Canterbury Elementary School
December Newsletter
Enrichment with Mrs. Gingrich
CES students have enjoyed many exciting opportunities to grow their minds during enrichment lessons with Mrs. Gingrich! She visits classes each Wednesday, and has worked with classes on concepts of symmetry, reverse engineering, idioms, and much more!
Dressing for the Weather
Living in New Hampshire requires adaptability to frequent weather changes. We will go outside for recess every day that we can.
Watch/Listen to local weather reports and help your child dress according to our guidelines (see attached letter). It is recommended that you post these in a visible place at home!
If your student is not dressed for the weather, they will report to the nurse’s office and make a phone call home during their recess time. Thank you for your support as we work to ensure a safe, fun recess time for all students!
Important Dates
December 5: Ready, the Prepared Puppy Assembly, K-2
December 8: Trimester 1 Grades Close
December 12: School Board Meeting at CES (6 PM)
December 13: Holiday Concert (6 PM) - please wear holiday attire
December 14: School Spirit Day (wear cougar apparel or blue and white)
December 14: PTO Meeting (6 PM)
December 15: Progress Reports sent home
December 15: PTO Holiday Family Fun Night (5-7 PM)
December 22: PJ Day & Mrs. Morrison visits to read The Night Before Christmas
December 22: Class Holiday Parties
December 23-January 1: Holiday Break
Car Drop Off & Pick Up Reminders
After the buses have departed, those in private vehicles may enter the school driveway and proceed to the playground entrance for car rider pick up. A staff member will escort each child safely to their ride. If folks arrive too early, the cars get backed up into the road. Please adhere to the 3:20 arrival time in order to mitigate this issue.
It is also essential that private vehicles do not drive around other vehicles (whether they are school buses or other private vehicles) while students are loading or unloading. Please wait until the vehicle in front of you begins to move.
Thank you for your help in ensuring that our routines are efficient and safe.
Veterans Assembly
CES students honored veterans in our community with a special assembly. Each class prepared a song, poem, or letter to a veteran. It was touching to hear all of the students' thoughtful tributes. At the end, our guests were welcomed to the CES library for coffee and pastries. Thank you to all who served and are serving our country.
Absences
Regular attendance at school is critical for a student's success. The interactive nature of lessons at school today make it challenging to provide students with the same learning experiences when they return from an absence.
If a student reaches 10 half days (or 5 full days) of unexcused absences in a school year, the State of NH considers that student habitually truant. Our protocols require that we follow a process with families to ensure that the importance of attendance is understood and that unexcused absences are to be avoided.
The digital version of the CES Smore Newsletter includes a PDF of our attendance policy, as well as RSA 193:1 (Duty of a Parent - Compulsory Attendance) and RSA 189:35-a (Truancy defined).
Absences are excused in the event of sickness, a death in the family, or medical appointments. Other absences are considered unexcused and should be avoided.
Please note: SRSD School Board Policy JH states that for absences other than illness, parents must provide a written notice to the principal 10 days prior to the absence: the reason for the absence and how long the student will be absent.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. Thank you for partnering with CES to support the success of all students.
PTO News by Emily Perlet
The CES PTO meets the second Thursday of every month. Our next meeting is December 14 at 6 PM in the library at CES. Please come and join us as we plan upcoming events and fundraisers! If you have any questions, please email Emily Perlet, PTO Chair, at emilyperlet@gmail.com
In October and November, we raised money for the Junk 2 Funk Artist in Residence Program for the school. Our fundraisers included the annual “un-fundraiser.” We raised $630! We thank all the families that contributed to this fundraiser, including The Matott family the Bell family, the Paninski family, the Burkowski family, the Lachapelle family, the Maurer family, the Adams family, the Marchessault/Prospere family, the Szepan family, the Timoney/Grover family, and the Young family. We truly appreciate all the support our community gives to the school and the PTO! Thank you all so much!
In October, we also had a group of volunteers at the Canterbury Woods Halloween Night event. We welcomed guests to the event and handed out glow sticks. The PTO collected $185 in donations at this event. The money will go toward the Junk 2 Funk Artist in Residence Program for this year.
In November, we also held a Change Challenge for the students. It was amazing to see how much the kids brought in to support the Junk 2 Funk program! We had a goal of collecting $300 as a school. We collected $937 through this event and the children earned a Spirit Day. The theme for this Spirit Day was chosen by the Fifth Graders, who brought in the most money for the Change Challenge!
Trees are now being sold in the town center. The price is $60.00 per tree. PTO volunteers will be selling trees on Saturdays from 9 AM to 1 PM. During the rest of the week, customers can pay inside the country store. Monday through Friday please pay at the Country Store by CHECK ONLY made out to CES PTO. On Saturdays, a PTO volunteer will be present to assist customers and can accept cash payment. Profits from the tree sale are used to fund programming, supplies, and staff requests at CES. We appreciate your support!
The PTO will host our Holiday Festival on Friday, December 15 from 5:00-7:00 PM! There is one set fee of $5 per person, with a cap of $20 per family. With your entrance fee, you will get dinner, crafts, games, and activities. We will also be hosting a holiday raffle, which is a great way to get some holiday shopping done and support your PTO! Keep your eyes peeled for upcoming notices! This is a classic PTO event that is always a lot of fun! We hope to see you there!
The PTO is very grateful to be living in this wonderful community where we all come together to support one another and our children!
Thanksgiving Events & Activities
We were thrilled to hold our Senior Citizen Thanksgiving Luncheon last month. The luncheon was served by the 14 members of our Student Council. Entertainment was provided by our kindergarten and first grade students. It was wonderful to gather together with so many community members, and to have Mrs. Morrison, Mr. Tursi, and Mrs. Blanchette in attendance to help serve! We hosted nearly 50 guests this year. Thank you to Mrs. Wieck, our Student Council Advisor, for coordinating this event.
Second graders had a great time celebrating with each other at their "friendsgiving." Students set up their classroom, practiced proper table etiquette, and engaged in discussions about what they were grateful for.
Our kindergarten learners gathered for a "feast" with their teachers. They retold the story of the pilgrims, enjoyed a mini feast (including butter that they made in class), and played a turkey disguise game. A fun time was had by all!
Remote Learning at CES
In the event of poor weather, Mr. Tursi may call for a traditional snow day, or he may call for a remote learning day.
Attached below are two documents, the CES Remote Learning Schedule, and our Remote Learning Expectations. Please review them, and reach out to me or your student's teacher if you have any questions.
Classroom teachers will be sending additional details out as well.
Thank you for your support!