April 5, 2018
Dear Rowe Families,
We hope this letter finds you well and enjoying the early signs of spring. It is hard to believe we are already approaching spring break. The school year is flying by. Thank you for the privilege of working with your children every day. I am so grateful for the staff here at Rowe and the collaboration that takes place daily to do what is best for our youngest learners.
Author visit
We had a wonderful visit with Maine author Lynn Plourde on March 21st. She taught lessons on looking for language and action patterns in stories and how children could incorporate these patterns into their own writing. She is both an amazing storyteller and a gifted writing teacher. The children were enthusiastic and engaged in what she was sharing. This visit was made possible by our library teacher Ally Olson, who made the arrangements with Lynn, and by the PTO who offered their funding support. We are looking forward to another author visit next year.
Mindfulness
Erica Marcus, Mindfulness Educator and Yoga Instructor, finished up her weekly 15 minute visits to classrooms about two weeks ago. The children had an opportunity to engage in some activities to help them calm their bodies, get ready for learning, and send good intentions to others. A first grader summed up mindfulness in the following quote: "When you plug an iPad into electricity, it recharges. Mindfulness is like that for the mind." Our March community meeting focused on mindfulness practices and bookended our time with Ms. Marcus nicely. This opportunity was made possible by a district grant and our social worker, Amber Gross, who helped us to find Ms. Marcus' organization called Wise Minds, Big Hearts.
YGT Encore
As you know, on March 23rd the Rowe students and staff traveled to Yarmouth Elementary School to see an encore performance of Yarmouth’s Got Talent. The performances were amazing! One of our Rowe kindergarten students, Jonah Kelly, was in the show. It was great fun to see a child from our school, along with the many other talented students who participated. A big thanks goes out to our music teacher, Ms. Townsend, and the YES music teacher, Erica Troy, for organizing the event. I also want to thank all of the teachers and support staff at both schools who lent a hand to make our trip over and back so smooth.
The Rowe Show at the Yarmouth High School Performing Arts Center starring Rowe School first graders!!
The Rowe Show will be happening on Wednesday, April 11 at 6:30 pm. That is less than one week away! It will be held in the YPAC at Yarmouth High School. PLEASE NOTE: Students need to arrive by 6:15. We are looking forward to this exciting night of songs performed by our first grade students. Ms. Townsend and the children have been practicing diligently to prepare for this fun night. We hope to see you all there!
Messages from the PTO:
The deadline for ordering Silver Graphics items online was until midnight Wednesday, April 4th. Your keepsakes will be available the first week of May.
Visit shop.silvergraphics.com to view your student's artwork.
Search using the username: yarmouth and password: PTO04096
We want to give a special thank you to Ms. Landry and Ms. Higgison who inspire our students through art.
Looking Ahead - PTO Leadership 2018/19
The PTO will have new leadership next school year and is already looking for volunteers to serve as board members and committee chairs. There are a variety of positions that can work around your schedule and fit your interests including: Digital Coordinator; Volunteer Coordinator; Team Welcome; Close Buy; Make-It-Take-It Craft Fair; Grandparents Day; Circus Maine; Bike Swap; Ice Cream Social; Spirit Wear; Silver Graphics; Parent/Family Education. If you are interested, or just have a few questions, please contact Heather Meier and Christy Hayashida at YarmouthPTO04096@gmail.com.
If you're not looking for a leadership position at this time, but would like to get involved, click the link below to fill out our quick survey to indicate your interests. This does not obligate you; it just gives you a chance to share how you might like to help our school community.
https://goo.gl/forms/dM6Biv0nZ...
Sincerely,
Susan Lobel
susan_lobel@yarmouthschools.org
846-3771
Dates to note:
April 11th 6:30pm Rowe Show - First graders perform at the YPAC, students arrive by 6:15
Friday, April 13th- Friday, April 20th Spring Break - No school