"Thankfulness is the beginning of gratitude. Gratitude is the completion of thankfulness. Thankfulness may consist merely of words. Gratitude is shown in acts."- Henri Frederic Amiel
As we enter November and approach the Thanksgiving holiday, thankfulness and gratitude are appropriate themes for our school community to reflect upon. There is a great deal to be thankful for here at YES!
Personally, I am thankful to be the principal at this school and have the opportunity to be part of the amazing work that helps our children grow as empowered learners and citizens every day. I am also extremely thankful for the people I get to work with. Our students, families and staff clearly make YES a special place. Please know that all members of our school community have my gratitude for the role you play in supporting the success of every student.
Our November newsletter highlights many of the events that have taken place over the past month and the exciting things we have to look forward to in the month ahead.
RED SOX WIN THE WORLD SERIES
We have had some intense "Red Sox Mania" at YES for some of our students and staff over the past few weeks building up the World Series. Thankfully the rabid Red Sox followers (like myself) can finally get some sleep and for those of you who aren't Red Sox fans, or baseball followers, you don't have to relive all the highlights each day! :)
BOOK FAIR
Our annual YES Book Fair was another wonderful week of excitement and a celebration of reading at our school. We are thankful to Mrs. Clark for all the time that she put in to make this event so special for our students. We are also grateful to our many parent volunteers who came in to assist with this event throughout the week. Thank you all!
OCTOBER COMMUNITY MEETING
Our October Community Meeting took place on Friday. Thank you to the entire school for their work decorating the pumpkins that are now on display in the lobby. Students in each classroom chose a character from a book and decorated their pumpkin to look like that character. If you have not had a chance to see them please stop by the lobby or check them all out on the YES twitter page:https://twitter.com/yarmouthes
At our community meeting, students shared their classroom pumpkin project with the every grade. Our third graders then modeled the "monster mash" dance and the entire school got to have some fun moving and grooving together.
This meeting was planned and led by our third grade teaching team and we appreciate the work that they put in to make this such a successful and fun event again this year. We would also like to give a huge thank you to our PTO who donated the pumpkins to us so that this event could be made possible.
PARENT CONFERENCES
Parents, thank you for actively participating in your child’s education. It has been wonderful to see parents coming in for conferences this past month. Individual conferences will continue to take place over the next few weeks. Our teachers truly appreciate your support and look forward to working closely with you throughout this year. Thank you again for your collaboration and partnership!
PTO NEWS
Dear Parents and Guardians,
Your support has been amazing! We are so grateful to you. If you have time, this gracious note (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nzzmBqoksB442pITRtTTXvsy8pxPJ1wYeq2fcXceEEo/edit) is worth a read, describing one of the ways your contributions impacts our students.
Hannaford Gift Cards - Next Due Date is Wed, Nov 7 @ noon!
Two record months for HGC - thanks to you! If you’re able, please keep up the support, as that is what makes these enrichments (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AZTRYP74NcWljLysS7WbC0iwsqcmEbmrc0MK-btlUVc/edit) possible!
School Bonds Vote - Nov 6
Two bonds are on the ballot that aim to meet the needs of growing enrollment. The first question is to approve work at YES and YHS; the second is to approve work at Rowe and HMS. For more information, go to https://www.yarmouthschools.org/facilities-committee
Welcome Committee - Friendly Waves
The Welcome Committee helps familiarize new families with existing school families and the town. Check out their amazing online Welcome Packet (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dBNXWQB1bd7s3AHwSHaQvlbez1B_SwWRtOVLFybR2bs/edit) full of valuable information. This live document will be updated as events in the community change; its link is also available on the PTO website. Below are a couple upcoming events organized by this PTO committee:
New(ish) YES Families! New to Yarmouth schools or just looking to make new connections with other families? Your entire family is invited to a fun, casual night of games, pizza, snacks, and time with friends on Friday, Nov 9, 6:30-8:30pm in the YES gym. If you’d like to bring a snack or help during the event, please sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a084caeaf2ea3f58-yesnew
Rowe School Moms, join us Nov 13, 7:30pm at Gather to chat and get to know one another! We have reserved the community table for this event. (Individuals cover their own food and drink.) Space is limited, so please RSVP to Christina Copsey at tina.copsey@gmail.com as soon as you can!
