I hope everyone had a happy, healthy summer. Canterbury Elementary School staff have been preparing for the school year ahead: curriculum planning, classroom set-up as well as professional learning and collaboration have kept us busy! The front walkway is being fully redone, with beautiful new pavers being laid. This has resulted in a fresh, welcoming entrance to our school.

On site summer learning programs have kept our students engaged as well. Students in the Summer of Discovery program at CES worked in the school’s garden with Mr. B, Mrs. Gosselin, and Mrs. Wieck. They planted carrots, pumpkins, and sunflowers to add to beds that were planted earlier. Harvesting continues with green beans, potatoes, and winter squash to be used by students this fall.

I am pleased to introduce several new staff members to the CES school community:

Cameron Bailey - grade 4 teacher

Emily Hoover - music teacher

Julia Mathieu - 1:1 assistant

Lauren Morrocco - art teacher

Beverly Nelson - secretary

Stacey Walczak - kitchen staff

Christine Wong - classroom assistant

Bus Information

Bus schedules from First Student are posted at sau80.org, or you may click the link below to view them. Please call First Student at 603-524-1787 with any questions regarding bus transportation.

Morning Arrival

Supervision begins at 8:10, and students may be dropped off at this time. All vehicles will pull up to the playground entrance. A staff member will meet the children and guide them safely to the playground.

Parking is allowed on the right side of the parking lot only between 9 AM and 3 PM, and after dismissal ends at approximately 3:30 PM. This eliminates private vehicles moving through while students are exiting buses/cars. This prevents a backup of traffic on Baptist Road.

Late Arrival/Early Dismissal

Students who arrive at school after 8:30 AM must be escorted to the school and signed in by a parent/guardian. Please sign in at the clipboard on the table in the vestibule. Students will then walk to class.

If you are dismissing your student early, please sign them out at the same clipboard on the table in the vestibule. Please wait while Mrs. Nelson calls them to come down from class. Do not proceed to your child's classroom.

Visitor/Volunteer Sign In Process

If you are visiting CES for a meeting or to volunteer, please see Mrs. Nelson in the main office. She will give you a visitor's badge and have you sign in on either our visitor or volunteer sign in page before you proceed to your destination. This process allows us to know who is in our buildings at all times in case of an emergency. Thank you in advance for helping us to ensure the safety of all of our students.

Breakfast/Morning Recess

Students may get breakfast in the cafeteria or play with friends outside from 8:10-8:30. On rainy days, the students will wait in the gym.

Starting Our Day

The bell to start the day rings at 8:30. Students will line up outside with their classes at this time. We have created specific areas for each class to line up.

Lunch and Recess

Students will have snack, lunch and recess at the following times:

10:20 Snack

10:35 Recess

11:55 Lunch

12:15 Recess

Dismissal

Dismissal will begin at 3:10. Walkers will be dismissed to the office. We must have written permission on file in the office for your student to walk home. Bus riders and car riders will be dismissed to the gym, where staff will be on hand to guide them.

No private vehicle is allowed to enter the parking lot from 3 PM until the buses leave at approximately 3:20 PM. Please remember it is illegal to park and wait on Baptist Road in front of the school. That would create a very dangerous situation as traffic attempts to pass waiting vehicles.

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.

There is only one entrance to the school parking lot and the traffic must proceed in one direction.

Thank you for your help in ensuring that our routines are efficient and safe.

On the first day of school (Tuesday September 6th), we ask that everyone follow normal procedures for dropping your child off at school. Parents sometimes want to accompany their student into school, particularly on the first day of kindergarten, which often increases student anxiety. Almost without exception, students calm down within minutes of parents leaving, but

if parents stay, the anxiety continues. We will have our school counselor and many other staff dedicated to helping our kindergarten students (and all students) work through the challenges of the first day, and this system works very well. We will, of course, call you if there are lasting concerns.

Volunteers are an important part of our school community! Please reach out to your student’s teacher or to our volunteer coordinator, Heather Drouin at hdrouin@sau80.org to get involved. In order to be a volunteer or chaperone you will need to have a 2022/2023 Volunteer Affidavit on file with the SAU. You must also be fingerprinted with the district. To get fingerprinted, please call Laurie Cowan at 267-9223 ext. 5304 and make an appointment with her. Fingerprinting results can take anywhere from 2 weeks to 4 weeks. Please see Beverly Nelson in the office for an affidavit form, or email her at bnelson@sau80.org. You may also complete this process at any of our open house events. Please bring a photo ID. We look forward to having you join us!

At CES, we follow the Responsive Classroom philosophy and program. Accordingly, the first six weeks of school will begin with an emphasis on forming relationships and learning new school expectations and routines, gradually moving into academics.

We also utilize the PBIS framework to support our learners for success (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports). This framework helps staff to proactively teach and recognize pro-social behaviors.

CES has an active Parent-Teacher Organization with a very committed group of parents. The 2022-2023 board members are:

Jessie Heath: Chair

Meghan Glines: Treasurer

Erin Meeh: Secretary

Heather Drouin: Volunteer Coordinator

The team will be meeting each month. Please consider joining them! They need your support to continue hosting the many wonderful events that occur each year, and it's a great way to meet other families. The first meeting of the school year will be held on September 8 at 6 PM in the CES library. All are welcome!

Important Dates:

August 31-September 1: Teacher Workshop Days

September 1: Kindergarten and First Grade Open House events (1-3 PM)

September 5: Labor Day - NO SCHOOL

September 6: First Day of School

September 8: PTO meeting (6 PM)

September 12: Girls on the Run begins

September 13: Teacher Workshop Day - NO SCHOOL

September 21: Open House, Hot Dog Supper, and Book Fair (5-7 PM)

September 26: CES Clubs begin

September 28: School Picture Day

Kindergarten and First Grade:

Kindergarten and first grade families are welcome to stop by anytime between 1 and 3 PM on September 1 to see the classroom and meet the teachers. We will also have a school bus on site for the children to explore and ride.

All Grades:

There will be an Open House for all grades on the evening of September 21. Open House is an opportunity for your student to show you around the classroom and introduce you to their teacher. Individual discussions about your child are not appropriate at this time, but will occur in early November at parent-teacher conferences. We will hold the annual hot dog supper and book fair this evening as well. More details to come!

We are fortunate to have many clubs at CES! Information regarding individual clubs will be sent home soon by the club advisors. Girls on the Run will begin on September 12; all other fall clubs will begin the week of September 26. Please email the club advisors directly should you have any questions about a particular club.

Homework Club (grades 1-5) with Ms. Hebert: dhebert@sau80.org

Computer/Technology Club (grades 2-5) with Mrs. Gosselin: igosselin@sau80.org

Yearbook (grades 2-5) with Mrs. Whitney: twhitney@sau80.org

Student Council (grades 4-5) with Mrs. Wieck: kwieck@sau80.org

School Store (grades 3-5) with Mrs. Gosselin: igosselin@sau80.org

Newsletter Club (grades 2-5) with Ms. Hebert and Mrs. Wieck: dhebert@sau80.org, kwieck@sau80.org

Garden Club (grades 2-5) with Mrs. Myers and Mr. Bergskaug: jmyers@sau80.org, rbergskaug@sau80.org

Girls on the Run (girls in grades 3-5) with Mrs. McCauley, Mrs. Collins, Mrs. Whitney, and Mrs. Myers: emails should be directed to Mrs. McCauley at hmccauley@sau80.org.

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.

Below I have attached 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, required quarantine, 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.