January Newsletter
Happy New Year!  

Welcome back, I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday break and has had a good start to the New Year! We missed the students and look forward to seeing everyone back at school on January 2nd. 

This month brings with it the promise of renewal and, for many people, the setting of New Year's Resolutions. According to the time management firm Franklin Covey, one third of resolutioners don’t make it past the end of January. If you are like me, and struggle to keep your resolutions, you may find this read from Jen A. Miller of the New York Times a good one: https://www.nytimes.com/guides/smarterliving/resolution-ideas. This article, "How to Make (and Keep) a New Year's Resolution", has some good information on a goal setting process that our staff actually does here at YES. I'm hoping it will help me lose some of that holiday weight!
We have a very busy month ahead of us at YES! We begin with an exciting announcement from our PTO.

PTO NEWS
On Friday, 1/26, your PTO is bringing Circus Maine back to Yarmouth! This year, Circus Maine will be presenting their Winter Solstice performance. A true celebration of celebrations. This is a fast­paced and electrifying cabaret celebrating the evolution of circus arts through the ages. If you thought last years performance was magical, you will be blown away with what Circus Maine is bringing to town! 

Tickets are $12/pp and are on sale starting 1/4 for Yarmouth families only! Starting on 1/15, this event will be open to the public. Tickets sold out quickly last year, so don't delay and purchase your tickets in advance athttps://circusmaineyarmouthpto.brownpapertickets.com
If you are interested in volunteering please visit http://signup.com/go/kBPfLkK.

We need many sets of hands to make this event happen!! Event volunteers will receive free admission to the show. 
For more information on this event please visit our website at http://www.yarmouthpto.org.

We look forward to seeing you at YHS on Friday, 1/26 for this spectacular evening filled with family fun and entertainment!

WINTER WEATHER REMINDER

The colder than normal sub zero temperatures we have had over vacation are expected to continue into this week.  Please make sure that your students are coming to school with the proper winter gear. At a minimum, winter jackets, hats, gloves and boots are necessary each day this time of year. Here are some reminders of our playground winter procedures:
  • We will NOT go outside if the temperature on our website is 10 degrees or below. There are any number of sites to check for temperature, for consistency we will use the one on our YES website. 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 on the snowbank at the end of the playground, must wear boots and snow pants.
  • Students who want to walk on the wood chip area now that it is covered with snow, must wear boots. 
  • Students who want to roll, crawl around, etc on the wood chip area, must wear boots and snow pants. Put a simpler way, if students are going to get wet in the snow, they need boots and snow pants! 
CONFERENCES AND REPORT CARDS: JANUARY AND FEBRUARY
In late January and Feburary classroom teachers will be setting up winter parent teacher conferences. At this time, teachers will also be sharing copies of student report cards. Yarmouth Elementary School reports out on learning standards twice a year, once at mid-year and again at the end of the school year.  Report cards are an "invitation to a conversation" and this will be a nice opportunity to celebrate your child's growth while also hearing about their next steps to keep growing as a learner. You can find a list of the YES Learning Standards at http://yes-standards.yarmouthschools.org/.

MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. DAY: JANUARY 15TH: NO SCHOOL

On the third Monday of every January, we observe Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. This is a day for the nation to reflect upon the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a minister, civil rights activist and nonviolent leader. Dr. King was considered the most influential leader in the Civil Rights movement, which aimed to end the systematic racial segregation and discrimination.
Dr. King (often referred to as MLK) played a key role in creating the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. He received many awards and honors – most notably the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. Despite his early passing, Dr. King had enormous, lasting influence on the Civil Rights movement and continues to be remembered as one of the most influential nonviolent leaders in world history. We will have no school on Monday, January 15th to honor the work of Dr. King.  

As always, we appreciate all that you do as our partners to support the success of your children.  Please let me know if you have any questions or if I can help you or your child in any way.  Stay warm this month!

Best,
Ryan Gleason, YES Principal