December 5 2025 Newsletter

Hi Yorktown Families,

Happy Friday! As we head into the weekend, I just wanted to send a quick note to let you know that we have officially entered the “final countdown” to winter break. There are 10 school days left—also known as the magical stretch when students suddenly remember every assignment they’ve ever been assigned, and teachers develop a superhuman tolerance for glitter, hot chocolate, and enthusiasm.

A reminder that students will be released early on December 10th.

Wishing you all a restful, fun weekend before we dive into the home stretch!

Warmly,

Laura Porter

Acting Principal

In this message: 

• What’s Happening at Yorktown
• Counseling Corner
• Activities Updates
• Senior Updates
• Technology Corner
• Upcoming Dates
• 2025-26 PTA Information

WHAT’S HAPPENING AT YORKTOWN

Conferencia de Liderazgo DECA

Yorktown had 23 students compete in the DECA District Leadership Conference this past Wednesday.  Students received recognition for their efforts on an objective test or a performance event. Additionally, our chapter has 3 students who qualified to compete at the Virginia DECA State Leadership Conference in February.

Molly Levy- 1st place in Business Services

Sabrina O’Dea- 1st place in Human Resource Management

Linda Batsaikhan- 2nd place in Accounting Applications

Congratulations to all who participated.

COUNSELING CORNER

Advisory Information

Tuesday, December 9: All grades will participate in Bully Prevention counseling lessons

Finding Your Fit: Navigating the College Admissions Journey

Thank you to those of you who joined our virtual session last night.  If you missed it, or would like to view it again, you can use this link which is also posted on our website.Save the DateOn Thursday, January 15th, 2026 at 7pm, the Counseling Department will host its annual Academic Planning Night. Come learn about course options and selection using our new platform, Schoolinks.  More details coming soon.

Free Financial Aid Help Desk

Contact: Brittany Everett, Postsecondary Access and Success Specialist,

[email protected]

Help is available for Virginia students and families who are filling out the recently available Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) announced a financial aid help desk and a new series of free webinars to support completion of the application.

Students can text “Hello” to 434-478-4003 and receive answers to their financial aid questions from an expert within 24 business hours. The service is available at no cost to Virginia students and is part of SCHEV’s efforts to ensure that no student leaves financial aid funding on the table.

In addition to text-based support, SCHEV has partnered with uAspire, a national non-profit focused on college affordability, to host a six-part webinar series for students and families. Each one-hour session offers guidance on the following financial aid topics:

• FAFSA Completion
• Financial Aid for Current College Students
• Scholarship Basics and Tips
• Next Steps After the FAFSA
• Financial Aid Offer Review
• Summer Steps for Financial Aid

Registration links and details are available on the financial aid events webpage.

ACTIVITIES UPDATES

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.

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 are typically in late May/early June.  The start date for golf (no earlier than July 30) and girls flag football (no earlier than August 17) have not yet been finalized.

Club of the Week

The YHS Club of the Week is the Sports Debate Club. The Sports Debate Club will be a space for students to debate sports games, statistics, and topics. The club will educate students about sports and provide them a chance to respectfully debate their ideas/opinions in an informal and familiar setting. This club will also help students develop their skills in discourse, public speaking, and persuasion. See Mr. Brown for more information.

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

We have had over 450 entries for student cap and gowns so far! Thank you so much to those who have placed your order early. To those still needing to place your order, please do so ASAP by using this form. Orders will be taken up until Winter Break. All students must have a cap and gown to walk at graduation. Remember, cap and gowns are included in Senior Dues.

Senior Dues

For those of you who have not yet paid Senior Dues, please note that class dues are $80.00 if paid prior to Winter Break, and $85.00 if paid after. You can pay online 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 economic hardship, they should speak to the activities office regarding a payment plan.

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

Senior Portraits Last Call for Northern Virginia

Lifetouch Prestige will be having a senior portrait “last call” for students in Northern Virginia, being held at their studio in Chantilly on December 13th from 12pm-6pm. You must use this link to sign up. The studio is located at 4500 Daly Drive – Suite 130, Chantilly, Virginia 20151.

Senior Lunch Passes 

Students must have their senior lunch passes to exit through Door 8 for off-campus lunch. Any student who does not present a senior lunch pass will not be permitted to leave the building.

UPCOMING DATES

See YHS Calendar or the APS Calendar for more information:

• Wednesday, December 10, Early Release, Professional Learning

TRANSPORTATION

• On Wednesday, December 10, 2022, there will be no 4:45 p.m. activities bus. However, a 6:45 late bus will still be available.