Dorothy C. York Innovation Academy

We hope everyone stayed safe during the storm and are heartbroken for those who experienced flooding and loss. Our Social Worker is here to support families and help make connections to county resources - please reach out to the school with any needs.

By state law, students must fulfill a minimum number of instructional minutes each semester to receive full credit for their classes. We cannot use instructional time from the second semester to make up for days missed in the first semester. To preserve the entire week off for Thanksgiving Break and to honor our observance of Veteran’s Day, the following changes will be made:

• Monday, October 14, 2024, will become a full school day.
• Monday, January 6, 2025, will be the last day of the first semester and will be an Early Release Day.

Additionally, the following Mondays will be converted to full school days instead of Early Release Days:

• October 21
• October 28
• November 4
• November 18
• December 2
• December 9
• December 16

https://forms.office.com/r/ExCMAG5W0F

Hillsborough County Public Schools is here to support families as they connect with the following disaster relief resources. Families who have experienced a loss of housing should connect with their School Social Worker to assess specific needs and additional available resources.

State Assistance Information Line

Residents in need of information can call: 1-800-342-3557 for resources after Helene or go to State Assistance Information Line for additional information. There are English, Spanish and Creole speakers available to answer questions.

FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) Hurricane Helene

| FEMA.gov provides help to apply for FEMA disaster assistance and guides individuals to other resources to help with recovery. Apply for assistance for employment, financial, food, housing, legal or medical. Home | disasterassistance.gov

American Red Cross

The American Red Cross provides emergency assistance in the immediate aftermath of a disaster. Resources (redcross.org)

Crisis Center 211

The Crisis Center of Tampa Bay provides free, confidential crisis intervention along with referral to a Crisis Center service or to over 3,000 community resources. Call 211 or visit CrisisCenter.com Hillsborough County Government

This page is dedicated to local, state, and national resources available to residents as they recover from a disaster. Storm Recovery Resources | Hillsborough County, FL (hcfl.gov)

Feeding Tampa Bay

A list of local food resources and pantry information can be found at Feeding Tampa Bay. Find Food - Feeding Tampa Bay For additional assistance, please call the Neighbor Services help line at 813-710-9003.

Hope for Healing

Hope for Healing navigates the many ways Floridians can access help for mental health and substance abuse in the face of disasters. Hope For Healing Florida

Disaster resources can also be found on the Hillsborough County website.

Disaster Resources (hillsboroughschools.org)

• October 9: National Walk & Bike to School Day
• October 10: Accelerated Programs High School Information Night (see flyer below!)
• October 10: Health Screenings* for K,1st, 2nd; 7th Grade FLAQ field trip
• October 14: Hurricane Make-up Day, Family Trivia Night at Salty Shamrock to support York's TSA Club
• October 15: 8th Grade Finance Park field trip
• October 16: PTSA Meeting in York Cafeteria @ 6pm
• October 17: Dail Museum MYP Art/Robotics field trip
• October 18: "Pink Out" day for Breast Cancer Awareness *students wearing pink are exempt from uniform
• October 24: Conference Night & Book Fair evening hours
• October 28: Picture Re-Takes
• October 28-30: 6th Grade Nature's Classroom Field Trip
• October 29: Magnet Choice Window opens (**Current VPK and 8th grade families - take note!)
• October 31: Fab Vocab Parade *non-uniform day for those participating, more details to come

🎉Hispanic Heritage Month: September 15-October 15 🎉

Do you follow us on Twitter (X) for updates?

Check us out @HCPS_YorkMagnet

*Oct. 10th Health Screening Update: The annual health screening required by the state has been rescheduled for October 10th. Kindergaten will have their vision checked and 1st and 3rd grade will have height, weight, and vision checked. You will be notified if your student does not pass the vision exam. If you have any questions you can email Nurse Jenn at jennifera.butler@hcps.net

We are so proud to have Mrs. Mayhall, Mrs. Avery, and Mrs. Barrios representing York.

These awards are well-deserved - keep up the amazing work, ladies!!

The students and staff of York salute you!

Sign-up available on My Payments Plus

My Payments Plus

Let’s “Raise the Flags” together across Tampa Bay by encouraging everyone to wear Bucs colors, red and pewter, to school each Friday before a Buccaneers home game.

Students may wear Bucs spirit shirts on the following Fridays in anticipation of the Bucs home games:

• October 18 & 25
• November 8
• December 6

Let's see if York will get a special shout-out from the Bucs and a visit from Captain Fear and the cheerleaders for our school spirit!!

