After-School Programs at Canyon

7/29/2026 9:59 am

After the last bell rings, Canyon's campus doesn't empty out right away. Four programs run right here on campus in the afternoons — two that cover the whole afternoon, and two enrichment programs that meet on set days each week. Here's a rundown of all four, so you can find the combination that works for your family.

STAR Galaxy After-School Childcare (Fee-Based)

STAR is Canyon's fee-based after-school childcare program for Grades TK–5, running every school day until 6:00 p.m. Canyon also offers an after-school Spanish language immersion option through STAR. Enrollment and billing go through STAR Inc., not the school office.

• Contact: Lily Moreira-Velado, Canyon Site Director for STAR — call 310-420-6547 or visit the STAR website for enrollment details.

ELOP: Extended Learning Opportunity Program (Free)

ELOP is Canyon's free after-school option for Grades TK–5, also running every school day until 6:00 p.m. Students may stay on campus for supervised play at no cost, but they do need an application on file with the ELOP director first.

• The ELOP After-School Program Application is optional but required to participate. Complete it and return it to the school office — you can find the application on the After-School Programs page.

Orchestra Place: Instrumental Music & Piano (Fee-Based)

Orchestra Place brings small-group instrumental music and piano instruction to Canyon for Grades K–5, meeting weekly on a set day per class and culminating in a year-end concert. All levels are welcome — no experience necessary.

• Kindergarten and 1st grade: violin
• 2nd grade: violin, flute, clarinet, trumpet, ukulele
• 3rd grade: violin, cello, flute, clarinet, trumpet, trombone, ukulele
• 4th and 5th grade: violin, cello, flute, clarinet, alto saxophone, trumpet, trombone, ukulele
• Piano Workshop, grades K–5: keyboards are provided in class; a keyboard at home is recommended for practice

Class days, session dates and tuition are set by Orchestra Place and change from year to year, so check their Canyon page for this year's schedule and fees before registering. Questions: call (800) 731-7940 or email contact@theorchestraplace.com.

Parker-Anderson Enrichment (Fee-Based)

Parker-Anderson runs after-school enrichment classes at Canyon for Grades K–5 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Thursdays, with pricing starting at $154 per session. Classes this session include TechKids: Game Design (Tuesdays), LEGO Robotics (Wednesdays, plus a $10 lab fee) and Rocket Science (Thursdays, plus a $25 lab fee).

• All enrollments are completed online at parker-anderson.org — no cash or check payments are accepted, and classes are cancelled if minimum enrollment isn't met, so sign up early.
• Questions: call (818) 650-8676, text (323) 792-8499 or email info@parker-anderson.org, Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Which program is right for your family?

STAR and ELOP are the two programs that cover the full afternoon; Orchestra Place and Parker-Anderson are weekly enrichment add-ons run by outside providers, so you enroll and pay them directly rather than through Canyon. Many families mix and match — for example, ELOP most days with a Parker-Anderson class on Tuesdays. If you're not sure which combination works for your family, or whether a child can move between programs on the same afternoon, the school office is happy to help: call 310.454.7510.

Full grade, schedule, cost and sign-up details for all four programs are always kept current on the After-School Programs page — that's the best place to check before you enroll.

Questions? Call 310.454.7510 or visit canyoncharter.com.

Attendance, Health & Everyday Policies

7/29/2026 9:53 am

A few everyday policies help keep every Canyon student safe, healthy, and in class as much as possible.

Attendance — aim for no more than 7 absences all year

At Canyon, we expect students to attend school every day unless they are ill. Please try to schedule vacations, doctor appointments, and other personal matters outside of school hours. Our instruction is meaningful and rigorous, and missed class time can impact a child both academically and emotionally — classroom learning cannot be fully replaced with make-up work.

• Aim for excellent attendance, but please keep your child home if they have a fever over 99 degrees or are otherwise unwell.
• If your child is absent, please provide a written note or email to the office upon their return.
• If possible, bring your child to school for a partial day rather than missing the whole day — a partial day does not count as a full-day absence.
• You can access the school calendar and link it to your personal device to help plan around school days.

Lunch Policy

Students should either bring lunch from home or order from the cafeteria. Please avoid sending lunch items late — per LAUSD policy, delivery orders for school lunches are not accepted. If a student forgets their lunch, the cafeteria will provide a free school lunch, so no one goes without.

Please make all after-school arrangements with your child before the school day begins. The office is not able to relay messages to classrooms except in emergencies.

