September 19, 2025 Newsletter

 Dear Yorktown Parents and Guardians,

This was a great week at Yorktown! As I visited classes, students were engaged, and teachers and staff were working hard with their classes. I met with my Student Advisory Board Thursday and they shared they are enjoying their teachers and classes.

A reminder that tonight is the Back-to-School Barbeque at 6:00 in the Amphitheater in front of Yorktown (still some needs see PTSA Sign-up Genius here). Come cheer on our Football team, Dance, Cheer, Band and Color Guard at the home football game at 7:00 at Greenbrier stadium.

We also invite you to Back to School Night next Thursday, September 25th at 7:00, with an optional drop in session for counselors and specialists at 6:30 (more information below).Next Tuesday, September 23rd is a school holiday for the observance of Rosh Hashanah.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Dr. Kevin Clark, 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

Health & Illness Notice

We are seeing a lot of illness at school.  As a reminder, please keep your student home for any signs of illness and/or fever.  Students should be well enough to participate in school activities.  Students should stay home if they show signs of illness the night before or morning of school.   Families are encouraged to follow the APS procedures found here: https://www.apsva.us/health-safety/illness/

Students may not return to school until they meet the following criteria:

• Fever: A student with a temperature of 100.4°F or greater. The student should not return until 24 hours of no fever, without the use of fever-reducing medications.
• Diarrhea: The student should not have loose stools for 48 hours without the use of medications before returning to school.
• Vomiting: The student should have no vomiting episodes for 48 hours without the use of medications before returning.

Please notify school attendance every day to let them know your student is out sick at (703) 228-5410. If you have questions, please contact the school clinic at (703) 228-5390.

Back to School Night is September 25, 2025

We invite you to BTSN at Yorktown High School, Thursday, September 25th, from 7-9:00 p.m. See the guidance document here. Families will use StudentVue to access their students’ schedules.

There will be Counselor Welcome Sessions, one for grades 9&11th in the Auditorium, and one for grades 10&12th in Patriot Hall at 6:30. Drop-in sessions will be at 6:30-6:50 in the Cafeteria with specialists (AP Coordinator, DEI Coordinator, Math Coach, Advanced Academics Coach, School Psychologists, School Social Workers, Substance Abuse Counselor, and Bilingual Family Specialists).

BTSN begins in Patriot Period and follows a 10-minute rotation of the seven-period schedule. See the schedule below:

PSAT Exam (Oct. 8th) Information

All 10th and 11th grade students are scheduled to take the PSAT/NMSQT exam on Wednesday, October 8th at 8:20.  English teachers will help students install the testing App “Bluebook” during English classes in the next 2 weeks.  Parents who have questions about the test or test day procedures may refer to this Google Slides for more information. All information in the Google slides is also being shared with students during English classes. Some 12th grade students will take the School-Day SAT.

Remaining 9th & 12th grade students will have an asynchronous virtual day. Bus transportation is provided at normal times. Students will be dismissed from school after completing the test at 11:30 am. Students can provide their own transportation home at that time. Students may stay in the cafeteria until 3:10pm if they need bus transportation.

Author Talk Opportunity for Students

Clint Smith is the author of #1 New York Times bestselling and acclaimed How the Word is Passed. He has adapted his award-winning work of nonfiction for young readers, and will be hosting a pre-publication event at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library (901 G St NW Washington, DC 20011) on Sunday September 29, 2025 from 2:00pm-3:30pm. This is not an APS sponsored event, and you can find more information here: https://loyaltybookstores.com/wordtothekids. Dr. Hyder, YHS DEI Coordinator and other staff members will be hosting a book club with students using the young readers edition of the book in the coming months.

National Merit Commended StudentsCongratulations to Yorktown’s National Merit Scholar Commended Students who have demonstrated outstanding potential for academic success based on their performance on the 2024 PSAT/NMSQT®. These students placed among the top 50,000 students who entered the competition.

COUNSELING CORNER

Signs Of Suicide Lessons for 10th Graders

This year school staff are working to teach students about mental health and how to seek help if they are worried about themselves or a friend. We are using a program called SOS Signs of Suicide. The program teaches students about this difficult topic and encourages them to seek help.

SOS has been used by thousands of schools for over 20 years. Studies have shown that it effectively teaches students about depression and suicide while reducing the number of students’ self-reported suicide attempts.

Through the program, students learn:

• that depression is treatable, so they are encouraged to seek help
• how to identify depression and potential suicide risk in themselves or a friend
• to ACT (Acknowledge, Care and Tell a trusted adult) if concerned about themselves or a friend
• who they can turn to at school for help, if they need it

On October 16th and 17th, school counselors and student services team staff will visit 10th grade English classes to facilitate this year’s SOS lesson and conversation. Students will watch age-appropriate video clips and participate in a guided discussion about depression, suicide, and what to do if they are concerned about a friend. Following the video, students will complete a brief depression screening tool. This tool cannot provide a diagnosis of depression but does indicate whether a young person should be referred for evaluation by a mental health professional.

