Dear YES Families,

We hope this message finds you well on our last day together before the long holiday break. We wish you a joyful holiday season filled with warmth and cherished moments with your loved ones. 

We hope that the holiday break provides a refreshing opportunity for rest, relaxation, and rejuvenation. The new year brings with it a renewed sense of optimism, and we are excited about the learning adventures that lie ahead for our students. We will look forward to our first day back in school together on Monday, January 5.

When we resume our academic journey in January, we encourage you to stay connected with us. We value open communication and collaboration, and we are always here to address any questions or concerns you may have. Your involvement in your child's education greatly contributes to their success, and we are grateful for your active participation.

We look forward to the next few months being filled with achievements, growth, and wonderful memories for our students.

Wishing you and your family a happy holiday and joyous new year!

Warm regards,

Ryan Gleason, YES Principal & Molly Kilpatrick, YES Assistant Principal

In January, we will have the winter administration of the NWEA  math assessments and our mid-year reading assessments. The schedule is as follows:

Reading (mClass- DIBLES) : Grade 2, 4, 5-  Week of January 12 ; Grade 3 Week of January 26

NWEA Math:  Grade 2 & 4 January 21; Grades 3 & 5  January 22

As you know, these assessments help to inform our instructional practices in supporting learning growth. At the end of the winter testing window the NWEA scores will be posted on PowerSchool.

In late February, you will be able to access your child's electronic report card via PowerSchool. You will have access to your child’s report card before you conference with their classroom teacher.

March is the winter parent-teacher conference window. As we approach our next half day on March 18, classroom teachers will be setting up mid-year parent-teacher conferences.

Yarmouth Elementary School reports 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.

Our Physical Education classes at YES have been buzzing with energy, teamwork, and active learning!

Second graders are practicing key locomotor movements such as running, skipping, side sliding, and leaping. They are also incorporating these movements into tag games to build stamina and spatial awareness. Students practiced the underhand roll and underhand throw, focusing on proper form and control. Heading outside to the playground to learn Gaga Ball and four square earlier in the fall helped build cooperation and fair play, while boosting confidence in new game settings.

Third graders are developing the underhand throw through partner activities and game play, and are starting to learn basic juggling skills to support hand–eye coordination and catching techniques. They are also working on foot skills, specifically dribbling a ball in open space, to build control and agility. Overhand throwing skills are embedded into team games that encourage communication, cooperation, and strategic movement.

Fourth and fifth graders are focusing on the overhand throw and catching, refining mechanics and accuracy. They are applying these skills in a variety of cardiovascular games that require teamwork, strategy, and quick decision-making. Learning different offensive and defensive strategies during game play is another area of focus.

Additionally, fifth graders are stepping in as helpers during second-grade Unified Arts classes, serving as positive role models and offering support to their younger peers. Across all grade levels, we emphasize working together safely, following class expectations, and caring for ourselves and one another.

Check out the pictures of physical education in action!

Second- and third-grade students have been busy building simple sentences using nouns they already know and new describing words they are learning. You might hear sentences like “The tiger is fast” or “The turtle is slow.” Students are also learning how to turn these sentences into “not” sentences (for example, “The tiger is not slow”) and questions (such as “Is the tiger slow?”). Third graders are writing their sentences and new vocabulary in their blue examination notebooks, which have become a favorite classroom tool. Students are very proud of their notebooks and will be able to bring them home at the end of the school year.

In fourth and fifth grade, students have been working hard on their listening skills. They listen to short conversations and answer questions to show their understanding. Fourth graders had fun designing fantasy bedrooms, labeling the furniture in Spanish, and writing sentences to describe where items are located using location words. Fifth graders, who completed the fantasy room project last year, practiced these same location words by talking about and describing photos of their rooms.

As we enter the winter months, it can be difficult for schools to find substitute teachers, and YES is no exception. We are grateful for the substitute pool that we currently have but there is always a need. When we do not have enough available substitutes to cover classrooms that certainly can have an impact.

If you have ever considered becoming a substitute teacher we would love to have you talk to us! Please feel free to reach out directly to us or the district office (207-846-5586) for more information.

After a reminder in December, most of our families are remembering to post their car tags at pick-up time. We really appreciate your attention to this!

We still need to make sure that all of our families are doing this consistently. Over the next few weeks, if you do not have a car tag displayed the staff on duty will be giving reminders to have this prominently posted. This is an important safety protocol practice that we need to have in place as not all staff know who each parent/caregiver is.

Wiinter weather is upon us at again. 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. As the snow piles up, students will need snow pants to play in the snowy areas of the playground as well. Here are some reminders of our playground winter procedures:

• We will NOT go outside if the temperature on our website is 5 degrees or below. There are a number of sites to check for temperature, but 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 5 or below, may cause us to stay inside.

• Students need to have a winter jacket on and their legs covered (no shorts) if the temperature is below 40 degrees.

• Students who want to play on the snow banks on the playground must wear boots and snow pants.

• Students who want to play in the wood chip area when it is covered with snow must wear boots.

• Students who want to roll, crawl around, etc., in 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!