Label, Label, Label!

Our Lost and Found fills up fast every year. Before school starts, take a few minutes to write your child's name on anything that might come off during the day — sweatshirts, jackets, hats — as well as on water bottles and lunch boxes. It's worth checking the Lost and Found each time you're on campus to see if anything of your child's has turned up.

Family Preparedness

For families who'd like to prepare ahead of time for any kind of family emergency, including immigration-related emergencies, LAUSD's We Are One Campaign offers a Family Preparedness Plan and a Know Your Rights flyer in multiple languages. You'll find both, along with our other compliance and family resources, on our Required Notices page.

Questions about any of these policies? Reach us at 310.454.7510 or visit canyoncharter.com.

Mark Your Calendar: Your First Weeks at Canyon

7/23/2026 1:26 pm

The first weeks of the school year are full of important dates. Here's what's coming up.

Upcoming Events

• New Family Orientation, Option 1 — Monday, August 10, 9:00 a.m. (Zoom). Attendance at one orientation option is required for all new families.
• Final Summer Meet-Up — Tuesday, August 11, 1:00–4:00 p.m. at Rustic Canyon Recreation Center.
• Class Placements — Tuesday, August 11, by 4:00 p.m. Teacher assignments will be available through the Parent Portal or Membership Toolkit. In alignment with LAUSD policy, families may not request specific teachers, and classroom-change requests won't be accommodated.
• First Day of School — Wednesday, August 12. Gates open 7:45 a.m., first bell 8:05, tardy bell 8:10. Dismissal is 1:40 for TK/Kindergarten and 1:45 for Grades 1–5.
• School-Wide Assembly — Friday, August 14, 8:15 a.m. All students and families are welcome.
• New Family Orientation, Option 2 — Friday, August 14, 8:45 a.m. (Auditorium).
• Student Opening Packets Due — Friday, August 28, 2026.
• No School — September 4, 7 & 21.

Once the year is underway, we hold monthly assemblies (typically the last Friday of the month) and monthly Committee, Local School Leadership, and Booster meetings — a standing invitation to stay involved all year.

The full calendar is always available at canyoncharter.com.

Whether it's meeting your child's teacher, connecting with other families, or just getting the dates on your calendar, we're here to help you start the year strong. Welcome to Canyon — we'll see you soon!

Questions? Call 310.454.7510 or visit canyoncharter.com.

Your Daily Canyon Guide: Bell Schedule, Drop-Off, Pick-Up & Traffic Duty

7/23/2026 1:25 pm

Here's your quick reference for the rhythms of a Canyon school day — bookmark this one!

Bell Schedule

• 7:45 — School gates open
• 8:05 — Line-Up Bell
• 8:10 — Tardy Bell
• 1:40 — T/Th TK & Kindergarten dismissal
• 1:45 — T/Th Grades 1–5 dismissal
• 2:45 — MWF TK & Kindergarten dismissal
• 2:50 — MWF Grades 1–5 dismissal
• 6:00 — ELOP & STAR close

First 8 days of school (8/12–8/21): Kindergarten dismisses at 1:40 every day, and families should pick up directly from your child's classroom rather than the carpool line (unless enrolled in Star or ELOP). The full Tuesday/Thursday vs. Monday/Wednesday/Friday schedule above — and the carpool line — both start on 8/24.

Drop-Off

• Kindergarten students start their day in the kindergarten yard. We'll allow parents/guardians in for the first few days; once settled, it's "kiss and drop" in the car or at the gate.
• Students in Grades 1–5 start their day on the main playground.
• Gates open at 7:45. Arrive early — the streets get congested starting around 7:55am.
• If you're walking your child in, park legally in the neighborhood and use crosswalks. Please don't park on the school side of Sage Lane, block driveways, park in red zones, or move neighbors' trash cans. Enter through the breezeway gate in the front parking lot or the gate at East Channel and Amalfi.
• Do not pull into, through, or park in the staff parking lots.

Pick-Up Locations

• Carpool: Students are walked to the East Channel/Amalfi gate. Keep your child's name on an 8½ x 11 sign in your car (included in the Opening Packet) — school staff use it to call your child out to you.
• Walkers: Pick up from the lunch area.
• ELOP: TK/Kindergarten and 1st grade students are escorted to the meeting location; Grades 2–5 walk to the meeting area by the hopscotch courts.
• STAR: Kindergarten and 1st grade students are escorted to the meeting location; Grades 2–5 walk to the Star Room (16).

