September 24th Parent Note

Dear Parents and Guardians,

The end of September is noteworthy for several reasons.  Not only does it mark the end of the first month of school, it's also the time of year when we traditionally hold our Open House, inviting parents to learn more about the learning that takes place at Yarmouth High School.   On Wednesday September 27th, Open House will begin at 6:30pm.  You will start the evening with your child's advisor and afterwards go through an abbreviated schedule of classes (link here) which will provide the opportunity to meet teachers.   Schedules will be provided to parents when they meet with advisors (copies will be available at the rear entrance near Portland Street for parents who arrive after 6:45).  Car-pooling is highly recommended, as parking is always tight for this event.   

 

Digital Citizenship - Our 9th grade students recently participated in the first of three digital citizenship workshops.  These sessions are designed to increase our students' understanding of ethical use of technology, as well as provide students with better awareness of their digital footprint. Please feel free to review the following resources.   

• They Loved Your G.P.A. Then They Saw Your Tweets

• Harvard Rescinds Acceptances

• Five Social Media Lessons to Learn from Emma Sullivan (Teen Vogue)

• What You Miss Out On When Your Social Media Profiles Are Invisible

 

PSAT Registration

Juniors and Sophomores are scheduled to take the PSAT on Wednesday, October 11th.  Please note that although this test is on a Wednesday, this is not a late start day for sophomores and juniors.  Following the exam, students will report to periods 4 and 5 with a break for lunch.   The cost of the PSAT is $20. Please see registration information below from guidance.

*Registration Process for PSAT's*

Beginning Monday, September 25th, juniors and sophomores can register for the PSAT in guidance.  Please bring $20 in cash or check made payable to Yarmouth High School. If paying by check, please put your child's name in the memo section.  Fee waivers are available in guidance.  At the time of registration, students will receive a study guide to help prepare for the PSAT.  By taking the PSAT, Juniors are automatically screened for the National Merit® Scholarship Program, an academic competition for recognition and scholarships.  For sophomores, this is an opportunity to practice taking a college entrance exam and receive feedback to help prepare for future standardized tests.

Russian Exchange Program - Host families needed!  We've recently been presented with a wonderful cultural opportunity to host students and a teacher from Archangel, Russia for 1-2 weeks at the end of October/early November.  Three 16 year-old female students and their chaperone, a 57-year old female teacher, will be visiting Yarmouth High School during this time.   In return, students from Yarmouth will have the opportunity to travel to Archangel over the April vacation and stay with host families.  Please contact Principal Klein for more information if you are interested and would like more information about this cultural exchange.   

Our House II Campaign - Many of you will recall the Our House fundraising campaign of more than ten years ago that provided much needed bleachers to the high school stadium field. That campaign was a great success, but it left us without a few of the amenities we'd like to provide for our athletes and fans - most notably, restrooms.  Now, we are excited to announce the Our House II campaign to further improve the athletic facilities at Yarmouth High School by providing for the following:

• Construction of restrooms

• Improvements to the snack shack

• Updating of the team shed

• Upgrades to the electrical panel

• Installation of directional signage

In the coming weeks, you will be hearing more about this project through district-wide emails and a town-wide publicity campaign. To learn more about this opportunity to improve our community facility, log on to www.yarmouthourhouse2.com.  

  

Influenza Vaccination Clinic -  Thursday October 5th.  In order for a student to receive a vaccination, parents need to complete a permission form (these will be available in the cafe at open house).

Yearbook Information - Please refer to this link for more information on how to purchase the 17-18 YHS yearbook.  

*Important notice for Seniors -  Senior Ads are due October 10th!  Please refer to this link for more information.

--

Eric P. Klein

Principal

Yarmouth High School

September 10 Parent Message

Dear Parents and Guardians,

After our first week of classes, it's already Homecoming at Yarmouth High School.  Athletic Director Susan Robbins has put together a schedule of events, found here, for our students as we continue to celebrate the start of the school year.  Please take a few minutes to review the following information as well.    

