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"It’s spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you’ve got it, you want — oh, you don’t quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!" ~Mark Twain, Tom Sawyer, Detective
Dear YES Families,
Mark Twain says it well as he describes the anticipation and joy of spring. Spring fever is definitely in the air at YES as our children have been energized by the longer days and (slightly) warmer weather. As we return from April vacation we have already seen this energy in action with more students riding their bicycles to school and beginning to engage in several after-school activities outside.
As you will see from the length of this newsletter, activity is always the theme at YES! It is hard to believe that we only have about seven weeks of school left this year, yet there are so many exciting learning experiences still to come for your children.
MAY DATES & EVENTS
Friday, May 3: Lunch Lady Superhero Day
Thank you to our kitchen staff for the amazing job they do each and every day. "Lunch Ladies" play a very important role in the lives of our children. They are the first line of offense in nourishing young bodies to prepare them to learn. A smile and words of encouragement go a long way when kids go through the lunch line. So the next time you’re at YES, stop by the cafeteria and say thank you to our Lunch Ladies. We will be celebrating them on May 3!
May 6-10: Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week
I hope that you will also take a moment to celebrate "Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week" with me! Our teachers and staff at YES provide so much to our students—inspiration, motivation and, ultimately, their futures. Our educators work impacts and extend far beyond the boundaries of the classroom.
From May 6-10 we would like to show our thanks and gratitude to our fantastic staff. I hope that you will take the time to show your appreciation this week with the educators who work with your child. Often a simple note of thanks means the world to them.
May 6-10: YES Kids Jump Rope for Heart Challenge!
During this week, Ms. Pachuta and Ms. Spellman will be co-facilitating our annual Yarmouth Jump Rope for Heart, sponsored by the American Heart Association. This will take place during students P.E. and guidance classes. Through Jump Rope For Heart, kids learn jump rope skills, how their heart works and raise money (optional) to help kids with special hearts. It is an opportunity to have fun, learn how to stay healthy and make a difference in the lives of others! Thank you to Ms. Pachuta and Ms. Spellman for leading our students in this challenge.
Wednesday, May 8: YES Bike To School Day
May is National Bike Month! National Bike to Work Week is May 6-10 and we are declaring May 8 as "YES Bike to School Day"! More details will follow as we approach this date next week. Thank you to Mr. Abbott for taking the lead on this fun event!
Thursday, May 16: Grade 4 Chorus, Band and Orff Ensemble Spring Performances 6:30 PM
I've been secretly listening to them practice and they sound so amazing! I look forward to you joining us for this celebration of learning, growth, and fun. Thank you to Mrs. Troy and Mr. Ciechomski for all their hard work in supporting our young singers and musicians on this year-long journey.
Friday, May 17: Community Meeting Encore Performance 8:55 AM
Our Grade 4 singers and musicians will hold an encore performance for the entire student body at our May community meeting.
Thursday, May 23: PTO Meeting - YES Library 7:00 PM
PTO News for May:
- Would you like to be more involved in the schools and help make decisions about enrichment funding? We would love to work with you and have the following open positions: Digital Co-Coordinator (board position); Rowe Support Rep; HMS Support Rep; Chairs to run Bike Swap, Craft Fair, Close Buy, School Directory, and HMS Welcome Committee. Please contact Christy at christinehayashida@hotmail.com if interested. Volunteer Survey: http://bit.ly/PTOVolunteerSurvey
- May Hannaford Loads are May 1 and 22 by noon. Please print the form if needed: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tRbwAQA8NLlMErHIQAMsDAdkMS7uO4zhiEtQb4A_UNY/edit
- At our annual Bike Swap, you can buy and sell gently used bikes, scooters, tag-a-longs, and jogging strollers. The PTO fairly prices and sells your items and receives 20% of all sales. Direct donations gladly accepted. We’d love your help, and volunteers get an early peek at the bikes they’re interested in! https://signup.com/go/HLQuzUv
- Drop off items to sell Friday, May 10, 4-7:30 pm at the YES gym.
- Buy items Saturday, May 11, 9-11 am at the YES gym.
