Superintendent’s Page – Canterbury Public Schools

Steven Rioux

Superintendent of Schools

860-546-6950

SUPERINTENDENT’S COMMUNICATIONS

October 15, 2020

Hello Everyone,

In the news and from our schools we often hear the phrase, “Social Emotional Learning (SEL).” SEL is more than focusing on the mental health of students. It is about purposefully teaching students to be self-aware of how they feel and how they respond to various situations. It is also about teaching students strategies to self-regulate their emotions and to be aware of why other people react to various situations. Helping students understand social interactions within their community and the broader society is critical. Our teachers this year will be setting professional goals relating to social and emotional learning. We know that the integration of SEL competencies improves academic outcomes. A student’s ability to collaborate, communicate, and critically analyze their world are essential skills for their future. Over the course of the next several weeks students will be introduced to a program called Second Step. Take a moment and ask them about it.

We are about two weeks into our return to in-person learning. There is no substitution to direct instructions and the benefits of consistent routines. We will continue to maintain this learning model as long as we can. However, there may be a time when we need to revert to a hybrid learning model or a full-remote learning model. The administration team and our staff have been drafting a full-remote learning model schedule. In the event we transition to a full-remote learning model, students will be expected to participate in on-line learning activities during the school day. More information regarding these schedules will be communicated to you from each school. If your family doesn’t have internet access, please call your child’s school to request a remote hotspot. We have a limited number of hotspots available for families in need.

I would like to take a moment to thank the Canterbury Education Foundation (CEF) for their continued support of our schools. The CEF relies on private donations and fundraising to generate funds to support programs within each of our schools. CEF is an approved charitable organization supported by Amazon. You can go to https://smile.amazon.com/ and elect the Canterbury Education Foundation as a charitable organization. Amazon will make a contribution to CEF when you shop at Amazon. We have created a short video to show you how you can support CEF, https://www.loom.com/share/33a88714ae9c4bfaab16ddb1e4adf9d9

In Partnership,

Steve Rioux

Previous Communications

August 26, 2020: Parent Letter 8-26-20

August 26, 2020: Health Office Parent Letter 2020-2021

August 21, 2020: Parent Letter 8-21-20

August 14, 2020: Parent Communication 8-14-20

August 10, 2020: Health Department Reports Increase in COVID-19 Cases

August 10, 2020: Community Response to COVID-19

August 5, 2020: Please take Parent Survey #2 here! (Survey closes Monday August 10, 2020)

July 30, 2020: Community Letter Regarding the Re-Opening of CPS

Superintendent Rioux Letter to CPS Families