Canterbury Elementary School

CES held a very successful food drive, collecting over 700 items that were donated to the NH Food Bank! Thank you to our school counselor, Mrs. Myers, for coordinating this effort and to our entire school family for supporting this awesome cause. As a school, we collected 517 pounds of food, which will serve 431 meals to those in need! We truly appreciate everyone's support.

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!

Thank you for your support as we work to ensure a safe, fun recess time for all students!

Canterbury families and individuals in need this holiday season may apply to receive a one-time food voucher to Market Basket provided through the Capital Region Food Program. The application deadline is 11/30/24. Recipients will pick-up their food voucher on Saturday 12/14/24 at the Canterbury United Congregational Church. If interested, please reach out to Karen Decker-Gendron, CES school nurse, at (603) 783-9944 or kdecker-gendron@sau80.org or Jeannine Myers, CES school counselor, at (603) 783-9944 or jmyers@sau80.org.

The Lakes Region Public Health Network has provided our school community with a supply of free COVID-19 tests. Please reach out to your school nurse if someone in your immediate family is in need of a test. These tests are available for pick-up only. Unfortunately, they cannot be sent home with students as they are considered a medical product.

December 6: Trimester 1 Grades Close

December 10: School Board Meeting at CES (6 PM)

December 11: Holiday Concert (6 PM) - please wear holiday attire

December 12: PTO Meeting (6 PM)

December 13: Progress Reports sent home

December 13: PTO Holiday Fair (5-7 PM)

December 17: School Spirit Day (wear cougar apparel or blue and white)

December 18: Snow Date - Holiday Concert (6 PM)

December 20: PJ Day & Class Holiday Parties

December 21-January 1: Holiday Break

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.

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.

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.

The CES Advocates have been hard at work preparing for our upcoming holiday events. We loved seeing so many wonderful faces at our fall events, and we very much appreciated all of the donations made. To date, the PTO has funded a new mascot costume, ROAR awards, and Nature's Classroom for the town's 5th graders at BMS. We are in the process of exploring enrichment programming for students in 2025 as well as supplying treats for winter staff appreciation. We hope you will add the following events to your calendar to continue our mission of supporting CES students and staff:

The Holiday Fair and Raffle is coming up on Dec. 13th from 5-7pm. This is a wonderful family event that doubles as a fundraiser for the CES PTO. For $5 per person or $20 per family you will get access to dinner, photos with Santa, crafts, cookie decorating, hot cocoa bar, and fun with friends. Festive attire encouraged! A raffle is also underway for a variety of great prizes. Check out the items, buy some raffle entries, and test your luck! Raffle tickets can be purchased with CASH or VENMO at the event, or you can purchase online NOW using this link: https://www.zeffy.com/ticketing/75cc2075-b2a1-400d-b710-a342083e6ee5

The CES PTO will also be selling Christmas trees again in town center this year. Be sure to stay local and buy a tree at town center using cash, check, or venmo. Trees will be sold for $60 each while supplies last on Saturdays and Sundays from 9-11am from 12/7-12/15. Questions or want to get involved? Contact Becca Plue at rebeccaturturro@gmail.com

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 in early December. Thank you for your support!

We were thrilled to hold our Senior Citizen Thanksgiving Luncheon on November 21. The luncheon was served by the members of our Student Council. Entertainment was provided by our primary students. It was wonderful to gather together with so many community members, and to have Mrs. Morrison and Mrs. Blanchette in attendance to help serve! We hosted over 40 guests this year. Thank you to Mrs. Wieck, our Student Council Advisor, for coordinating this event.

During enrichment, second graders read a book entitled Balloons over Broadway. This is the true story of the history of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade that started 100 years ago in 1924. The students collaborated to create balloons and then showcased them in a parade down the main hallway at CES for the whole school to see!

I would like to express a heartfelt thanks to all of our amazing parents and families. Your support, involvement, and dedication make our school community so special. We are grateful for the kindness and generosity you show, and we are so thankful for the opportunity to work alongside you in fostering a love of learning in our students. CES staff wishes all of our families a joyful Thanksgiving filled with laughter and love!