October 16, 2020
Dear HMS Families,
Thank you for your ongoing communication about how the school year is going for your children. We appreciate hearing from you, and we will continue to update you on our efforts to meet our students’ needs.
Last Friday the HMS staff and educators district-wide attended two virtual professional development sessions integral to our students’ education, health, and well being. We worked with Dr. Joelle Hood for a second session on social/emotional learning (our first session with Dr. Hood was in August). This opportunity focused on explicit instruction, modeling, and brain-based learning. We also met with Liz Greason and Amanda Manning from Maine Intercultural Communication Consultants to continue our work on developing intercultural competence. This session provided us with a review of core intercultural concepts and a chance to reflect on our own intercultural learning throughout the past year. We appreciate these ongoing opportunities which support our work toward continuous improvement as a learning organization.
Thank you for taking some time to review the following updates, which we hope you find useful.
Best Wishes,
Joan Adler and Tom McDowell
HMS Administrative Team
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Library Fundraiser
We are pleased to share information about our upcoming library fundraiser! The incredibly generous folks at Royal River Books have agreed to open on Sundays during the month of November, and they will set aside (20%) of sales for Yarmouth schools. Each school will have a specific date:
Sunday 11/1 - Rowe Book Fair
Sunday 11/8 - YES Book Fair
Sunday 11/15 - HMS Book Fair
Sunday 11/22 - YHS Book Fair
-20% of all sales on those dates will go directly to the respective library
-The store will be open from 10-5
-Masks required
-Visits are limited to 30 minutes or less
-Limit of 10 customers in the store at a time
-Books, unique gifts (many made in Yarmouth), cards, calendars, puzzles, holiday items and more!
Thanks to HMS Librarian Brandie Burrows, our district librarians, and Royal River Books for creating this fun way to support our school library, our community of readers, and our local bookstore!
YEF Update
The Yarmouth Education Foundation is a nonprofit organization made up of parent volunteers. YEF funds innovative projects at all Yarmouth schools, impacting students and employees K-12. YEF is making a positive and immediate impact on students and staff during this extraordinary time. This month, YEF awarded two grants directly to HMS! Congratulations to our 6th grade students and their math teachers Zach Callahan, Jen Laberge, Ragan Bartlett, and Steph Robison on receiving the YEF grant for Moby Max! We are also excited for our 7th grade students and their science teachers Morgan Cuthbert, Tate Gale, Janice Medenica, and Michelle Raber on their YEF grant Microscopic Engineering for 7th Grade! THANK YOU, YEF!
Sixth Grade Mathematicians - TOGETHER!
Thank you to our 6th grade students and their teachers Zach Callahan, Steph Robison, Jen Laberge, and Ragan Bartlett for bringing their work as mathematicians TOGETHER in the fractal triangles project!
Mary Post - HMS Goodwill Ambassador
Mary is continuing her work to brighten up our school and spread creative and positive messages through seasonal decorations! Here are her latest efforts:
Thank you, Mary!
Appreciation to our Yarmouth School Nurses
The Yarmouth school nurse team of Kristina Truesdale, Jill Webber, Stacy Hang, and Alison Thomson held an outdoor flu clinic for students and their families on October 3rd in partnership with Northern Lights. This was a drive up clinic and the weather was perfect. 590 individuals were vaccinated in one morning at Rowe School! Thank you to our fabulous volunteers Daniela Pinto, Kim Tyau, Jennifer Charrette, and Sophie Herr - we couldn't have done it without them!
HMS Reminders
- Attending virtual sessions of chorus and band is mandatory for students taking these classes. Thank you for checking in with your children about this!
- Parents need to let the main office know if/when students are going to be dismissed from school so we can keep track of students who are in the building and students who have left school. Similarly, students need to check in with our school nurse, Kristina Truesdale, if they are not feeling well. She will call home if students need to leave school. Students should not leave school without Mrs. Truesdale and/or the main office knowing that they are headed out. Thanks very much for reviewing this with your children.
- Students’ cameras should be on when participating in distance learning in the hybrid or fully remote learning models.
PTO Boon Sale Reminder
A friendly reminder about the Boon Sale, which will end on October 28. You can give Boon products as holiday gifts or keep for yourself. All browsing and shopping is online this year. Direct delivery to you from Boon. Most importantly, 40% of your purchase goes directly to the PTO. Go to boonsupply.com/967907. You will see “Yarmouth K-8 PTO.” Click “Shop this Cause.” At checkout, you can leave “seller information” blank. Thank you for supporting the PTO!
Dates to Remember
- November 11 - NO SCHOOL - Veteran’s Day
- November 25 - November 27 - NO SCHOOL - Thanksgiving Break