Please read the Welcome Letter below for important beginning-of-year information.

Canoas Elementary School
880 Wren Drive
San Jose, CA 95125

Main Office:  408-535-6391
Fax: 408-265-4126
Attendance number:  408-266-6283

Principal: Mr. An Nguyen

Secretary: Mrs. Marlene Fortin

**Has your child read for 30 minutes tonight?**

Parent Email Registration directions

District Instructional Calendars The school calendars for the next three years are now posted at this site. 

District Arts Website  For information on what is happening in the district in regards to arts perfomances and programs, check out this website.

Welcome Letter

August 5, 2009

Dear Parents/Guardians:

On behalf of the Canoas School staff, I wish to extend a warm welcome to you and your family for the 2009-10 school year.  Our entire staff’s goal is to partner with and fully involve you in your child’s academic and social development.  Furthermore, we will continue to provide all students wilth a safe and nurturing environment.

The following information is provided to help you plan for the beginning of school. Transportation information will be sent to you directly from their office. If you have questions please call transportation at 535-6185.

We are a uniform school and all students are expected to wear the Canoas uniform starting the first day of school.  Our staff has noted that when all students dress accordingly, they are more well-behaved on the playground and more focused in the classroom.  A description of our dress code is included for your convenience.

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL:  Monday, August 17th, (Regular dismissal at 2:15.)
SECOND DAY OF SCHOOL:  Tuesday, August 18h, (Regular dismissal at 2:15.)

SCHOOL SCHEDULE: 

• M-W-TH-F grades 1-5 will start school at 8:00 a.m. and end at 2:15 p.m.
• Tuesdays grades 1-5 will start at 8:00 a.m. and end at 12:45 p.m. (Starting on August 25th.)
• Kindergarten schedule will be as follows for M-F: 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
      • If your child is a special needs student in the SJUSD/Morgan Center Special Day Class (SDC), school starts at 9:00 and ends at 2:00, M-F.

WELCOME TO SCHOOL COFFEE:  You are cordially invited to the “Welcome to School Coffee” on Monday, August 17th , the first day of school, from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. in the cafeteria.  The coffee will be hosted by the Canoas Home & School Club.  There will be sign-up sheets for volunteers and information about school activities during the year.

SCHOOL BREAKFAST & LUNCH:  The cost for breakfast is $1.75; reduced breakfast, $.30; lunch, $2.75; reduced lunch, $.40; milk only, $.50. If you qualify for free lunch, you will also qualify for free breakfast.  If your child received free or reduced lunch at the end of last year, your child will have free or reduced lunch until Friday, September 25th. You must reapply each year.  Applications for free or reduced lunch will be mailed out on August 11, and will also be available in the school office.  Please complete and return the application to school as soon as possible.

STUDENTS’ CLASSROOM ASSIGNMENTS:  All classroom assignments will be posted on the office windows on Wren Dr. AFTER 5 p.m. on Friday, August 14th.

NOTIFICATION OF ABSENTEES - IMPORTANT:  If, for any reason your child will not be in attendance the first day of school you MUST notify the school at 266-6283.  If you have not contacted our office and your child is not in attendance by Friday, August 28th , we will have to drop your child from our school roster and there is no guarantee that he/she will be able to return to Canoas.

STUDENT DROP OFF AND PICK UP:  In order to keep our students safe:

• Please drop off and pick up your children on the south side of Canoas on Pitkin Loop or on Wren Drive. 
• On Wren Drive please park your car in a parking space or drop off at the designated curb.
• On Pitkin Loop there is a curb drop-off section in the parking lot. Please do not drive through the bus only section, but exit the parking lot from the driveway to the left.  A diagram of the drop-off procedure is attached. 

Children’s safety is our first concern and I greatly appreciate your help concerning this matter. Traffic infractions in school zones are a serious matter and traffic fines may be doubled in school zones where the speed limit is 25 miles per hour.  Please do your part in helping our children arrive to and depart from school safely.

Due to budget reductions, Kindergarten through 2nd grade will now be held with 30 students per classroom, and please note that the Kinder schedule is from 8 a.m. to noon, M-F. 

We have experienced some change to our staff. We will miss those that are moving on to other assignments and welcome staff that new to our site.  I know that our school’s strong community will support our staff during this time of change.  Our students are our main focus as we turn towards the beginning of the school year in a few weeks.  Our teachers will be ready to greet them on August 17th with enthusiasm and we are expecting this to be an excellent year.

Our school was given a new coat of paint this summer and all exterior surfaces are now yellow, with trims of burgundy, tan and green.  The painting project was funded by Deferred Maintenance that was identified in the Measure F Implementation Plan which was approved by voters in 2002.

Thank you to parents, and the entire community, for your care and support for our school.  You continue to be a vital part of the educational process and are welcomed again this year to actively participate.

I am looking forward to meeting all of you very soon.

Sincerely,

Mr. An Nguyen,
Principal