Students and caregivers may not remain on campus after dismissal unless enrolled in Star or ELOP.

Traffic Expectations

To keep arrival and dismissal safe and smooth for everyone, these procedures must be followed at all times:

• Always drive clockwise around the school, entering on East Channel at Entrada.
• Remain in your car at all times while in the carpool lane — no exceptions, and no parking in the carpool lane.
• Students exit on the sidewalk side, near East Channel and Amalfi. Kindergarten students exit in front of the kindergarten building on East Channel.
• Always use crosswalks when crossing the street.
• Do not block driveways or park in red zones.
• Do not cut the carpool line.
• Be respectful and follow the directions of our traffic volunteers.

These procedures are in place to keep everyone safe, and to keep our neighbors happy. Your cooperation and respect for these expectations are essential for our community.

Family Traffic Duty

Getting every child to and from school safely takes all of us. Every family is asked to fulfill approximately 2–3 shifts of traffic duty during the school year — you'll receive a schedule with your assigned days and times.

If you can't make your assigned shift, please arrange a swap with another family. For the safety of our students and families, shifts should never go uncovered. Specific days and times are shared with you directly and posted in the Chronicle each week. Full shift details live on our Traffic Duty page.

Required Paperwork: Opening Packet, Emergency & Medical Forms

7/23/2026 1:24 pm

Every Canyon family has one big paperwork task each year: the Opening Packet. Here's what's inside, plus the medical and dietary forms that don't always make it onto the standard checklist.

The Opening Packet

This packet must be completed every year for every returning and new family. If you have more than one student attending Canyon, you only need to fill out one packet, with the exception of the LAUSD Student Emergency Information Form, which is needed for every individual student.

Due: Friday, August 28, 2026. We encourage you to complete it before August 12th if you can.

Access the full Canyon Yearly Opening Packet checklist and every form on our website.

Completed forms can be submitted:

• By email to LMC1807@lausd.net
• Returned to the main office, or dropped in the mail slot after hours
• Returned to your child's teacher

Medical & Medication Forms

If your child takes a prescription medication at school — daily or as-needed, like an inhaler — or needs an over-the-counter medicine such as Tylenol or Ibuprofen, we need a signed Medication Authorization Form on file before our school nurse can give your child anything. If there's more than one medication, please complete a separate form for each.

• Both the prescribing health care provider and the parent must sign and date every order — even for over-the-counter medicines like cough drops.
• Parents supply all medications, including over-the-counter ones. The health office doesn't stock any medication.
• Please contact our school nurse, Ms. Drumm, if your child has a medical condition we should know about, such as asthma, anaphylaxis, diabetes, or allergies.

If your child needs to avoid certain foods, please also complete a Special Diet Form. Contact Ms. Drumm for current copies of either form.

Getting these done early means one less thing on your plate once school starts. Thank you for helping us keep every Canyon student safe, healthy, and ready to learn. Questions? Reach us at 310.454.7510 or visit the Opening Packet page for direct links to every form.

Get Registered: Membership Toolkit, Parent Portal & Volunteer Sign-Ups

7/23/2026 1:23 pm

Staying in the loop at Canyon starts with a few key accounts. Here's everything you need to get registered — Membership Toolkit, the LAUSD Parent Portal, and (if you're volunteering this year) the LAUSD Volunteer Application.

Membership Toolkit Account

Canyon uses Membership Toolkit for our family directory and all school communications, so setting up (or updating) your account is how you'll receive everything from event reminders to important school news.

New families: you'll create a brand-new account.

Returning families: please confirm your account information and add any incoming siblings.

Once your account is approved, you'll have access to the directory and will receive all school communications. You can also download the Membership Toolkit app from the App Store or Google Play to access the directory, manage your family profile, and more from your phone.

How to set up your account:

1. Go to canyoncharter.com.
2. Click Register/Login and create an account.
3. Click Verify My Email — the verification link expires after 2 hours, so check your inbox promptly.
4. Log back in and finish the registration process.
5. Complete the Director Preferences section.
6. Once your primary account is set up (one account per family), you can invite other users to access the account.

A quick tip: set up just one primary account per family first, then invite grandparents, caregivers, or a second parent as additional users. If the verification email doesn't arrive, check your spam folder — and remember the link is only good for two hours.

