April 2, 2023
Dear Rowe Families,
March has been a relatively busy month. Our visit with Maine author Lynn Plourde went well. Lynn was very engaging and the students learned a lot about creating stories. First graders took a trip to the Children’s Museum in Portland to learn about various types of simple machines. These enrichment opportunities would not have been possible without funding from our amazing Yarmouth PTO!
Our science consultant, Debbie Landry, did some biomimicry lessons in kindergarten classrooms this month. If you have a kindergarten child, be sure to ask them what biomimicry is all about! Andy Dousis, a consultant who worked with us earlier in the year, came back to work with teachers and students. His focus was on classroom management tips and social-emotional learning.
Sand Toys Needed
Rowe School is in need of new sand toys for the playground. Now that the snow has melted, students are looking for new things to do on the playground. Many are gravitating toward the sandboxes. Please see the attached flier for needed items and a QR code for an Amazon wishlist. Thanks in advance to any families who are able to donate! Sand Toys
Safety Drill practice in classrooms
We recently did another Safety Drill practice in classrooms. An announcement was made from the office and students then followed various directives given to them by their teachers in the classroom. Some of the directives were to line up at the door, sit at their desks, move to the carpet, etc. The focus remains on following the teacher's directions.
Update from the YES and Rowe Tech Department - Pik My Kid App
Please take a few moments to download the NEW PikMyKid app following these directions. The old app you currently use will stop working at the end of this month. To ensure there's no lag between the old and new apps, best practice is to update now before the old app sunsets. If you have any questions or need assistance, don't hesitate to contact me, and we'll get you taken care of!
Sincerely,
Elementary Tech Team
todd_abbott@yarmouthschools.org
Girl Scouts
There is a sign-up event for girls interested in joining a Girl Scout Troop in Yarmouth. This is going to be held at Yarmouth Elementary School on May 3, 2023, for families with girls in grades PreK-3. They are also promoting the sign-up event on Facebook. Here is the event link: https://fb.me/e/148DYXemP
Hannaford Fundraiser for Schools
This year we are launching some exciting program changes that will better support all participating schools. Each School Dollar printout will include a QR code that shoppers can scan to donate their School Dollars. The QR code will bring customers to our online redemption website where they have the option to also download the Hannaford Helps Schools app. Downloading the app is not required but it stores your information and school choice, making redemption even easier.
We will continue to have a collection tower in the stores, but we will no longer have school-specific collection envelopes. All School Dollar printouts collected in stores will be compiled and evenly distributed amongst all participating schools. This money will be added to the school-specific online donations and the top 200 schools that raise the most money will also receive a $1,000 bonus check!
To participate, look for the shelf tags in stores or the apple symbol on our website product pages on more than 800 participating products that will help earn money for your school.
https://hannafordhelpsschools....
Flag and Tackle Football Sign -Up
All new and returning PreK-Middle School athletes are invited to attend the 2023 Flag and Tackle Football Information Night on Monday, April 3rd at YES Gym. Kickoff is at 6:30 pm. Come meet the coaches, hear about the changes for the upcoming 2023 season, and have fun with the Yarmouth High School Football State Champions!
NEW THIS YEAR: After a general overview, parents will move to the YES cafeteria for more details while interested athletes PLAY Football games in the YES Gym! Want to CATCH passes from the high school QB? Do you think you can move a high school lineman? Want to learn how to hold a strong 3-point and a 4 point stance? Do you like to throw footballs? How about testing out your footwork with some simple drills? ALL current PreK-7th grade athletes are welcome and there will be plenty of supervised fun for all ages and ability levels. We will wrap up by 7:30 pm with free ice cream! Bring a friend!
Day of Hope
Yarmouth High School is excited to bring back the Day of Hope: a student-organized "Ted Talk" style event centered around bringing hope and unity to the Maine community. This year's Day of Hope will take place Friday, April 7 from 5-6 pm at the Yarmouth Performing Arts Center (YPAC).
This year we are honored to bring in three speakers from various fields to talk about hope in their own lives. Please click here to learn more about our three speakers: Artist Charlie Hewitt, Kate O’Halloran of Lifeflight, and Kali Focht of Partners for World Health. Admission is free, however, we kindly suggest you consider making a donation as all the proceeds will go to Partners for World Health, a non-profit based in Portland, ME.
We hope you will join us for the 2023 Day of Hope—our first live event since 2019!
PTO News
SILVER GRAPHICS - 3/29-4/12 The return of one our favorite fundraisers! Rowe and YES students will bring home a personalized order flier at the end of March. This order form will showcase a piece of art that your student created in Art this year, but you will also be able to upload additional pieces of art; something your child created in the past, a new drawing, or both. Sibling art, family projects, and photographs are also accepted! The perfect gift for Grandparents, Father's Day, Mother's Day or any celebration! Note cards, magnets, ceramic mugs, canvas totes, jewelry, ornaments, and much more, all featuring your child's artwork will be available to order by the end of March! *The PTO receives over 30% of the proceeds, which goes right back to funding enrichments. To place an order go to: https://www.silvergraphics.com/shop and enter School Access Code: 23ArtYS *Please note: Orders may not be placed before March 29 All orders ship direct to families and arrive 2-3 weeks after they are placed.
COMMUNITY BIKE FAIR & BIKE SWAP SAVE THE DATE - Sunday, April 30th, Rowe School Gym & outside circle A return of the bike swap, with some added extras this year! More details coming soon.
SEEKING PTO LEADERS, MEMBERS AND VOLUNTEERS! The Yarmouth PTO is seeking volunteers for the 2023/24 school year! You can share (or update) your volunteer interests by taking this two-minute survey: bit.ly/PTOVolunteerSurvey. We have volunteer positions at every level, including several leadership roles. If you’d like to make decisions that impact student enrichment and help the school community, we would love to work with you. If you are interested or have any questions, please email Elaine and Tenley at yarmouthpto04096@gmail.com.
Parent Education
Thanks to Sheila Carroll, MD, and Kellie Hall CPT for a wonderful parent education talk on using "Food as Fuel". They created a helpful list of resources for all parents at the following link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qmN53R_0_EyGy768kIcGMrAAEmrtbsgWamqsjJljxq8/edit?usp=sharing
Dates to note:
Tuesday, April 4th - Kindergarten Parent Information Night, 6:00-6:45 PM
Friday, April 14th- Friday, April 21st - Spring Break, No School
Tuesday, May 2nd and Thursday, May 4th- Screening for entering Kindergarten students who did not attend Pre-K at Rowe in the 2022-23 school year.
Tuesday, May 23rd and Wednesday, May 24th - Screening for incoming fall 2023 Pre-K students
Monday, May 29th Memorial Day- No School
Wednesday, June 14th - Last day of school for AM and PM Pre-K
Thursday, June 15th- Last day of school for students in kindergarten and first grade. NOTE: This will be a half day of school. Students will be dismissed at 12:00.
Sincerely,
Susan Lobel, Rowe School Principal
