YHS Guidance Fall Newsletter
Fall 2023-24 school year
Greetings from the YHS Guidance Department,
- Part I of this newsletter is information for all students
- Part II of this newsletter, covers information for each graduating class
Underclassmen, feel free to "look ahead" at junior and senior year to see what to expect down the road. Future newsletters in the winter and spring will follow along with some extra editions throughout the school year.
Visit our guidance webpage link below for information to help you navigate throughout high school and beyond.
Marking periods
mid point of 1st marking period: 10/06/23
2nd marking period: 11/14 - 02/02/24
mid point of 2nd marking period: 12/20/23
3rd marking period: 02/05 - 04/19/24
mid point of 3rd marking period: 03/12/24*
4th marking period: 04/23 - 06/26/24
mid point of 4th marking period: 05/22/24*
Report cards are posted to the portal following each marking period. Academic eligibility is determined by the administration at the mid-point and end of each marking period.
Last day to add full year or 1st semester courses: September 21st.
*note: subject to change in the event of amendments to the high school calendar
Strong grades!
Here are some tips to do well in your classes:
- Arrive on time and prepared for class every day (bring fully charged chromebook and other material your teacher assigns)
- Submit all of your class and homework assignments on time, stay organized, set up reminders for yourself
- Take notes in class and write them over later in the day
- Check your school email daily
- Check google classroom daily
- Check teacher gradebooks to see your progress
- Study:
- Pick a location in your home that is most conducive to studying
- Select the time of day that is best for you to study
- Meet with your teacher period 9 if you need help and want to improve
- Meet with a National Honor Society tutor for help
- Reward yourself for your hard work. Do something you enjoy AFTER your studies and assignments to keep you motivated
- Get sleep!
Academic Eligibility
A report card is posted following each of the four (4) marking periods. Approximately, every 5 weeks, grades are checked and an Academic Eligibility list is generated through the Assistant Principal's office. View the academic eligibility policy on the high school webpage for additional information and appeals. Honor roll status is also posted on the report card. If a student is on the Academic Eligibility list, they will be notified by the Assistant Principal's office and given a period of time to make up the work, access academic support and resubmit an appeal form to the assistant principal for re-consideration.
Academic support
As the school year unfolds, there may be times you will need help in a particular subject. Perhaps the material has become more difficult, or you didn't like how you did on a test. Here are supports available to you as a student at Yorktown High School.
NHS homework helpers: The National Honor Society Advisor creates a contact list of NHS students who are available to provide tutoring help in a subject area. Parents may contact those students and make arrangements for help for a nominal fee. In addition, NHS students volunteer, on a rotating basis in the library, to offer academic support most periods of the day.
Skills support: There is skills available in many academic subject areas (i.e. English skills, social studies skills, geometry skills, biology skills, etc). If your schedule allows, skills may be added to your program. This can be initiated by a teacher, parent or student.
YESS support: The Yorktown Executive Strategies for Success offers support in academic areas including note taking, organization, and executive functioning to help students be successful in high school. It is scheduled around your academic classes during a free/lunch period. This intervention may be added, if appropriate, following a team meeting with your teachers, parent, and other support staff.
Writing Center: Available most periods of the day, the writing center is a great place to stop by to obtain assistance with an essay, research paper, or any writing piece. Obtain recommendations for how to make your writing stronger! Bring your draft and stop by during a free period.
Before you go for help, make sure you are doing your best to prepare for the class (i.e. re-write your notes from class, test yourself, complete your assignments thoroughly and on time, study over a period of time before a test). Arrive with your homework, assessment, or other material with questions so that your teacher can best provide you help.
Be the student you would want to have in your classroom
Think about what behaviors, contributions, and participation you want your teachers to remember and say about you. Generate positive experiences with the staff and students in high school. Colleges want to see strong grades AND they are interested in learning more about the student's character, academic engagement, curiosity, motivation, ability to collaborate with others, perseverance, resiliency, friendliness, respectfulness, and determination. Imagine yourself as a teacher and be the kind of student you would want to have in your classroom.
School communication
Google classroom for students: Guidance has one too!
Daily Announcements
Emailed to students daily from the Principal's office.
High school and Guidance webpages
Visit the YHS High School and YHS Counseling & Guidance webpages for information.
School communication: Be in the know!
- Email: Check your Yorktown school email account daily. Your teachers, counselors, community service office, and administrators reach out throughout the school year.
- Google classroom: Check your google classroom daily. Many teachers post assignments and other information on google classroom for students enrolled in their class. Guidance has a google classroom for each graduating class. Students are advised to visit it regularly for updates!
