March 6, 2026 Weekly Newsletter

Dear Patriot Families,

Thank you to our students for completing the Your Voice Matters Survey last week and to our parents who have completed it. If you haven’t provided feedback yet, please complete the survey (access the anonymous family survey here).

Congratulations to all of our Spring Sports athletes who have completed try-outs and are beginning to prepare for the spring season. We appreciate the flexibility and consideration given the weather and the delayed turf installation. Looking forward to a great season!

Please join us for this month’s PTSA Meeting on Monday, March 9, at 7:30 p.m. Attendees will hear school updates, learn about student services, and receive information about course registration from Ms. Boyers, Director of Counseling.

Have a great weekend.

Sincerely,

Dr. Kevin Clark

Principal

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 20 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 HERE.

Writing SOL March 17 & 18

This year we are only administering the Writing SOL to about 200 students and are using alternate tests such as AP English Language and WorkKeys Business Writing for the remaining students.

Students will remain in their 3rd period classroom for Patriot Period on the two SOL days to facilitate testing.

Congratulations to the Debate Team for Winning Regionals

The Yorktown Debate Team won the Northern Region Championship this past week and advanced to Super Regionals.  Individual winners in Policy Debate were Raika Louis & Jackman Finnerty (first place – Policy Debate) and Scarlett Hopkins & Beckett Shepherd (third place – Policy Debate), Faris Kiame (third place – Lincoln Douglas) and Sophia Robert (third place – Congressional Debate).  Good luck at Super Regionals.

Upcoming Music Concerts

Friday, March 6th: Yorktown Choral Program is hosting Penn State University Glee Club in a joint concert. Join us at 7 p.m. in the auditorium!

Thursday, March 26th: Arlington Indoor Percussion Home Show – Yorktown gymnasium at 7 p.m.

Stadium Turf Field Update

The Department of Parks and Recreation, who owns our stadium turf field, has let us know they are projecting completion of the current turf replacement project on March 20. All spring teams that use the turf will continue to utilize other locations for practices, and games are currently being rescheduled. Sport specific information on the changes will be communicated through Team App.

COUNSELING CORNER

Advisory Information

Tuesday, March 10: Grades 9-12: All grade levels will review a presentation about appropriate use of AI created by our Instructional Technology team.

Please Acknowledge Your Student’s Course Plan

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 2026-27 course requests.
• Parents are asked to acknowledge their student’s course plan no later than March 11th.
• If you see something you would like to change, please reach out to your student’s counselor.
  • Any requests for changes made after March 6th will not be reflected in SchooLinks, but will be made in Synergy.
• ​Follow these directions to learn more about course plans and to view and acknowledge your student’s plan.

Save the Date

The Counseling Department will host Junior Night for Post-Secondary Planning virtually on Tuesday, April 14th, 2026, at 7:00 PM.  This event is for families of current 11th graders.

During this session, we will cover important topics including college and career research, standardized testing, and letters of recommendation to help students prepare for their post-secondary plans.  We will also have college admissions representatives available for a Q & A.

The virtual meeting link will be shared one week prior to the event. We hope you are able to attend, but if you cannot join us live, the meeting will be recorded and made available on our website or through your student’s counselor.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, 2026 | 5:30-7:30 p.m. Thomas Jefferson Community Center | 3501 2nd St S Arlington, VA 22204Link 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.

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 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.

Intramural Futsal and Boys Volleyball

All students are welcome to drop in for intramural futsal on Tuesdays and boys volleyball on Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:30-4:20 pm beginning March 16. These opportunities will be held in the gym. No physical or registration is needed.

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 (with clinics on May 14 and May 18). The start date for golf (no earlier than July 30) and girls flag football (no earlier than August 17) have not yet been finalized. Sign up for www.teamapp.com under YHS – ‘sport name’ (i.e., – YHS – field hockey or YHS – football) for potential optional off-season opportunities this spring and summer.

Reminder: All students must pass five credit-earning courses for the 2025-26 school year to be eligible for Fall 2026 sports.

Club of the Week – Girls in Sports

The YHS Club of the Week is The Girls in Sports Club. The Girls in Sports Club aims empower underprivileged girls through sports. The club hopes to raise awareness in the YHS community to specific issues and biases facing girls by building confidence through sports. The club aims to hold fundraisers to support girls in need, to spread awareness, and to volunteer in whatever ways are possible. See Ms. Murphy for more information.

Upcoming Home Events

Where to find Athletics Information

Athletic Website – www.yorktownsports.org

Athletic Twitter – @yhssport

Athletic Instagram – @yhssports

Athletic Specific Sport Information – www.teamapp.com

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

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.

Prom

Prom will be held Friday, May 29 at the Westin in Ballston.  Tickets will be on sale beginning May 11 online and during lunches.  Tickets cost $40 per person.  Seniors must pay senior dues and satisfy any outstanding obligations (i.e., – sports uniforms, computer accessories, Yondr pouch, etc) prior to purchasing a Prom ticket or departing on Senior Experience.

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

ParentVUE and StudentVUE

We are aware of an increase in technical issues for those using the ParentVUE and StudentVUE mobile apps. The APS Information Services (IS) Department recommends that parents and students download the newest version of the app from their device’s app store to ensure the best performance.

While older versions of the app should still function for now, upgrading is the most effective way to resolve current bugs. Please note: if you are using a web browser to log in, this will not impact you at all. Should you have any questions, please contact your student’s assigned ITC.

Help Us Stay Connected 

To help our school day run smoothly, please remind your student to shut down and charge their laptop nightly. When devices arrive fully charged, it ensures that every student can jump straight into their lessons without technical delays. We appreciate your partnership!

UPCOMING DATES

See YHS Calendar or the APS Calendar for more information.

• Friday, March 20, 2026 – No School for Students – Eid al Fitr
• Monday, March 30-Friday, April 3, 2026 – Spring Break
• Monday, April 13, 2026 – No School for Students, Grade Preparation Day