Come to our Parent Information Night to learn more about Magnet and Accelerated Course options so you are prepared for the Magnet Choice window which opens October 29th! York families of students of all ages are welcome to come learn more to prepare for the future!

Please RSVP using the link to help us plan for seating (RSVP not required, but encouraged.)

https://forms.office.com/r/tLFE5cH2bT

Other upcoming events to learn more about Magnet options:

Admiral families,

Coming November 7th, we will have our Annual STEAM night. Please see the announcement below and if you have any questions or would like your business to be present, please email Jerry.Turner@HCPS.net.

T-Shirt sales will begin Monday (10/7/24) if you'd like to purchase a STEAMsgiving shirt through My Payments Plus

Tell your friends - Families who are submitting a Magnet Choice Application during the fall window are invited to come as well! Potential Admirals are invited to an information session prior visiting the activity booths and should RSVP to brooke.whalen@hcps.net

We know Hurricane Helene has seriously impacted so many of our families and staff. The D.C. York PTSA wants to help. We have created a form that that families and school staff members who have been affected by the hurricane can fill out to let us know their specific needs. We will connect those who submit forms to helpful local resources based on their indicated needs. Let’s unite as a community, supporting each other as we recover and rebuild after Hurricane Helene!

Submit your needs here >> https://bit.ly/3BAwxbC

Our next PTSA Meeting is in-person on October 15 at 6PM in York's Cafeteria.

Hope to see you at our upcoming Spirit Night at Tijuana Flats on Oct. 16 from 4-8pm.

November 1 Fun Run T-shirt Design Contest Winner!

We are so pleased to announce the winner of the Fun Run T-shirt Design Contest: Caden Gratt - Third Grade. Caden’s design will be featured on the t-shirts for the November 1 Fun Run. Congratulations, Caden!

• If you would like to become a Community Partner or join the PTSA please take a look at the great opportunities we have: https://flpta-dyia.givebacks.com/store?limit=21&live=true

• Check out our PTSA website and stay up-to-date with all PTSA news and events: https://dorothycyorkinnovationacademyptsa.wordpress.com/
• We are also on Facebook! Follow Dorothy C. York Innovation Academy PTSA for up-to-the-minute York information and local community events.

We couldn't do it without your support!!

We love to showcasing our amazing students and families! If your family has a special tradition that your student would like to share or an artifact or piece of art they'd like to showcase on the morning show, please reach out to Mrs. Whalen (brooke.whalen@hcps.net) We love having student "special guests" on the show to share about their family cultures and traditions!

This week we welcomed Logan from Mrs. Mulheran's 1st grade class to talk about Colombia, and Lucas from Mrs. Smith's 2nd grade class to talk about Puerto Rico

MYP students had some fun in the courtyard today with Mr. Lopez (DJ Lopez!) playing some great Latino & Hispanic music while kids competed in a putt-putt golf challenge. PYP enjoyed the Latino & Hispanic beats while participating in the putt-putt challenge in the cafeteria during breakfast.

Students had a chance to design outfits inspired by the flags of Hispanic countries, incorporating their colors and symbols. We had some amazing designs come in for the Hispanic Heritage contest! Stay tuned for our PYP and MYP winners as we can't wait to see the designs actually created by Mr. Wright! (MYP student Swiden T. pictured here with her design)

Mrs. Oleksak's and Mrs. Varnadoe's class made some real life connections to literature and culture for Hispanic Heritage Month! After reading the story Maria Celebrates Brazil, they welcomed Clara to speak to the class and share her experiences about being from Brazil. Clara currently is a High School Foreign Exchange Student who was excited to share all the similarities and differences between America and Brazil. Special Thanks to the Taggart Family for helping facilitate this experience!

Students in Mrs. Bello’s 2nd grade class chose an influential person in Hispanic History to research for Hispanic Heritage Month. This research used a variety of reading skills such as identifying non-fiction text features, comparing/contrasting different people, and finding character traits.

K-5 Students participated in ACT now presentations this week. Please see the handout for more details

Check out the linked Padlet for Media Center updates, contests, and resources!

York Media Center (padlet.com)

If your child is absent, please use our online attendance reporting form instead of calling the school.

The form is linked below and can also be found on our school website.

York K-8 Attendance (office.com)

Family vacations and trips taken during the school year are considered unexcused absences, even when they are reported to the school. Per the HCPS Student Code of Conduct and Magnet Agreement, whenever a student has a total of 15 unexcused absences from school during any semester, the student will be considered habitually absent. The Student Academic Calendar is published ahead of each school year so families can coordinate trips and vacations to support attendance on school days.

