YARMOUTH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

 

I can't believe that it is already October! Our first month of school has flown by but we are so pleased at how quickly students have settled into their classroom communities and are highly engaged in their learning. 

The procedures and daily activities of your child’s classroom should be familiar and comfortable to them by this time in the school year. If your child is still experiencing anxiety or any type of concerns, please contact your child’s teacher or Ms. Spellman, our school counselor. You are welcome to also include me on those types of communications. We will be happy to visit with you on the phone or to schedule a meeting to talk together regarding ideas to help your child or the situation.  Please don’t ever hesitate to contact us – we are here to help.

October is a very busy month so this newsletter is filled with information. Before we dive into the October calendar I would like to first share some of this important information with you, beginning with our first "Community Meeting" of the year celebration!

YES SEPTEMBER COMMUNITY MEETING & OCTOBER 7 : WEAR BLUE FOR ANTI-BULLYING!

On Friday, September 30 the entire school came together to celebrate our first school wide Community Meeting.  We celebrated the YES core values of RESPECT, CARING, FAIRNESS AND CITIZENSHIP. This year several of our fourth graders helped lead a "YES Core Values Jeopardy Game". Alex Trebek would have been impressed with this crew!

Students reviewed our school wide expectations and goals for the bus, bathroom, hallways, cafeteria and playground.  Students also got to see Steamer, our adopted school mascot, to celebrate our core values and kick off the start of the school year. Here is a quick SeeSaw video of Steamer's grand entrance! Steamer Grand Entrance 2019

The month of October is bullying awareness month. Our fourth graders won the Jeopardy game and asked all students to participate in a day to wear our Yarmouth colors to support anti-bullying in our school. Monday, October 7 is a worldwide day to wear blue to STOMP out bullying. This is a change from the day announced at our community meeting so please be aware of that! Here is a link for more information. https://www.stompoutbullying.org/campaigns/world-day-bullying-prevention/. Ms. Spellman does extensive work with our students in SEL this month on anti-bullying and how to be be a positive "upstander" at YES.

MEA & NWEA RESULTS

Students in all grades 3-8 and grade 11 take the Maine Educational Assessment in March every school year. We do not receive the results back from the state until the fall of the next school year. We will be sending the results from our current fourth graders (who took the MEA in March 2019) later this month. Harrison Middle School will be sending home the results from our current fifth graders.

Our students just completed the NWEA reading and math growth assessments last week. By mid-October we will mail home student results along with an explanation letter explaining how to interpret the results prior to conferences later this month. 

FALL CONFERENCING 

Speaking of conferences,  classroom teachers will be reaching out to you and setting up our fall parent- teacher conferences. This is an opportunity to get a face to face update as to how your child is progressing academically and as a member of the classroom and school community. It is also a time to learn how your child can specifically grow as a learner and understand ways that you can help support that process. As always, we appreciate your collaboration and partnership!

PHONE/PHONE WATCH & TEXT REMINDER

Just a reminder that all phones students come to school with need to packed away for the entire day. We have had a few students coming in with wearable watch phones that they can call on and receive calls and texts. Those also need to be inactive during the day. If students are wearing them as a watch that should be the only use for them. Thank you for your help and support with this.  

SCHOOL COUNSELOR CORNER

It has been a fantastic start to the school year. It is so great to see all our former students and get to know our second graders and new students to the district. In social/emotional learning (SEL) class we have been learning and relearning about whole body listening by reading stories, role-playing, making crafts, and playing communication games. Listening with our whole bodies is a concept that incorporates listening with our eyes, ears, mouth, hands, feet, body, brain and heart. We have reviewed what it means to listen with all of these parts as the concept of listening with our hands, for example, can seem a bit funny. Encourage your child to tell you what it means to listen with their whole body. Reinforce when they are and model this yourself. For more information on whole body listening click here 

Thanks!

Laura Spellman, School Counselor 

SCHOOL NURSE NEWS

With flu season approaching, Yarmouth Elementary School and Rowe School will be having an influenza vaccination clinic on October 9, 2019 during school hours. We will be partnering with Northern Light Visiting Nurses Association to provide our students this clinic.

