Dear Students, Parents and Guardians,
We hope you have had a wonderful summer and are looking forward to another school year. Once again, our facilities are in tip-top shape thanks to the work of our facilities department, and Yarmouth High School is ready!
As the high school’s enrollment continues to grow, so does our faculty. In addition to welcoming the Class of 2023 to the high school, we welcome many new faces to our staff. Two teachers will be joining our English department - Mr. Nick Muccio and Mr. Justin Key. Ms. Ariel Soleil will be teaching 10th grade Biology, while Mr. Craig Collins has joined us as a social studies teacher. Ms. Amy Roberson will be serving as our library media specialist, and Jenny Zorn joins our student support services as a social worker. Mr. Nicolas Diaz will be assisting our students in two capacities, as he will spend part of his day in the Innovation Lab, and part of the day working with ELL (English Language Learner) students. Mr. Diaz will be joined by three others who will be working as Ed Techs to support student learning: Amy Sheehan, Margot Downs, and Rachel Haskell. We are also excited to announce that Anne Tommaso will be taking on a new role working with ELL students while continuing her work as an English teacher. Finally, we welcome a new member to our administrative team, as Mr. David Creech has taken the reins as the athletic director of Yarmouth High School.
This marks the first “YHS Parent Note” of the year (also posted to the website) and is therefore focused on the many housekeeping items related to the start of school. Please review the following information, and feel free to call or email if you have questions or concerns.
First Day of School - Classes will begin on Tuesday, September 3rd, as a BLUE day. This will be a full regular school day, with advisor/advisee period starting promptly at 8 am. This year’s calendar can be found here. Advisor group lists and locations will be posted in the main hallways for students.
Student Laptops - All students in grades 9-12 will be issued a “MacBook Air” computer during the first few days of school. Students will receive permission slips on the first day of school; please return these to the advisors along with a $25 check for insurance prior to the distribution of computers. We also ask that you take time to review the expectations for laptop use. This program will continue to help our students use technology in many aspects of their learning. If you would like to get a jump-start on this process, please review the following letter at this link: Parent Letter for the Laptop Rollout. To access the form that requires your signature, please go to this link: Form to be sent in to advisors.
Bus Transportation - Please refer to the following links for more information:
High school afternoon bus runs
A reminder that there is also a “late bus” run at the high school which picks up students at approximately 4:20 pm after school
Wednesday Late Start Days - Every Wednesday morning, classes start at 9 am. Please note, however, that the bus schedule does not change. Our first “Late Start” is this Wednesday, September 5th.
Open House will be held on Wednesday, September 25th, at 6:30 pm. This evening is an opportunity for parents to meet your son or daughter’s advisor and teachers to learn more about classes and learning at YHS.
Sports - Please use this link YHS athletic website to check schedules and access other information related to athletics.
Clubs & Activities - On September 20th, our Student Senate will host a Club Fair that provides students with the chance to explore activities and clubs available at YHS. Our senate also works with students create new clubs or organizations based on their interests.
Student Handbook - Can be found at this link. Please take time to review this site with your student regarding our core values, protocols, and policies of our school community.
School Announcements - Can be found on the home page of the district website. This is a great resource for families to find important information, key dates and events, and student celebrations.
School Nutrition - Please read through this letter from Blair Currier regarding our school nutrition program for the upcoming school year. If you would like information regarding our free and reduced lunch program read through information. Please use this link an application this program which should be filled out and returned to school. Should you have any questions, please contact Mr. Currier at 846-2323, blair_currier@yarmouthschools.org.
Student Driving Privileges - Due to a limited number of parking spaces, we will continue to offer on-site parking to juniors and seniors only. Vehicle registration for parking passes will begin on Monday, August 26. (Due to building activities, we will, however, not be able to register vehicles on Thursday, August 29.) Please see this letter for more information.
Senior Open Campus - Please see this letter that describes the protocols for our open campus program. Note that the first day for senior privileges is Thursday, September 5, and seniors who would like to access open campus on the first day must turn in all materials by Wednesday, September 4.
Pest Management Policy - Can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/yhspestmgt
Online Classes - Yarmouth is part of the Virtual High School program (http://thevhscollaborative.org/). Students who are interested in taking a class that is not currently offered at YHS should see their guidance counselor in the opening days of school.
Vocational Schools - Portland Arts and Technology High School & Westbrook Regional Vocational Center - For those students who are attending PATHS or WRVC, classes start on the first day of school.
Letter for parents of PATHS morning session students
Letter for parents of PATHS/WRVC afternoon session students
Each year, we supply our volunteer coordinators with the names, phone numbers and emails of parents. If you do NOT want your information shared, please call the Main Office.
Wishing you the best,
Eric Klein, Amy Bongard, and David Creech - YHS Administrative Team