begins. 

To be considered for a competitive team, a student has to have been on an experience team first, acquired up to python 2 and build 2 classes.  We are far more concerned about them having shown a passionate interest and being team players, winning is not our goal, the journey is the “win”. 

For more information please visit here. 

Q: I have a teenager who has been involved at his/her school in robotics, can they come and do some high school volunteer hours?

A: Please contact us at info@ebots.ca

Q: My child has SCRATCH experience, what do we do?

A: We appreciate that a lot of children already have Scratch programming experience.

Children who have worked with scratch at school or in another program, where they were programming movies, or games do not have the scratch required to start in our higher-level scratch classes.

We are teaching a scratch that is robot specific and they will NOT have this knowledge. They will be required to start in our scratch 1 class, where, at the beginning some things may be repetitive, but very quickly they will be learning new code to manipulate the robot which they will not have done before.

If your child has EV3 Mindstorms experience or Spike Prime experience please email info@ebots.ca

Q: We would like to start in PYTHON but have not taken the prerequisites.

A: We are teaching all the logic of coding in our scratch  ROBOT 1-4 levels. Our python classes are simply translating the logic knowledge of our students to a new language, we are not reteaching logic and so students are required to take the scratch courses to learn the manipulations of the robot and robotic programming environment first. 

 

What time can I drop off and pick up?

FOR SEASONAL classes:

A what’s app group is made for the WeeBots classes so the parents will receive videos and pictures of their children during their class so they can see them in the facility and what they are doing each week.

Parents are invited into the E-Bots classes at the end of week 5 and the last class to see their students classroom and get an update on progress. 

E-Bots Robot 1 parents are welcome to come in the first day when dropping off their student to see the facility and then follow the week 5 and last day procedure.