Dear Families,
We are committed to providing in person learning to our students, but we are prepared for a quick pivot to remote learning for a period of time if circumstances warrant. With the positive test this weekend (please reference earlier email), we needed to make this shift temporarily for the Upper School, starting Monday. We were pleased with the effectiveness of our remote schedules last spring, however we made some modifications to better serve our students. Here are links to these schedules: Fifth Grade, Grades 6-8, and Upper School. For the Lower School, classroom teachers will be sharing schedules soon. Please note that only the Upper School will be remote starting on Monday.
Thank you to everyone who attended the Parents’ Association Virtual Morning Forum last Thursday. The theme of the meeting was getting involved at NYA. Tori Baron, PA President, and Jennifer Richard, NYA Director of Development, spoke.
- Tori Baron spoke about the role of the Parents’ Association and ways to become involved with the PA. If you have an interest in volunteering or becoming involved, you can email Tori or Laurie Hegarty, PA Volunteer Coordinator. Here is a link to a list of list of PA Officers, Class Reps, and Committee Chairs. Please reach out to the parent rep for your child’s class if you have additional questions or suggestions. Note – a couple of classes are still looking for a class rep.
- Jennifer Richard, NYA Director of Development, spoke about the ways to get involved with NYA and the role of philanthropy at the Academy. Jennifer may be reached at jrichard@nya.org.
The PA Virtual Morning Forums will be held monthly. The next forum is scheduled for December 2 at 8:15 a.m. The topic is Student Health and Wellness During COVID-Cindy Hould P ‘33, NYA Counselor, and Ian Ramsey, Director of the NYA Kauffmann Program, will speak. A Zoom invite will be sent on December 1. Additional forums will be held on February 4, March 4, and April 8.
On Wednesday, November 11, NYA will be closed in recognition of Veterans Day. On Tuesday, November 10 at 8:00 a.m., we will hold a Veterans Day recognition ceremony prior to school. The seniors will be on the front lawn. All other students will view through Teams.
On The Bright Side:
This week, we will celebrate World Kindness Day on Friday, November 13. Leading up to the celebration, we will hold a Dress Down Day wearing orange on Thursday, November 12 for $3.00, exact change, please. Money raised will go to our neighbors at the Yarmouth Food Pantry. On Friday, we will further our kindness to them with a food drive for Thanksgiving baskets. The food pantry has asked for five specific items only: juice, cans or jars of gravy, stuffing mixes, cans of cranberry jelly, and cans of pie filling. The Key Club will collect the food items at Friday morning drop off and deliver them to the food pantry. In addition, our Kind Campus mural in the main entrance to the Curtis Building will be on full display, exhibiting a growing chain of acts of kindness. Finally, campus-wide, students will write Kind Notes to whomever they choose, spreading kindness all around.
Reminder: Project Graduation is an overnight, safe, fun filled, alcohol-free program of activities for our seniors after graduation. Parents work throughout the year to raise funds to provide special events to make post-graduation unforgettable. This year’s organizers are already at work raising money with the NYA Annual Poinsettia Sale. Place your orders HERE now through November 29. Due to COVID-19, this year pick up is at Estabrook’s Nursery in Yarmouth (not at NYA as in past years). You will receive a voucher to use at Estabrook’s once you place your order. Pick up will take place from November 30 to December 6. Tell your friends!
Update from Athletics: This week marks the start of our Winter Activity season. The season will be a work in progress, as state agencies continue to finalize sport-specific guidance for safe play. Middle School teams will begin participation under the current Maine Department of Education physical education guidelines, with planned in-house competition only. Our Upper School NEPSAC hockey teams take the ice under current Community Based Guidelines and will be prepared to engage in competition – when approved – at the state level. On Friday afternoon, the MPA and state announced the timeline and guidelines for winter sport return-to-play. Teams will begin virtual workouts the week of December 7 and in person practices the week of December 14. We anticipate regionalized competition to begin the week of January 11. Ms. Ross and winter coaches are already prepared for the season and will share details with students and families in the coming weeks. We are excited to have something to prepare for! We are thankful for our incredibly committed, supportive, and knowledgeable coaches, who have prepared creative ways to ensure the enjoyment and development of our student-athletes in spite of so many unknowns.
Reminder that the Upper School Athletic Recognition Ceremony will take place virtually on Tuesday, November 10, at 6:00 p.m. Coaches will share log-in details with students and families prior to the event. We are eager to share the accomplishments of a wild and successful fall with the community!
While the fall season has come to a close for most teams, I wanted to wish the best of luck to Chris Hamblett, NYA ’21. Chris qualified for the State XC Meet and will represent NYA on Wednesday, November 11. Congratulations are in order for NYA’s Girls Varsity Soccer Coach, Ricky Doyon, who was named the 2019-2020 National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Maine State Girls Soccer Coach of the Year!
Have a great week!
Sincerely,
Ben Jackson
Head of School
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YouTube – North Yarmouth Academy
Twitter – @NYAToday
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