Dear YHS Families,
This morning, I asked a group of students if they had finished their assignments and successfully wrapped up the first semester. Music is alive and well at Yarmouth High School, as these young gentlemen burst out in a rousing chorus “We’re halfway there” from Bon Jovi’s Living on a Prayer.
Perhaps it’s best if we leave the big hair and music from the 80’s behind us, as we begin the second semester, and second half of the school year, on Monday. At this time, we plan to continue our hybrid plan of learning for students with Wednesdays as a remote day of learning. A reminder that Tuesday, January 26 will be an additional remote day of learning for students in grades 9, 11, and 12 due to PSAT exams.
PSAT Exams
10th grade students will be taking PSAT exams at Yarmouth High School on Tuesday, January 26 and should review the following:
-- Please arrive by 7:45 am with two number 2 pencils and a calculator.
-- Students are expected to attend their 5th period class online when they get home.
-- If students are not registered to take the PSATs, they should attend their classes remotely.
-- Room assignments will be sent to students and sophomore advisors by Monday.
-- Sophomores will receive information about breakfast and lunch options from our nutrition staff.
-- Busses will be available at noon to transport students home after the exams.
Yarmouth’s CEP Program
Many years ago, a career exploration program was created at Yarmouth High School providing 10th and 11th grade students with the opportunity to create resumes, cover letters, and participate in job shadowing experiences. You may remember that last spring, this program was put on hold due to the COVID pandemic. With the help of Yarmouth’s Partner In Education coordinator Justine Carlisle, we have redesigned our CEP programs which will allow students to participate in meaningful - and safe - career exploration experiences. 10th and 11th Grade advisors will be reviewing this year’s CEP program with students in the next few weeks, and we will be providing additional updates in the next few months.
YGT 2021 Online Edition
Yarmouth Music Boosters is thrilled to announce they'll be hosting Yarmouth's Got Talent, the Online Edition, this March. While this popular fundraiser will be a little different this year, much remains the same. A volunteer committee of teachers, music boosters and community members will review the submissions. Local "celebrities", teachers and school leaders will introduce the acts. Best of all, there's no limit on how many people can watch the show! We can't wait to see how students use technology to highlight their talents as this new Online Edition will allow for acts never seen before on the YGT stage. Student submissions must be COVID/CDC compliant or they will not be considered. The entry form, rules and details on how to submit a video can be found on Yarmouth'sGotTalent.org. Videos can be submitted any time between now and Friday, February 5. The list of acts included in Yarmouth's Got Talent, the Online Edition, will be announced on Monday, February 22 and the final show will be released for viewing on Friday, March 26.
VALO Winter Community Discussion
Valo is co-sponsoring monthly intergenerational conversations that foster personal connections among community members of all ages during this isolating time. Our next conversation is scheduled for January 27th at 7PM. Please see this link for more information.
Winter Athletics & Activities Update
In response to the MPA's decision to allow schools to begin athletic programs in counties that are designated as "yellow" by the MDOE, we will begin a measured return to extracurricular activities and athletics. Starting on Monday, we will provide cohort-based practices, meetings, rehearsals of our winter sports and extracurricular activities from January 25 - 29.
Students in school on Monday and Thursday (cohort 1) may participate in activities on those days and on Wednesday. Students in school on Tuesday and Friday (cohort 2) may participate in activities on those days and on Saturday. This adjustment not only aligns with our academic programming keeping students in cohorts and reducing the size of the groups in each space, it provides students with access to much needed extracurricular activities.
The state will re-evaluate the county statistics on Friday, January 29, and we will also look at local data to determine if a move to all-inclusive team/group events will be advisable as our intent is to return to full practices, performances, and competitions. Specific questions regarding athletics should be sent to our athletic director, David Creech, who can be reached at 846-5535 david_creech@yarmouthschools.org
As always, we would like to thank our students, staff, and students for your patience, support and understanding as we’ve worked through the challenges of the first half of the school year, and turn our sights towards a successful second half in the months ahead.
Respectfully,
Eric Klein, Amy Bongard, & David Creech - YHS Administrative Team