YMS NEWS

Hello YMS Parent(s)!

What a fantastic first quarter we had at YMS. Students were challenged by their teachers to be creative, collaborate with each other, and think critically. Teachers at YMS are constantly pushing students to grow. They expect great things from your child and they are happy to be the driving force that pushes them to succeed.

The last week in October was Red Ribbon Week at YMS. Red Ribbon Week was started by parents in response to the murder of DEA agent Enrique Camarena. The parents wore Red Ribbons as a symbol of their commitment to raising awareness of the killing and destruction caused by drugs and alcohol in America. Here are some suggestions for parents of middle school kids from the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids.

Make it very clear that you do not want them to use alcohol, tobacco, marijuana or other drugs.
Find out if they really understand the consequences of alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use.

Get to know her friends by taking them to and from after-school activities, games, the library, and movies. Check in with her friends’ parents often to make sure you share the same anti-drug stance.
Be sure you know his online friends – as well as his other online activities such as websites he visits, with whom he emails, chats, and instant messages, his Facebook page, and who he text messages.
Volunteer for activities where you can observe him at school..
Get your kids involved with adult-supervised after-school activities.
Make it easy for your child to leave a situation where alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs are being used.
Call the kids’ parents if their home is to be used for a party; get assurance that no alcoholic beverages or illegal substances will be at the party.
Set curfews and enforce them.
Encourage an open dialogue with your children about their experiences.

At YMS we are continuously working on changing student mindsets. A mindset, according to Dr. Carol Dweck is a self-perception or “self-theory” that people hold about themselves. Believing that you are either “intelligent” or “unintelligent” is a simple example of a mindset.

Here are some examples:

Students with a fixed mindset believe that they are born with basic abilities, intelligence, and talents, and they can’t change that. Their goal is to look smart and never look dumb

Students with a growth mindset believe that their talents and abilities can be developed through effort, good teaching, and persistence. They believe everyone can get smarter if they work at it. They are not afraid to fail and therefore don’t mind not knowing the answer.

Students with a fixed mindset fear failure and are less likely to take risks.

Students with a growth mindset value the challenges of taking a risk and know that they will learn from their failures and improve.

Here are some strategies you can use at home to help your child change from a fixed to a growth mindset.

Have a daily learning discussion. Ask your student, “What did you learn today?” “What did you try hard today?”
DO praise the process. DON’T praise ability. Instead of saying “you are so smart” or “you are good at playing the piano,” say “You really work hard on your Math” or “Your many hours of practice on the piano are paying off.”
Explain to kids that their brain is never done growing. Remind them they can always learn and improve throughout their life.
Let your kids fail. It is OK to fail. It is NOT OK to give up. When students fail, ask them, “How can you get better next time?” “What did you learn from your mistake?” Then, as students finally succeed, praise their persistence.
Encourage positive talk in your home. Stop the use of the words “I can’t” and instead remind people in your house to say “I can’t, yet.”

We are going to have a fantastic second quarter at YMS. Teachers and staff are here for your student(s). We are going to continue to push them to grow and be better students and young men and women. Thank you for your help as we work together to make the years at YMS some of the best years in their academic life.

Kenny Loosvelt

Report Cards at YMS

This year we have switched to semester grades at YMS, unless you are a 6th/7th grader that has Shop, FCS, Computers or Art. These classes will continue to change every quarter. This change means we will no longer hand out quarterly honor roll certificates. Students will continue to be recognized for 1st and 2nd semesters in York News Times. You can access grades on the parent portal on Infinite Campus. Please direct any specific grading questions to the classroom teacher. We will only mail report cards home, at the end of the year, in May. You can access the Infinite Campus parent portal using the directions below:

Visit https://necloud1.infinitecampus.org/campus/portal/york.jsp
Log in with the proper username/password (contact YMS to reset password if needed)
You may be asked to verify your device as trustworthy for security purposes.
Select your student.
Click the three horizontal lines on the upper left hand corner. You will be able to access Grades, Schedules, Attendance Records, Fees, and Documents. (Quarter 1 can be found under Documents, if it is a semester class you can also see in-progress grades)

November 4 Election Day

November 9 Harvest Moon @ Holthus Center- 5:30PM

November 10 Veterans Day Program @ YHS Theatre- 10 AM

November 11-Veterans Day

📸Picture Retake Day

November 11

🦃Thanksgiving Break

November 26-28

YMS Lunch Menu

School Hours

Supervision at York Middle School begins at 7:40 a.m. We ask that students not arrive on campus prior to that time. One staff member supervises the cafeteria. Students are welcome to congregate in that area. Once students get to YMS, they are expected to come on campus and remain there. Students enter the halls at 7:50 a.m. with classes beginning at 8:00 a.m. Dismissal is at 3:13 p.m. Students are expected to clear campus and return home as soon as school is dismissed unless they are participating in a supervised extra-curricular activity, staying after school with a teacher, or participating in the YMS After-School Clubs. On early dismissal days, students must leave campus and return for sports practice no earlier than 3:30 p.m., unless the student is involved in an After-School Club.