- Student and parent portal: The student portal houses your high school schedule, report card, teacher gradebook, and high school transcript. Check your student portal regularly to remain updated on the progress in your classes. Each semester check your schedule for changes in PE, lunch, skills, frees and second semester elective classes. Parents can view the teacher gradebook and report cards on the parent portal as well. Make sure to update your parent contact information (email and phone).
- High school webpage: This is the hub of all information.
- Guidance webpage: Information is provided for each graduating class. Links are provided for a variety of topics including the course directory, clubs, sports, career exploration, college, SAT/ACT, financial aid, academic eligibility, check lists, and timelines.
- X (formerly Twitter): Follow Principal DeGennaro @YHSDeGennaro. Follow YHS Guidance @YHSNYGuidance.
- Remind: Students can access Remind following these steps: 1. Login to Remind through ClassLink on your Chromebook. 2. If it is the first time you login, you will receive a prompt to add your cell phone number. 3. You will receive a confirmation code to your phone. 4. Download the remind app and
- Daily announcements: Emailed to students daily. Listen to daily announcements as well.
- Bulletin boards: View clubs & activities, guidance, and community service bulletin boards in the building.
- Student newspaper: The Voice, our student newspaper features articles and information about our school.
Guidance & Counseling Center:
Classroom visits:
SENIORS: In the fall, we begin the year visiting our senior classes to discuss the college application process and follow up with individual and small group meetings to provide assistance with their common application and naviance accounts, SRAR completion, and process over 3,000 transcript and material requests each year.
JUNIORS: In the fall, we also visit our junior classes to discuss important information pertaining to their junior year, including PSATs, SAT & ACTs, grades, college planning and preparation and the junior year timeline. Individual college planning meetings will be held in the winter.
FRESHMEN & SOPHOMORES: Each semester, we visit freshmen in husker discovery and sophomores in their classes to present information about career exploration and high school planning.
Guidance meetings
Freshmen meetings and
College/ post secondary planning meetings
in the winter with juniors
Exit meetings
with our seniors
at the end of the school year!
Senior college application processing meetings
Freshmen meet & greets
Junior year college & post secondary planning meetings
Scheduling meetings: all students
RTI, CSE and individual meetings
Throughout the school year, students of all grade levels stop by the guidance office with questions or for social emotional support as they navigate through high school and adolescence. We do our best to provide guidance. Our clinical team is also available. Outside referrals may be necessary.
Senior exit meetings
Working papers located in Principal's office room 110
View information for your graduating class:
Welcome to Yorktown High School! As the school year is underway, many of you had the opportunity to meet your Big Buddies, have become acclimated to your classes, and are adjusting well to high school. In the fall, there is a club fair for held for the freshmen during the school day. We encourage you to join activities in high school!
Freshman year can feel daunting at times. Your counselor is here to help you to navigate through this process. You are assigned to the same counselor all four years of high school. This enables your counselor to get to know you over time and be able to advise you regarding course selection, college and/or future plans.
As your counselors, we look forward to working with you throughout the next four years of high school. Counselors will be visiting Husker Discovery classes each semester to discuss the freshman checklist and begin Career Exploration. In the winter, counselors meet with every freshmen individually to introduce ourselves, review your progress and answer any questions you have as part of our Meet & Greet sessions. Counselors meet again with each student later in the school year to discuss their academic placement and elective options for the following school year. In addition, we encourage you to make an appointment to meet with your counselor during a free period throughout the school year.
Sophomore year, you will continue to meet with your counselor for assistance with questions, course selections, career exploration and personal counseling.In your junior year, you will be meeting with your counselor for your college & post secondary planning meeting. In this meeting we will provide you the tools to research and generate a list of colleges for you to consider. Topics include your college essay, The Common Application, deadlines, Naviance, college search engines, letters of recommendation, financial aid, and SAT/ACT registration as well as specific questions pertaining to the needs of the individual student.
In your senior year, you will continue to meet with your counselor to obtain help with your college application process or other post secondary high school plan. The YHS Guidance office processes over 3,000 transcript requests in the first few months of the school year for our seniors. We complete the necessary forms and paper work to make this process go smoothly and are available to help students navigate their way through their applications.
Scheduling: In the spring, counselors meet with every student to discuss their academic placement and elective options for the following school year. Let your counselor know your goals so that we can best advise you through the next four years of high school.
Career Exploration
View the sophomore checklist, continue to join clubs, community service and other activities and become part of our school community.
Counselors will visit tenth grade classrooms to continue career exploration. Next year, we will be meeting with you in your junior year to discuss your college and/or post secondary plans!
Scheduling: In the spring, counselors meet with each of our students individually to discuss your academic placement and elective options for your junior year. Let your counselor know about your career and academic goals so that we can best guide you in the direction to achieve them.