Make-it Take-it Craft Fair
Join us Sunday, Nov 18, from 11am-2pm in the YES gym! At this beloved event, children make crafts to give away (or keep) as holiday gifts, spend time with friends, and enjoy a pizza lunch and snacks. Our Welcome Committee will have a bake sale and coffee corner to meet with other families if you like. If you could spare just a bit of time in one of the following ways, we would be grateful!
Craft Table Assistants - If you can swing by for even just an hour between 11:30 and 1:30, we would love extra hands to help kids assemble crafts. Please contact Jill Tucker and Hannah Albright at info@yarmouthpto.org if you can help!
Bake Sale - If you’d like to add to our baked goods table, please sign up here: https://signup.com/client/invitation2/secure/2521137/false#/invitation.
Movie Nights!
We are holding a movie night for each school! The first movie will be shown at HMS for HMS students only on Friday, Nov 30th, time TBD. Movies for YES and Rowe students will occur later in the year; stay tuned!
Online Directory Coming Soon!
Due to parent requests, our directory is online this year! More info coming soon!
Many Thanks
Parent Leaders – Thank you to Jen McDonald and Sarah Day for leading our Close Buy fundraiser and to Jen Laneau for making sure HGC reminders make it home to parents!
Close Buy Distribution - Thanks for your Close Buy sale support! We will distribute from the Rowe School library the second week of December. Stay tuned for dates and times.
Box Tops - Thanks to you, we’ve already collected over 2500 Box Tops, earning $250 for the PTO! Please keep sending them into the schools!
Teacher Appreciation - You filled the teacher breakfast slots in record time, providing our staff with a delicious back-to-school breakfast! We received numerous notes of appreciation from Yarmouth staff, and we extend the thanks to you!
PTO Meeting
Join us Nov 15 @ 7pm in the YES library!
Looking for Ways to Give?
Work with us! Fill out our (short) volunteer survey (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfPYU_owgZA14RxaBUTujJzYwB1szW5MdQB8BOgaME1Mhfupw/viewform) or just send us an email. If you’d rather just donate to fund enrichments, you can write a check to Yarmouth K-8 PTO and send it to PO Box 262 in Yarmouth.
Thank you again for your support! Please contact us at info@yarmouthpto.org for any reason!
Christy Hayashida and Heather Meier
Yarmouth K-8 PTO Co-Presidents
WINTER WEATHER GUIDELINES
With Thanksgiving coming soon, time seems to fly by and there will be snow on the ground before we know it. Please be sure to come into our foyer and check the lost and found as we have many lost but not yet found sweatshirts and jackets along with several other personal items. We will periodically donate any unclaimed items so please take an inventory of missing items with your child.
Additionally, this is a good time to review some of our winter weather playground and clothing guidelines as we may get some snow before our December newsletter.
We will NOT go outside if the temperature on is 10 degrees or below. Wind chill plays into this, but fluctuates within seconds. The effect of a consistent wind chill combined with a temperature of 10 or below, may cause us to stay inside.
Students who want to play in the snow and on snowbanks, must wear winter jackets, boots and snowpants. If the temperature is below 40 degrees it is too cold for shorts, tee shirts and no coats. At that temperature it is also too cold for shorts worn with leggings (high fashion, still too cold!). If you are in need of winter weather clothing please reach out to Ms. Spellman in the counselors' office as we do have resources available for those in need to make sure that all students have the proper gear.
Thank you for your help with this to keep our children healthy and warm this winter!
SCHOOL NURSE NOTES
With colder weather here, lice become more common in the school setting. The American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend exclusion from the school setting for lice or nits, but they certainly are a nuisance. Anyone can get lice...mainly from direct head-to-head contact but also from sharing hats, brushes and other personal items. Lice are no reflection on hygiene, and nothing to be ashamed of but, are definitely a nuisance!
Please complete lice checks on children with itchy heads, or known exposure to lice, (spending time with friends, family, or classmates with a known case of lice) and let me, as the school nurse, know if your child has nits or lice. Together we can keep the cases to a minimum at YES.