When your child is going to be absent.....

When your child is ill and unable to attend school we want to hear from you. Give us a call at 362-6655, option 1, between 7:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. Please let the office know in advance when your child is going to be absent for an appointment or will be going out of town.

For the safety of your child, we make sure all absent children are accounted for!

YMS Access

All YMS doors will be locked during school hours, 8:00 a.m. – 3:13 p.m. Anyone wishing to enter the building will need to access the buzzer system located at the main, west entrance of YMS. This system will alert office staff. Once visitors have been identified and viewed through the video monitoring system, they will be allowed to enter.

Weather Related Emergency/School Closing Procedures

In case of a weather emergency, we will follow the same procedure that has been in practice in the past years.

That procedure is as follows:

1. Radio Station KOOL (103.5 FM 1370 AM), and KTMX-FM (104.9) will again serve as our primary

source for dispensing “school closing information.” They are 24 hour stations.

2. If severe weather necessitates an early dismissal, a school cancellation, or information concerning school buses, it will be broadcast on KOOL and KTMX.

3. Bus drivers are instructed to use good judgment in determining whether a road is passable. The

Transportation Department will notify parents where children can be loaded if a specific road cannot be traveled. Buses will travel the regular routes and maintain a time schedule consistent with the

conditions of the roads.

4. “Emergency Messages” will be sent to our student’s parents and guardians who have an email or cell phone number listed in Infinite Campus, and the YPS Staff. Information will be posted on our website at www.yorkpublic.org, on our Facebook page at York Public Schools and on Twitter at

@MitchBartYPS (#yorkdukes). Parents and Guardians – please be sure to provide the school

secretaries with your current email address and cell phone number in order to be notified!!

FILE: EBBDA POLICY ON SCHOOL DISMISSAL FOR INCLEMENT WEATHER

The York Public Schools will be closed, when in the determination of the Superintendent of Schools or his/her designee, the weather conditions constitute a hazard for students going to or from school.

When regular morning school bus routes cannot be run due to road conditions, yet travel in town is not seriously hampered, school may remain open. When possible a "limited service" bus route shall be run anytime school remains open and it is not possible to run regular routes.

The starting time of the morning session may be delayed when necessary.

When, during the school day and while school is in session, it is necessary to send bus pupils home

early, school may be dismissed for all students.

ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES ON SCHOOL DISMISSAL FOR INCLEMENT WEATHER

When school is not held or is dismissed early due to poor weather conditions, notification will be placed on the York radio station and any other such means as the superintendent may deem necessary and feasible.

When it is necessary to dismiss school due to inclement weather after the school day has started, all students should be accounted for in their homeroom by their homeroom teachers. Bus students should be dismissed first. Teachers shall be responsible for their assigned students. Before dismissing elementary town students, the teachers shall not let any student who has been transported to school go home without contacting their parents, unless they are sure other arrangements have been made. Students who have walked to school may be allowed to walk home if the teacher feels the weather does not present a hazard. Teachers will be dismissed when all of their students have been accounted for.

🎶Choir

Students are working hard for our upcoming YMS Winter Choir Concert, which will take place on Tuesday, December 16th at 7:00 PM in the YHS Theater. This is a wonderful opportunity for our students to showcase their hard work and celebrate the holiday season through music.

🎼Band

The band is hard at work preparing for our Holiday Concert on Tuesday, December 9th at 6:00 PM. There will be our annual Soup Supper in the high school lunchroom starting at 5:00 PM. Come out to eat some soup and hear some great music!

Influenza is a highly contagious illness of the respiratory tract (nose, throat, and lungs) that can lead to serious complications, including pneumonia and the worsening of other chronic health conditions. Flu symptoms may include fever, headache, extreme tiredness, dry cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, and muscle aches. The best way to protect your family from new influenza strains is to get vaccinated each year and to practice frequent handwashing. Seek further guidance from your healthcare provider to ensure that the flu vaccine is right for you and your family members. Well-child visits with your pre-teen/teen’s healthcare provider and staying up to date with their immunizations are two important practices in helping to keep them healthy. Well-child visits provide an opportunity for you to discuss any concerns that you have, allow for continued tracking of growth and development, and can offer the needed vaccinations or information regarding local vaccination clinics.

Consider scheduling appointments if your child is due for either of the below.