May 2, 2021
Dear Rowe Families,
I hope you all enjoyed a nice break in April. As you know, we are going back to school with all students (except those who are fully remote) beginning Monday, May 3rd. We are excited to welcome the children back and are working hard to implement structures that will keep everyone safe. Thanks in advance for your cooperation and support.
Arrival and dismissal
I appreciated your help last week with our new arrival and dismissal procedures. We will continue to have everyone picking up or dropping off in cars to access the road that runs around the perimeter of the building by the tennis courts, drive all the way around the school and drop off in the carline by bearing to the left. NOTE: Please be sure to pull all the way to the front of the carline if you are the first to enter after a group of cars have vacated the line. We ask that you stay in your car if possible and to get out long enough to help your child out of the car seat if necessary and say a quick goodbye. We are working hard to keep the carline moving as efficiently as possible. As most of you have seen, our parking lot now holds two large tents and most of the spaces left are reserved for school staff.
Our school schedule will remain the same through the end of the school year with arrival beginning at 8:40, and all students at school no later than 9:00. Dismissal will begin at 3:00 and end by 3:25. We will continue to use the PikMyKid app and it is very important that you announce your child in the app each day if you are picking them up at school.
Planned Absences
Please be sure to fill out a Planned Family Absence Form (PFA) if you intend to travel at any point in time before the end of the school year. Thanks in advance for your cooperation!
Message from the Tech Department:
Now that all in-person students will be attending school four days a week, we are able to return to our preferred policy of keeping all school-issued iPads at school as much as possible. To make this as simple as possible, iPads will stay in school the entire week, going home with students on Tuesday afternoons and returning with students on Thursday mornings. This will allow students to complete remote work on Wednesdays.
On Monday, May 3rd (or as soon as your child returns in person), please send your child’s school-issued iPad, charging brick, and charging cable back to school in your child’s protective neoprene sleeve. The charging bundle will stay at school, for now. If this creates a problem moving forward we will address it at that time.
Quick highlights:
Monday, May 3rd: All school-issued devices and peripherals return to school in protective sleeve
Every Tuesday: iPads will come home in protective sleeve for remote work
Every Thursday: iPads will return to school in protective sleeve
Charging bundles will remain at school
Repeat through the end of the year
Thank you for all your support and patience as we’ve moved from emergency remote learning to hybrid learning in person, and now to modified all-in a year later. There have been lots of learnings along the way, thank you for your willingness to adapt with us.
PTO NEWS
- Hannaford Gift Cards – Next loads are May 4 & May 25, 12 pm. Forms will be sent home.
- Ice Cream Social – Given all the cancellations this year, we have been trying to keep as many of the fun PTO traditions as possible, so we are giving every K-4 student (in school and remote) a chance to win an ice cream social raffle basket! To keep it simple, this will NOT be a fundraiser, so raffle tickets will not be sold this year. Instead, we will essentially pick names from a hat – with every student having an equal chance of winning a basket. We hope to have 2-3 “Summer Fun” themed baskets per grade level for students to win. To create the baskets, instead of asking parents to buy items as we typically would, we’re asking for monetary donations to make it easier for parents. If you would like to help fund the baskets, you can make a donation at https://givebutter.com/Kfg8Fy now through Tuesday, May 11. (Or you can make a check out to Yarmouth PTO and either send it to school in your child’s folder or mail it to Yarmouth PTO, P.O. Box 262, Yarmouth, ME 04096.) To increase excitement for the students, baskets will be on display at Rowe and YES May 24-28. Winners will be drawn and notified on 5/28.
- Volunteering – We’ve already had a great response from parents interested in working with the PTO next year. If you’d like to be involved at a level that works for you, please feel free to share your interests through this 2-minute survey.
- PTO Meeting – You’re welcome to join us at our next meeting on May 20 at 7 pm. Zoom link will be posted on our FB page and website later this month.
Questions/Comments – Please contact Christy Hayashida and Jessica Raimy at yarmouthpto04096@gmail.com.
YEF Clipper Honors
The Yarmouth Education Foundation (YEF) Clipper Honors program is back, and YEF is excited to partner with Thoroughfare on Main Street. Clipper Honors is a wonderful end-of-year gift for any Yarmouth School Department employee. Donate $25 or more in honor of an educator, and your honoree will receive a YEF certificate of appreciation, a note from your family, and a gift card to Thoroughfare! It’s simple. Place your order online (yarmoutheducationfoundation.org) by June 4, and YEF volunteers will take care of the rest. Educators will receive their gift from your family by June 11. Clipper Honors is a thoughtful way to honor teachers, administrators, support staff, bus drivers, and more. Thank you for your support!
Dates to note:
Monday, May 3rd we begin the four day schedule. All students will continue with remote learning on Wednesdays each week.
Wednesday, May 5th - Kindergarten registration
Thursday, May 20th - Virtual PTO Meeting
Monday, May 31st - Memorial Day holiday, NO SCHOOL
Tuesday, June 15th – Last day of school for the 2020-21 school year
Sincerely,
Susan Lobel, Principal
