November 15, 2023 Newsletter

Dear Yorktown Families,

Congratulations on the successful completion of the first quarter! Let’s reflect on the successes of the quarter and where we  can all grow and improve. We hope you can come to The Play That Goes Wrong next Thursday through Saturday! (more information below).  Good luck to the Girls Cross Country Team and Field Hockey Team who are competing this weekend in VHSL State competition. Go Patriots! I wish you a wonderful long weekend as we celebrate Veterans’ Day and share gratitude for our military community and military families.

Dr. Kevin Clark, Principal

In this message: 

• What’s Happening at Yorktown
• Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
• Activities Updates
• Senior Updates
• Technology Corner
• Upcoming Dates

WHAT’S HAPPENING AT YORKTOWN

Nominate a Teacher or Support Employee of the Year!

This year every school will select one Teacher of the Year, Assistant Principal (optional) and one Support Employee of the Year representing the school community. Of all of the school nominees, there will be one Teacher of the Year and one Support Employee of the Year named as the APS division-wide honorees.

Please use this form to nominate a teacher, support staff, or assistant principal. Nominations are due by Monday, November 20th. Please see more information here. Anyone nominating must be willing to compile the nomination packet for the person they are nominating. A committee of students, staff and parents will review the nominations and select the Yorktown nominees for APS Employees of the Year.

Come See The Play That Goes Wrong! November 16th-18th

Get ready for the smash hit farce straight off the West End, The Play that Goes Wrong (High School Edition) by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields. It’s opening night of the Cornley Drama Society’s newest production,The Murder at Haversham Manor, where things are quickly going from bad to utterly disastrous. This 1920s whodunit has everything you never wanted in a show – an unconscious leading lady, a corpse that can’t play dead, and actors who trip over everything (including their lines).  Nevertheless, the accident-prone company members battle against all odds to make it through to their final curtain call, with hilarious consequences. Don’t miss it! Tickets are $5/students, $10/adults, and are available for purchase outside the cafeteria during all lunch periods until 11/15. Performed with permission from Dramatists Play Service, Inc.

This Week’s Advisory Plan

Students will participate in the following activities next week. We are switching our focus to the “Self-Management” CASEL competency.

• Tuesday (11/14):
  • Grades 9-12 (for students not completing the Virginia Youth Survey) Quarter 2 goal-setting Activity
  • Some Patriot period classes were randomly selected to complete the VYS.
  • If time allows, advisories that complete the survey can also move on to the goal-setting activity.
• Thursday (11/16):
  • Academic Check-In Meetings or students can leave with a pass

Virginia Youth Survey November 14th

The Virginia Youth Survey (VYS) is administered to monitor health risk behaviors that contribute to the leading causes of death, disability, and social problems among youth and adults within the Commonwealth of Virginia. The survey is administered every odd year in randomly selected Virginia public schools.

On November 14th, randomly selected Patriot Period classes at Yorktown will complete the VYS during the school day. The survey is designed to be completed in 45 minutes or less and will focus on the following areas: behaviors that contribute to unintentional injuries and violence, alcohol and other substance use, tobacco use, unhealthy dietary behaviors, and inadequate physical activity.  The survey has been designed to protect your child’s privacy; therefore, students will not put their names on it. Students can skip any questions they do not wish to answer and may stop participating in the survey at any point without penalty. In addition, no school or student will ever be mentioned by name in a report of the survey results. There will be an altered schedule with a longer Patriot Period to accommodate the survey.

Additional details on the Virginia Youth Survey are available on the Virginia Department of Health website.

National School Psychologists’ Week

This past week we honored and thanked our wonderful School Psychologists, Bethany Banal and Solange Caovan-Hornbake, for all the work they do to support our students, families and staff.  We are so appreciative of them!

Family Life Education Information Night – Nov. 13

There will be an opportunity to learn more about the Health and PE Family Life Education curriculum through a virtual meeting on November 13th at 7:30 pm.  Yorktown health teachers will be available to answer questions.

DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION

Opportunities for Student Reflection & Discourse

Ms. Patrick, our DEI Coordinator, shared the message below with students recently. We acknowledge that the terrorist attacks by Hamas and ongoing conflict in Israel and Gaza is impacting our community. We want to offer opportunities for students to reflect and connect. We also want to reiterate that anti-Semitic or Islamophobic comments, actions, or online posts are unacceptable and should be reported to a teacher or administrator immediately.

From Ms. Patrick: “With news of tragedies taking over our screens and social media feeds, you may be experiencing some strong feelings related to what you see, read and hear.  It’s important to process your thoughts and emotions in a healthy way.  Students are invited to sign up for time with Ms. Patrick, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Coordinator, to talk through what’s going on in the world.”

Native American Heritage Month

Did you know that there are 574 federally recognized Indigenous American and Alaska Native tribes in the United States (referred to as “Turtle Island” by some tribes)?  However, more than 200 tribes are not recognized by the federal government, locking them out from land and federal payments. Virginia has seven federally recognized tribes: the Chickahominy Indian Tribe, the Chickahominy Indian Tribe–Eastern Division, the Monacan Indian Nation, the Nansemond Indian Nation, the Pamunkey Indian Tribe, the Rappahannock Indian Tribe, and the Upper Mattaponi Indian Tribe.  Find more information here.

