On Thursday morning, October 31, we held our monthly community meeting! Led by the third grade, we celebrated fall and shared the “Pumpkin Literacy Characters” created by each classroom. This is a well-loved tradition at YES that students engage in to celebrate their favorite book characters.

On that same day, we had our first “Comfy Clothes Day”. Students wore pajamas, sweatpants, and other comfy clothes to celebrate the day!

For those of you who would like to get the excess candy out of the house this week, fifth grader Grant Chadwick is once again leading a donation to “Treats To Our Troops” this year.

Soldiers’ Angels Treats for Troops is a Halloween Candy collection program where businesses and organizations register to collect excess Halloween candy and send it to our military troops who are overseas. There is a collection box in the main office and it will be there until Friday, November 8.

Thank you for actively participating in your child’s education by attending the fall conferences. Individual conferences will continue to take place over the coming weeks.  Our teachers appreciate your support and look forward to working closely with you throughout this year.

The Scholastic Book Fair is happening in the YES library from October 31 - November 8. Students will have an opportunity to shop the fair during the school day with their class, and the fair will also be open to the community on the following days:

• Sunday, November 3, 12-4 p.m.

• Monday, November 4, 4-7 p.m.

• Wednesday, November 6, 4-7 p.m.

Thank you to Mrs. Moreno for her hard work and leadership to make this even possible for our students. For more information, here's the link to our fair site that includes information about setting up an eWallet. Thank you for supporting reading and the library!

Winter Weather Guidelines

Before we know it there will be snow on the ground! This is a good time to review some of our winter weather playground and clothing guidelines as we may get some snow before our December newsletter.

We will NOT go outside if the temperature is 5 degrees or below.  Wind chill plays into this, but fluctuates within seconds. The effect of a consistent wind chill may also cause us to stay inside even if the temperature is above 5 degrees.

It is important that students come to school dressed for cold winter weather. Students who want to play in the snow and on snow banks must wear winter jackets, boots, and snow pants. If the temperature is below 40 degrees it is too cold for shorts, tee shirts, and no coats.

If you are in need of winter weather clothing, please reach out to Mrs. Murray, Mrs. Beckett, or Mrs. Lokken in the counselors' office, as we do have resources available for those in need to make sure that all students have the proper gear.

Thank you for your help with this to keep our children healthy and warm this winter!

The Lost and Found area is located in the gym lobby and it is beginning to overflow with coats and sweatshirts. If your child is missing an item please direct them to look for it there. It is always a good idea to write their name on these articles of clothing in the event that they are forgotten. We will be making a donation for any unclaimed items as we get into December.

• A huge thank you to our PTO for supporting so many of our enrichment activities already this year. Our Community Meeting and the "Pumpkin Literacy Decorating" would not be possible without PTO support in securing the pumpkins.

• We also appreciate the recent Staff Appreciation Luncheon on October 30th that was coordinated by the PTO. The food was amazing! Thank you to all who provided such a delicious treat for our staff.

• The Yarmouth PTO continues to look for volunteers at all levels! Please visit our quick volunteer survey and indicate any areas of interest. We can't wait to have you join us!

• If you're new to Yarmouth or are just looking for an update on what's new for families around town, please check out our online welcome packet-- an amazing, comprehensive, live document compiled by our Welcome Committee with info about local and state events, attractions, resources, and much more!

• Please save the date for our next PTO meeting on Thursday, November 21 at 4 pm in the YES library. All are welcome, and we'd love to have you join the conversation! Babysitting will also be provided!

If your child was absent on school picture day or you would like to have a retake done, the Geskus photographers will be back at YES on Friday, November 15. Here is a message from Geskus about retake day:

Retake day is for new students and staff members, transfer students, or anyone who may have missed the initial picture day, OR for anyone who was unhappy with their original picture and would like to give it another try. If a student would like the retake photo to replace the original photo, please have the student return the original picture package to the photographer on picture day. We will replace the original package at no additional cost.

If this is the first time being photographed, just have the student/staff go to the camera and we’ll create a proof for them that will be sent to the school (and/or to their family email if we have that information). These proofs will be delivered approx. 4 weeks after picture day. An order code will be on the proof along with ordering instructions.