Blue & White Newsletter - 9/13/24

Project Lead the Way (PLTW) Medical Intervention students at the High School received their official lab coats in a “White Coat Ceremony” last Friday to symbolize their initiation into the medical field and their dedication to their future professions. PLTW teacher, Ms. Kirsty Houck, presented the students with their lab coats.

Students: Paige Berkheimer, Reagan Hughes, Ava King, Sarah Manning, Madison McGlynn, Nichole Simpson, and Nicholas Whitacre.

Medical Intervention is the third course in the PLTW Biomedical Pathway and geared toward those students with serious interest in a career in the biomedical field. Students follow the life of a fictitious family as they investigate how to prevent, diagnose, and treat disease. Students explore how to detect and fight infection; screen and evaluate the code in human DNA; evaluate cancer treatment options; and prevail when the organs of the body begin to fail. Through real world cases, students are exposed to a range of interventions related to immunology, surgery, genetics, pharmacology, medical devices, and diagnostics.

Stay tuned in future issues to see some of the awesome things happening in Medical Intervention and other PLTW courses!

On Friday, September 6th, we celebrated our summer reading successes at Lincolnway Elementary! Students who tracked their summer reading books to avoid the 'summer slide' earned trips down our Beat-the-Summer-Slide water slide! Congratulations students!

On Tuesday, a group of students from the High School - Sam Molina, Anthuan Torres-Bota, Alex Marquez, Scarlett Wood, Jacob Eash, Krisniel Pizarro, Aziya Arroyo, and Jaden McFarlin, along with High School counselors, Mr. Jason Lyons and Mr. John Barton - began the inaugural buddy program at SpiriTrust Lutheran Home on Kelly Drive. They will be visiting their new buddies once a month during the school year. During their first visit, they spent time getting acquainted with their buddies by engaging in various icebreakers. Future visits will include playing some games, learning about growing up at different time periods, and living through important events in history. Most importantly, we hope to develop relationships with the residents in a way that gives our students an opportunity to show what being a Bulldog means to them.

The Lighthouse (Leader in Me) teachers/staff and students team at the High School got together on Thursday to discuss their plans for the school year. They conversed about different strategies and plans for new students in the building and how to help integrate families into our school community more! If your child wants to be involved in the Lighthouse team, the team meets every Thursday during L2! Please email Mrs. Kaitlin Mock, Mr. Michael Paterno, or Mrs. Ashley Walton if you have any questions about the Lighthouse Team.

You can learn more about our designation as a Lighthouse School on the Leader in Me website by clicking here.

Five years ago, the High School added Lunch & Learn to their school day. The purpose of the Lunch & Learn time is to allow students time to eat and to meet with teachers during the school day for clarifications, additional help or remediation so that they may improve in an area of specific academic concern, or to engage in club activities.

When not meeting with teachers, students have the following options available to them during Lunch & Learn:

• Fitness Center/Indoor Track/Open Gym
• Open Tech Lab
• Link Crew
• Open Band, Guitar, Rock Band
• Student Council
• Art Studio
• Open Video Production
• Various clubs such as:
• Crochet Club, Marvel Club, Garden Club, Envirothon, Model UN, Entrepreneurship, Mindfulness, Robotics Club, Hunt/Fish Club, and many more!

Check out some of the activities in action below running weekly for Semester 1!

Students from Mrs. Megan Eckbold's class at Trimmer Elementary enjoyed their first Bark Reward for good behavior by doing a Flashlight Friday. Students were able to bring in a flashlight, blanket, and good book. Then, they cuddled up and enjoyed some quality time reading.

Students in Mrs. Anne Hunter's Integrated Math 1B course at the High School coached each other in solving quadratic equations algebraically.

Congratulations to Ms. Karen Stephan's class at Lincolnway Elementary for being the first 2nd-grade class to return their completed Health History Forms. Mrs. Melissa Franklin, School Nurse at Lincolnway, gave each student a thank you treat in appreciation for returning their Health History Forms.

Students at Trimmer Elementary have been harvesting the veggies from last spring. Thank you to all of the former students and community members who came in over the summer to help water and weed the garden!

