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I hope that everyone has a relaxing and safe Thanksgiving holiday. Despite all of the challenges that 2020 has presented there is a lot for us to celebrate. Thank you for your continued support of Yarmouth Elementary School and the work we do together in helping our children become successful learners and citizens.
When we return from Thanksgiving break there will be just three weeks before our longer December holiday break.The time between Thanksgiving and the holiday break passes by quickly and I’m sure this year will be no exception. As we begin December here are several informational updates for you to be aware of:
CDC HOLIDAY TRAVEL REMINDER
As Dr. Dolloff shared with you earlier this month, the CDC has updated their travel guidance and restrictions for the upcoming holidays. Please see the following link for travel advice and this important information in more detail.
PICTURE RETAKES - DECEMBER 2 BY APPOINTMENT- ROWE SCHOOL
You received an email from Mrs. Bianchini with information on how to sign up for picture make ups with Geskus. Remember that these are held on the upcoming Wednesday, December 2 all remote day at Rowe School by appointment only.
IPAD CLEANING
As we head into the Thanksgiving holiday, please take a few minutes to look over your child's school-issued iPad for any physical problems. Most iPads will be getting at least a little, if not a lot, dirty by now. Please follow these directions so that your child's school-issued iPad looks fresh and clean after the Thanksgiving break.
SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION/MOVING UPDATE
The construction of the new addition continues to move along and on time as expected. As you can see from a distance the exterior walls are a main area of focus right now. The construction crew is tightening up the outside to spend most of their winter working on the interior of the addition.
We do have an adjustment to the moving schedule. The modular classrooms that are being moved from the Rowe School and HMS will not be assembled and ready for occupancy at YES until the end of January/beginning of February.
December 2020 This change does impact when specific rooms will be moving. There will be an initial move of the main office area over the December break. Renovations will begin on that space at the beginning of January. As a result, the old main entrance will not be accessible for the rest of this school year. 4th graders will now enter/exit through the side door by the gym. We will be reviewing these changes with students prior to the holiday break.
For the remainder of this school year, the main office will be located off of the music room. The main/office entrance to the school will be located by the car drop-off/pick-up loop. It will be the door on the left as you face the building. If you need to connect with the office in person, there will be a well-marked system located there for you to communicate with Mrs. Bianchini and Mrs. Carter.
Mrs. Thomson’s office will be located on the opposite side of the music room, next to the current isolation space. My office will be located in the grade two wing. This will all be in place when students return from vacation.
January 2021 As noted, at the end of January the modulars will be in place. There will be three modular units that house two classrooms each. All six of our 4th-grade classrooms will move into these spaces. There will be a bathroom unit attached to the modulars that has individual bathroom stalls for the students. All classrooms will have handwashing stations.
Additionally, the RTI Learning Center staff will be housed in two office modular buildings next to the 4th-grade modular classrooms. These staff and students will be in these spaces for the remainder of the school year. As we get closer to moving time I will update you with more specific information on the dates and days that this will occur.
COMPUTER SCIENCE EDUCATION WEEK AND THE "HOUR OF CODE"
The Hour of Code started as a one-hour introduction to computer science, designed to demystify "code", to show that anybody can learn the basics, and to broaden participation in the field of computer science. It has since become a worldwide effort to celebrate computer science, starting with 1-hour coding activities but expanding to all sorts of community efforts. Check out the tutorials and activities. This grassroots campaign is supported by over 400 partners and 200,000 educators worldwide. The Hour of Code takes place each year during Computer Science Education Week. The Computer Science Education Week will be December 7-13 at YES. Mr. Abbott and Mrs. Moreno engage our students in coding throughout the year, but this week they will also be supporting classroom teachers as we take on this challenge once again!
WINTER WEATHER/LOST AND FOUND
We have experienced a few weather fluctuations lately but winter weather will soon be here to stay! Please be sure that your child leaves in the morning dressed for the weather conditions. Dressing in layers is always a good idea. Boots, gloves, hats and snow pants should become part of their standard attire when the snowflakes begin to fall. Students will be allowed to play in the snow if dressed properly. It is also important to label your child’s clothing and boots. We have several items (including winter coats) that are piling up in the lost and found area outside the lobby. We will be making a donation of any unclaimed items on December 22. If your child is missing any items please make sure that they check the lost and found before that date.
