Dear YES Families,
We hope that you all had a nice Memorial Day weekend! Mother nature certainly provided us with a beautiful one. Can you believe that the school year is almost over? On that note, thank you for a wonderful year. It has been a pleasure to work with you and your students.
To our returning students and families, we are looking forward to another fantastic school year beginning in September. To our fifth-grade families and students, you will be missed! For those families whose youngest child is moving on from YES this year, please know how much we have appreciated your support and partnership. We look forward to following your children and their accomplishments as they move on to future grades and new opportunities.
This final newsletter of 2022-23 is filled with a lot of important information as we wind down this year while also planning for 2023-24.
YARMOUTH TOWN MEETING JUNE 6 & JUNE 13 REFERENDUM
As Dr. Dolloff shared previously, it is the time of year when the voters of Yarmouth determine if the budget will be approved. This is a two-step process. First, citizens can attend the Town Budget Meeting (June 6), where they will vote on a budget to be sent to referendum. Attendance at this meeting is critical for a budget to be approved that represents the wishes of the residents of the town.
Once a budget is set by the voters at the Town Budget Meeting, the budget is then sent to a referendum (June 13), where each voter will have the opportunity to cast a ballot regarding the proposed budget. Again, participation is critical in order for the schools to be funded as the taxpayers wish.
VOTER APPROVAL DATES
Tuesday, June 6 Town Meeting – 7:00 p.m. at YHS Auditorium
Tuesday, June 13 Budget Referendum – 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. at YHS Gym
YHS GRADUATION WALKTHROUGH- JUNE 1
On Thursday morning the Yarmouth High School Class of 2023 will hold their graduation rehearsal. That morning they will also incorporate a “walk through the schools” in their caps and gowns. Our students will fill the halls to cheer them on as they take a trip down memory lane. We look forward to congratulating them on this special time in their lives! Graduation for the Class of 2023 is on Sunday, June 3rd.
YES FIELD DAY, JUNE 9 (RAIN DATE OF JUNE 12):
YES Field Day will be held on Friday, June 9, with a rain date of Monday, June 12. All students will be provided with a t-shirt and a popsicle courtesy of the PTO. A huge thank you to the PTO and Ms. Pachuta for all their hard work to organize this fun event for our students!
YES FIELD DAY VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED! We need some parent volunteers to make this event happen! PLEASE SIGN UP HERE: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050d4dabac2ea64-yesfield1#/
*Please try to clear your schedule for the rain date as well when signing up to volunteer. Also, let us know if you have access to Spotify (or another music app with an age-appropriate playlist) in the comments section of your sign-up.Volunteer sign-up will be first come, first served and volunteers will be assigned randomly to activity stations. The PTO will notify volunteers of their station assignments the week before the event. Thanks so much for your help, we're so excited for this special day!
Please direct questions to yarmouthpto04096@gmail.com.
YES STEP UP DAY: JUNE 13
On Tuesday, June 13, we will have our annual "YES Step Up Day". From 9:30- 9:55 a.m., students entering grades 2, 3, 4, and 5 in 2023-24 will spend time with their future teachers and classmates. At 2:00 p.m. that afternoon our rising 6th graders will visit Harrison Middle School to meet their teachers. On that day all students will go home with information letters for families on their classroom placement for next year.
COMMUNITY MEETING: JUNE 14
Our final all-school student assembly will be that morning at 9:10 am At that meeting we will recognize our fifth graders as they will be moving onward and upward to Harrison Middle School next year.
LAST DAY OF SCHOOL: JUNE 15
Our last day of school is Thursday, June 15. Please remember that this is a half day of school for students. Classes will be dismissed beginning at 11:45 am and bagged lunches will be available.
REPORT CARDS & COGAT SCORES (GR. 3)
Classroom teachers will be sending home end-of-the-year report cards prior to the end of the school year. Also, grade 3 CoGAT scores will be mailed home on June 2 with an informational letter that helps to explain the results. Please note that the spring Maine Through Year Assessment taken by grades 3-5 will not have results available until the fall. The results will be sent to you at that time.
YES SUMMER READING AND MATH LETTERS
As summer approaches we are reminded that it is still important to keep our YES students engaged in some reading and math over the months that school is not in session.
In addition to the public library programming here are some other good tips to keep your children engaged in reading this summer. Please review the YES Summer Reading Letter from Sarah Perle, YES Literacy Lead Teacher.
For some strategies to keep students engaged in math this summer, you can find some resources here from Rachel Clark, YES Math Lead Teacher: YES Summer Math Letter.
MOVING FROM YARMOUTH?
Students who are moving out of Yarmouth will be provided with a fun activity during the step-up time. If you know that you will be moving out of the Yarmouth School District and your child will not be attending YES during the 2023-24 school year, please stop by the office or give us a call to share your plans so we can support their transition to a new school.
LOST & FOUND
One last call for the Lost & Found! There are still several items left and any unclaimed clothing will be donated at the end of the school year.
STAFF MOVING ON & NEW STAFF JOINING US
We want to take an opportunity to thank the members of our YES staff community who are moving on to new adventures:
- Sarah Dennison, Instructional Support Educational Technician
- Zachary Wheeler, Fifth Grade Teacher
And we want to recognize two distinguished members of our staff who are retiring from education at the end of this school year. Between them, they have served in Yarmouth schools for over sixty years. A HUGE thank you and congratulations to:
- Karen Rusinek, Special Education Teacher
- Elke Tate, Second Grade Teacher
We appreciate everything that each of you has done for the students at YES!
We are also pleased to share with you that we have hired the following staff for 2023-24:
- Audrey Smith, Fifth Grade Teacher
Mrs. Smith comes to us from Buxton Center School where she has been a fourth and fifth-grade looping teacher. She holds a degree in Elementary Education, a Master’s Degree in Literacy Education, and a Certificate of Advanced Study in Educational Leadership. Mrs. Smith will partner with Mrs. Conley in the fall and teach math, social studies and science on that teaching team.
- Kristina Pelletier, Special Education Teacher
Mrs. Pelletier is a familiar face to many of you with older children in Yarmouth. She has been a special education teacher at Harrison Middle School for the past fifteen years. She holds a degree in Special Education and a Master's Degree as a Reading Specialist for students with disabilities.
- Torrie Nightingale, Second Grade Teacher
Ms. Nightingale holds a degree in Elementary Education and a minor in Special Education. She has been a third-grade teacher at the Weatherbee School in Hampden, Maine. Ms. Nightingale has also earned a graduate certificate in Response to Intervention for Behavior and will receive her Master in Education degree in Curriculum, Assessment, and Instruction this May.
Mrs. Smith and Ms. Nightingale will be with us for Step Up Day to meet the students in their new classrooms.
HAVE A GREAT SUMMER!
We wish all students and families a safe and enjoyable summer, and we will see you back for "Meet and Greets" in August. Our first day of the 2023-24 school year will be on Tuesday, September 5. You can find the 2023-24 school calendar online at the district website. We will be in touch over the summer with Meet and Greet times and Open House dates. Between now and then we hope that you are able to enjoy all that a Maine summer has to offer. Thank you!
With appreciation,
Ryan Gleason, YES Principal & Molly Kilpatrick, YES Assistant Principal