Several students voluntarily harvested the vegetables at recess this week, and then were able to enjoy them during their Guided Reading time later in the day. Some of the students were even able to take some vegetables home to share with their families.

The District will be hosting a student flu shot clinic on Monday, September 23rd. This is for students only and is voluntary. Only students who have submitted a Consent Form will receive the flu shot.

Consent Forms are required and must be received by Friday, September 20th. Click the image to the left to download the Consent Form.

The West York Area School District is proud to present

the 2024 edition of the

Mighty Bulldog Marching Band!

This year, the band will present - DECADES OF DIVAS!

The Presentation Includes:

"Like a Prayer" * "Into the Groove" * "Think" * "I Wanna Dance with Somebody"

"Dancing Queen" * "Summertime" * "Proud Mary"

The band is under the field direction of senior Drum Major Darien Reimold.

The "Bulldog" Band is directed by Mr. Rod Meckley assisted by Mr. Brett Butler.

Band front instruction and choreography is by Ms. Emma Rikas.

Percussion instruction is by Mr. Evan Cooper.

Drill design is by Mr. Brett Butler.

Ms. Sarah Foery, Ms. Marian Noel, and Mr. David Bailey provide marching and music instruction.

The Band is proud to be music ambassadors for the West York Area School District and the West York community. They thank the West York Area School District Board of Directors, Administration, Faculty, WY Instrumental Music Booster Club, and the West York community for their continued support of instrumental music.

Schools in Pennsylvania held a moment of silence on Wednesday to commemorate the victims of the September 11 attacks. This marks the first year of observance under a new state law. Students in Ms. Kelly's Lurz's and Ms. Kelly Murphy's classes at Wallace Elementary shared their patriotism following their moment of silence.

Thank you to Shiloh Lutheran Church for their generous donation to the Bulldog Pantry! Bob and Terri Stetler from Shiloh Lutheran drop off donations to the Bulldog Pantry every month.

If you would like to donate to the pantry, donations can be dropped off at the High School office. You can find more information on the Bulldog Pantry by clicking the bar below!

Our first distribution date is Wednesday, September 25th. Currently, the pantry is low on the following items:

• Boxed noodles
• Mac & Cheese
• Toiletries (deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, soap)
• Baby diapers

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Ms. Amanda Burt, HS Learning Support Teacher, via email at amburt@wyasd.org.

September 13, 2024

9th/10th Grade:

Abbie Kuebler

For being a great friend to a peer in her class!

11th/12th Grade:

Yaynely Suero

For helping Mrs. Houck clean up after lab!

Faculty/Staff:

Mrs. Katie Lalic

For stepping up and being a great Co-Advisor for STUCO with Mrs. Hedgcock!

Attention students and parents! The Bulldog Branch of First Capital Federal Credit Union will be at the homecoming bonfire on Wednesday, September 18th, as well as the homecoming football game against Kennard-Dale on Friday, September 20th! If you want to learn more about the Bulldog Branch and First Capital, look for Kayla or Lily at the Bulldog Branch table. They’d be more than happy to talk to you about the great things happening at the branch!

Middle School and High School students who were absent on picture day, or those who would like to have their school pictures retaken (this is NOT for senior formal pictures), can do so on the following dates:

Tuesday, October 1st - High School

Wednesday, October 2nd - Middle School

1. When an order is placed online with Barksdale (Pictureportal.org), the parent/guardian will receive a camera pass via email. This can either be printed or texted to the student and brought to picture day. The photographer will photograph the printed camera pass along with the student.
2. If a student is not able to print their camera pass, that is not a problem. Barksdale will match up the student to their order manually in the production process.
3. A parent may order from the flyer up until 24 hours after picture day. After 24 hours, the online ordering access may close. This will allow the imaging team to "Pull" all orders submitted and match them with the students photographed.
4. When pictures are delivered to school, all students that purchased pictures will receive their prepaid package. Any student that was photographed but did not order a package, will receive a "Proof" (PX) of their picture that was taken on picture day.

