Dear Students and Parents,
The start of the 2017-2018 school year is almost upon us, and we are excited to begin a year of innovative teaching and learning at Yarmouth High School.
Thanks to a summer of tremendous work, Yarmouth High School looks absolutely beautiful as Bruce Bickford and our custodians have once again done a wonderful job getting our classrooms and facilities ready for students. We would like to take time to recognize Liliana Tyler, who will be leaving us to take care of her family after many years of dedicated service to our students.
Our teachers have likewise spent the summer gearing up for another year of teaching and learning. Many have traveled far and wide this summer pursuing an amazing array of professional development opportunities. In the world of science, Catie Wooten spent a week at the Island School located on the southwestern-most tip of Eleuthera, while Mike Weiss studied Oceanography at the United States Naval Academy. Not to be outdone on the high seas, Sarah Hirschfeld spent a week at the Bigelow Ocean Labs before heading ashore for a ten-day Geology field trip in Canada, working in conjunction with the University of Maine.
In the humanities, English teacher Marita O'Neill spent a week with Pulitzer Prize winning poet Yusef Komunyakaa at a seminar hosted by James Madison University, while Lorrie King, Marc Brown, and Karin Walsh attended the Hurricane Island Southern Maine Writer's Project Writing by the Sea retreat for teachers. Social Studies Teacher Amy Sanders will help bring the Middle East to YHS as part of the Bridge Program sponsored by the the Stevens Institute. This program seeks to build connections between youth in the United States and Middle East/North Africa through interactive workshops and seminars. Our technology guru Alice Barr attended a workshop at the Center for Innovation in Education, Weaving a Tapestry of Learning, while Art teacher Holly Houston participated in a sculpture workshop through Watershed - an internationally known ceramics center in Maine. I would also like to recognize many of our faculty who have spent the summer working on curriculum in preparation of the upcoming school year.
This time of year, we also take time to recognize the new staff members joining our faculty. Stacey Hang arrives to YHS taking the role of school nurse after working at Maine Medical Center as well as the Westbrook and Gardiner school systems. Laura Esty is the newest addition to our English department, after teaching at Leavitt High School. She will be part of the freshman team while also teaching AP Literature to seniors. Kevin Lindstrom joins us as Educational Technician, after spending two years teaching in Thailand. Fiona Hendry returns to YHS as an Educational Technician, and will also serve as a substitute teacher for Jackie Anderson who is out on maternity leave during the month of September.
After such a tremendous summer, we look forward to the arrival of students on Tuesday, September 5th. One of the best parts of September is reconnecting with students, sharing our summer experiences, and beginning another year of teaching and learning. On a final note, I would ask that you review the information below to make sure your student starts off the school year on a positive note. Should you have questions, comments, or concerns regarding the start of school, please feel free to call the school or send me an email at: eric_klein@yarmouthschools.org.
Wishing you the best,
Eric Klein
Principal
First Day of School - Classes will begin on Tuesday, September 5th as a BLUE day. This will be a full regular school day, with advisor/advisee period starting promptly at 8 am. This year's schedule can be found here. Advisor group lists and locations will be posted in the main hallways for students who are not sure where to go.
Wednesday Late Start Workshop Days - Every Wednesday morning, students arrive to school at 9 am, which allows teachers to meet for professional development training. This starts on Wednesday, September 7th.
Open House will be held on Wednesday, September 27th at 6:30 pm. Following an abbreviated student schedule, this evening is an opportunity for parents to meet with their son or daughter's advisor and teachers to learn more about classes and learning at YHS.
Bus transportation - This year's pickup/dropoff bus schedules are being updated and should be ready soon. Please go to this link for more information.
Portland Arts and Technology High School (PATHS) - For those students who are attending PATHS, classes start on the first day of school. Ms. Bongard will send more detailed information to PATHS students in a separate letter.
Student Driving Privileges - If your son or daughter plans to drive to school this year, we will be providing students with parking tags. Students will receive information over the next few weeks and will be given time to bring a copy of their registration through the main office.
Senior Open Campus - A separate letter from Ms. Bongard will be sent to seniors describing the protocols for our open campus program.
Student Laptops - We are continuing the laptop computer program for all students in grades 9-12 as students will be issued a "MacBook Air" computer during the first few days of school. Students will receive permission slips on the first day of school; please return these to the advisors along with a $25 check for insurance prior to the distribution of computers. We also ask that you take time to review the expectations for laptop use. This program will continue to help our students use technology in many aspects of their learning. If you would like to get a jump-start on this process, please review the following letter at this link: Parent Letter for the Laptop Rollout. To access the form that requires your signature, please go to this link: Form to be sent in to advisors.
Online Classes - Yarmouth is part of the Virtual High School program (http://thevhscollaborative.org/). Students who are interested in taking a class that is not currently offered at YHS should see their guidance counselor in the opening days of school.
Sports - Please use this link YHS athletic website to check schedules and access other information related to athletics.
Clubs & Activities - On September 27th, our Student Senate will host a "Club Fair" that provides students with the chance to explore many activities and clubs currently available at YHS. Our senate also works with students create new clubs or organizations based on their interests.
Student Handbook - Can be found at this link. Please take time to review this site with your student as it contains our core values, protocols, and policies of our school community.
School Announcements - Can be found on the home page of the district website to stay up to date with events and news at YHS.
Pest Management Policy - Can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/yhspestmgt
School Nutrition - Please read through this letter from Blair Currier regarding our school nutrition program for the upcoming school year. If you would like information regarding our free and reduced lunch program read through information. Please use this link for an application this program which should be filled out and returned to school. Should you have any questions, please contact Mr. Currier at 846-2323, blair_currier@yarmouthschools.org.
School calendar - Can be found at: http://yhs.yarmouthschools.org/calend. If you are someone who uses "Google Calendars," you can subscribe to this calendar with this link by going to the bottom right side of the calendar where you will find a link to the directions.
Each year, we supply our volunteer coordinators with the names, phone numbers and emails of parents. If you do NOT want your information shared, please call the Main Office.
