Blue & White Newsletter - 11/01/24
Week of October 28, 2024
At the High School on October 18th and 23rd, the Lighthouse Club students taught a lesson on what S.M.A.R.T. goals are with the 9th grade Transitions classes. The Lighthouse Club is the student leadership club designed by Leader in Me to improve the student culture. Our Lighthouse students are passionate about being a part of the Leader in Me curriculum. In their first lesson with the 9th grade Transitions classes, Lighthouse taught students what a S.M.A.R.T. goal is and how they can assist them in achieving their goals. Next month, the Lighthouse Club will return to 9th grade Transitions classes to help the students create their own S.M.A.R.T. goals!
There was a special "visitor" at Lincolnway Elementary during Parent/Teacher conferences! Some of the teachers got to learn many interesting details about a Ball Python! Thank you Tylanvis for sharing your passion for reptiles with us!
Pictured: Ms. Amy Versailles, 2nd Grade Teacher, Ms. Katy Kveragas, Lincolnway Elementary Principal, and Tylanvis Nicholson.
During an LLI (Leveled Literacy Intervention) reading group, students practiced independent writing skills. Tayvin Stambaugh, a 2nd grade student at Lincolnway Elementary, worked on writing sentences that included capitalization, spaces between words, and proper punctuation. Pictured to the right is Tayvin proudly sharing his written responses to a story during our LLI group!
Way to work hard Tayvin!
West York Area School District parents, are your students ready to take advantage of our financial literacy and savings opportunities through the Bulldog Branch and our Bulldog Buck$ program? We are excited to offer a way for students to start learning about money management, saving, and other essential life skills that will help prepare them for their future.
As a special incentive, we’re giving away a $25 gift card to one lucky student who opens a membership with us during the month of November!
Have any questions about First Capital membership or the Bulldog Buck$ program? Stop by the branch on Tuesdays or Wednesdays from 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. and talk to Lily or Kayla to learn more about the account opening process... or reach out to the School Branch Coordinator, Kayla Weaver, at kaylaw@firstcapitalfcu.com!
All students in grades 7-12 who are interested in playing a winter sport must register and submit a PIAA physical via FamilyID.
To access FamilyID, visit: www.wyasd.org > Athletics > Sign-Up
or
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
Our West York Area High School's Counseling Center compiles lists of available scholarships as our high school students prepare for their post-secondary educational plans and funding.
An updated list will be posted at the High School as new scholarships become available. Each time the bulletin is revised, it is printed on a different color of paper from the previous bulletin, making it easy to tell when new information has been added.
PLEASE NOTE: The date due is very important. Please have applications submitted to the Counseling Center at least 6 days prior to due date. This allows the Counseling Center staff sufficient time for review of the application and transcript preparation, ensuring that the application is sent out in a timely manner.
All hard copies of scholarship applications are located inside the Counseling Center in the waiting area in the drawer marked SCHOLARSHIPS. The Counseling Center also emails each scholarship and updated bulletin directly to students' school emails.
If you have any questions, please reach out to Mrs. Gail Wildasin in the Counseling Center.
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.