Feel free to contact Barksdale's Data Department by emailing schoollist@barksdalephoto.com with any questions that you may have about picture day.

The Awesome Kids Project is a new, free community program hosted at Wolf's Covenant Church and will offer students in kindergarten through sixth grade the opportunity to socialize with their peers in a fun, well supervised environment. They will meet once each month, September through December, on Saturdays between 2:00 - 4:00 p.m. and will enjoy playing games, having a snack, and other organized fun activities with their peers.

For more information, including contact information, please click the link bar below.

The content below was in last week's issue but it bears repeating as a reminder or for anyone who may have missed it. If pertinent details of an article are changed, we will pull the article above this section and highlight any changes.

We recently shared on Instagram that Mr. Brandon Furhman, Athletic Director, entered the District in the T-Mobile 5G Friday Night Lights Sweepstakes. The prizes are awarded in three rounds: 1st round, $5,000; 2nd round $25,000, and the 3rd (grand prize) round is valued at $2 million!

Out of just over 1,000 high schools entered from across the country, we are happy to announce that we have won $5,000 in the first round!

This is an amazing opportunity for West York and we're encouraging all of our students, staff, families, and fans to show their Bulldog Pride by sharing school spirit photos on Instagram during Friday night football games and tagging @gowybulldogs and T-Mobile @TMobile, along with the #Sweepstakes and #FN5GL, to support and help us become one of the Top 16 finalists!

For more information on the T-Mobile Friday Night 5G Lights contest, go to www.fridaynight5glights.com.

Also, be sure to follow our Athletic Department Instagram!

Stay tuned to see if we make it to the 2nd round! Click the image above for more information.

On Thursday, the HOPE Club held its first meeting at the High School to begin discussing its activities for the year. HOPE stands for Hold On, Pain Ends, and is a club that works to spread mental health and suicide prevention awareness. Students work all year to spread messages of hope, connection, and positivity around the school.

The HOPE Club is here to remind everyone during this month, National Suicide Prevention Month, that:

• There are actions that people can take to help prevent suicide
• Prevention works
• Resilience and recovery are possible
• Effective programs and services exist
• Help is available

988 is available 24/7/365 with confidential and free support connecting those experiencing a mental health, substance use, or suicidal crisis with trained crisis counselors.

HOPE Club's year-long efforts wrap-up with the annual HOPE Day event in May, where the entire school engages in talks and activities to encourage strong mental health. We welcome community support through donations and volunteer services. Mental health matters; thank you for helping us make a difference.

Our Middle School PTSO is currently taking orders for beautiful, full, fall mums! This is a very popular fundraiser each year! Proceeds help support the costs of field trips for our middle school students.

The mums are in 9" pots and available in the following colors: Red, orange, yellow, bronze, purple and pink. (Size in above image not necessarily indicative of 9" mums.)

• Each mum is $10.00
• Orders Due: Monday, September 16
• Pick Up Mums: Wednesday, September 25
• Location/Time: WYAMS Cafeteria - 3:00 - 6:00 p.m.

Please check your child’s bookbag for this order form, or download a form by clicking the image above.

If you do not have a student at the Middle School and would like to place an order, simply download the order form using the link bar below. You can drop your order form and payment off at the Middle School main office any school day before Wednesday, September 25th.

A student's high school yearbook is a way to capture all of the amazing memories that students experience during their final years here at West York - home of the Bulldogs!

Purchasing a yearbook early in the school year assures you the best pricing, currently $75, and an item off your "To-Do List" that builds as the end of the school year approaches!

Also available now is the opportunity to place a special message/ad in the yearbook just for your child. More information on this, and all things yearbooks, can be found by visiting the West York page of Jostens website by clicking the image above.

Does your child have signs or symptoms of the flu, Covid or RSV? Did they test positive?

The recommendations are that your child stay home until they are fever free for 24 hours without medication and that they feel good enough to return to school. The CDC also recommends (it is optional) that a mask be worn for 5 days after their return if they tested positive for Covid.

Students who have been exposed to someone who tested positive for Covid do not need to stay home from school unless they come down with symptoms or test positive.

