YES DECEMBER 2022 NEWSLETTER
We hope that everyone had a nice Thanksgiving holiday! We have just under four weeks together before our longer December holiday break. The time between Thanksgiving and the holiday break passes by quickly. As we begin December here are several informational updates for you to be aware of:
WINTER WEATHER
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.
If the temperature is below 40 degrees students may not go outside for recess if they are not dressed properly. This means no shorts. Students' legs need to be covered and that can include items like tights and athletic wear workout material. Additionally, it is expected that students wear a jacket when the temperature is this cold. A sweatshirt is not considered a winter jacket and is not sufficient for those kinds of winter conditions when the temperature is in the 30s. If you have any questions about this please feel free to contact us. We appreciate your help in keeping all of our children warm and healthy this winter.
SNOW DAYS/REMOTE LEARNING POSSIBILITY
As you may be aware, the first two snow days of 2022-23 will be traditional "snow days". This means no school for anyone K-12. However, if we have more than two days where travel is not deemed safe we are going to hold remote learning days after that. The 2022-23 YES Remote Snow Days Plan provides a summary of what student learning will look like on these days if they come to pass.
We will be watching the weather all winter and sending home school iPads the night before any anticipated poor travel conditions. If we send them home we will communicate this to you through an email. The iPads should stay in backpacks at home unless we actually have a snow day. If there is no snow day, the iPad and sleeve will still be in the backpack ready to come right back to school that day.
LOST AND FOUND CLOTHING IS OVERFLOWING!
Our lost and found area is looking more and more like the children’s winter clothing section at LL Bean and Walmart! Teachers have been actively encouraging students to look for any missing items there. Even with those efforts, there are several unclaimed coats, sweatshirts, gloves, and other articles of clothing that do not have names on them.
On December 22 we will be donating any unclaimed items to a local charity. If you would like to stop in and look for specific articles of clothing please contact the main office to assist with that. The lost and found area is also accessible for any weekend programs held in the gym so please take a look when you are at those events, or at our upcoming 4th and 5th-grade concerts on December 12th and 13th. Again, we encourage you to write your child’s name somewhere on their clothing so it can be easily identified.
YHS GLOBAL ACTION CLUB & “OPERATION BUNDLE UP”
Good afternoon YES parents,
It’s starting to get chilly here in Maine so the YHS Global Action Club is holding our annual winter clothing drive to support families in need. We want to include all three schools in our efforts to help less fortunate families in our community.
To support YCAN’s “Operation Bundle Up” we will collect clothing through December 2nd.
We would be very grateful if you could bring in any of the following items:
1. Waterproof mittens and gloves
2. Adult Jackets and Coats (any size)
3. Snow pants (especially youth sizes)
4. Winter hats in all sizes and colors
As always, we are only looking for clothing in good condition without any rips or tears.
Please drop off any items in the bin located in the YES front entrance. Thank you in advance for your generosity.
Sincerely,
The YHS Global Action Club
COMPUTER SCIENCE EDUCATION WEEK & THE "HOUR OF CODE”
"“Loops, sequencing, events, oh my!” Hour of Code is right around the corner, December 5-11th. It takes place each year during Computer Science Education Week.
The STEAM Lab will show inspirational videos leading up to the event highlighting diverse people and creative ways that computer science can be used. The Hour of Code began as a one-hour coding challenge to give students a fun first introduction to computer science and has become a global learning, celebration, and awareness event. HourOfCode.com offers hundreds of one-hour activities in over 48 languages for kindergarten and up.
Activities require no experience at all. 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 some of the activities!
SCHOOL COUNSELOR CORNER
In SEL classes this month, we have been reviewing the YES core value of Respect. We encourage you to review Respect as a family! In our lessons, we are teaching that “Respect means to see value in people and things and treat them with care”.
We encourage you to agree as a family to set aside a certain time each day to unplug from devices and plug into family time. It shows respect to practice being present in the moment without the distractions that can come from technology. We encourage you to debrief and discuss this challenge afterward and commit to this practice at least 1 day each week!
Here are some good questions to reflect on at home when talking about Respect as a family:
- What does Respect mean in your own words?
- As a leader, why do you think Respect is important?
PTO NEWS
December Events:
Join the Yarmouth PreK-8 PTO this Sunday 12/4 for the Make-It Take-It Craft Fair. Kids can make crafts to take home and give as gifts. We will have a wrapping station, bake sale and crafting fun for PreK-5th graders. We are also still looking for volunteers to bake for the bake sale, sell tickets and clean up. Visit our SignUpGenius to volunteer. Hope to see you there! Sign Up Link https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0844a5a62ca0ff2-yarmouth
For any questions please contact Madeline at: Madeline.Backman@gmail.com
Next PTO meeting, Dec 15 4pm, YES Library, all are welcome to attend!