Historically Black College & University Festival

The Alfred Street Baptist Church presents its 21st Annual Historically Black College & University (HBCU) Festival, a hybrid event being held Friday, November 17, and Saturday, November 18, 2023. The festival is dedicated to connecting high school students and their families to HBCUs, and scholarship opportunities. Approximately 80 colleges and universities will be represented during the two-day event. Register here to attend.

• Friday 11/17: 4-8pm (VIRTUAL ONLY)
• Saturday 11/18: 9am-4pm (Virtual and In-Person)
• Location: The St. James, Industrial Road, Springfield, VA

ACTIVITIES UPDATES

Congratulations and Good Luck to the Field Hockey and Girls Cross Country Teams

The Girl’s Cross Country Team won the Northern Region Championship for the first time in Yorktown history! They will compete on Saturday, November 11, at Oatlands in Leesburg, VA.

The Field Hockey Team won the Liberty District Championship and is the VHSL Northern Region runner-up.  The team beat Grassfield High School on Tuesday, November 7, and is playing Fairfax High School in a semifinal game on Friday, November 10, in Virginia Beach, with the championship game scheduled for Saturday, November 11. Good luck Patriots!

Track, Cheer and Winter Crew Conditioning Start This Week

Cheer and indoor track begin on Monday, November 13, with winter crew conditioning beginning on Thursday, November 16.  Cheer will meet in the aux gym at 3:30 pm while indoor track will meet at the track at 3:30 pm.  Crew will meet in the rear of the school on the first floor at 3:30 pm on Thursday.

All students must register at least two days in advance of tryouts to participate.  Registration is done online only – no paper forms accepted.

YHS Club of the Week: Dungeon & Dragons Club

The YHS Club of the week is the Dungeon & Dragons Club. The aim of this club is to play Dungeon & Dragons while making friends who share a similar interest. See Ms. Covington for more information.

Reusable Bag & Toiletry Drives

The SGA is sponsoring a fall toiletry drive and reusable bag drive. Toiletry items to be collected are: travel size hair care products., lotions, toothpaste, toothbrushes, mouthwash, soap, deodorant, period products, combs and brushes. Items can be dropped off in 223, 262, the main office, or the library. Donations go to Path Forward. Their mission is to help those who are homeless find jobs and housing.

Reusable bags will be donated to AFAC- Arlington Food Assistance Center. This drive will take place all this week.

Where to find Athletics Information

Athletic Website – www.yorktownsports.org

Athletic Twitter/X – @yhssports

Athletic Instagram – @yhssports

Athletic Specific Sport Information – www.teamapp.com

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

Looking Ahead – Spring Sports

Spring sports (baseball, softball, soccer, lacrosse, tennis, outdoor track, crew) begin on February 19th.  Parents must complete the online Registration and upload their child’s physical form by February 14th.

Please note, tryouts and practices will be held on school holidays such as Presidents’ Day (February 19th).  Students can join www.teamapp.com for specific off-season and tryout information on winter and spring sports, which will be posted as it becomes available.

Please make sure to register on the new athletic registration site before attending any off-season activities or tryouts (see information above).

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.

Graduation Cap & Gown Orders

Any senior who missed the class meeting on Thursday, October 19, should visit the Student Activities office to place their order for a graduation cap & gown.

Senior Experience

A presentation was made to Seniors at the class meeting on October 19, with details and important information on Senior Experience. This information is posted on the Senior website. Contact Ms. Sutphin with any questions.

Senior Portraits

Seniors will have one final opportunity to have their senior portrait taken in school on the Thursday and Friday after Thanksgiving, November 30-December 1. Appointment date and time information will be sent out by mail from Prestige Portraits.

For those who wish to have a retake, they will need to call the Prestige Line at 855.918.2930 as there are open slots on both days. There is also a link to sign up on a QR code, which is posted in the Activities office.

Senior Portrait Gallery

Senior portraits taken in the June and August sessions have been hung in the main hallway Senior Portrait Gallery. If your picture is not up, please see Ms. Stotler in the Activities Office. Portraits taken during the September session will be hung after they are received from Lifetouch.

TECHNOLOGY CORNER

Maintaining Battery Life for Your MacBook Air

Charging and Battery Life

• If a USB-C port isn’t working, or the cable won’t fit anymore, it likely needs to be cleaned. To clean a USB-C port, the recommendation is with a can of compressed air and a soft cleaning tool. Blasting it with compressed air will shake dirt loose, which you can then clean out with a toothpick or soft cleaning tool. Never use liquid to clean the charging port.
• Be sure to charge your computer up to full capacity (100%) at least once weekly. It’s not great for the battery to be fully charged all the time, nor is it great for it to be low all the time.
• Your battery has a life; when it’s nearing the end, you’ll notice it will no longer hold a charge or will shut off after a short usage. If this happens, be sure to see Mr. Wilson, the school Tech, in 235 during your lunch.

Remember, both the student device and charger have been checked out to you. It is important to take good care of the computer because it belongs to the school, and it is there to help you with your learning.

UPCOMING DATES

See YHS Calendar for more information

• November 10th – Veterans’ Day – No School Holiday
• November 22-24 – Thanksgiving Holiday