September 6, 2021
Dear Families,
We had a great opening to school last week with first graders back in the building for two days and our annual Kindergarten Welcome Days on Wednesday and Thursday. We look forward to having both Kindergarten and first-grade students back tomorrow, September 7th. We recognize that September 7th is Rosh Hashanah and students who observe this holiday will not be at school.
A variety of improvements have been taking place outside of our school. Our amazing Yarmouth PTO organized a variety of parent and community volunteers to prune and weed our natural playground before the opening of school. We can’t thank them enough for their ongoing support during these challenging times!
Health and safety measures
We will still be implementing a variety of safety measures to keep everyone healthy as we come back to school. Among those are keeping a distance of at least three feet whenever possible and both adults and children wearing masks when indoors except for eating and hydrating. We are limiting the amount visitors to our school until further notice. Superintendent Dolloff has provided a variety of information on our protocols and the information is updated regularly. You can access here: COVID-19 webpage
Drop off and pick up
Last week, the drop-off and pick-up procedure with first graders went relatively well. From this point on, both grade levels of students will be part of this procedure unless your child is riding a bus. It is imperative that everyone follows the directions below in order to avoid traffic backing up on School Street and beyond.
Carline directions for both drop-off and pick up:
You will pull into the road that runs by the tennis courts just after the ball fields on your right. You will need to drive the access road that runs around the perimeter of the building and enter the car line located next to the parking lot, nearest to the school by bearing left instead of heading straight into the lot. Please be sure to drive slowly and cautiously. We have had reports that some cars are driving at an unsafe speed around the school. We also have cyclists and walkers arriving at this time, so stopping at the crosswalk just before the carline to allow people waiting to cross is imperative.
There will be staff outside to direct you to the proper places for the first couple of weeks and there will always be people on duty to see students safely into the building from the carline and bus loop. NOTE: Please do not pull into the circle in front of the school. This area is reserved for buses only. In addition, the circle will be closed to traffic during the school day. If you need to come to the school during the instructional day, you will need to use the parking lot.
Drop off only
Both Rowe and Yarmouth Elementary School use an app called PikMyKid for dismissal. You may need to use your car tags sent home on Welcome Day with kindergarten students, especially if a family member or friend is picking up your child. If you were not able to attend the Welcome Day, the car tags will be sent home with your child on Tuesday in their home folder. All first-grade students had car tags sent home last week. Please note that walkers and cyclists also need to announce students in the app for dismissal.
I sent home detailed instructions regarding the app in my message on August 20th. Once you have downloaded the app, you will announce your child through the app each day for dismissal only. Please let me know if you need these instructions sent again by emailing me at: susan_lobel@yarmouthschools.org
Thanks in advance for all of your help!
Reminder regarding items needed:
Backpack, lunch box, and water bottle all labeled with your child’s first name and last initial
A small bottle of gel hand sanitizer labeled with their name
A hat to wear on sunny days - Classes will be having some instructional time outside in addition to time outside out for recesses. Some physical education classes with Mr. Lipman may be held outside as well.
Please apply sunscreen in the morning on warm days.
Three masks per day, including the one they wear to school, would be helpful. Please send two additional clean masks in their backpacks. Particularly in warmer weather, a mask change is often needed.
News from the Yarmouth K-8 PTO
Welcome back! The Yarmouth K-8 PTO is looking forward to another year of educational enrichment for our students, appreciation for our wonderful Yarmouth school staff, and opportunities for community building. This year may look different than usual as we brainstorm ways to adapt our events to be safe and in line with district guidance, but we are grateful for all of the support our school community has shown us over the past year. Thank you! We couldn’t do what we do without you. To see a list of some of the things we have been able to accomplish through your generous donations, click HERE. Below are some resources and dates to get the year started:
· ONLINE WELCOME PACKET: This amazing, comprehensive, live DOCUMENT compiled by our Welcome Committee has info about local and state events, attractions, resources, and much more!
· PTO ONLINE: Stay in the loop by checking out our WEBSITE, as well as our FACEBOOK and INSTAGRAM pages.
· VOLUNTEER SURVEY: Want to get involved? Fill out this SURVEY and join us!
· Sep 15 - HANNAFORD GIFT CARDS: FORMS will be sent home before each load date. Click the link to learn more about this fabulous FREE to you fundraiser!
· Sep 16 @7pm - FIRST PTO MEETING: A zoom link will be posted to our website and social media pages closer to the date. Anyone can attend, so we hope to see you there!
· QUESTIONS: Please reach out to Kim Tyau and Trisha Merrill at yarmouthpto04096@gmail.com and we will be happy to get back to you.
Dates to note:
Tuesday, September 7th - All students return to school
Thursday, September 30th - 6:00 PM - Rowe School Open House (details to follow)
Friday, October 8th- No School for students - Staff Professional Development Day
Monday, October 11th- No School, Indigenous People’s Day
2021-22 Yarmouth Schools calendar
Sincerely,
Susan Lobel, Rowe School Principal
