February 7, 2025 Newsletter

Dear Patriot Families,

This week, we kicked off the second semester and launched our course selection process for the 2025-26 school year. Students can select courses on StudentVue through Tuesday, February 18th. The courses will be visible in ParentVue on Wednesday, February 19th. For information on available courses please visit the APS Program of Studies. Counselors will be meeting with all students to review course selections.

We also want to acknowledge that there have been several holds to investigate reports of weapons in the school. We take these threats very seriously and enlist the Police to ensure there are no weapons at Yorktown. We are fortunate that all students and staff are safe and no weapons have been found at Yorktown during these incidents. Please continue to report any threats or safety concerns immediately to school staff or to ACPD if there are concerns in the community. Thanks for your engagement and support to keep Yorktown safe.

Have a great weekend!

Dr. Kevin Clark, Principal

In this message: 

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

WHAT’S HAPPENING AT YORKTOWN

Your Voice Matters: The 2025 Survey is Coming

The 2025 Your Voice Matters (YVM) survey will be open from Feb. 12 – Mar. 14, 2025, with the opt-out window closing on February 10.

• The YVM survey is now conducted annually to provide more timely insights on safety, health, well-being and engagement, aligned with the 2024-30 APS Strategic Plan.
• YVM gathers critical feedback to guide decisions that benefit the entire APS community and track progress toward strategic goals.
• Students in grades 4 and above, all staff and all families are invited to participate
• Conducted by Panorama Education, the survey adheres to strict privacy standards under FERPA and the Student Data Usage and Privacy Agreement.
• Families will receive an anonymous link, students will receive a link in class, and staff will get a direct email to ensure easy participation.
• Families may opt out of the survey by February 10, 2025. Students can skip questions if they are unsure of how to answer it. Opting out is a simple process, and choosing to do so will not impact you, or your student in any way. For more information, visit the APS Your Voice Matters survey page. Your feedback helps shape the future of our schools and community!

Arise and Flourish Substance Use Presentation

sOn February 24-28, 2025, Arise and Flourish will present about substance abuse prevention to all 11th and 12th grade students during their English class. Evidence-based prevention programs can dramatically reduce rates of substance use and substance use disorder. Arise and Flourish, Inc. is a nonprofit organization that seeks to educate and raise awareness about the alcohol and drug addiction epidemic. If you would prefer that your student not attend the presentation, please complete the Opt out Letter for Arise and Flourish and return it to their English teacher. If you have additional questions, please contact the Yorktown Substance Abuse Counselor, Jenny Sexton at 703-228-2541 or [email protected]. More information about the Substance Abuse Counseling services can be found here.

Theater Students Place 2nd in Region VHSL Theater Competition

Congratulations to Theater students on their 2nd place Region finish in the VHSL Theater Competition Wednesday. They finished tied for first in rank and came in second after the tie-breaker!

Congratulations FBLA Students Regional Success

Please CONGRATULATE the following Future Business Leaders of America members who placed in last week’s regional competition. They all advance to States in April! Shout out to Mindy Straley, FBLA sponsor!

1st place Agribusiness –  Damon Maher

1st place Financial Math  – Alex Doan

1st place Management Information Systems –  Evan Reilly and Liam Quinn

1st place Supply Chain Management – Easton Roorda

2nd place Business Management  – Grant Buckley and Hayden Buell

2nd place International Business –  Ian Birnie

3rd place Business Communications  – Max Yoon

3rd place Intro to Financial Math  – Duarte Faria

3rd place Intro to Marketing –  Walter Shiu

3rd place Intro to Parliamentary Procedure  – Sam Chen

COUNSELING CORNER

Online Course Request Process 2025-26

The presentation from Academic Planning Night is on Yorktown’s Counseling site in the academic planning section.  Students can also access applications which are required for some classes on this site.

The course request selection window is now open for students, and will go through February 18th. This year, students will select courses in StudentVue and will not submit paper Course Request Forms (CRFs). CRFs have been distributed so that students have a list of courses from which to choose, and they watched this video for instructions on how to select their courses. Parents will have access to the selections on ParentVue beginning on February 19th.

Summer School 2025

Summer School: Summer School – Arlington Public Schools

• 9th-12th graders can retake a course that they failed during the school year; APS will offer EPF again this summer as a credit recovery course for those who failed it previously.
  • The registration window is March 3 to June 2.

 New Work for Credit Opportunities through APS: (information is on the summer school page linked above)

• Students can take Health & PE I, or Health & PE II, or Economics & Personal Finance through APS, with APS teachers.
• Health & PE courses meet in-person for the first 2 weeks of summer school and then are virtual for the last 2 weeks.
  • Summer H&PE II does not include Driver’s Ed
• The EPF course is 100% virtual and follows the same start/end date as summer school.
• These courses are at family expense ($350 full price/$87 reduced price)
• The registration window is March 3 to May 2

 New Work for Credit Opportunities through one of our Approved Vendors: Summer New Work for Credit Courses – Arlington Public Schools

• The website has the list of approved courses and what courses and how many courses students can take based on their grade level.
• The links will go live on March 3.
• Families may pay by check or money-order sent by mail or hand-delivered it to Syphax
• The cost varies by vendor and is included on the website.
• The registration window is March 3 to June 2. NOTE: This is a fixed deadline; as it says on the website, vendors may have later deadlines and/or no deadline, but this is the APS deadline. We will not enroll any student for a request that comes in after June 2.

