Third grade students hosted the annual wax museum last month. The students spent a great deal of time conducting research with Mrs. Briggs in class, learning to cite their images and sources during library classes, and creating their posters. The students did such an amazing job memorizing their speeches and it was awesome to see them dressed like their characters! The students take so much pride in their work, and it was so rewarding to get to see their finished projects. It was wonderful to welcome so many parents and family members to join us as well!

I am pleased to welcome Steve Colcord, School Resource Officer, to CES and the SRSD. Steve will be working in all 4 Shaker schools. His role at CES will allow him to build a positive

relationship with students and to be a support to the staff as a whole in supporting our learners.

Steve has already been into each classroom to meet with students and staff, starting to build positive relationships with everyone. His approach to and philosophy of the position should prove to be a real benefit to our student body and school community as a whole.

Do you have a student who will be five years old by September 30? It’s time to register for kindergarten! An online kindergarten registration for the 2023-2024 school year is now open. You can also register in person at CES from 9 AM - 2:30 PM. To access the online registration, please go to www.sau80.org:

• Click on Resources

• Kindergarten Registration/ALMA Start

April 7: Spring Picture Day

April 11: School Board Meeting at CES - 6:00

April 13: PTO Meeting - 6:00

April 18-21: Fifth Grade Nature's Classroom Trip

April 21: Annual Earth Day Cleanup - More Details to Come

April 24-28: Spring Break

May 2: State Testing Begins

• Grade 5 (May 2-5 and 22)
• Grade 4 (May 8-12)
• Grade 3 (May 15-19)

May 18: Drama Club Production - 6:00

June 7: Spring Concert - 6:00

June 8: Field Day

June 15: Field Day - Rain Date

June 19: Fifth Grade Promotion Night - 6:00

The CES PTO meets the second Thursday of every month. Our next meeting is April 13, 2023 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 Jessie Heath, PTO Chair, at jmheath579@gmail.com. Unfortunately we had to cancel the Traveling Planetarium presentation due to unforeseen circumstances. However, we have an opportunity to make lemonade out of lemons! Join us at our next meeting to help us organize a replacement event!

We will be planning our appreciation of the teachers and staff at Canterbury Elementary School at our upcoming April meeting. Teacher Appreciation Week is the first week in May and we want to make sure our teachers know just how much we appreciate all they do for our kids and families! Feel free to join us and help us plan something special for our very deserving CES staff!

This is a reminder that Monday May 8th will be the last day that you can purchase yearbooks with your own custom pages added to it. After May 8th, you will still be able to purchase your child's yearbook, but it is not guaranteed to come in before June 22nd and you will not be able to add your own custom pages. If you wish to order your yearbook, please follow the instructions below.

Our students exceeded their goal of raising $2,000 for the American Heart Association! The students raised a total of $4,315.72! Our top earning classes were: Mrs. Briggs' in third place, Ms. Hebert's class in second place, and Mrs. Wieck’s class took first place!

In celebration of their efforts, we held a dance party for the K-2 students and a staff vs. students scooter hockey game for the students in grades 3-5. The students really enjoyed cheering their classmates and the teachers on. Overall, it was a fun way to get active and recognize the students for exceeding the goal!

Thank you to everyone who supported us in raising funds for the AHA, and a special thank you to Mrs. Doucette for putting the celebration events together!

The CES band, along with our fabulous music teacher, Ms. Hoover, traveled to BHS last month to participate in a day of rehearsals, which led to that night's Monster Concert! Our students did a fantastic job collaborating with one another as well as with the 6th-12th grade band members of SRSD to put on an amazing show. Their effort, bravery, and persistence were evident and we are so proud of them! Way to go, CES band!

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.

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.

A copy of our attendance policy, as well as RSA 193:1 (Duty of a Parent - Compulsory Attendance) and RSA 189:35-a (Truancy defined) has been included in your student's trimester 2 progress report envelope.

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.