January Newsletter

January 4, 2019 

Dear Rowe Families, 

We hope everyone had an enjoyable holiday break. It was nice to have a respite and it feels great to return. Despite the late start on the second day back, it was wonderful for the children to have fresh snow to play in at recess! I saw many happy faces as they walked through the playground gates Thursday morning!

There were some special events in December before the break. We came together at our Community Meeting to celebrate holidays of light and to sing some festive songs together and share a bit about family traditions. On December 21st, kindergarten children decorated gingerbread houses in their classrooms. We are grateful for the family members and friends who were able to be here for that special tradition. On the same day, the Yarmouth High School chorus came by to sing holiday songs to the first graders during their lunch in the cafeteria. Now we are settling in nicely to our post-holiday routines with new learning opportunities for our children. 

 New staff 

We have a few new staff members at the Rowe School. Michelle Mullane joined us as the new music teacher in late fall. She taught music to Pre-K through grade 2 students in New York before returning to Maine, her home state. We also have two new educational technicians. Kelly Lambert has worked here a great deal as a substitute teacher and was recently hired to work in our Learning Center. Tina Lajoie will be starting as an educational technician later this month and comes to us with a background in special education. We are very excited to welcome these individuals to our Rowe School family!

Presentation on executive skills in children

I have attached information regarding an informative presentation by Peg Dawson, a renowned expert in New England on organizational skills in children and adolescents. Please read the attachment for the details. Peg Dawson presentation 

Attendance Matters 

Did you know? Starting in kindergarten, too many absences can cause children to fall behind in school. Missing 10 percent of the year (or about 18 days for the entire school year) can make it harder for children to learn to read. Students can still fall behind if they miss just a day or two every few weeks, and frequent absences can add up to 18 days very quickly. Attending school regularly helps children feel better about school and themselves. Start building this habit so they learn right away that going to school on time, every day is important. What You Can Do.... 

Set a regular bedtime and morning routine. Lay out clothes and pack backpacks the night before. 

Don’t let your child stay home unless he or she is truly sick. Sometimes stomachaches can be a sign of anxiety and not a reason to stay home. 

If your child seems anxious about coming to school, talk to teachers, school counselors or other school staff for ways we can collaborate with you to help your child. 

Try to avoid medical appointments and extended trips when school is in session. 

 Good attendance will help your child do well in school, and eventually in college and at work. **This was adapted with permission from Attendance Works at attendanceworks.org. 

News from the nurse 

With winter in full swing here in Maine, there are a couple of things that you can do to help your child stay healthy and comfortable during this season. First, winter brings extremely dry air that causes many children to suffer from severely chapped lips and very dry skin. Aside from drinking lots of water and hydrating bodies from the inside, sending in a labeled lip balm or chapstick in your child's backpack can help relieve red and cracking lips. Please consider doing this if your child tends to be prone to chapped lips.

I encourage you to start weekly head checks for lice. We have already seen several cases in the schools and more will come. The best way to manage lice is to do regular surveillance checks of your child's head, at least once a week. If you receive notice that lice are present in your child's classroom, it is recommended that you increase the head checks to nightly for about two weeks. If you have any questions or other health concerns, please feel free to check in with me. Thanks for your help! Jill Webber, Rowe School Nurse jill_webber@yarmouthschools.org

  News from the Yarmouth PTO 

Hannaford Gift Cards - Next load date is Wed, Jan 9 at noon. ·        

Teacher Appreciation Luncheon - A new year and another chance to celebrate our Rowe staff on January 9 with an appreciation luncheon! Please click the link if you’d like to sign up. http://signup.com/go/wTYLSgu ·        

Skate Date - All Rowe families are invited to join us at the pond behind Key Bank on January 26, 1-3 pm. Non-skaters can join us in the warming hut for hot cocoa and conversation. Please bring skates, as rentals aren’t available. (Not a drop-off event.) We’d love to see you there! ·        

“Maine Girls” - Join us January 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. A Q&A session follows 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. If you’d like to be part of this team, let us know! ·        

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

PTO Funding for Rowe: A specialist and three live owls from Chewonki Owls of Maine visit first graders to talk about owls native to Maine and New England. 

As part of their life cycles unit, kindergartners take a trip to Pineland Farm to explore the life cycle of pumpkins, as well as have fun navigating a corn maze. 

First graders attend Southworth Planetarium as part of their solar system unit. Rowe playground will receive TWO new play structures! 

A skate date with new and existing families provides a way to bridge new families to the existing school community. 

Reminder for first-grade families: The Rowe Show is a musical performance for first-grade students only on Wednesday, April 10, 2019, from 6:30-7:30 PM at the Yarmouth High School Performing Arts Center (YPAC). More detailed information will be coming home with your child in the next couple of months regarding this performance.  Please note that this performance falls several days before April vacation; we encourage families to be in attendance for this special evening!

Dates to note:

Thursday, January 17 - PTO meeting in the YES library 7:00 PM

Monday, January 21 - No School in observance of Martin Luther King Day

Monday, February 18 - Friday, February 22: February Vacation

Sincerely,

Susan Lobel, Principal