Canaan Elementary School News
September 2026
Assistant Principal's Message
Welcome Back, Canaan Elementary Families!
Welcome to a new school year at Canaan Elementary! Whether you are a returning family or joining us for the first time, we are so happy to have you as part of our school community. We are excited to get to know each of our students and families and look forward to a wonderful year of learning, growth, and fun!
Before we begin, I want to extend a huge thank-you to everyone who helped prepare our school for the year ahead. Larry and Randy, our custodians, worked incredibly hard all summer to get the building ready for students. I would also like to recognize our teachers and staff, many of whom spent their summer attending professional learning, teaching summer school, preparing classrooms, and getting supplies and materials ready. Their dedication to our students is truly appreciated!
We are excited to welcome our students and families to our Open House on Thursday, September 3rd, from 5:00–6:00 pm. This is a wonderful opportunity for students to see their classrooms and meet their teachers. Darling's Ice Cream Truck will be here! Darling's Ice Cream for a Cause is fundraising program that serves ice cream in exchange for voluntary donations that go directly to our school.
Morning Arrival
Students may arrive between 7:30 and 8:15 am. If your child plans to eat breakfast at school, we encourage you to drop them off closer to 7:30 am so they have plenty of time to eat before instruction begins. Students arriving after 8:15 am will be considered tardy. If you arrive after 8:15 am and no one is at the front door, please bring your child to the side door. Thank you for your cooperation!
Afternoon Dismissal
For afternoon pick-up, we ask parents and caregivers to meet outside the front door. Students will be dismissed beginning at 2:15 pm. Miss. Amy will be running pick up dismissal this school year.
Attendance
Regular attendance is an important part of your child's success in school. If your child will be absent, please call the office before 9:00 am so the absence can be properly documented.
Seven unexcused absences or five consecutive school days of unexcused absences may be considered habitual truancy. When a child is truant, I will call home or hold a meeting to come up with a plan to ensure your students regular attendance to school. We appreciate your partnership in making sure students are at school and ready to learn each day.
Privately Owned Electronic Devices
MSAD 54 has a new policy regarding privately owned student electronic devices. For our elementary students, the expectation is pretty simple: personal electronic devices should not be used during the school day. This includes things like:
- Cell phones and smartphones
- Smart watches
- Tablets
- Electronic games
- Other similar personal devices
If your child needs to bring a device to school, it should be silenced and kept put away during the school day so it is not visible or disruptive. I don't anticipate this being a big change for most of our students and families. I just wanted to make sure everyone was aware of the updated expectations as we head into the new school year.
Thank you for your help in talking with your child and helping us keep everyone's focus on learning and being present during the school day.
Volunteers
We love having families involved at Canaan Elementary! If you are interested in getting involved, sharing ideas, or helping support our students and school, please reach out to us.
MSAD 54 requires anyone volunteering in the school or attending a field trip to complete a volunteer application and background check. If you think you may want to volunteer this year, please complete the application as soon as possible, as the process can take several days.
Water Testing
Our water is tested periodically each year. If you would like to view our results there are links at the top of our webpage:
https://canaan.msad54.org/o/canaan/
Thank you for your continued support and partnership. We are looking forward to a fantastic year and can't wait to see all that our students accomplish!
Sincerely,
Erin Madore
Assistant Principal
Canaan Elementary School
Core Value of the Month - Friendship
Each month Canaan Elementary students learn about a core value. These core values are essential for building good character and all point back to the BIG 3 - Treating others right, making smart decisions, and maximizing your potential. September's core value is friendship. Friendship is using your words and actions to show others you care.
Students will earn cougar slips if seen showing friendship. Each month, we will draw one cougar slip and that student's classroom will win an extra recess! Teachers also pick 1-2 students each month to be the Core Value Student of the Month. These students will receive a certificate, a medal, and be invited to a pizza party with Mrs. Madore.
