Dear YES Families, 

Happy New Year! We hope that you have had an enjoyable, restful, and healthy holiday vacation. We look forward to our first day back in school together on Tuesday, January 3. 

CAR TAG REMINDER- IMPORTANT

Many of our families are remembering to post their car tags or displaying the Pik My Kid app at pick-up time. We really appreciate your attention to this. 

However, as we have communicated in past newsletters, there is an increasing number of car pick-ups who are not displaying their car tags. It is true that we build relationships with parents and know who you are, but there are times when staff do not always know and cannot verify this. Although children identify vehicles and parents, we as the caretaking adults need to verify this information. In short, after many reminders, we have to tighten this up. 

For the next two school weeks beginning on January 3rd, if a pick-up vehicle does not have a car tag or the app prominently displayed in the vehicle the staff on duty will speak to you and give you a reminder. This will happen every time we do not see this verification. 

Beginning on January 17 if you do not have the verification displayed we will ask you to show your identification, even if the staff member there knows you. We have to implement practices that are systemic to support safety. If you need another car tag please contact the main office and we will send it home with your child. Thank you for your cooperation, understanding, and support of this goal. 

WINTER WEATHER REMINDER

We are well into winter weather at this time of the school year, despite the recent warm-up and mild forecast for the coming week. Rest assured that it will return! Please make sure that your students are coming to school with the proper winter gear. At a minimum, winter jackets, hats, gloves, and boots are necessary each day this time of year. As the snow piles up, students will need snow pants to play in the snowy areas of the playground as well. Here are some reminders of our playground winter procedures:

  • We will NOT go outside if the temperature on our website is 5 degrees or below. There are a number of sites to check for temperature, but for consistency, we will use the one on our YES website. Wind chill plays into this but fluctuates within seconds. The effect of a consistent wind chill combined with a temperature of 5 or below, may cause us to stay inside.
  • Students need to have a winter jacket on and their legs covered (no shorts) if the temperature is below 40 degrees. 
  • Students who want to play on the snow banks on the playground must wear boots and snow pants.
  • Students who want to play in the wood chip area when it is covered with snow must wear boots. 
  • Students who want to roll, crawl around, etc. in the wood chip area, must wear boots and snow pants. Put a simpler way, if students are going to get wet in the snow, they need boots and snow pants! 

Thank you for your help in reinforcing these expectations at home with your children so we can keep them healthy this winter. 

CONFERENCES, REPORT CARDS & MAP ASSESSMENTS: JANUARY- MARCH

From mid-January to March is the winter parent-teacher conference window. During this time classroom teachers will be setting up mid-year parent-teacher conferences. If your parent-teacher conference is before the February vacation, your child's teacher will be sharing copies of their report card with you then. If your conference is after the break the report card will be sent home to you the week of February 13. 

Yarmouth Elementary School reports out on learning standards twice a year, once at mid-year and again at the end of the school year.  Report cards are an "invitation to a conversation" and this will be a nice opportunity to celebrate your child's growth while also hearing about their next steps to keep growing as a learner. 

We also have the upcoming winter administration of the NWEA MPG/MAP reading and math assessments. The schedule is as follows:

Grade 4 & 5 Reading and Math: 1/18 and 1/24.

Grades 2 & 3 Reading and Math: 1/19 and 1/25. 

As you know, this assessment helps to inform our instructional practices in supporting learning growth. Once testing is completed these results will be mailed home to you.  

PTO NEWS

MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. DAY: MONDAY, JANUARY 16, 2023: NO SCHOOL

On the third Monday of every January, we observe Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. This is a day for the nation to reflect upon the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a minister, civil rights activist, and nonviolent leader. Dr. King was considered the most influential leader in the Civil Rights movement, which aimed to end systematic racial segregation and discrimination. 

Dr. King (often referred to as MLK) played a key role in creating the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. He received many awards and honors – most notably the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. Despite his early passing, Dr. King had an enormous, lasting influence on the Civil Rights movement and continues to be remembered as one of the most influential nonviolent leaders in world history. We will have no school on Monday, January 16 to honor the work of Dr. King.  

WORLD OF CHANGE

In a speech, Dr. King once said "Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'". As someone who committed his life to the service of others, we will be following his inspiration at YES during the next seven weeks. Beginning in January we will be participating in a school-wide fundraiser working with the Maine-based “World of Change”. World of Change® is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) charitable organization. They work with schools and children to collect change and target it for local organizations that support people in need. 

In just 5 years, World of Change “change makers” have gathered millions of coins for more than 180 nonprofit programs worldwide. There are six chosen focus areas (education, housing, food, health, animals & nature, and play), and students get to choose where the change goes. The organization provides each student with a change pouch and some “seed change” so everyone has a chance to participate. 

There will be a World of Change kiosk in the lobby where change makers can deposit their donations each day during the fundraiser. In February we will celebrate the total amount raised and learn specifically how we have made a difference for others in Maine. This opportunity to live our YES core values of caring and citizenship is one that we are very excited about. This will be introduced to students when they return to school this week. 

As we begin 2023, we have a great deal to look forward to as a school community. Thank you all for your continued collaboration and support.

Best,

Ryan Gleason, YES Principal & Molly Kilpatrick, YES Assistant Principal