- Help us celebrate our staff and teachers with our last Teacher Appreciation luncheon of the year on Wednesday, May 15!
- Grandparent’s & Special Friends Day is Friday, May 24! If you can provide a refreshment to keep our grandparents and friends going throughout the morning, we (and they) would appreciate it! https://signup.com/go/MREcRwY
- Silver Graphics products will be ready for pick up May 7 & 8, 3:30-6pm, YES library.
- Our Ice Cream Social is June 5, 6-7:30pm (5:30-6pm for incoming kindergartners). Flyers with a list of suggested items to help fill your child’s class raffle basket were sent home. Thank you if you can provide an item!
- Field Day is scheduled for June 14 (rain date-6/17). Volunteer info coming soon.
- The May PTO Meeting is rescheduled from May 16 to May 23 at 7pm in the YES library. Please join us if you can, as elections will be held for all board positions.
- Please contact Heather Meier and Christy Hayashida with any questions at christinehayashida@hotmail.com.
Friday, May 24: Grandparents/Special Friends Day 9:15-11:15 AM
At this annual YES event, Grandparents/Special Friends will attend classes with their grandchildren and have some light refreshments in the cafeteria before hearing a special music performance put on by Mrs. Troy and our students. In order to ease parking and traffic congestion, we are offering shuttle service from the Exit 15 Yarmouth Park & Ride. There is not enough parking to accommodate everyone at YES so we encourage families to take one of these shuttles that will leave the lot at 8:45 and 9:00 AM. Shuttles will return immediately after the music performance. We will be sending home an informational flier that highlights this information as we approach the day.
Monday, May 27: Memorial Day NO SCHOOL
For our band parents please remember that our students participate in the Yarmouth Memorial Day parade that morning!
Wednesday, May 29: 4th to 5th Step-Up Parent Night at Harrison Middle School 6:30 PM
4th to 5th Step-Up Parent Night is on Wednesday, May 29, from 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM in the HMS cafeteria. You will have an opportunity to learn about HMS, explore the hopes you have for your child during the middle school years, along with any concerns you have about 5th grade. You will be taken you on a tour of the school website, and the 5th grade team will share information about your child’s upcoming year, which will give you a glimpse into daily life at the middle school.
OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION
New YES School Librarian: Mrs. Mary Moreno
I am pleased to share with you that Mrs. Mary Moreno will be joining the YES team as our next Library/Media Specialist, replacing Betsy Clark who will be retiring at the end of this school year.
Mrs. Moreno has worked for the past five years at Village and Narragansett Elementary Schools in Gorham as a Library/Media Specialist and Technology Integrator. Prior to that, she worked at Baxter Library in Gorham.
Mary emerged as our top candidate in a very competitive pool of applicants. We were very impressed with her energy, knowledge, teaching style, philosophy, and rapport with students.
Welcome to YES Mrs. Moreno!
School Nurse Notes
Hello YES, families,
Spring has sprung! With warmer weather, I have noticed many bikes outside the building which is great to see. Please remind students about bike safety and to wear their bike helmets every day. For more information, please reference the YES school nurse blog HERE.
Now that the sun has made an appearance it is important to have sun safety on our minds. Students are outside about an hour every day. It is a good idea to apply some sunscreen daily. More, if there will be prolonged exposure to the sun. Send in a hat to wear outside.
I keep a supply of clothes in my office for students that need them for various reasons. My supply is dwindling, and I currently am in need of sm, med and large boys sweatpants and sm-med and large neutral colored girls leggings. If your child has outgrown some pants, before sending them to GoodWill, consider donating them to the YES nurse’s office. Thank you!
Alison Thomson, School Nurse
School Counselor Corner
I have written in a previous newsletter about our work with students on a growth mindset. I came across this article “Lighthouse Parenting: 5 Ways to Strike the Right Balance” that ties into this concept of having children learn from failures and enhancing independence.
