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Dear YES Families,
As we begin these last four months of the school year I want to thank you for your participation in parent-teacher conferences. Many conferences have already been held with several more scheduled for this month. My hope is that this is an opportunity for you to celebrate your child's progress and learn more about their next steps in growing as learners. Please know that your partnership, feedback and support continues to be valued and greatly appreciated by our staff.
I also want to thank you again for your patience, flexibility and support as we begin the construction process. As we work through the challenges of traffic flow everyone has been positive and helpful. Please know how much that is appreciated as we continue to work on procedures that are safe and efficient for everyone.
This month of March includes our Gr. 3 and 4 students taking the MEA assessment. We look forward to some wonderful learning experiences for our students beginning with a special reading event to ring in March!
MARCH DATES/EVENTS TO REMEMBER
FRIDAY, MARCH 6: READ ACROSS AMERICA DAY
Read Across America Day, coming up this Friday, on March 6, is an opportunity for you to take time to promote the love of reading. It is not intended to focus strictly on Dr. Seuss books, but was chosen to be held on his birthday in honor of the great contribution he made to the World of Reading and children's books. Here at YES we will be starting the day with a whole-school Community meeting to celebrate the importance of books and reading. The color theme for the day will be BLACK, WHITE, and RED (Cat in the Hat!) ... so students and staff are encouraged to try to wear those colors.
SUNDAY, MARCH 8: DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME
We look forward to the time when our days start getting longer. Don't forget to set the clocks one hour ahead!
MARCH 16- MARCH 20: YES SPIRIT WEEK!
Our annual "YES Spirit Week" has been a nice way for students to have some fun during these last days of winter. This year will once again feature fun spirit week dress up days:
- Monday, March 16: Clipper Day (wear your Yarmouth gear and/or the colors blue/
- Tuesday, March 17: Favorite Color Day (wear your favorite color- green for St. Patrick's Day is an option!)
- Wednesday, March 18: Wacky Wednesday (crazy hair and clothes)
- Thursday, March 19: Hat Day
- Friday, March 20: Pajama Day
YARMOUTH'S GOT TALENT 2020
The tenth annual Yarmouth's Got Talent competition is coming up!
All talent is welcome to audition – music, dance, arts, magic, comedy…or any creative endeavor that will win over the audience!
Auditions will be after school on Monday, March 23.
- K-4 Entry Forms due by Monday, March 16
- 5-12 Entry Forms due by Thursday, March 19
This year's show is on Friday, March 27. (Snow date is 3/28)
Cash prizes for first and second place in each age group are based on audience vote. Official rules and entry forms can be found at Yarmouth'sGotTalent.org!
Thank you so much for your ongoing support of Music Boosters!
MEA TESTING: MARCH 24, 25, 26, 31; APRIL 1
The Maine Comprehensive Assessment System provides information about the academic progress of students, schools, and the state as a whole. This system includes state assessments, known as the Maine Educational Assessments (MEA), that measure the progress of Maine's students toward the content standards adopted for them by the state.
State and federal laws require that all students participate in assessments in designated content areas at designated grades. In conjunction with local and teacher-developed assessments, these assessments can help educators, parents, and educational leaders to understand how well Maine's schools are educating, how well Maine's students are learning, and where additional support may be needed.
All of our third and fourth grade students will be taking the reading, math and writing/language assessments over the course of five mornings in March and April. We have scheduled our students to take these assessments on 3/24, 3/25, 3/26, 3/31 and 4/1. We appreciate your help in making sure that your children are here in school on these days and well rested to take these important assessments.
PTO NEWS
Hannaford: Next load is Mar 18, 12pm. Reloading an existing card? Write the card’s last 6 digits on the check memo line; no need to send in the card or form. Thank you!
Rowe & YES Bee House Building: Come learn about bees and help support local bee populations by building bee houses! We can donate them to the Maine Audubon Society, or your student can take them home for their own yard. The Rowe & YES event is Saturday, March 21, 10 am at Yarmouth Community House (179 E Main St, Yarmouth). Not a drop off event.
YES & HMS Food Pantry Collection: Collection bins will be placed at the entrances of YES and HMS to collect non-perishable foods from March 2-16. These will go to Wayside Food Programs in Portland, which partners with the Yarmouth Food Pantry and has many programs to assist the surrounding areas. Students or parents can drop items in the bins at the schools. Most needed items: peanut butter, rice, canned tuna, tomato sauce, soup, canned veggies & beans, granola & cereal bars, cereal, mac & cheese, canned fruit with low/no sugar, kid’s healthy snacks. Paper bags with this list attached will be sent home with YES students and provided in the HMS office.
YES Family Movie Night: YES families are invited to watch The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part in the HMS cafeteria March 6. Doors open at 5:30 pm; show starts at 5:45 pm. Movie is no charge; pizza and snacks for purchase. Please bring a water bottle and blanket. We will be collecting donations for the food pantry if students would like to bring an item. This is not a drop-off event. If you’d like to have pizza at the movie, please place your order on the flyer that will be sent home with your student.
