May 13, 2021
Dear YES Families,
I am writing to you with a few quick updates. After almost two weeks of shifting to four "all-in" days a week, we are going to make a few adjustments and share some reminders. We also have some new end-of-year dates for you to mark on your calendars.
AFTERNOON PICKUP- CHANGE FOR GRADES 3 & 4
I am pleased to share with you that the afternoon pick-up process has gone much smoother than anticipated. There is such a high number of students who are riding their bicycles and walking (over 100 students on average) that it has resulted in us loading parent pick-up vehicles quickly. Since this has been the case we are going to make the following adjustments going forward:
3:05: 2nd graders and their siblings in grades 3 and 4 can be picked up.
3:15: Remaining 3rd and 4th graders can be picked up. (This is 10 minutes earlier than the current time for this group)
However, mother nature has been kind to us and we have not had to load students on a day where they are waiting in the cafeteria. When a day like this does occur, we will certainly have far fewer bikers and walkers. As in the past, please just be mindful that loading will take much longer on those days.
MORNING DROPOFF- NO EARLIER THAN 8:40 AM
As I have noted previously, 8:40 am is the earliest that any students should be at school unless they are in the before school Clipper Care program. This week we have had an average of over 50 students waiting outside the doors by themselves well before this time. This is problematic as we do not have supervision until 8:40 am. Please make sure that your children, if biking or walking, are timing their trip to school and arriving no earlier than 8:40 am. If you are a parent dropping off before this time you will need to wait with your child in the drop-off space until supervision is in place. We appreciate your understanding and attention to this concern.
MEA REMINDER- COMING NEXT WEEK!
A reminder that our grade 3 and 4 students will be taking the Maine Educational Assessments on Tuesday, May 18, and Thursday, May 20.
JUNE END OF YEAR DATES
Thursday, June 10- Report Cards will be sent home with students that day. There will also be a 4th-grade community meeting celebration with the entire school that afternoon. This is the day that students get their cherished "Grade 4 T-Shirt".
Friday, June 11- YES Field Day. It's back and in-person this year! You should have received an order form for t-shirt sizes today as all students will be provided a field day t-shirt courtesy of the K-8 PTO. Please make sure you fill out that form so that they can order the t-shirts in time for this event.
Monday, June 14- Step-Up Day: We will have a district-wide step-up day this afternoon where all students will get to spend some time with their 2021-22 teachers and classmates.
Tuesday, June 15- Last Day of School -Half-Day
In the YES June newsletter I will provide more details on these events and other end-of-year information.
In closing, I want to highlight to you how amazing your children have been these past two weeks. This was a big transition and they have quickly adapted to new routines and changes. I hope that your children have felt positive about the shift and we look forward to a successful last few weeks of this school year. As always, if there is anything that we can do please let me know.
Best,
Ryan Gleason, YES Principal