Update on Parking - As our enrollment at Yarmouth High School continues to grow, we no longer have enough parking space for all students.  During the past two years, this has created parking issues as students struggle to find spots and get to class on time.  We therefore need to begin a new parking system due to the limited number of spaces.  Please refer to this link for more information which explains the parking policy in more detail.   

Playmaker Parents - On Tuesday, September 12th from 6:00-6:30 in the YPAC, there will be a mandatory meeting for all parents and students who are in the cast, or anticipate working on the crew, of this year's musical, Pippin. This informational session is important to welcome new families, go over scheduling and expectations, collect contact information, and answer questions. All students involved in the musical - on stage or behind the scenes - and at least one parent, should plan to attend. The meeting will also be followed by the year's first Friends of Playmakers (FOP) booster club meeting, and all parents are welcome and encouraged to come!

Upcoming Events

• School Photos - September 20th

• Open House - September 27th

Casco-Bay Can Presentation - Anxious Kids, Anxious Parents: How to Stop the Worry Cycle.  September 18th  from 6:30 to 8:30 pm, YPAC auditorium.  For more information please see this link.

Insurance Forms - If you are interested in accessing insurance for your student, please access the link here.

I'd like to share one more item to celebrate the start of the 2017-2018 school year, a new page on our website found here.  Inspired by the creativity of social studies teacher Amy Sanders and coordinated by assistant principal Amy Bongard, the faculty of Yarmouth High School created paragraphs describing what they love about education.  Please take a few minutes to read through this page as it provides a wonderful expression of our faculty's commitment to the students and Yarmouth community.   

Best regards,

--

Eric P. Klein

Principal

Yarmouth High School

Yarmouth High School teacher has been making a difference for students since 1979

Article

2017 Welcome Back Letter

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.

--

Eric P. Klein

Principal

Yarmouth High School

Notes of Hope

Amy Sanders received a note from the filmmakers of the After Spring movie letting her know that our Notes of Hope arrived and were shared with Syrian kids in the refugee camp in Jordan. The participation and support of so many Yarmouth students made this project a success. 


Here's the link to the Taekwondo Academy's Facebook page.

Sophie Walsh Selected for Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Scholarship to Germany

New York, NY – Sophie Walsh, a high school student from Yarmouth, Maine, has been selected for the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX) scholarship, which funds an academic year of high school study and cultural immersion in Germany for a select group of American students. The CBYX program is funded jointly by the U.S. Congress and the German Bundestag as a symbol of the special economic and political relationship between America and Germany. Sophie is one of only 250 students nationwide to receive this prestigious scholarship. She will be spending the 2017-2018 academic year living with a German host family and attending a local high school in Germany.

Sophie was selected for CBYX for her demonstrated academic qualifications, cultural open-mindedness, and outstanding motivation. Sophie will serve as a "youth ambassador," representing the United States, while participating in educational, cultural and civic events while overseas. Past participants have had opportunities to meet with the President of the German Bundestag, as well as leaders of the Bundestag and members of the U.S. Congress.

Created in 1983 during the Reagan Administration, CBYX strengthens U.S.-German relations by forging lasting ties of deeper understanding. Over the past 33 years, the program has reinforced our transatlantic ties between Americans and Germans who engage in the program both as participants and hosts. Representative Jim Himes of Connecticut finds exchanges like CBYX "are of particular importance in today's global economy. These programs provide an unequaled understanding of world cultures – one that can translate into the success of American businesses, growth of the U.S. economy, and increased global and national security."

--

Eric P. Klein

Principal

Yarmouth High School

YHS Students Publish their work

An anthology called SPARKS with selections from students was published in a collection of 60 works from 60 authors, all of whom have participated in programs through the Telling Room over this past year. All our CP juniors worked with the Telling Room this fall when we had an In-School Artist Residency with them to teach Narrative Essay writing The residency was supported by a grant from the Yarmouth Education Foundation and summitted by Anne Tommaso and Brian Kim. These pieces were pulled from over 400 eligible submissions, is fully published, and will go on full sale sometime soon. It will be sold directly on the Telling room page here later on.

The YHS students published in it are:

• Jasmine Kasaei-Fard
• Justin Winkel
• Ben Wheeler
• Andrea Saracini