At the end of class, students will complete an exit slip which asks whether they would like to talk to an adult about any concerns. School staff will conduct brief meetings with any student asking to talk.

We encourage you to visit www.sossignsofsuicide.org/parent for information on warning signs for youth suicide, useful resources, and some of the key messages students will learn. If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s participation in this program please contact your child’s school counselor.

If you would like to opt your student out of participating, please use this link to the SOS Opt-Out form.

Senior Virtual Support Sessions: Ready, Set, Go!

This is a series of virtual information sessions designed to support seniors—and their families—through the college application process. Hosted in collaboration with all college and career counselors across Arlington Public Schools, these sessions will cover key topics such as the Common App, essay writing support, financial aid, and more.Open to all Seniors and their families, all sessions will be listed in SchooLinks under the Events section. Be sure to register to receive the session link!

Common App Ready – Presentation

Wednesday September 24, 2025, 6:30 PMGet to know the Common App and how the application works.Step-by-step walkthrough of the Common Application, including tips on choosing the right activities, crafting strong personal statements, and avoiding common mistakes. Whether you’re just starting or almost done, this session will help you feel confident and prepared to hit “submit.” Use this link to register

College Essay Info Session

Wednesday October 1, 2025, 6:30 PMInfo Session hosted by Paper! Learn how to craft a compelling personal statement and get tips to make your essays stand out. Plus, discover the free tools and resources Paper offers to support you through every step of the writing and submission process. Use this link to register

Post-Secondary Planning Help Sessions During Lunches

12th graders are invited to room 107, the College and Career Office, during their lunches to ask questions and get assistance with their post-secondary planning.  This includes, but is not limited to, college applications, common app accounts, Schoolinks functions, workforce and gap year questions, etc.  The sessions started this week and will continue through October.

Schoolinks

We have a new college and career platform for students this year called Schoolinks, which is replacing Naviance.  Please refer to the videos below for more grade specific information about the platform:

• Information and how-to video for 9th and 10th graders
• Information and how-to video for 11th and 12th graders

ACTIVITIES UPDATES

Arlington Public Schools Varsity Football Attendance Information

Varsity football games are community events.  For the safety and security of all those in attendance, in addition to the above rules, the following rules are in place:

• Only students from Yorktown and the opposing school are allowed admission without their own parent or guardian present.  IDs or StudentVUE will be checked at the gate.
• Middle-school students (and younger) must be accompanied and supervised by their parent or guardian.
• There will be designated seating areas for Yorktown students, Yorktown band and general spectators.
• No backpacks or bags are allowed and no outside food or beverages can be brought into any home games.
• Anyone under the influence of drugs or alcohol will not be admitted or will be asked to leave the event. Parents will be notified to pick up their child from the event.
• Admission is $7 for adults and $5 for ages 6-18, including APS high school students, at all fall sporting events (volleyball, field hockey and football).  Playoff games are $10 for adults and $5 for ages 6-18.  Tickets will be sold online before the game at https://gofan.co/app/school/VA24974 as well as at the gate (exact change is preferred)

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/

Girls Flag Football Begins October 6

Yorktown will once again offer girls’ flag football, welcoming those students who want to play at the intramural level and the more competitive level.  The group will host internal games as well as play in some local interscholastic tournaments. Anyone interested in getting more information and staying up to date, should sign up for an account in Stack Team App and search for/join YHS – Girls Flag Football.

Homecoming is October 10th Weekend!

The Homecoming football game will be on October 10th at 7 pm against West Springfield with the dance on Saturday night, October 11th.  Please note that Monday, October 13, is not a school day for students.

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 Portraits

Senior Portrait makeups will take place at school on October 22-23. Please visit schedule.prestigeportraits.com. To locate your appointment code, enter Yorktown High School’s zip code (22207) and enter “Yorktown.” After you verify student details, you will be able to confirm your appointment. If you have any questions, please contact Lifetouch Prestige customer service (855-918-2930) or email [email protected].

UPCOMING DATES

See YHS Calendar or the APS Calendar for more information:

• Tuesday, September 23, 2025 – Holiday – Rosh Hashanah
• Thursday, October 2, 2025 – Holiday – Yom Kippur
• Wednesday, October 8, 2025 – PSAT Day & School Day SAT
• Monday, October 13, 2025 – No school for students, Professional Learning
• Monday, October 20, 2025 – Holiday – Diwali
• Wednesday, October 29, 2025 – Early Release, Professional Learning