Please read the attached Vaccine Information Sheets  and complete the attached Health Screening and Permission Form and return to the school no later than Friday, October 4, 2019. Please fill out the insurance information correctly. Children with incomplete forms will not receive the vaccine. 

For questions about the vaccine clinic at our school, please contact - Alison Thomson  (207) 846-3391 or email at alison_thomson@yarmouthschools.org

For more information about flu prevention, please read the YES School Nurse Blog.. Or, visit the CDC Webpage on Flu

FluMist Information Sheet   Flu Vaccine Information Sheet  Permission Form

Thank you,

Alison Thomson, RN BSN 

PTO NEWS & EVENTS

·        Hannaford Gift Card – Next load is October 9 by noon. Flyers will come home in your child’s folder or you can access one here, HGC flyer.

·        Boon Supply - Boon Supply is in place of our traditional Close Buy sale, which is not operational this year. We hope you’ll find Boon products perfect to give as gifts or keep for yourself. Delivery will be in time for the holidays, and 40% of your purchase goes directly to Yarmouth K-8 PTO! Info coming home soon. Sale is officially Oct 2-23, but you can order online now by pastingboonsupply.com/967907 into your browser.  

·        Staff Appreciation – Help us celebrate our teachers and staff! On October 23, we will provide teachers with a delicious luncheon to say thank you! Sign ups below:

• Rowe: https://signup.com/go/sUgSAua
• YES: https://signup.com/go/KLqnWYH
• HMS: https://signup.com/go/LzWbnVN

·        Make-It Take-It Craft Fair – We are looking for volunteers to help with our annual Make-It Take-It Craft Fair, Sunday, November 17, 11am - 2pm. You can sign up to provide snacks/baked goods. Or sign up to help at the craft fair (help children with their crafts, supply your own craft idea, set up, clean up). High schoolers can earn community service hours!

·        Box Tops – Our next submission is Nov 1; please send in your box tops by Fri, Oct 25. YES & Rowe students-send in your child’s folder. HMS students-send to school office. Box Tops is going digital, but it’s easy even for the tech-challenged!

·        Online Welcome Packet – This comprehensive live document compiled by our Welcome Committee has info about local and state events, attractions, resources, and much more:bit.ly/PTOWelcomePacket

·        Getting Involved – Please fill out our 2-minute volunteer survey if you’re curious about what we do and how to help. If you’d rather help with funding, you can write a check to Yarmouth K-8 PTO and send to PO Box 262 in Yarmouth or visit our website and click “Donate Now.”

·        Questions or Comments? Please contact Jessica Raimy and Christy Hayashida at yarmouthpto04096@gmail.com.

YEF NEWS

Blue Jean Ball tickets are now on sale! Please join us for the Yarmouth Education Foundation’s largest fundraiser of the year. The 9th Annual BJB will be held on Saturday, October 19. It will be at AMVETS on North Road from 6:30-10:30PM. 

Enjoy food from Binga’s Wingas. Dance to the music of Yarmouth bands, The Loose Threads and Fight at the Family Picnic. No silent auction this year, and we can’t wait to show off our incredible raffle prizes instead.

Join us for a fun night out celebrating our great schools! Tickets are $50 per person or join our 2019 Host Committee. 

Tickets and more information are available on the YEF website: yarmoutheducationfoundation.org

If you have questions, please email us at info@yarmoutheducationfoundation.org

LITERACY GALA AT HMS ON NOVEMBER 7

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Announcing our SECOND Annual HMS Literary Gala!  This will be a BIG, one-evening literary event which will include a book fair (powered by Royal River Books), a literary-themed Silent Auction, a Honeydukes stand (from Harry Potter), live portraits by Charlotte Agell, and more!  So SAVE THE DATE: Thursday, Nov. 7th, from 5:00 - 7:00 pm at the HMS Library and the HMS Cafeteria!  See the poster (below) for more details.  You may also wish to check out this web page on the HMS Library Web Site:  https://www.hmslibrary.org/hms-reads-literary-galaThis event is being held to CELEBRATE and SUPPORT reading at Harrison Middle School!

Please contact me if you have questions or wish to donate an item to the Silent Auction.