York needs volunteers to assist on our upcoming visit to Junior Achievement Finance Park on Tuesday, October 15th. This is an exciting opportunity to assist students in developing financial literacy skills. Although this is an 8th grade activity, we welcome all volunteers from the York community. For information about Finance Park, visit: jatampabay.org.

Please email Joe Hardin (joe.hardin@hcps.net) if interested in volunteering. All volunteers are required to complete the HCPS Volunteer Application (if not already done this year). Volunteers will report directly to the JA Finance Park campus at 13707 N 22nd St. in Tampa, where they will check in with their driver's license and receive training before the students arrive. Volunteer times are 9:30-2:00.

The Girls' team is still undefeated they beat Collins 50-6 and Barrington 41-19! They will advance to the playoff as the undefeated cluster champions!! The boys team also brought home a win against Barrington, defeating the Bolts 42-20. Way to go Admirals!!

The Girls' Playoff Game will be 10/8/24 at 6pm at Mulrennan Middle School.

Important Update: Volleyball tryouts have been POSTPONED due to the Girls' basketball team making the District Playoffs!! Volleyball tryouts will be October 7-9 from 3pm-4:30pm.

As York Innovation Academy prepares for various athletic events on and off campus, please help us maintain safety for all students and spectators by following these guidelines for our athletic events:

• All student spectators must be accompanied by an adult.

• No spectator backpacks are allowed inside the gym.

• Please do not bring food into the gym.

• There will be no re-entry for any events.

• All event entries will end at half time.

• Athletes and spectators must be off campus 10 minutes after the last game has ended.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Thank you to Southshore Kiwanis for donating prizes for our "Terrific Kids" at York who demonstrated the "Principled" trait this month!

As members of York's IB community, we honor the following values to be:

Balanced, Reflective, Inquirers, Communicators, Knowledgeable, Caring, Principled, Open-Minded, Risk-Takers, & Thinkers

Inquiring Minds! Mrs. Lankford’s Pre-K Class enjoyed an unexpected find while exploring on the playground…caterpillars!

Khyler, Christian, Ethan, Jacob, Aurelia, and Pia at All-State Band Auditions representing our school! We are so proud of how far they have come!

Our 8th grade robotics students started working with VEX!! We learned about balanced and unbalanced forces to try and get the robot to pull the case the furthest!

Video Link: OCVideo.748716815.207367.mp4

One of the parents in Mrs. Kudia's 4th grade class, Lin Xiuping, came in to share her knowledge of the Chinese language. Students learned to say and write words in Chinese. They also learned about dialects and how tone changes the meaning of words.

Mrs. Strong and Mrs. Lane’s class took their learning beyond their chapter book study of the “Wild Robot” and attended the movie together! Students made great connections to the text! Thank you Mrs. Bilindiro for making such awesome shirts!

Using 3D printed models, schoolAI, and original creativity, Mrs. Cooper's ELA students are creating Advertisements for the legendary Monkey's Paw. Taking in the role as advertisers, they are tasked with collaborating to incorporate the use of the rhetorical appeals and themes from the 1902 horror story, "The Monkey's Paw" into their commercials.

Ms. Cawood’s VPK class is having fun with our Pet unit this week! We learned how to take care of pets and even took our stuffed animal pets for a walk! Learning the IB concept of "responsibility" at an early age!

5th Grade designed roller coasters as part of their "How the World Works" IB unit!

Ms. Santoro’s class recognized Franklin and the entire custodial team her at York on National Custodian Day October 2nd. The class drew their very own pictures as a thank you for all that Franklin and his team does to keep our school clean!

Mrs. Oakes and Mrs. Mayhall’s 5th grade students used research skills and communication skills to learn about National Parks and create interactive presentations for 3rd graders.

Rehearsal and Recording day! Mrs. Cooper's ELA students are practicing and recording their originally written advertisements for the legendary Monkey's Paw.

Mrs. Hilliker and Mrs. Gangis’ students have seen a BIG need in our community following Hurricane Helene and in our world. They have decided to extend what we’ve been learning in Social Studies and our IB unit to take action! They are currently working on creating projects to bring awareness on how we can help our community and world in different ways! #worldchangers

Third Grade classes completed their Who We Are Culture Projects! Students interviewed family members, used research skills to learn more about their culture, created their posters, and used their communication skills to teach their classes about their cultures! They all did an incredible job!

