December 16, 2022
Dear Rowe Families,
I am writing with a few quick bits of information as we get closer to the holiday break. I hope you all have a restful break and get to enjoy some time with family and friends. As always, we thank you for the privilege of working with your children every day and for your ongoing support of our efforts.
Yarmouth Education Foundation Grant
The Rowe School was recently awarded a grant for the installation of a Sundial. Please follow the link to read about this exciting project that was led by our amazing district since consultant, Debbie Landry. Debbie has had a vision for the Sundial for a number of years to provide students with hands-on learning experiences outside. We are so grateful to see it come to fruition through the generosity of the Yarmouth Education Foundation! Sundial Project
The Clipper Honors Program provides an opportunity for parents to thank, honor or congratulate an educator or staff member while donating to the Yarmouth Education Foundation! Donations of $25 or more to YEF will include your personal message and a $10 gift card to Clayton's for the recipient. More information at this link: YEF
School Safety Information
As a follow-up to Dr. Dolloff’s letter to you yesterday, our schools in Yarmouth will be implementing a new approach to school safety procedures based on the ALICE and I Love You Guys approaches.
As a next step in moving forward in this approach, on Monday, January 9th after arrival time, teachers will begin introducing to students how we follow teacher direction when we have an unexpected event. To be clear, at the elementary level our focus and approach are on following the teacher's directions. The language we will be introducing to students is “Stop, Look, and Listen.” When a teacher uses this prompt it is a signal to students that everyone needs to follow the directions that are given at that moment.
There will be a very brief introduction on January 9th that will only take a few minutes. It is not a drill, but a learning exercise that will be built upon for safety drills in the future. Our goal is to make this learning, and any drills that are held in the future, low-anxiety and comfortable for students. The presentation of the material will be done thoughtfully and in a manner to support that goal. In this learning exercise, we will not be discussing specific scenarios but only what we would do if something unexpected were to happen in our school. I will send a reminder to families a day or two before the first learning exercise on January 9th. As Dr. Dolloff shared, this work will continue to evolve and I will continue to communicate with you throughout the process. If you have any questions, please reach out to me directly.
PTO Updates
STUDENT & FAMILY DIRECTORY IS HERE!
This contains information from Pre-K through 8th grade families who have opted in to participate in the Yarmouth PTO Directory. We encourage you to double-check your information and make updates as needed. You can access the online directory at: https://yarmouthschools.membershiptoolkit.com
If you are interested in ordering a printed directory booklet, orders are due by January 2nd. Order forms can be found here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DtcjkRsJGMm6ywLtWgzi46r_YO_0j2Nm/view?usp=sharing
Have a question? See the FAQ sheet here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1w2_QCPRovp9CpzuSkdZ705axSv6iIX4f/view?usp=sharing
Yarmouth Area Camps: This Camp Packet is brought to you by the Yarmouth K-8 PTO in an effort to familiarize families with local camp information. Please contact Becca Maltais at rebeccamaltais@yahoo.com with any questions or if you have additional camp information. http://bit.ly/PTOCampPacket
Dates to note:
Thursday, December 22nd - School-wide Pajama Day! All students are invited to wear pajamas. No slippers, please.
December 23rd- January 2nd- Winter break- No School
Students return to school on Tuesday, January 3, 2023!
Monday, January 16th - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday - No School
Sincerely,
Susan Lobel, Rowe School Principal