Best regards, Merry Stuhr, HMS Librarian merry_stuhr@yarmouthschools.org 207-846-2499

MERRILL MEMORIAL LIBRARY OCTOBER NEWS

This month at Merrill Memorial Library:

• New season of Minecraft Club for students in Grades 2-4 will begin on Tuesday, October 29. The Club will meet from 3:45-4:45 at the Library. Participants will be selected by lottery. If your child is interested in participating, please fill in this form by Tuesday, October 22. Those selected will be notified on Wednesday, October 23. 
• Visit our new MML-Kids Facebook page for information about programs along with book recommendations and reviews. Follow this link and then like us: https://www.facebook.com/merrillmemorialkids/
• You can also sign up for our e-newsletter for info about both children and adult programs, visit www.yarmouthlibrary.org, scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the Subscribe button.
• There will be a daytime Monster Mash Story Time for children ages birth to 4 on Thursday, October 31 at 11:15 AM. Children are welcome to come in costume, hear a story, trick-or-treat in the library, and do a Halloween-themed craft. 
• Read to a Dog! Every Friday, MML has a friendly, lovable dog in the library waiting to be read to. Sign up is required and there are 15 minute spots from 3:45-4:30. Sign up at the circulation desk or call 846-4763.  
• Saturday, October 26, 10:30-11:30, Origami with August. Drop in and learn some Halloween-themed folds. 

UPCOMING EVENTS/DATES TO REMEMBER

As I shared, October is a busy time at YES and this year is no exception.  Here are some other important dates/events to be aware of this month:

Wednesday, October 2: YES Walking School Bus  7:55 a.m. Royal River Park

October 2 is International Walk to School Day, and to celebrate at YES we will be having a Walking School Bus. We will assemble at Royal River Park (the parking lot near the Historical Society) at 7:55 to depart at 8:00. We will walk on the sidewalks up Elm Street to the intersection with Main Street, cross over Main Street, and continue up West Elm to the walker's path.

Please feel free to join up with us anywhere along the route!

The weather forecast for this day currently calls for morning showers. If your child does participate they should come prepared for some potential wet weather. Rain gear and umbrellas would be a good plan just in case those showers do come down during the walk to school!

Parents and siblings are encouraged to attend. Please ensure that your child has plans to get home independently (there will be no Walking Bus in the afternoon).

We look forward to seeing you!

Friday, October 4: Fire Safety Awareness: Yarmouth Fire Department Visit

The Yarmouth Fire Department will visit all grades during lunchtimes to celebrate Fire Safety Awareness Month. They will be sharing fire prevention tips and challenging the principal to timed fire gear dress up competitions!

Monday, October 7: Worldwide Day to Wear Blue and STOMP OUT Bullying

Wednesday, October 9:  YES Free All Day Flu Clinic

Again, this is offered to for students and staff and no cost.

Friday, October 11:  NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS  - STAFF INSERVICE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DAY

We will be spending the day with the entire K-12 staff, along with some focused K-4 staff time, with the Maine Intercultural Comunications Consultants https://www.maineintercultural.com/. Our district work to grow in our intercultural competency knowledge and skills will be the focus of this day.

Monday, October 14:  NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS- INDIGENOUS PEOPLES DAY

Thursday, October 17: PTO Meeting 4- 5 p.m. YES Library

Saturday, October 19: Yarmouth Education Foundation Blue Jean Ball 

Monday, October 22: Friday October 26:  Annual Book Fair YES Library 

The annual YES Book Fair is coming up! This fall's theme is "Arctic Adventure - Snow Much to Read!" All classes will be scheduled to come in twice during the first four days for viewing and/or making purchases.  Ms. Moreno will be getting the detailed schedule out prior to that week, but please note that regular Library classes will NOT be held during that week. The library will still be circulating books, but on a more limited basis.

Parents and other community members are invited to come in anytime during the school day as well as Tuesday and Wednesday afterschool/evenings, as the fair will be open straight through until 7:00 pm on those days. The fair is also open to parents and community members on Friday morning from 9:30 - noon. 

More information, including online shopping and volunteer sign up, can be found at our fair  website:  https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bf/yarmouthelementaryschool1

See you at the fair!

Thursday, October 31: HALLOWEEN

I hope that you are able to enjoy all the fall activity and fun with your families.  Happy October!

Warm Regards,

Ryan Gleason, YES Principal