Open PTO Positions: We are looking for a third person who has organizational/ project management skills to help run YES’s Field Day! Field Day occurs at the very end of the school year. We are also in need of a second Book Sale Chair for the Ice Cream Social. This year, we will hold an ice cream social at both YES and Rowe, which will take place May 28 and June 3 respectively. If you’re interested or have questions, please email Christy at yarmouthpto04096@gmail.com.
YES Family Bowling & Laser Tag: YES families are invited for an evening of bowling and laser tag on Friday, March 27, 6pm at Spare Time, 867 Riverside St., Portland. Two hours of bowling and a fifteen minute round of laser tag for $15 per person. Bowling shoes included. Not a drop-off event. Full menu to purchase food. Please RSVP to Melissa at m_neish@yahoo.com, as there is limited space. A flyer will come home the week of 3/9 with an RSVP deadline. Hope to see you there!
Brickyard Hollow Dining for Dollars: Have a cook-free April Fool’s Day by dining in (or taking out) at Brickyard Hollow on Wednesday. April 1, 5-9 pm. The PTO will receive a portion of all sales.
Bike Swap Save the Date: As you are cleaning out your garage, remember to hold on to those extra bikes and wheeled items for the upcoming Bike Swap on May 1 (drop off your bike) and May 2 (buy a bike)!
PTO Meeting: Please join us for our next meeting in the YES library on Mar 19, 7-8 pm.
List of PTO Enrichments: Thank you parents and guardians for supporting our schools’ enrichments. Please contact Jessica Raimy and Christy Hayashida for any reason at yarmouthpto04096@gmail.com. We check email daily.
MERRILL MEMORIAL LIBRARY NEWS
Here are the MML March Events for K-2 and 3-4:
Wild Ideas, Wednesdays, March 4, 11, 18, 25, and April 1 from 3:45-4:30 for grades K-2: Discuss environmental awareness while crafting. Registration required. Email Mary at mrandall@yarmouthlibrary.org or call the circulation desk at 846-4763 to sign up your child.
Ukulele Jam, Saturday, March 7, 10:30-11:30: Bring your uke and jam to some tunes with us, or borrow a uke on loan from 317 Main to try it out. All Ages, no registration required. Cider and cookies will be served.
Got Science?, Mondays, March 9, 16, 23, 30, 3:45-4:45: Come learn about and build circuit boards with our Makey Makeys. Grades 3-8. Sign up required, email Jill at joconnor@yarmouthlibrary.org or call the circulation desk at 846-4763.
Little Roots Music Program, Saturday, March 21, Songs about Spring, AND Saturday, March 28, Songs about Vehicles, 10:30-11:15, Ages 2-5. No registration required.
Tale Waggin' Tales, Fridays, 3:45-4:45, sign up for a 15-minute spot to read to one of our cuddly therapy dogs. Stop by the circulation desk or call 846-4763 to learn about availability and schedule a spot.
Minecraft, Final Spring Session. For those already in or who are interested in Minecraft at the Library, our final session for Grades 2-4 will run from April 7-May 26. This will be the final lottery of the year and will have no lag time between sessions if you sign up your player and get into the Club. Due date to sign up for the lottery is Tuesday, March 31 with notification on Wednesday, April 1 and then the sessions will pick up on April 7. Sign up here.
YARMOUTH YOUTH FOOTBALL CLINICS
Saturdays in March Football Fun!
Join Yarmouth High School Coach, Jim Hartman and his staff and Middle School Coach, Rick Tillotson, for football fun for all ages. This is a non-contact tackle football clinic, with a focus on fundamentals, agility and speed.
Thinking football might be fun ? You’re right! Whether you are getting psyched up for the season or just want to learn technique and enjoy football in March, this clinic is for you!
Saturdays in March starting 3/7 – $50 covers all session and includes a t-shirt
- Grades 1st through 5th runs from 9:30 to 10:30
- Grades 6th through 8th runs from 10:30 to 12:00
LOCATIONS:
- March 7th, 21st and 28th – HMS Gym
- March 14th – YHS Gym
Please join Coach Hartman to talk about MS football on March 7, directly following the MS session.
For questions and to register and order your players t-shirt, please email:
Kmcbarst@yahoo.com or 207-208-0482
SAVE THE DATES!
- Yarmouth Football Information and Registration Night - April 5th
- Learn more about football in Yarmouth and register for the upcoming season.
- Coach Hartman and Coach Tillotson's summer football camp.
- Non-contact camp running June 29th through 7/2. Sign up with YCS!
- FMI - Yarmouthfootball.org
YES IMPORTANT FUTURE DATE
FRIDAY, MAY 22: GRANDPARENTS/SPECIAL FAMILY FRIENDS DAY
Our Grandparents/Special Family Friends Day is held every year on the Friday of Memorial Day weekend. More details will come as we approach the date but please note this day for your planning and communication to all those grandparents and family friends who will be attending!
As always, please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions, concerns or feedback you would like to share. Thanks for all that you do!
Respectfully,
Ryan Gleason, YES Principal