SCHOOL COUNSELOR NEWS
In SEL we just completed our anti-bullying unit. The students learned skills to stop bullying. They learned how to recognize what bullying is, report bullying to a caring adult and refuse to let bullying happen. They learned how to be an upstander and support someone being bullied by standing up for the person and being kind and inclusive. They also created some posters with powerful anti-bullying messages that are proudly displayed throughout the school!
As always, if you have any questions please email me at laura_spellman@yarmouthschools.org or call me at 846-3391.
Laura Spellman
YARMOUTH EDUCATION FOUNDATION NEWS
Are you searching for a holiday gift for a Yarmouth educator? Yarmouth Education Foundation Clipper Honors is back! This December, YEF is partnering with Clayton’s Cafe. Donate $25 or more to YEF in honor of an educator, and your honoree will receive a certificate of appreciation, a note from your family, and a gift card to Clayton’s! It’s simple. Place your order online (yarmoutheducationfoundation.org) by 12/14/20, and YEF volunteers will take care of the rest. Educators will receive their gift from your family before winter break. It is a thoughtful way to honor our amazing teachers, administrators, support staff, bus drivers, and more. Thank you!
PTO NEWS
Hannaford Gift Cards – Next load is Tuesday, Dec 8 by 12 pm. Forms will be sent home.
Giving Tuesday is an international day of charitable giving at the beginning of the holiday season. If you’d like to consider the PTO with a charitable gift this year, you can donate at https://givebutter.com/ACXAzD or send a check to Yarmouth K-8 PTO at P.O. Box 262, Yarmouth. We understand that those who are able to give may have many organizations they’d like to help this season. We truly appreciate any support our parents give through their time, interest, or donations - any day of the week!
Parent Ed Event – On Jan 26, 6:30-8pm, we will hold a virtual parent education night with Anne Marie Read, a parenting education instructor from Washington state who works extensively with families on a range of parenting topics. We invite you to share the topics you’re most interested in learning about for this event. Using your input, we will determine the subject matter of the event and share it with you next month. You can select from a list of suggested topics or write in your own ideas here.
Make It Take It Craft Fair – Since we can’t gather this year, we compiled a few gift ideas that students can make for family and friends. We hope your children enjoy making these simple crafts for the holidays: Make-It Take-It - At Home: Craft Ideas.
School Directory – We will let you know as soon as our online PTO School Directory is ready to use. We are waiting to receive contact information of opt-in families (those who agree to share their info with the PTO). Families who do not opt-in will not be in the directory. Digital forms that will allow you to opt in if you wish to do so will be coming to you from administration. This year, we will again provide both an online (no charge) and printed directory ($6-$7 depending on number of orders). We’ll keep you posted on next steps to take once we receive family data.
PTO Meeting – Please feel free to join us at our next meeting on Thursday, Dec 10 at 4 pm. A virtual meeting link will be on our Facebook page and website closer to the date.
Questions about any of the above can be sent to Christy Hayashida and Jessica Raimy at yarmouthpto04096@gmail.com.
OTHER UPCOMING EVENTS
Thursday & Friday: December 17 & 18: “Festive Holiday Sweater” Days for Staff Staff will wear their festive (and fun) holiday gear. This tradition is always a student favorite!
Monday & Tuesday December 21 & 22: Pajama Day! Monday & Tuesday, December 21 & 22 are our last student days before the holiday break. I have declared "Pajama Days" once again at YES. Everyone can start picking out their favorite "PJ's" to wear to school on those days!
December 23- January 3: Holiday Winter Vacation Happy New Year! Remember that classes resume at YES on Monday, January 4.
Again, on behalf of the Yarmouth Elementary School faculty and staff, we wish all of our students and families a happy, healthy and safe holiday season!
Warm regards,
Ryan Gleason, YES Principal