If you have any questions, please reach out to your school nurse.

As a friendly reminder, when your child is absent from school, parents/guardians must complete an Absence Excuse Blank, either a paper copy or by using the online Digital Excuse Blank through the Sapphire Parent Portal. An Absence Excuse Blank must be received within three days of a students return to school following an absence, known as the 3-day rule.

The 3-day rule states "No excuse blanks will be accepted after the third day of the date of return from the absence. The absence will be recorded as unexcused for students 18 years or older. Students under the age of 18 are recorded as unlawful.”

While a paper Absence Excuse Blank can be sent in, they can also be forgotten or lost in transit. The most efficient way to assure the excuse is received within the 3-day rule period is to access the Digital Excuse Blank from the District website or the District App. Directions for both are as follows:

Using Your Computer to Report an Absence

MUST be completed within 3 days of the absence

From the District WEBSITE Home Page

➔ Scroll down to the vertical gray boxes just under the changing highlight pictures at the top of the District website's home page

➔ Click on the Attendance box

➔ Underneath Online Attendance click on Sapphire Community Portal Login

➔ On the login page put in your username and password (this must be set up prior to you using this page)

➔ On the left side is your student(s) name(s)

• If you have multiple students, please make sure you are at the correct student

➔ Under MY BACKPACK click on Student Data Forms (making sure it is the correct student)

➔ Underneath On Demand Forms click on Digital Excuse Blank

➔ Fill out the entire form and upload any doctor’s notes into this form

➔ Make sure to click on SUBMIT so your form is sent directly to the attendance secretary

Using the District App from Your Cell Phone to Report an Absence

MUST be completed within 3 days of the absence

➔ From the WYASD App Home Page, click on the More waffle icon on the right side of the screen

➔ Click on the Sapphire Portal icon on the right side of the screen

➔ Log in to Sapphire

➔ If you have multiple students, make sure you are in the correct student’s account

➔ At the bottom of the screen there is a purple circle with 3 white lines, click on the circle

➔ Click on the green circle marked Student Data Forms

➔ Underneath On Demand Forms click on Digital Excuse Blank

➔ Fill out the entire form and upload any doctor’s notes into this form

➔ Make sure to click on SUBMIT so your form is sent directly to the attendance secretary

As mentioned in our Secondary Back to School Nights article above, Ms. Zendaida Alicea, Life Skills Instructor with Valley Youth House, attended our Middle School Back to School Night and families were able to learn more about the amazing program they offer. They cover various topics, including:

West York Area High School session begins September 19th.

West York Area Middle School session begins October 9th.

• Budgeting
• Conflict Resolution
• Relationships Session
• Household Management
• Career Exploration
• Interviewing Skills
• Time Management
• And so much more!

The program runs 10 weeks for students in 8th grade and 15 weeks for students in 9-12 grades. At each session, participants are not only provided with these important life skills in a fun and engaging environment, but also a meal and a chance at a weekly gift card drawing. Transportation can also be available if that is needed.

Participants who complete the program receive a stipend at the end - $200 for the 10-week program and $300 for the 15-week program!

To learn more, including upcoming class dates and times, visit their website at:

https://bit.ly/WYValleyYouthDatesTimes

To sign up, complete their Sign-Up Form available at:

https://bit.ly/WYValleyYouthSignUp

If you are new to West York, you might be saying, "What is a Golden Bulldog Pass?" Exclusively for West York Area School District residents 65 and older, the Golden Bulldog Pass is valid for one admission to all District-sponsored events, including athletic events (excluding playoff events), fine arts events such as concerts, plays, and musicals, and special invitation-only events for senior citizens.

Our annual "Lunch and a Show" is our most popular invitation-only event and seating is limited! So, don't miss out on this and other opportunities! To learn more, please click the Golden Bulldog Pass card to the left.

We are looking forward to another year of our student athletes showcasing their skills and continuing on their high school athletic careers.

While attending West York events, safety is not only a priority but an expectation. It is our duty to provide a safe environment for all spectators, fans, and student athletes. We ask that the community please adhere to District protocols to help us ensure a safe event.

