December 19, 2025 Newsletter

Good afternoon Yorktown Families,

We’ve officially reached the Friday before winter break, AKA the moment when backpacks are heavier, alarms are ignored, and everyone is counting down by the minute. Our students and staff have worked incredibly hard this semester, and they are more than ready for a well-earned break.

Thank you for your continued support and partnership. We hope the next two weeks include rest, laughter, and at least a few mornings without an alarm clock. We look forward to welcoming students back in the new year – refreshed, recharged, and hopefully remembering where they left their school-issued devices.

Wishing you a safe, relaxing, and joyful winter break!

Warmly,

Laura Porter

Acting Principal, Yorktown High School

In this message: 

• What’s Happening at Yorktown
• Counseling Corner
• Activities Updates
• Senior Updates
• Technology Corner
• Upcoming Dates
• English Learner Corner

WHAT’S HAPPENING AT YORKTOWN

Cafecito

Last Thursday we hosted our December Cafecito at Yorktown, held in Spanish for our multilingual families. Families heard from Ms. Justine Springberg about the WIDA ACCESS test and from Mr. Tito Vilchez on gang prevention. It was an engaging evening full of important information and meaningful conversations with our families.

COUNSELING CORNER

Advisory Information

Tuesday, January 6: All Grade levels will participate in a New Year Goal Setting lesson

Upcoming Dates for Academic Planning

• We are excited to announce the launch of SchooLinks Course Planner for our middle school and high school students on January 5, 2026.
  • All students in grades 6-11 will be utilizing SchooLinks to create their academic course plan towards graduation, including courses for next school year. With SchooLinks Course Planner, our students will have access to a comprehensive platform that empowers them to take charge of their education. They will be able to explore a wide range of courses, create personalized academic plans, and chart their path towards success. This will not only help them make informed decisions but also foster a sense of ownership and responsibility for their educational choices. Counselors will work individually with students to ensure they are on track for graduation.
  • In order to create their plans, students must complete the onboarding process through SchooLinks.  Please help us get 100% of students onboarded by making sure your student(s) has followed these directions:
    • Information and how-to video for 9th and 10th graders
    • Information and how-to video for 11th and 12th graders

• Yorktown’s Academic Planning Night
  • Please join us Thursday, January 15, 2026 at 7pm in person for our annual event.  We will cover Yorktown specific course selection via a presentation in the auditorium, followed by an opportunity to speak with content department representatives in the atrium.

ACTIVITIES UPDATES

WL Basketball Spectator Information – December 19

Yorktown’s varsity boys and girls basketball teams will play Friday night at Washington-Liberty with the boys at 5:45 pm and girls at 7:30 pm.  Yorktown students are asked to park near the Planetarium on N. Quincy St. and enter through door 8 near the WL swimming pool.  Other patrons, including non-student Yorktown spectators, can enter through the normal school entrance to the gym or through door 8.  Tickets are $5 for students and $7 for adults.

Winter Sports – Spectator Information

Winter sport competitions are underway.  A schedule of events is available on www.yorktownsports.org Many games held in the gym are available online on www.nfhs.com Tickets for events in the gym are available online at www.gofan.co Adult tickets are $7 and students are $5.  Backpacks, as well as outside food or drinks, are not permitted.  Students in middle school or below need to be accompanied by their parent/guardian for admission to sporting events.

APS High School Programming Competition – Save the Date

The 2nd Inaugural APS High School Programming Competition (APS HSPC) will take place on February 7th, 2026, from 10:45 AM to 3:30 PM.

Students will be challenged with a wide variety of algorithmic programming problems. Working in teams of up to three students, they will write code to solve the problems. If a student does not have a team, a team will be provided for them. Allowed programming languages are Python, Java, and C++.

The contest is open to middle and high schoolers within APS. All students are welcome, regardless of programming experience. High school programming contests are a fantastic way for everybody to learn more about computer science. Both seasoned programmers and absolute beginners are encouraged to come and improve their programming skills.

Last year, nearly 60 students showed up to the competition.