For more information on how to do a head check and tips for lice prevention visit the YES school nurse blog at: https://yarmouthelementaryschoolnurse.blogspot.com/
With winter approaching this is a reminder for families that sneakers are needed for PE class. The gym floor is slippery, and sneakers help to prevent injuries during the winter months. Boots worn outside cause the floor to become wet and dangerous and other shoes, though fashionable, do not have the traction required to run in gym class. Please work with your student and teacher to remember which day to send sneakers. Thanks!
Yarmouth Elementary is partnering with 5-2-1-0 Let’s Go! again this year, to help keep kids healthy and active. Please take a moment to complete this short survey from 5-2-1-0 Let’s Go! Attention all families—please take this five minute survey from The Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital. Everyone who completes the survey will be entered into a drawing and five lucky winners across the state will each receive a $100 Amazon.com gift card for their personal use AND our school will receive $1,000 if you win. Other schools are participating, so the more families from our school who complete the survey, the greater our chance of winning $1,000! Contact information for the drawing will be collected at the end of the survey and will not be connected to your survey responses. All survey responses are anonymous. Click the following link to begin the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2018FamilySurveySCHCumberland
Thank you!
Alison Thomson RN., BSN
Yarmouth Elementary School Nurse
Phone (207)846-3391
alison_thomson@yarmouthschools.org
SCHOOL COUNSELOR CORNER: BULLYING PREVENTION
October was National Bullying Prevention Month. In guidance class I have been teaching students what bullying is and how to be an upstander. An upstander is someone who stands up to bullying and unkindness in a variety of ways. We also had The Cromwell Center come to each of the classrooms in October. The Cromwell Center for Disabilities mission is to promote a safe and respectful environment with the idea that it is okay to be different. I carry this concept into weekly guidance lessons and we have had powerful conversations around these topics. I encourage you to speak with your child about ways they can “choose kind.”
Thanks,
Laura Spellman
THE MONTH AHEAD....
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 2: KIDS NIGHT OUT!
The YHS Interact Club will be hosting another Kids Night Out on Friday, November 2 at First Baptist Church on Main Street from 6-8 p.m. The movie will be Hotel Transylvania, and they will be adding some additional games and activities for kids who don't want to watch the movie. Bring a pillow and sleeping bag. They will be selling pizza and popcorn for $2 and cookies and other treats and water for $1. Cost is $12 per child ($10 each additional sibling). All profits this month go to Lunch Crunch! For more information contact: karin_walsh@yarmouthschools.org
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 3: DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME
Don't forget to turn back those clocks and get an extra hour of sleep!
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6: VOTING DAY
Please make sure that you vote on this important day for our schools with two bonds on the ballot that address building needs in the coming years.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 8:
BLUE RIBBON AWARDS CEREMONY
I will be joining Dr. Dolloff, former YES principal Betsy Lane, and our technology integrator Cathy Wolinsky in Washington D.C. for the National Blue Ribbon School Awards Ceremony. I am honored to be representing our staff, school and community at this ceremony as YES is recognized for all the great work that has gone on here for many years.
LITERACY GALA AT HARRISON MIDDLE SCHOOL 5- 7 P.M.
All community members are invited to celebrate and support books and reading! For more information contact Merry Stuhr, HMS Librarian, at 846-2499.
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12: NO SCHOOL- VETERANS DAY HOLIDAY
I would like to take this opportunity to personally thank our community Veterans for your dedicated service to the United States Armed Forces. We will forever be grateful for your bravery and sacrifices to protect our country’s freedom.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15: PTO MEETING 7 P.M. YES LIBRARY
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 18: PTO "MAKE IT TAKE IT CRAFT FAIR"- 11:00 A.M.- 1:30 P.M. YES GYM
NO SCHOOL WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 22 - FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 24: THANKSGIVING BREAK
On behalf of of everyone at Yarmouth Elementary School I wish all of our families a Happy Thanksgiving and a wonderful start to the Holiday Season!
Best,
Ryan Gleason, YES Principal
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