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Dear Families,
The first day of school is upon us! If you post first day photos of your children on social media, be sure to tag CWES on Facebook (Canterbury Woods Elementary School) or on Twitter (@Canterbury_Wood). We love to share in your excitement about the first day!
Last week, teachers faced the challenging task of dismantling storage spaces packed with furniture and transforming our spaces into inviting classrooms a scant few days later for Open House. They embraced our focus on storytelling for equity, learning from an extraordinary panel of parents who shared their own family stories. Many thanks to our participants for sharing their hearts and their experiences at CWES as they relate to equity. We encourage you to share your stories as well--please reach out to your child's classroom teacher to share a little bit about your family to inform our practices this year.
We were thrilled to meet many of our families at Open House on Friday and are ready for a great school year. We recognize there are some bumps in the road as we begin the year -- some bus routes are still being developed, our school supply kits were delayed, and most importantly, many families have concerns about health and safety. If you missed our Health and Safety presentations on Friday, you can watch the recording here. Use this passcode to view: 04^gjN*sdy. Please don't hesitate to reach out with your concerns.
Thank you for entrusting your children to our care. We will do all we can to honor that trust this year at Canterbury Woods.
Warm regards,
Diane Henry Leipzig, "Dr. L"
 Assistant Principal Mr. Reeder having fun with our Open House Photo Booth!
In addition to staff members on duty, we have an incredible force of Student Safety Patrols in grades 5 and 6 who have been trained by Patrol Sponsor Debbie Rozek to support both arrival and dismissal procedures. Please help us keep everyone safe by respecting the guidelines we have set for arrival and dismissal each day.
ARRIVAL
For the security of our students and staff, we do not allow parents to escort their children to the classrooms. We have found over the years that students are happiest and most ready for the day when goodbyes are said at the bus stop for Bus Riders, in the car for Kiss & Riders, and outside Door 1 for walkers.
If your child is bringing supplies that they cannot carry independently, please label them with your child's name and teacher and drop them off in the office for us to get to the classroom.
To ensure the security of all staff and students, ALL WALKERS MUST ENTER THROUGH DOOR 1.
If your child is eating breakfast, they should arrive at 9:00 AM. Patrols or staff will allow breakfasters in through Door 1 beginning at 9:00 AM. Only the cafeteria will be open at this time.
By 9:10 AM, Door 1 will open to all other walkers, who should proceed directly to their classrooms. Kindergartners will be collected by class in the lobby and brought to their classrooms by student safety patrols.
Bell rings at 9:20 AM.
DISMISSAL
Bell rings at 4:05 PM.
All students K-6 should know how they will be going home from school each day, whether they are a WALKER, BUS RIDER or KISS & RIDER. Please also work on remembering the following, especially for students in grades 2-6:
- WALKERS: Who they walk home with and where they are supposed to meet them
- KISS & RIDERS: Their Kiss & Ride number
- BUS RIDERS: Their bus number and bus stop
Please discuss this information with your child.
KISS & RIDERS
Kiss & Ride numbers are the same from year-to-year. If your family is new to the building this year, your child(ren) will be given a Kiss & Ride hangtag that you should display on your rearview mirror.
Lost your hangtag? You can always write your Kiss & Ride Number on a piece of paper and put it on your dashboard.
Kiss & Riders in grades K-3 will dismiss from the gym. Staff and patrols will be on hand to ensure they go outside when their car arrives.
Kiss & Riders in grades 4-6 will remain in their classrooms and watch for their Kiss & Ride numbers on our Silent Dismissal slide, which is displayed on the Smartboard in every classroom. When they see their number, they will come to the gym and exit through the gym doors to load into their cars. Teachers will encourage students to remember and watch for their numbers.
WALKERS
In the afternoons, Kindergarten walkers are met at Door 6 (by playground) and first grade walkers are dismissed nearby out of Door 5. Walkers in grades 2-6 are free to exit the building through whichever door is most convenient for their family, so discuss with your children where on the school grounds you wish to meet up if you are escorting them home. NOTE: Kindergartners are required to have an adult escort.
BUS RIDERS
Students in K-1 will be escorted to their buses.
Students in Grades 2-6 will watch for their bus numbers on our Silent Dismissal slide. Teachers will have bus number information to encourage students to leave at the appropriate time.
Need to communicate an early dismissal or a change in dismissal plans for a particular day? Please use this convenient form BEFORE NOON on the day of the change to notify both front office staff and classroom teachers of these changes.
Every student is eligible for one no-cost breakfast and one no-cost lunch daily this year. Meals for the first week of school have already been ordered -- you do not need to do anything to indicate that your child will be eating meals from August 23-27.
If your child plans to eat breakfast, they should come to Door 1 by 9:00 AM and a staff member or patrol will let them proceed to the cafeteria for breakfast.
During lunch, they simply get in the hot lunch line and select their food --- they will not have to punch in their number at the cashier.
Beginning the week of August 30, our estimated number of meals will be based on what YOU communicate to us about your Meal Intentions. We need to estimate the number of meals needed based on how many students plan to eat cafeteria meals on a regular basis. This will help us ensure we have enough food while reducing food waste.
Please complete this form if your student will ROUTINELY go through the cafeteria line for breakfast and/or lunch. (Students who eat school meals OCCASIONALLY--less than once a week--need not complete this form.)
Please also complete this form if your student requires an assigned seat at the allergen-free table. Thank you!
LINK TO MEAL INTENT FORM.
The Fairfax County School Board voted to approve a calendar for the 2021-22 School Year that is designed to recognize, respect, and honor the plurality of religious and cultural observances in Fairfax County. The calendar ensures students will not have to make choices between honoring their cultural or religious beliefs and missing a test or school activity.
On the 15 observance days listed below, Canterbury Woods will not schedule tests or quizzes. Tests and quizzes will be given before any of these days, so students are not expected to study on the observance day.
In addition, Canterbury Woods will not schedule class-level, grade-level or schoolwide special events on any of the 15 observance days below. The calendar recognizes 15 diverse religious and cultural observances including:
- Eid al-Adha
- Rosh Hashanah
- Yom Kippur
- Día de los Muertos
- Diwali
- Bodhi Day
- Three Kings Day/Epiphany
- Orthodox Christmas
- Orthodox Epiphany
- Lunar New Year
- Ramadan
- Good Friday
- Theravada
- Orthodox Good Friday/Last Night of Passover
- Eid al-Fitr
The 2021-22 calendar also separates spring break from any religious or cultural observances.
Monday, August 23: First Day of School
Wednesday, September 1: Fall Picture Day
Friday, September 3 – Monday, September 6: Labor Day Holiday
Tuesday, September 7: Rosh Hashanah
Thursday, September 16: Yom Kippur
Thursday, September 30 (6:30-7:30 PM): Back to School Night (Virtual)
Thursday, September 30 (7:30-8:00 PM): First PTA Meeting (Virtual)
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