Free Health Physicals – January 30 at Wakefield High School

Arlington Public Schools and Arlington County Health School Bureau will offer free health exams (acceptable for sports participation) and teen vaccinations on Friday, January 30 from 1-4 pm at Wakefield High School.  There is no school on this day for students.  Students who wish to attend should register with their school nurse.

Upcoming Home Events

Where to find Athletics Information

Athletic Website – www.yorktownsports.org

Athletic Twitter – @yhssports

Athletic Instagram – @yhssports

Athletic Specific Sport Information – www.teamapp.com

Athletic Registration – https://yorktownhs-ar.rschooltoday.com/

Looking Ahead – Spring and Fall 2026 Sports 

Spring sports will begin on Monday, February 23 and tryouts will continue throughout that week.  Fall 2026 sports will begin on Monday, August 3 for cheer, volleyball, field hockey and JV/V football.  Freshmen football and cross country will likely begin Monday, August 10.  Dance team tryouts will be May 19.  The start date for golf (no earlier than July 30) and girls flag football (no earlier than August 17) have not yet been finalized.

SENIOR UPDATES

Be sure to bookmark the Seniors website which is linked on the Yorktown HS home page under Quicklinks and loaded with information for senior year.

Cap and Gown

This is the last chance before Winter Break for seniors to order their caps and gowns. All seniors must have a cap and gown to walk at graduation, and the cost of caps and gowns are included in senior dues. Thank you so much to those of you who have already ordered a cap and gown – we still have roughly 50 seniors who will need to order using this form. Any 12th grade student who fails to order a cap and gown before our return from Winter Break will need to stop by the activities office upon their return to school.

Senior Dues

This is the last chance for seniors to pay the price of $80.00 for Senior Dues in 2025. Effective 1/1/26, the cost of Senior Dues will increase to $85.00. You can pay online through 12/31/25 using the following link: https://arlingtonva.schoolcashonline.com/Fee/Details/4907/444/False/True . All students are expected to contribute to class dues. If a student is experiencing undue financial hardship, they should speak to the activities office regarding a payment plan.

Graduation

Looking ahead for graduation planning – Yorktown’s graduation will take place at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, June 10th at 3:00 PM.  More information will follow.

Graduation Announcements

Graduation announcement cards are typically sent to extended family and close friends to share the exciting news of your upcoming graduation (they are not an invitation to attend). If you wish to order graduation announcements, or any other senior memorabilia please visit the Herff Jones Virginia website and search for Yorktown High School.

Senior Experience

Students wishing to participate in Senior Experience (May 18-June 8) will need to access the Senior Experience Canvas page. Please take your time to review all information and materials on the page.

A few dates to note:

– Student Application Due by 3/13

– Mentor Application Due by 3/13

– Parent Authorization Due by 3/13

– Senior Experience Kick Off Meeting on 5/15

– Senior Experience from 5/18 to 6/8

– Senior Experience Seminar on 6/9

TECHNOLOGY CORNER

LightSpeed Parent Opt-In

With a variety of instructional tools and learning methods available to your student, your active engagement in your student’s learning is more important than ever. To help keep you informed about your student’s use of internet resources, APS has partnered with Lightspeed Systems to give you visibility into your student’s internet usage while using APS-issued devices, and more control of their use at home and after-school hours.

There are two types of reports you can receive: the Weekly Online Student Activity Report and the detailed Parent Portal dashboard.  All the information in the Weekly Report and on the Parent Portal can be viewed and enabled on desktop or mobile devices. Instructions on how to opt-in to the Weekly Online Student Activity Report are here.

UPCOMING DATES

See YHS Calendar or the APS Calendar for more information

English Learner Corner 

Students will participate in the WIDA ACCESS for English Learners assessment on January 15 and 16, with make-up testing scheduled for January 21 and 22. To help students feel prepared and confident, your child will attend an informational meeting on January 8, 2026, during Patriot Period in Patriot Hall. During this meeting, students will learn when, where, and why they are expected to take the assessment. Christina Smith, Department Chair; Justine Springberg, Lead Teacher; Susan Tucker, English Learner Teacher; and Danielle Harrell, School Administrator, are available to answer any questions you may have.