You may have heard of helicopter and bulldozer parenting styles which does not allow failure and growth from failure, but rather “plows” obstacles away. The parenting style in this article is called Lighthouse parenting. Dr. Ginsberg summarize this style by saying, "We should be like lighthouses for our children. Stable beacons of light on the shoreline from which they can measure themselves against. Role models. We should look down at the rocks and make sure they do not crash against them. We should look into the water and prepare them to ride the waves, and we should trust in their capacity to learn to do so." Here is the link if you are interested in reading more. Lighthouse Parenting
Laura Spellman, School Counselor
Lost and Found Winter Gear: Last Call!
There are still several winter items left in the lost and found (see the picture below). If you are missing any items please stop by and pick them up over the next two weeks. On Friday, May 17, everything remaining in the lost and found will be donated to local charities.
Yarmouth Education Foundation News
Yarmouth Education Foundation is proud to announce it funded more than $14,000 in grants during the spring grant cycle! This brings the 2018-2019 total to more than $40,000 in grants impacting all four Yarmouth schools.
There are many ways for you to support YEF during the month of May!
Wednesday, 5/1: Join YEF at Brickyard Hollow on Wednesday, May 1, from 5-9PM. Brickyard Hollow on Main Street will donate 5% of sales that evening to YEF. Please note the date change of this event.
Sunday, 5/5: Join us at Royal River Books on Sunday, May 5, for YEF Sunday! The store is kindly opening just for us (10:00-5:00) and donating 20% of all sales to YEF. Plus, all customers will receive free gift wrapping and a free lip balm.
Tuesday, 5/28 Pizza night! Join YEF at Otto Pizza on Tuesday, May 28, from 5-9PM. Otto will donate 8% of sales to YEF that evening.
Shop Local and support Yarmouth schools! YEF looks forward to seeing you at these community events during the month of May. You can follow YEF on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for more information.
Yarmouth Colts Activity Night – Friday, May 3 grades 2, 3, 4, and 5 Friday, May 3rd is Activity Night @ HMS sponsored by the Colts U13 Girls Soccer teams. It is for students in grades 2 through 5. 6:00- 8:00pm @ HMS gym/cafe. Dodgeball, basketball, face painting, music, dancing, and a scavenger hunt. Pizza for sale $2, goodies $1. Cost for the evening is $10 per student/max $20 per family. Sign in and out is at the gym door entrance. Questions? email darcy.zurmuhlen@gmail.com or leeboone74@gmail.com.
Moth Busters News
A group of citizens in town have joined with Yarmouth Community Services to curb the impact of the Brown-tailed Moth in Yarmouth. Come join them to support YCS efforts to make our public spaces free of Browntail Moth!
Fundraiser at Gather Restaurant 189 Main Street, Yarmouth Wednesday, May 1, 2019 5:30PM-8: 30 PM
Amazing buffet, Silent Auctions, Raffles, Sponsorship opportunities, and more!$45.00 per ticket, $15.00 for kids under 10. Take out available. Tickets on sale at YCS www.yarmouthcommunityservices.com
Spring Transition Activities in June
During the month of June we will be wrapping up this year but also helping transition our students to the 2019-20 school year. Our fourth-grade students will be spending a "step up" day where they will visit HMS, meet the administration and staff, and learn about the fifth-grade year. The day of the event is being finalized, but parents will hear more about this at the May 29 parent meeting at HMS.
Additionally, we will be holding our annual"Step-Up Day" for all YES students. On Tuesday, June 18 students will get the opportunity to spend some time with their 2019-20 teacher. We feel that this is a wonderful opportunity for students to meet their teacher, learn who will be in their class next year and hopefully help with any anxiety that students may have about moving onward and upward. More details will follow in my June end of year newsletter.
Of course, I have not listed all of the field trips, learning celebrations and other wonderful classroom-based events occurring this spring but your teachers will be communicating all of this with you. I look forward to seeing many of you at these important events and celebrating all the growth your children have made as learners this year. Also, please remember that our annual YES Field Day is the afternoon of Friday, June 14 (rain date: Monday, June 17) and the last day of school is a half day on Wednesday, June 19.
Wow! That is everything to share for now. This has been another productive, positive and rewarding school year for our staff and students. I look forward to our last two months of school and, as always, appreciate your partnership in this process. Please let me know if you have any questions or if I can support your child's learning experience in any way.
Best Regards,
Ryan Gleason, YES Principal
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