January 4, 2019

 Dear Parents and Guardians,

 Happy New Year to you and yours from all of us at HMS! We hope this finds you well and having enjoyed some wonderful time off with family and friends.

 Please let us know if you have any questions about the following information or if we can help in any way.

A Reminder About Our Students’ Health: Some students attending HMS are dealing with severe food allergies. These students can have allergies to a wide range of foods (such as tree nuts, milk, shellfish, or poppy seeds). They are learning to become expert label readers so they can protect themselves from exposure to the foods and/or environmental factors that can make them very sick. We also have HMS students who have Type I Diabetes. These students have to be acutely aware of everything they eat and how to compensate for that food with self-administered insulin. They too are becoming experts, at carb counting and figuring out their insulin dosage. You can support these students and their parents to feel safe at our school by checking in with your child’s teachers before sending food into school to be shared by classmates. The importance of providing healthy, safe treats for all students cannot be overstated.  

Sending medication to school: Please be in touch with HMS nurse, Kristina Truesdale, if you need to send medication into school for your child. Our district policy dictates that parents/guardians need to bring medication into school and give it to our school nurses in the original prescription bottle. Students should not bring medication to or from school.  

Smart Watches and Wireless Headphones: Students who choose to wear any kind of smart watch to school need to turn off the notifications/functions that enable texts and phone calls. These violate our school rule about texting and/or receiving phone calls during the day, and our “off and away” cell phone policy. Students may use headphones in class for educational purposes, with teacher permission. Wireless headphones that students bring in from home may not be used without teacher permission in classrooms, and may not be used outside of classrooms (in the halls, during recess/lunch, or any other setting outside of classrooms) for any reason.  

Yearbook Information:  The HMS 2019 yearbook are on sale for pre-orders! The $25 cost is extended to January 31st, the cost will rise to $30 after that date.  Please order online at: Josten.com or payment can be brought to school with your student (cash or check payable to HMS) and left in Mrs. Allen's mailbox in the front office. Distribution of the yearbooks will be the last week of school. Any questions, please contact Holly_Allen@yarmouthschools.org

Updates From Our PTO:

-Hannaford Gift Cards - Next load date is Wed., Jan. 9 at noon. HGC form here.

-Teacher Appreciation Luncheon - A new year and another chance to celebrate our HMS staff on Jan. 11 with an appreciation luncheon! Please click on the link if you’d like to sign up. http://signup.com/go/xeMNvuN

-“Maine Girls” - Join us Jan 15, at 6 pm, in the Yarmouth public library for a free screening of “Maine Girls.” This 30 min documentary follows a group of immigrant and US born teenage girls as they face the unfamiliar and try to bridge divides. Q&A session will follow with leaders from related fields. This film is recommended for middle school age and up; all community members are welcome. https://mainegirlsfilm.com

-Kindness & Community - We are introducing an exciting project to promote kindness, service, and community with Raise Craze to support our schools. Let us know if you’d like to be part of this team!

-New Parent HMS Coffee - New parents, please join us Feb 5, 9-10 am at Brewer’s Marina to hear helpful information about area summer camps.

-Thank you for supporting an amazing list of enrichments! Please contact Heather Meier or Christy Hayashida for any reason at christinehayashida@hotmail.com or info@yarmouthpto.org.  

DATES TO REMEMBER

 -7th & 8th Grade Play Parent Info. Night - January 7, from 5:45 PM to 6:15 PM in the HMS Library

 -Music Boosters Meeting - January 7, from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM in the HMS Band Room

 -7th/8th Grade Play Auditions - High School Musical Jr. - January 8 and January 9, from 3:30 PM to 5:00 PM in the HMS Cafe

 -PTO Meeting - January 17, from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM, in the YES library

 We are looking forward to seeing you in the new year.

 Thanks very much,

 Joan Adler and Tom McDowell

HMS Administrative Team