Thank you for your help in reinforcing these expectations at home with your children so we can keep them healthy this winter.

Save the (Weekend) Date for a Skating Event

The PTO's Welcome Committee is planning a skate date on Blake Pond for later this winter, targeting the last weekend in January. We'll bring the hot cocoa!

-All abilities are welcome. There will be designated areas for beginners versus skating pros.
-Ice skates are available to rent/borrow at the YCS offices. Please plan to reserve skates prior to the event.
-Know a little something about skating or hockey? Volunteer to referee or teach kids how to skate.
-Have used skates or sticks to unload? Feel free to bring them down and we’ll pass them on to Yarmouth Community Services.

Questions? Suggestions? Email the PTO Welcome Committee: yarmouthpto04096@gmail.com

New Glow Run Date

We're excited to announce that the 2026 Glow Run will now be held on Thursday, March 5th! 

The Glow Run is the PTO's biggest fundraiser of the year, and we partner with Booster, a company that specifically facilitates fundraisers for schools. They're a well-oiled machine and provide a ton of support, materials, and resources through the process. The committee is also supported by the PTO board, and we still have open spots! If you have been looking for your opportunity to get involved and give back to the school community - this is it! Please reach out to yarmouthpto04096@gmail.com for more info.

Keep an eye out for more event info beginning in January, but feel free to start pumping up your 5th-8th graders for the big day immediately! 

Minted Fundraiser Runs Year-round!

Does your family send out New Year's cards? Are you announcing a move or a new addition to your family? We are continuing to partner with Minted this year to offer you a discount on cards while also raising money for the PTO-- a win-win! 

Here's how it works: Use the promo code FUNDRAISEYARMOUTH at checkout and receive a 20% discount on your order. Minted will then donate 10% of the sales earned using the code back to us! 

Please feel free to share the code with friends and family to help us raise even more. The promo code will also remain active year-round, so you can use it for weddings, birth announcements, and so much more while continuing to support the PTO. 

Our code is specific to our organization, and we ask that you please don’t use coupon sites like Honey or RetailMeNot to share it, as that could affect our donations.

Thank you for all of your support with the Minted fundraiser--we've raised a lot already and we're so appreciative! 

Print copies of the 2025-2026 Directory are in!

Printed copies of this year's directory have come in and will be sent home with your student(s) very soon--check those folders and backpacks! We do also have a limited amount of copies still for sale at $10 each. 

As a reminder, the Yarmouth PTO's school directory is created annually to help you connect with local families with students in PreK-8th grades. This easy-to-use tool makes contact information readily accessible, fostering community communication, supporting school activities, and facilitating connections with friends outside of school hours.

Membership Toolkit, our directory service, has been updated with the information of families who have opted in to participate in the Yarmouth PTO Directory. If you have opted in, please check your information, as this is what will be included in the printed booklet.

You can also access the directory electronically:

1) Online through Membership Toolkit. Use the same email address you provided to PowerSchool to create or log into your account.

2) On your Apple or Google phone or device through the Membership Toolkit app (respective app stores linked). You can log in once you have created an account.

Have a question? See the FAQ sheet here.

January PTO Meeting

Our next meeting will be held on Thursday, January 15th at 7 PM in the YES library. Our meetings are open to everyone, and we'd love to see you there! 

PTO Gather & Greet 

Join us on Tuesday, January 6th for our monthly casual coffee hour at Fox & the Fiddle (inside 317 Main) any time after 8:45 am. If you're hoping to learn more about the organization or would just like to chat with some other parents and community members, we hope you'll join us. Drop in, grab a coffee from the cafe, and pull up a chair! 

Gather & Greet is a recurring event on the first Tuesday of each month, so even if you can't make it this month, we hope to see you in February!

Looking for something to do in the new year? Volunteer with the PTO!

We'd love to hear about your volunteer interests! Please fill out the PTO-specific volunteer interest form, or reach out directly at yarmouthpto04096@gmail.com.

Wishing everyone a fun and safe holiday break! See you in January! 

Flannel Friday is an event that began at YHS five years ago by Lorrie King, a teacher who retired after teaching for 46 years, her last 25 at YHS. The goal was to raise awareness about diabetes, a 24/7 disease that affects so many kids and adults. It started as a fundraiser to support research to find a cure, but understanding and acceptance of the disease is equally important.. Lorrie pays a price for everyone dressed in flannel in all the schools.  

This year is Lorrie’s 51st with diabetes and this event has gone town wide. Imagine seeing everyone in Yarmouth wearing flannel (easy for Mainers!) and raising money at the same time. Research has allowed Lorrie to manage her diabetes and live a full life. Now it’s time to finally find a cure! 

To participate, child(ren) wear simply wear flannel on January 9th. Donations, which are given to T1D Breakthrough (formerly JDRF), are appreciated but not at all mandated. 

If you want to speak to Lorrie, you can contact her at lorrieking123@gmail.com or 207-232-0309. She would love to hear from the parents of our diabetic students. She was able to meet so many of them last year as they compared their insulin pumps.  This is completely optional, but hopefully we will see many kids in flannel on January 9th!

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 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 an 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 20 to honor the work of Dr. King.