Blue & White Newsletter - 8/9/24

We trust everyone enjoyed their summer break and created lots of fun memories with family and friends. If you are new to West York - Welcome to our Bulldog family!

The faculty and staff have also taken time to rejuvenate and prepare for the 2024-2025 school year and they are excited to meet your children.

On Monday, August 12th, the faculty and staff return in preparation to welcome our Bulldogs back to school! Over our first three days, the faculty and staff will gather as a district to celebrate and kick off what is sure to be another AWESOME school year. Teachers will also engage in a variety of professional development opportunities and make sure that everything is ready to greet our students.

Reminder:

• Thursday, August 15th - Only students in Kindergarten and grades 2, 4, 6, and 9 attend school.
• Friday, August 16th - All students attend.

We can't wait to see all those smiling faces back in our classrooms next week! Enjoy your last few days of the summer break!

The first day of kindergarten is a very special milestone! It can also be a big change for some of our youngest Bulldogs. To assist them getting off to a great start, parents/guardians are to join their kindergartner student for our Kindergarten Orientation Day on Thursday, August 15th.

Students, with their parents/guardians, will attend one of two sessions on Thursday, as follows:

• 9:00 - 11:15 AM - Students with last names A-M
• 1:00 - 3:15 PM - Students with last names N-Z

There will be no bus transportation for kindergarten students on Thursday, August 15th. Transportation for kindergarten students will begin on Friday, August 16th.

Many families have a tradition of taking 'first day of school' pictures - or maybe you want to start this tradition! We'd love for you to share your pictures with us! Pick your favorite picture (as we know you'll be taking more than one!) and email it to BullDogMail@wyasd.org.

We will highlight them in next week's issue! Let's see those big smiles!

Mrs. Vanessa Bicher, Lincolnway Elementary School Counselor, was elected to the Pennsylvania School Counselor Association Board of Directors in December. Her three year term began July 1. During the month of July, she participated in a three-day Leadership Development Academy in Erie, PA with school counselors from across Pennsylvania.

Congratulations Mrs. Bicher! You'll be a great contributor to the PA School Counselor Association!

During the month of July, many families enjoyed their daily trip to the Middle School for a delicious lunch followed by a variety of fun activities as part of the Summer Activities Program. Students were able to participate in various craft stations days, weekly Bingo, STEM activities with some of our AWESOME WY teachers and representatives of Girls Scouts of America, and getting to take home a new book each day. The most popular day was the visit from Reptile Invasion! Students were able to see a variety of reptiles, ask lots of questions, pet and/or hold the reptiles, and leave with a picture of them with a reptile of their choice.

Thank you to Ms. Eden, Ms. Nisly, Ms. Higgins, and Ms. Lane, WY teachers, and Girls Scouts of America representatives who volunteered to lead activities. Thank you to the high school students, including Master Guns and the JROTC cadets, who volunteered to be extra hands and buddies to our younger participants, and thank you to Dr. Davies for being one of our bingo callers!

We look forward to another wonderful Summer Activities Program next summer!

This is a question parents often ask. We know that mornings can be challenging for adults and children alike. Sometimes we wake and might not feel our best, but once we get moving, often we find it wasn't a problem making it through the day - at work or at school.

So, here's a great reference for assisting you in determining whether to send your child to school when they have complaints of not feeling well. You can click here for a printable copy to hang on your refrigerator on family bulletin board.

West York students benefit greatly from the programs offered by Junior Achievement. At our elementary levels, students participate in the Junior Achievement Fundamentals Program. Fundamentals empowers students to make a connection between what they learn in school and real-world application, enhancing the relevance of their classroom learning. For our fifth grade students, this culminates in a trip to JA BizTown. This popular experience allows students to operate a bank, manage a restaurant, write checks, and vote for the mayor.

At the secondary level, middle school students participate in a half day program called YES! (Your Economic Success!). This half-day program consists of a series of four activities intended to help students gain an appreciation for the importance that financial and career decisions will play in their lives as young adults.

For our high school students, they participate in a full-day program called REAL Life! REAL Life is focused on financial literacy and career-readiness. Half of the day consists of a budgeting activity intended to help students gain an appreciation for the importance that financial decisions will play in their lives as young adults. The other half of the day is focused on career readiness issues, including interview skills and resume writing tips.

These programs are only possible with the help of WY volunteers! Junior Achievement staff are at each event and count of our volunteers to work under the direction of JA staff with small groups of students. Currently, we are seeking volunteers for the REEAL Life Program at the High School.

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

YES! Program - Middle School - November 8th

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

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

Please consider volunteering for one of the above dates!

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.

• Tuesday, August 13, Board Work Session (7:00 p.m.)
  
• Thursday, August 15, First Day of School for K, 2, 4, 6, and 9 Grade Students Only
• Friday, August 16, First Day of School - All Students Attend
• Monday, August 19, Wallace Elementary Back to School Night (6:00 p.m.)
• Tuesday, August 20, High School Picture Day
• Tuesday, August 20, Cocurricular Committee Meeting (5:30 p.m.)
• Tuesday, August 20, School Board Meeting (6:30 p.m.)
• Wednesday, August 21, Middle School Picture Day
• Wednesday, August 21, Elementary PTO Meeting (6:00 p.m. @ Wallace Elementary)
• Wednesday, August 21, Lincolnway Elementary Back to School Night (6:00 p.m.)
• Thursday, August 22, Trimmer Elementary Back to School Night (6:00 p.m.)
• Monday, August 26, Middle School Back to School Night (6:00 p.m.)
• Tuesday, August 27, High School Back to School Night (6:00 p.m.)
• Friday, August 30, Early Dismissal

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

Community Resources such as:

• United Way
• Community Progress Council
• Dream Wrights Center for Community Arts
• Belmont Summer Academy - Theatre Summer Camps