LAUSD Parent Portal

This one's for new families who haven't already set up an account, or families with another child entering Canyon this year. PIN numbers for registration will be available after the school year starts. Once you're set up, the Parent Portal is also where you'll update emergency contact information and access Schoology, which teachers use to post assignments and grades.

Set up your account at the LAUSD Parent Portal.

Volunteering at Canyon

If you plan to volunteer this year — in the classroom, at events, or anywhere on campus — the LAUSD Volunteer Application must be completed annually for all volunteers, including returning volunteers. Last year's application is no longer valid.

1. Complete the application at volunteerapp.lausd.net, then submit it electronically and print a copy for the Canyon office.
2. All volunteers need a current negative TB test on file (valid for 4 years). If yours has expired, Region West is offering Volunteer TB Tests on Tuesday, August 25th from 5:00–6:30pm at Webster Middle School in Daniel's Den.
3. Print, sign, and deliver the completed application, volunteer commitment form, and TB test results to the school office, or email them to l.moreiravelado@lausd.net.

There's also a Booster Volunteer Interest Form if you'd like to share which committees you're interested in for the year — there's something for everyone, from a small task to running a school event.

Questions? Reach us at 310.454.7510 or visit canyoncharter.com.

Welcome Back to Canyon! A Message to Our Families

7/23/2026 1:22 pm

Welcome to a brand-new school year at Canyon Charter School! Whether you're returning to a place you already call home or joining our community for the very first time, we are so glad you are here. We're excited to welcome over 100 new students and families to Canyon this year!

A note from Principal Sheard:

"Welcome to a brand-new school year at Canyon Charter School! I am thrilled to begin my 13th year at Canyon and to welcome back our returning families while also extending a warm greeting to those joining our school community for the first time. We are so glad you are here!"

One more chance to connect this summer. Thank you to everyone who joined a Canyon Cricket Summer Meet-Up! If you haven't been able to make it yet, there's one final gathering on Tuesday, August 11, from 1:00–4:00 p.m. at Rustic Canyon Recreation Center. It's a great low-key way for new families to connect and for students to start building friendships before the first day.

Our vision. Canyon Charter School sees a world in which educational opportunity is maximized and no child is overlooked. To create this world, we seek ways to advance our curriculum and lead education toward an even more flexible and responsive approach to learning development.

That vision shows up in the small, everyday moments — a welcoming assembly, a teacher who knows your child by name, a community that looks out for one another. A strong partnership between home and school is one of the best things we can offer your child, and we'd love for you to stay connected however fits your family: volunteering, attending school events, or simply talking with your child's teacher.

Staying Connected All Year Long

To conserve paper and resources, Canyon communicates primarily through email, our website, and our weekly newsletter. Here's how to stay in the loop:

• Read The Chronicle, our weekly newsletter, delivered every Sunday at 5:00 p.m. It's the single best way to catch reminders, upcoming events, volunteer opportunities, and celebrations — we encourage every family to make it part of your weekly routine.
• For any concerns, please contact your child's teacher first.
• Join us at monthly assemblies, typically the last Friday of the month.
• Attend monthly Committee, Local School Leadership, and Booster meetings — there's a place for every family.
• Follow us on Instagram @CanyonCharterSchool and Facebook facebook.com/canyoncharter.
• Join the Canyon Google Group — not school-affiliated, but a great way to stay connected on all things Canyon.
• Link the school calendar to your personal device so key dates are always on hand.

Over the next few weeks, we'll be sharing everything you need to start the year smoothly: how to get registered, the paperwork to complete, our daily schedule and traffic duty, attendance and everyday policies, key dates, and after-school options.

Here's to a wonderful 2026–2027 school year. We can't wait to see you!

Learn more at canyoncharter.com or call 310.454.7510.

Canyon Summer Meet-Ups!

7/1/2026 11:33 am

We have a lot of new students joining us in the fall, and it would be great for them to meet some current students so that there are familiar faces on the first day of school. Please see the attached flyer and save the dates!

What a great way for new families to connect with returning families.

Canyon Charter School Is Accepting 1st, 2nd and 3rd Graders

7/1/2026 10:09 am

Campus Beautification Day Brings Community Together

1/25/2026 12:00 am

Thank you to all the staff members and families who participated in Canyon Beautification Day! The event brought the community together to spruce up the campus in meaningful ways. Volunteers accomplished an impressive amount in just one day!

Over the next few weeks, the community will see the progression of three new murals on the playground, created and painted by artist David of BumbleBee Loves You. Watch for these exciting additions to campus!