In your junior year, you will be meeting with your counselor in the winter for your College and Post secondary planning meeting. In this meeting we will provide you the tools to research and generate a list of colleges (or technical schools) for you to consider. Topics covered include your college essay, The Common Application, deadlines, Naviance, college search tools, letters of recommendation, scholarships and financial aid and SAT/ACT registration as well as specific questions pertaining to the needs of the individual student.
In your senior year, you will continue to meet with your counselor in the fall to obtain help with the college application process or other post secondary high school plans. The YHS Guidance office processes over 3,000 transcript requests and supporting documents in the first few months of the school year for our seniors. We complete the necessary forms and paper work to make this process go smoothly and are available to help students navigate their way through their applications.
In the fall of next year, many of you will be applying to college, technical schools or have other post secondary commitments following graduation. Junior year is a great time to start this exploration and prepare for your strongest year ever. The junior year timeline will get you started. See the Guidance webpage for additional links and information.
Counselors visit junior classrooms in September to review the junior year timeline and are currently meeting with our seniors as the college application process is underway! In the winter, counselors will be available to meet with our juniors individually to discuss college and post secondary plans, the college search process, and how to navigate college search tools to obtain a list of colleges and universities to consider. College search and planning meetings typically take place starting in January & February. Scheduling meetings to select courses and review placement recommendations for your senior year will begin around March.
PSAT: It's digital! Registration was due September 27th
- Date: Saturday October 14th
- Arrival time: 7:30 a.m.
- Bring YHS chromebook, #2 pencils and pen
- Bring snacks
- Test rooms will be posted in the YHS lobby when students arrive. Test ends around 12:00 noon.
The PSAT practice score will give you an idea how you would do on the "real" SAT. The College Board anticipates the PSAT scores will be released on November 6th. Students who included their cell phone number during registration will be able to see their scores on their phone. Download Big Future School mobile app. See college board website for updates on PSAT release dates by region. IMPORTANT: When you create your college board account to view your scores, use the same personal email address you used when you registered for your PSAT. To remain up to date on test admissions requirements, visit https://fairtest.org and college websites.
SAT/ACT prep
Juniors should practice and register online for upcoming SATs or ACTs. There are FREE online practice sites available for both. The Yorktown PTSA provides group classes as well. See links below:
Practice:
SAT FREE practice: The College Board and Khan Academy
ACT FREE practice: ACT Academy online
YHS PTSA - Test Prep Information. See PTSA webpage for registration material and dates of SAT and ACT prep courses.
SAT/ACT: How to register
The "real" SAT is offered throughout the year in high schools throughout the nation. Juniors are advised to register online early to secure a spot at your school of choice. Some colleges are test optional. Check with individual colleges for their admissions requirements. Test dates and links to register online are below. The SAT will be digital starting March 2024.
Evening events & College fairs
Junior year is a good time to begin your college search. After counselors meet with and process college applications and supporting documents for our current seniors during the first semester, we will be available to meet with juniors in the winter to go over the college application and search process with you. Here are two college fairs in the fall!
Southern Westchester College Conference @ Westchester County Center White Plains, NY
Date: October 24, 2023
Time: 6:00 p.m. -8:30 p.m.
Location: Westchester County Center, White Plains, NY
See link for participating colleges at this college fair.
Northern Westchester College Conference @ Jefferson Valley Mall, Yorktown Heights, NY.
Date: October 25, 2023
Time: 6:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Location: Jefferson Valley Mall, Yorktown Heights, NY
See link for participating colleges at this college fair. Scroll down once in the link.
SUNY: Campus tours (in person)
CUNY: Campus tours (virtual)
WCC: Information sessions at WCC
Students may also reach out to individual admissions offices to schedule a campus tour.
The Admissions Game! Save the date
- Date: October 24, 2023
- Time: 6:45 p.m. (PTSA meeting) 7:00 p.m. The Admissions Game
- Location: high school building
- Open to: Parents and students. Grades 9 - 12
Sponsored by the PTSA. Consider joining the PTSA to further support programs and services provided for our school district.
College rep visits to Yorktown High School!
1. Login to your Naviance account using Classlink.
2. View the college rep calendar in the "What's New" section of your Naviance account.
3. Select "register" to attend.
4. Obtain permission from your teacher first and Stop by the guidance office at the date and time of the meeting.
The college search: Juniors meet with your counselor
At this meeting, we will review your future plans and provide information and tools available to help you through the college search processs. Topics covered include Naviance, grades, SAT/ACT registration information, college visits, the essay, letters of recommendation and the common application. Students who are exploring technical/trade schools or have other plans following high school are encouraged to discuss with their counselor at the time of your meeting. Meetings are scheduled during your free period within the school day. Parents are welcome to attend in person or remotely if available.