Please click on the image below to view the communication regarding spectator attendance and expectations when attending sporting events at West York.

REAL Life day at the High School is fast approaching!

This program is only possible with the help of WY volunteers! Junior Achievement staff are at each event and count on our volunteers to work under the direction of JA staff with small groups of students. Currently, we are still in need of several volunteers. Please consider coming and spending a fun day with our high school students.

All training is provided the morning of the event and no experience is needed!

Prior volunteers have shared how much fun they had while working with our Bulldogs!

REAL Life - High School - September 26th

Check out the REAL Life Program overview/volunteer Q&A here: https://bit.ly/JARealLifeOverview

Video preview here: https://vimeo.com/952705171/66344ffee7

Volunteer Registration Link: https://form.jotform.com/212215942576962

Be sure to Like/Follow us on Facebook and Instagram so you don't experience FOMO - Fear of Missing Out! Simply click the images below.

Stay abreast of the Athletic Department's weekly news with the Bulldog Breakdown, a weekly recap of the prior week's athletic accomplishments and the upcoming sporting events.

Simply click the Bulldog Breakdown bar below to view the latest issue!

• Tuesday, September 17, Budget and Finance Committee Meeting (5:30 p.m.)
  
• Tuesday, September 17, Board Voting Meeting (6:30 p.m.)
• Wednesday, September 18, Homecoming Parade/Bonfire (6:00 p.m.)
• Friday, September 19, Homecoming King & Queen Coronation and Football Game (6:30 p.m.)
• Wednesday, September 25, Facilities Committee Meeting (6:00 p.m.)
• Thursday, September 26, Wellness Committee Meeting (3:15 p.m.)
  
• Friday, September 27, Early Dismissal

• Tuesday, October 1, HS Picture Retake Day (NOT Senior Formal Pictures)
• Wednesday, October 2, MS Picture Retake Day
• Tuesday, October 8, Board Work Session (7:00 p.m.)
• Friday, October 11, No School - Professional Learning Day for Faculty
• Monday, October 14, No School - Columbus Day
• Tuesday, October 15, Communication and Engagement Committee Meeting (5:30 p.m.)
• Tuesday, October 15, Board Voting Meeting (6:30 p.m.)
• Thursday, October 24, Trunk or Treat HS Parking Lot (6:00 p.m.)
• Friday, October 25, Early Dismissal
• Monday, October 28, Lincolnway Elementary Picture Day
• Tuesday, October 29, Wallace Elementary Picture Day
• Wednesday, October 30, Trimmer Elementary Picture Day

The Community Corner of our website offers families many helpful links to organizations or flyers about upcoming or ongoing community activities, clubs, and events. The information on this webpage changes frequently and those changes will be highlighted here as they occur. The latest updates are pictured below.

From our Home webpage, click on Community to access links to various organizations/community events.

Here are just some examples:

• Cub Scouts (Boys & Girls ages 5-12)
• Girl Scouts
• West York Boys Club
• YMCA of York
  
• YWCA of York - NEW! Free Swim Lessons for second graders! Details in next section.

Community Resources such as:

• Belmont Summer Academy - Theatre Summer Camps
  
• Community Progress Council
• Dream Wrights Center for Community Arts
• NEW! The Awesome Kids Project (Hosting organization: Wolf's Covenant Church)
• United Way

The Arthur J. Glatfelter YMCA received a grant to provide free learn-to-swim lessons to local children that might not otherwise have access to lessons. They have chosen to offer the lessons to second graders in West York and York City schools.

The lessons (twice a week) are being taught at the YMCA located at 90 N. Newberry St. Students may only register for one session (dates below). They must register in person and provide proof of school district and that they are in second grade (such as providing the name of their teacher).

The session days/times are: Wed. & Fri. 6:00 pm - 6:40 pm or Wed. & Fri. 6:45 pm - 7:25 pm

The session dates are as follows:

• Sept. 11 - Oct. 2
• Oct. 9 - Nov. 1
• Nov. 6 - Nov. 29

Questions: Email Jackie Beck at jbeck@rosesymca.org