 Paying for Classes:

• All credit recovery, ESY, Pathways to Progress, Intro to Advanced Course, AP Summer Bridge classes are at no cost to families.
• APS Hybrid Health & PE and virtual EPF: families can pay through My School Bucks or by bringing a check or money order to Syphax.
• Virtual Virginia: Families can pay online through VVA or by bringing a check or money order to Syphax.
  • If paying by check or money order, we will not enroll the student in the course until payment is received.
• All other Virtual Vendors: Families must pay by check or money order, mailed or hand delivered to Syphax.
  • We will not enroll the student in the course until payment is received.
• Scholarships are very limited this year and handled on an individual basis.  Please reach out to your child’s counselor for more information.

Advisory Information

Tuesday, February 11th

• Students in 9th grade will be in the auditorium for an assembly where they will review code of conduct expectations as we begin the second semester. Students in grades 10-12 will watch a video version in their Patriot Period class.

Thursday, February 13th

• Academic check-ins or students may leave with a pass to visit another teacher

DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION CORNER

APS Students with Disabilities Anti-Bullying Forum

February 19, 2025 | 6:30p – 8:00p | Syphax, room 454 or Zoom

At the November 14th school board meeting, APS staff delivered the Bullying Prevention Monitoring Report. Numerous Special Education Parent Teacher Association (SEPTA)  members had follow-up questions about how this information relates to and impacts students with disabilities. This will be a collaborative forum with APS staff to explore and understand bullying and APS students with disabilities. Register here.

Black History Month Activities @YHS

Black Film Fest | Thursday, February 6 – (will be rescheduled) | Auditorium | Patriot Period

• Featuring three short films by Black/African-American writers, directors and actors
• Permission slip needed – students can get slips from Ms. Patrick (223)
• Teachers can sign their Advisory classes up to attend here

Blacks in Business | Thursday, February 20 | Auditorium | 10:30 – 11:20

• A panel of Black/African-American business owners will share their experiences as entrepreneurs
• Permission slip needed – students can get slips from Ms. Patrick (223)
• Teachers can sign their Advisory classes up to attend here

ACTIVITIES UPDATES

Club of the Week: Sister Circle

The YHS Club of the week is Sister Circle. Sister Circle aims to empower young girls of color to celebrate their heritage, succeed academically, develop leadership skills, and give back to the community.  Sister Circle provides a safe environment for young women of color to talk about their feelings and emotions without fearing to be judged or looked down upon.  All are welcome to attend. See Ms. Walchak for more information.

Winter Sports – Spectator Information

With winter sports competition beginning this week, a schedule of events is available on www.yorktownsports.org. Many gym events are available online at www.nfhs.com Tickets for gym events are available online at www.gofan.co. Discounted student-priced tickets are $5 cash only at the gate.  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.

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/

Home Events Next Week

Spring Sports Tryout Schedule – February 24

For planning purposes, most spring sports will begin Monday, February 24.  A detailed tryout schedule can be found here

Students must register online in order to participate and the signed doctor’s page must be dated after May 1, 2024 to participate in fall sports tryouts.  Please register before February 20 so your information can be processed.

Many sports are currently participating in off-season, optional workouts which are most often publicized on Team App. Students and parents are encouraged to sign up for Team App for all sports they are interested in to find sport-specific information.

Looking Way Ahead – Fall 2025 Sports

For planning purposes, Fall sports will begin as early as July 31 with most beginning on August 4. Check Team App or the website for more information.

Please note, that playing a high school fall sport requires a commitment to be present for the duration of tryouts and daily practices thereafter. Families are advised that vacations planned after the start of fall sports will not be considered favorably during the tryout process because there is limited practice time to build a team prior to the start of scrimmages and games in mid to late August.

SENIOR UPDATES

Senior Panorama Photo

The Senior Panorama photo was taken on Wednesday, February 5th. You have until Monday, February 10th to order. Text the access code to 6817SENIORS25 to 90738 to receive access and learn how to order or visit https://my.photoday.com/g/68617SENIORS25 on your phone or computer

Be sure to bookmark the Seniors website, which is linked on the Yorktown HS homepage under Quicklinks and contains essential information for senior year. Find answers to your questions about these and more:

• Announcements and Rings
• Caps & Gowns
• Class Dues
• Graduation
• Off Campus Lunch Privilege
• Prom
• Senior Experience
• Senior Portraits
• Yearbooks

Senior Dues

Senior dues are $80. Senior dues cover the cost of cap and gown, diploma, diploma covers, as well as other senior activities. Senior dues can be paid at https://arlingtonva.schoolcashonline.com/ or by cash, money order, or check (made out to Yorktown High School) and given to Sabrina Ashby in the main office.

Senior Experience

The Senior Experience Application is now open! All required documents can be found on The Senior Experience Canvas page and must be submitted by March 14th!

Save the Date 

Class of 2025 Graduation – 7 p.m., Wednesday, June 4, at DAR Constitution Hall.

UPCOMING DATES

For more details, refer to the YHS or APS calendar.

• Monday, February 17 – Presidents’ Day – No School
• Wednesday, March 5 – Early Release
• Friday, March 14 – No School for Students, Professional Learning
• Monday, March 31 – No School, Holiday – Eid al-Fitr