College athletes Div I, II & III
If you are interested in participating in intercollegiate athletics at the college level, reach out to college coaches now to discuss the process and register with the NCAA eligibility center (Div. I and II). Make sure your high school classes align with NCAA standards. Club sports do not require the NCAA eligibility process.
NCAA Eligibility Center: Div I and II sports- athletes must register and request submission of your HS transcript after junior year is completed.
List of NCAA approved courses- use CEEB Code 336-085
How to register: steps to register for NCAA Eligibility Center
Counselors visit senior classrooms in the fall to review the college application process and answer questions. This newsletter features some of the information we cover during our classroom visits.
This is an exciting and busy time of year for our seniors! They are currently in the process of completing the Common Application (or institution application) and supplemental material, SRAR, finalizing their college essays, updating their Naviance accounts, checking application deadlines, meeting with their counselors, submitting their Transcript Release Forms, and preparing to submit their college applications! Other seniors are applying to technical schools and have other post secondary plans. At the same time, school is underway and time spent on your studies is equally important. We continue to be here to help and meet with our students in the guidance office. Our office processes thousands of electronic submissions of transcripts and supporting documents for our high school seniors during this time. Remember to submit your Transcript Release Forms 3 weeks before an application deadline to ensure that we can prepare and process all of the requested material in a timely fashion.
Common app & SRAR workshops
- Common app workshop: Tuesday September 26th (periods 1-9)
- SRAR workshop: Tuesday October 3rd (periods 1-9)
Stop by during your free period! Bring your fully charged chromebook as well as your username and passwords for your common app to the high school Guidance office.
Application websites
FORMS
The college essay
Writing Center & English teacher support
Students who need support with their college essay should discuss with their English teacher or visit the writing center.
Add colleges to BOTH Naviance & The Common Application
Invite teacher staff recommenders in Naviance
Send scores
SAT/ACT
Keep track of deadlines!
Transcript release forms due in guidance 3 weeks before an application deadline
Check with your colleges for their application deadline. Each college posts application deadlines on the Common Application (if applicable). Transcript release forms are due in the guidance office 3 weeks prior to a deadline to ensure that all material arrives on time.
Early action deadlines: Submit Transcript Request form: to guidance office with Early Action/Early Decision/Rolling admissions deadlines in mid- October.
- Regular deadlines: Submit Transcript Request form: to guidance office with Regular decision deadlines in early December.
IMPORTANT: make sure your course schedule is finalized BEFORE you submit a transcript release form to the guidance office. Once colleges receive a copy of your transcript, students must discuss changes to their program with the college admissions office.
Financial Aid & Scholarships
Released on:
October: CSS Profile (if required) and obtain FSA ID for FAFSA
November: TAP (Tuition Assistance Program)
December: FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)
SAVE THE DATE!
Financial Aid Night:
Date: Monday December 4, 2023
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Location: YHS Auditorium
Guest speaker: Daniel Robinson, Director of Financial Aid, Pace University
Additional $
Merit & institutional based $
Some colleges offer merit based scholarship money to recognize a student's achievement or special talent. This includes academic achievement (grades and test scores) as well as talent based achievement such as musical ability, theater, art, and dance. At some colleges, the student needs to submit a separate application and essay (or audition) to apply for this monetary award. At other colleges, applicants are automatically considered for these scholarships when the student submits their regular application. View individual college websites or reach out to the college admissions office to learn more about their merit scholarship opportunities and whether or not you need to apply for them. Some scholarships are also available to apply for once the student has matriculated at the university. Many merit scholarships are renewable each year based on specific criteria and guidelines.
College athletics
Submit application!
Maintain strong grades
Additional support
Final Transcripts
Attendance office: contact 914-243-8050 option 1
Join the PTSA!
Guidance Contact information
Guidance Teacher Leader:
Erin Fink: efink@yorktown.org
School Counselors:
Lauren Calman: lcalman@yorktown.org
Kasey Genovese: kgenovese@yorktown.org
Allison Greenberg: agreenberg@yorktown.org
Eric Levine: elevine@yorktown.org
Michelle Snyder: msnyder@yorktown.org
Timothy Sullivan: tsullivan@yorktown.org
Marissa Warren: mwarren@yorktown.org
Office Assistants:
Maggie Braig: mbraig@yorktown.org 914-243-8050 Ext. 11606
Christine O'Meara: comeara@yorktown.org 914-243-8050 Ext. 11602
Follow us on X (Twitter), sign up for Remind and visit our webpage!
Website: www.yorktown.org
Location: Yorktown High School, Crompond Road, Yorktown Heights, NY, USA
Phone: 914-243-8050
Twitter: @YHSNYGuidance