YARMOUTH EDUCATION FOUNDATION: THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!
The Yarmouth Education Foundation (YEF) is grateful for the financial and volunteer support of Yarmouth families. With your help, YEF has funded innovative initiatives that spark curiosity in students, supported teachers as they seek to deeply engage learners, and contributed to the continued excellence of educational opportunity in our community.
For example, this year YEF supported the YES STEAM Room Start-Up. Students can now count STEAM as one of their weekly specials. YEF is a non-profit managed by parent volunteers who collaborate deeply with the administration and teachers to ensure the community’s investment in our schools is thoughtfully invested in projects we can all take pride in. Please consider making a gift through the YEF website. And, stay tuned for details about Clipper Honors - an easy way to make a gift to Yarmouth educators while also donating to YEF.
MERRILL MEMORIAL LIBRARY NEWS
Book Arts Workshops: Mondays, December 5 & 19, 3:30-4:45. Use old books to make new things. For grades 4 and up. Register here: https://forms.gle/MizwUBvfVwjt5wPz5
Anime/Manga Illustration Workshop: Monday, December 12, 3:30-4:45. If you are interested in drawing anime and manga characters, this workshop is for you. Artist Carlos Nieto III from Anime Your Way will show you how to create or fine-tune your character. We will have paper but feel free to bring your own sketchbook. There is no grade or age minimum for this, but it is intended for young artists who can stay engaged for an hour and a quarter workshop with a visiting artist. Registration is preferred: https://forms.gle/Rb3cH5owQrHGp64Y6
Cliffhangers Book Group: Thursday, December 1, 3:30. Grades 5-7. Our next book is Time Villains by Victor Pineiro. Register: https://forms.gle/LuwSbCuF93utdeyv5
Origami with August, Saturday, December 3, 10 am. Drop into the MML foyer to learn a new fold with origami master August. All ages. No registration is required.
Author Visit: Saturday, December 10, 10:15 am. Join us at the library as local authors Margaret Aitken and Melanie Ellsworth read their new picture books, followed by a craft. All ages. No registration is required.
Minecraft Club Lottery Sign Up! Minecraft Club for elementary players in grades 2-5 will run for four weeks in January 2023, Wednesdays Jan 4, 11, 18, and 25. Fourteen participant limit. Due date to sign up for the lottery is December 21, 2022. Participants will be notified on December 22. Register for the lottery here: https://forms.gle/NHJN8FaUq6FnHQHC7
Any questions, email mmlyouth@yarmouthlibrary.org or visit our website at www.yarmouthlibrary.org/youth-services
**A note for families: Our Children's Librarian, Mary Randall, will be leaving MML to delight and inspire kids in a town closer to her home. Her last day will be Friday, December 2.
OTHER UPCOMING EVENTS
Friday, December 3: Wear Blue for School Spirit/Civil Rights Team
Our fifth-grade Civil Rights Team, under the leadership of Mr. Wheeler and Ms. Moynihan, has been busy creating posters that raise awareness of diversity, equity, and inclusion. The team will be hanging the posters up throughout the school and we encourage everyone to wear blue on Friday to celebrate our school spirit and the goal to make YES an inclusive school for all.
Monday, December 12: 4th Grade Concert & Tuesday, December 13: 5th Grade Concert
Under the direction of Mrs. Troy and Mrs. Stebbins, we look forward to seeing our young musicians and singers in action for their first concert of the school year!
Grade 4 Concert - Monday, December 12
Who? 4th Grade Chorus and Orff Ensemble (including 5th Grade Orff Ensemble Leaders), Families, and Friends
When? Performers meet Mrs. Troy in YES Music Room at 5:45. Concert begins at 6:00 in the YES Gym and should wrap up by 6:45.
Grade 5 Concert - Tuesday, December 13
Who? 5th Grade Chorus, Band and Orff Ensemble, Families and Friends
When? Band Students will meet Mrs. Stebbins in the YES Band Room with instruments and music at 5:45. Students in the Chorus and/or Orff Ensemble only will meet Mrs. Troy in the YES Music Room at 5:45. Concert begins at 6:00 in the YES Gym and we anticipate being done by 7:00.
Wednesday, December 14: December Community Meeting for Staff & Students.
We will hold an all-school community meeting that morning and enjoy an encore performance of the concert with our 4th and 5th graders performing one more time.
Thursday, December 22: Pajama Day & “Festive Holiday Sweater” Day for Staff
As our last student day before the holiday break, we have declared "Pajama Day" once again at YES. Everyone can start picking out their favorite "PJ's" to wear to school on this day! Staff will wear their festive (and fun) holiday gear. This tradition is always a student favorite and they look forward to it!
December 23- January 2: Holiday Winter Vacation
Happy New Year! Remember that classes resume at YES on Tuesday, January 3.
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 & Molly Kilpatrick, YES Assistant Principal