What a Great First Week!

We’re only one week in, and already great things are happening at Canyon Lake!

Kids are getting to know their teachers and each other, learning at high levels is taking place, guest speakers are visiting classrooms, students and teachers are using new technology, and everyone is surviving the heat!

Being a Champion for Kids

5th graders reading on the first day of school

A year ago, I shared Rita Pierson's TED Talk with Canyon Lake staff, and Cari Clark brought it to my attention again today; this is a great reminder of the kind of relationships we want to build with our students.

We know that not every student comes to us with the same background, same experiences, or same supports. But our mission is to meet the needs of all of our students; our job is to take them from where they are now to where they need to be. 

I want all of our families to know that every student that walks through our doors has an adult at Canyon Lake who will never give up on them.

Mr. S. helps students select books on the first day

We're committed as a school to this idea, because, as Rita Pierson says, "We are educators. We were born to make a difference."

I hope you'll find 7 minutes today to watch this video: 

https://www.ted.com/talks/rita_pierson_every_kid_needs_a_champion

Rita Pierson: Every kid needs a champion | TED Talk | TED.com Rita Pierson, a teacher for 40 years, once heard a colleague say, "They don't pay me to like the kids." Her response: "Kids don't learn from people they don’t like.’” A rousing call to educators to believe in their students and actually connect with them on a real, human, personal level. Read more...

First Days

The first days of school are my favorite days. First days are full of promise and excitement; every interaction is a new opportunity to make an impact on students.

As I walked the halls and visited classrooms today, I am constantly reminded of how fortunate we are as educators to have the awesome privilege we’re given. Our challenge as teachers and educators is to maintain the sense of wonder and possibility that we experience on the first day all year long. I believe that the staff at Canyon Lake is up to the challenge, and I’m looking forward to an outstanding school year!

Welcome Back!

Welcome to the 2015-2016 school year! We are so happy that you are part of our school community. Our mission is, “Collaborating to ensure academic, social, and emotional growth for every student, every day.” We look forward to collaborating with you to meet the unique needs of your student this year.

We have a few new faces at Canyon Lake this year, but the majority of our staff will be returning; all of our staff members are working diligently to prepare for the upcoming school year.

Canyon Lake Elementary School will again be operating out of a split campus. Our K-3 students will be housed in Canyon Lake West and accompanying annexes; fourth and fifth grade students, and preschool, will be housed in the Canyon Lake East building and annexes (formerly Kibben Kuster).

For this school year, we will continue to operate out of two offices. We are asking that all visitors report to either the Canyon Lake West or Canyon Lake East office to obtain a visitor pass; please do not enter the building through the gym doors. We believe that this is a safer, more secure arrangement.

Busing, start and end times:

·         First Day of School: The first day of school is Monday, August 24^th. School will again start at 8:05 a.m. and end at 2:55 p.m.

·         Busing: Special Education buses will drop off and pick up at Canyon Lake East, while all other buses will use the bus run on the south side of Canyon Lake West. For the safety of our students, we ask that families do not use the bus run either before or after school. Busing is provided for students living more than 2.5 miles from school. Buses will run beginning Monday, August 24^th. For further information, contact our Transportation Department at 355-3707.

·         Kindergarten Small Group Classes: Kindergarten students will begin the school year in small groups, meaning your student will come for their first day either MONDAY, TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY, OR THURSDAY. Small groups are a special time kindergarten students have with their teacher to help in the adjustment to the school schedule. You will be notified on or before Wednesday August 19^th, which day your student will attend. All students will attend on Friday, August 28^th.   

·         Early Release Days: This year, we will be continuing “Early Release Wednesdays” as we work to become a school- and district-wide professional learning community. Most Wednesdays, we will release at 1:20 p.m. so that teachers can engage in the collaborative work of ensuring academic, social, and emotional growth for all of our students. Our first Early Release Wednesday falls on September 2^nd.  

Food Service:

·         Our breakfast and lunch programs will begin on the first day of school.

·         Free/reduced applications will be included in your Tuesday folder; we strongly encourage ALL of our families to apply.

PBIS:

Canyon Lake is continuing as a PBIS school this year! PBIS stands for: Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports. PBIS is an approach that uses universal strategies for helping all students achieve important social learning goals. When good teaching and good behavior come together, our students will excel. As part of the PBIS program, we have established several clear rules for the behavior we expect in all areas of our school. Further, we will actively teach, model, and reinforce our school-wide expectations: Be Safe, Be Respectful, Be Responsible.

Character education will be a regular part of our instructional day. We will explicitly teach expectations to students and acknowledge them for their great behavior.  Last year, Canyon Lake staff members verbally recognized students over 102,000 times for exhibiting positive behaviors! We believe that by helping students practice good behavior, we will build a school community where all students have an environment where they can succeed and grow.

Communication and input:

We actively seek input from families on how we can provide the best possible school experience for you and your student; we take your input to heart, and have begun implementing several suggestions that we received. We’ll be working on additional projects over the course of the year.

Speaking of communication, we will be utilizing Tuesday folders again this year to send home important documents and student work. We encourage you to keep up to date with all of the great things happening at Canyon Lake by:

·         Signing up for our text messaging system. Text “Join” to 56360.

·         Liking us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/canyonlakeschool)

·         Following us on Twitter (@canyonlakeelem)

·         Bookmarking our school website.

As always, we welcome your feedback on how we can improve.

This is going to be a great school year. We look forward to seeing you at our “Meet the Teacher” Open House on Thursday, August 20^th (5-7 p.m.).