February 27, 2026 Newsletter

Dear Patriot Families,

Congratulations to the Yorktown Girls Swim Team for their fourth consecutive VHSL State Championship last weekend! What an accomplishment! Congratulations also to the Gymnastics team for finishing third in the state competition!  Teagan Wielechowski won the individual state championship on the bars.  We have one more group of winter athletes competing at the state championships on Tuesday – good luck and Go Patriots!

A reminder that the Your Voice Matters Survey is now open, and we invite every member of our community to participate. Families can access the anonymous family survey here. Thank you for your feedback!

Have a great weekend.

Sincerely,

Dr. Kevin ClarkPrincipal

In this message: 

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

WHAT’S HAPPENING AT YORKTOWN

Your Voice Matters Survey is now open!

The Your Voice Matters Survey is now open, and we invite every member of our APS community to participate. This annual survey runs through March 6 and helps guide decisions on priorities such as safety, health, well-being and engagement.

• Families can access the anonymous family survey here.
• Staff will receive a one-time survey link in their APS work email from [email protected].
• Students in grades four and above will complete the survey during class time.

Participation is voluntary and responses are confidential. Your feedback helps us better understand the experiences of our community and shapes the actions we take moving forward. Learn more about the survey

COUNSELING CORNER

Advisory Information

Tuesday, March 3: Next Tuesday students will spend time looking at different tools available in SchooLinks.

• Grades 9-10: Complete Find Your Path Assessment
• Grade 11: Explore the Learning Hub
• Grade 12: College Financing or Career Center

Arlington Teen Job & Volunteer Fair

Arlington’s Annual Summer Youth Work Experience & Job Fair

• FREE and open to all (ideal for 14-18 year olds)
• Saturday , March 21, 2026, from 10am-12pm | Thomas Jefferson Community Center
• Please Register: https://teensummerjobfair26.eventbrite.com

Get Ready For The Job Fair: Arlingteens Resume & Interview Clinic  on 3/9/26

Arlington County Young Adults!  Arlington County Manager’s Communication and Public Engagement team, Leadership Arlington’s Ignite cohort, and the Teen Network Board VICE group invite you to attend the Arlingteens Resume & Interview Clinic. This clinic will equip teens with the tools and confidence needed to craft strong resumes and excel in interviews. Whether you’re creating your first resume, refining one for a specific job, or simply wanting to strengthen your networking skills — this event is for you!

Resume & Interview Event Details 

Monday, March 9, 2025 | 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Thomas Jefferson Community Center | 3501 2nd St S Arlington, VA 22204

Link to register

Accommodations for AP Exams

April 1st is the deadline for adding any new accommodations for this year’s AP exams.  The College Board deadline for applying for accommodations was last month, and we know it can take them weeks to make a determination, so this April 1st should allow enough time for those decisions to be returned to us and arrangements made for testing.  If you have questions, please reach out to Ms. Sandin, our AP Coordinator.

Course Planning for Next Year

Students have been meeting individually with their counselors the past few weeks to develop a course plan in SchooLinks that covers the next 1-3 years.  The plan will be reviewed each year and can be adjusted as needed.  The courses that they added in their plan for next school year will be uploaded into our student information system (Synergy) as their 2026-26 course requests. Follow these directions to learn more about course plans and to view and acknowledge your student’s plan.

DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION

Women’s History Month

Women’s History Month is a time to recognize and celebrate the achievements, resilience, and contributions of women throughout history and in our communities today. Throughout the month of March, we honor the women who have shaped our world as leaders, innovators, creators and changemakers. We also take this opportunity to reflect on the ongoing work toward equity and opportunity for all. We are excited to continue our guest speaker series into March, where we have invited women from various backgrounds and professions to speak with our students about their personal and professional journeys.

ACTIVITIES UPDATES

Spring 2026 Detailed Tryout Information

Spring sports are underway.  All sports started on Tuesday, February 24 with the exception of outdoor track which begins Monday, March 2. All are welcome to join track anytime prior to Friday, March 6.  Students must be registered with a valid VHSL physical uploaded into the registration system prior to participating in tryouts or practices.  Physicals are valid for 14 months and families are responsible for maintaining a current, valid physical in the registration system at all times.  Please meet at the stadium track at 3:30 pm. Students should sign up for Team App under YHS – Track/Cross Country to receive all information prior to March 2.  All interested athletes should complete this form prior to showing up on Monday, March 2.

Spring Sports – Spectator Information

Home spring events begin the week of March 16.  A schedule of events is available on our athletic website.  Games held in the stadium are available online on the NFHS network.  Tickets for events in the gym are available online at Go Fan and at the ticket booth. Regular season games are $7 for adults and $5 for students. 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.  There is no charge for regular season tennis, baseball and softball games.

Club of the Week- Minority Men United

The YHS Club of the Week is Yorktown’s Minority Men United (MMU). Minority Men United promotes academic and social responsibility, focusing on African American and Hispanic males. MMU encourages integrity, resilience, respect, and hard work among its members. MMU holds quarterly meetings during the school day on a rotating basis. Meetings are planned and led by the MMU Leaders. Meetings take a variety of forms, including (but not limited to) motivational speakers, information about academic advancement, alumni panels, and team-building activities. All African American and Hispanic males at Yorktown, and others who are interested, are invited to become members of MMU. See Ms. Sadauskas for more information.

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 – Fall 2026 Sports 

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.

Senior Experience

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

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 Dues

Senior class dues have increased to $85.00 beginning January 1, 2026. Senior families can pay their class dues using this link. All students are expected to contribute to class dues. Students will be unable to participate in Senior activities such as Senior Experience, prom, Senior Picnic, and graduation.

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. Each student will receive 5 guest tickets to be distributed with the caps and gowns at graduation rehearsal.  Families anticipating needing more tickets should contact peers as we do not anticipate having additional tickets due to the size of the senior class.

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.

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.

Laptop Reminder

Please remind students to shut down and fully charge their laptops each night so they arrive at school ready to learn. A fully charged device helps ensure students can participate in class activities without interruption. Thank you for your support!

UPCOMING DATES

See YHS Calendar or the APS Calendar for more information

• Friday, March 20, 2026 – No School For Students – Eid al Fitr