Dear HMS parents, guardians, and caregivers,

We find ourselves at the end of a rather snow-filled week with more snow headed our way this weekend. We wanted to share a quick reminder that students go outside multiple times a day, and our temperature threshold is 5 degrees. Please encourage your student to wear or bring items to school that will help keep them warm while enjoying the fresh air! As we approach another vacation, now is a helpful time for students to check our Lost and Found for any items that may belong to them before we donate the unclaimed items during February break.

Our next HMS Update will be shared on February 28, 2025. Thank you for your continued partnership and support. Be in touch with any questions or concerns.

With Gratitude,

Mandy Lewis and Tom McDowell

HMS Administrative Team

Hello and happy February!

For this month, the counseling team wanted to share a resource: Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions, or SPACE. SPACE was developed by Dr. Eli Lebowitz, PhD at the Yale Child Study Center. This framework supports parents and caregivers in building their skills to effectively support children with anxiety and/or emotionally-based school avoidance. As we know, when children miss school regularly, the impacts can be long-lasting, e.g delaying necessary social skills and academic success. A national survey recently revealed that students with an attendance rate of 95% or higher are more likely to experience academic success, while those with lower attendance rates are at a higher risk of falling behind. 

SPACE views parents and caregivers as the biggest resource in helping children overcome distress and relies on two basic principles: supportive responses and challenging accommodations. Supportive responses make children feel heard and loved, while using intentional statements to build their confidence. Parents can show their child that they understand how terrible it is to feel anxious, and that they can tolerate the feeling. In this, children learn they possess the strength to face their fears.

Accommodating anxiety may alleviate stress in the short term, but it can actually make it much worse in the long-term. That's because the child is always relying on others for rescue or escape, so kids never learn to deal with stressful situations on their own and never learn they have the ability to cope with those moments. "When you provide a lot of accommodation, the unspoken message is, 'You can't do this, so I'm going to help you,'" Dr. Eli says. SPACE helps parents change that message and encourage children to face anxieties rather than flee from them. It's helping the child find their own way of coping and ride whatever wave of anxiety they're experiencing. This ultimately decreases anxiety and builds self-confidence.

To learn more, or find a SPACE provider in the area, please visit: https://www.spacetreatment.net/

As always, please reach out at any time with any questions or concerns you may have. 

Catherine Nein - School Counselor, catherine_nein@yarmouthschools.org

Chelsea Collupy - Social Worker, chelsea_collupy@yarmouthschools.org

Sam Durham - Social Worker, samantha_durham@yarmouthschools.org

We can also be reached by calling the main office phone 207-846-2499.

Dates to Date:

February 7: Murder Mystery Improv Show 6:30pm

February 13: PTO Meeting 7pm - YES Library

February 17-21: February Break - no school

February 25: 7th Grade Math Information Night 7pm - HMS Library

March 4: RESCHEDULED SEEDS Family School Alliance Presentation 6pm