We are excited for you to meet the Robotics Explore team! We're thrilled to dive into the fascinating world of ocean zones together. We'll be exploring the Sunlight Zone, where vibrant life thrives, the mysterious Twilight Zone, and the deep, dark Abyssal Zone. Thank you for supporting us on this exciting journey! -Ms. Malden and Mrs. Gratt

Students in Mrs. Mann and Mrs. Lee's 5th grade classrooms were caring communicators as they worked together to explore force and motion!

Oraciones Completas! Spanish 1 students were building complete sentences in Spanish.

8th grade Geometry students in Mr. Cooper's classes engaged in an activity to explore multiple transformations on an image. They practiced being communicators by sharing ideas and listening to each other while speaking and writing with accuracy to complete their assigned task.

Pre-K STEAM Challenge! Mrs. Lankford’s class put their creative thinking skills to the test. They were challenged with the task of building their very own pet shelters using recycled materials. They had a blast!

Mrs. Kudias class held a gallery walk where they were able to demonstrate how knowledgeable they were about our first IB unit to parents and guests from our school. Students showed off their thinking, research and communicated about our central idea and lines of inquiry for our six-week unit.

Mrs. Smart and Mrs. Crouch’s classes spread kindness today to York's custodian crew!

PYP artists are continuing their exploration of textile art for Hispanic Heritage Month.

Highlight of the week?!?! Embroidery lesson with 5th grade. ❤️

After the two-day week we had a few days back, the students were able to come in this week and finish up the Fitnessgram tests of the Pacer, Push-up, Curl-up, and Sit and Reach tests. Some of the students also enjoyed getting to learn a chasing and fleeing game called “Hot Dog Island.” Ask those students in Coach B’s class about that one 😁😎

There are some new items on the PE sway. Go check them out.

Also, be on the lookout for new PE videos.

https://sway.office.com/z99BsYJBMbrdUUSM?ref=Link

• Anonymously submit suspicious activity (including threats) to the school using the FortifyFL website/app. FortifyFL is a suspicious activity reporting tool that allows individuals to submit tips concerning unsafe, potentially harmful, dangerous, violent, or criminal activities and threats. That information goes immediately and directly to appropriate law enforcement agencies and school officials.

Security / FortifyFL (hillsboroughschools.org) or https://getfortifyfl.com/

Click the links below for information on the electronic platforms/apps that HCPS uses. Activation letters were sent home the week of 8/19/24.

Parent Apps - Questions and Answers

https://sway.cloud.microsoft/Y0ouV3V6zXC5pKKN?ref=Link

Arrivals:

PYP (Primary Years Program) students arriving between 7:40-7:55am should report to the cafeteria to allow for teacher contracted planning time. The Student Services Team will be supervising students as they eat and assisting them as they move into classrooms. Arrivals after 7:55am can go to the cafeteria for breakfast OR go directly to class. MYP students can get breakfast from the carts located in the courtyard and will remain there until the 8:00am bell rings to enter the building.

Students are only to be dropped off in the lane closest to York's office sidewalk. For our students' safety, PLEASE DO NOT ALLOW STUDENTS TO EXIT CAR FROM THE 2nd LANE or from parking spots in front of the school as those locations require them to cross moving traffic in lane 1.

Dismissal:

It is important for cars to stay in their designated lane and not switch as it disrupts the dismissal process. Students are called to designated cones based on the order of names taken. Please be sure to enter our line by 3:15pm while our staff is still out taking names. If you arrive after 3:15pm, please be prepared to park and proceed to the office with your driver's license.

The following York policies can be found on York's website linked below:

Dorothy C. York Innovation Academy / Homepage (hillsboroughschools.org)

• Academic Integrity Policy
• Assessment Policy
• Inclusion Policy
• Language Policy
• Admissions Policy
• Uniform Policy

*Reminder that tops and bottoms should be solid color (stripes, camouflage print, and plaids do not meet dress code expectations.) Logos should be no larger than a pinky finger length unless it is the approved school logo.

Cell phones must be stored in bookbags at all times during class. Students should be not using phones during hallway transitions or in the restrooms. Students in the MYP (Middle Years Program) may use phones during the last 15 minutes of lunch as a privilege. If you need to contact your student during the school day, please call the front office and we will connect you with your child.

• Please have your student's HCPS school ID number to help expediate the sign-out process.

At York, the Middle School IB "Service as Action" expectation is that students:

• Strive to become caring members of the community
• Demonstrate a personal commitment to service
• Act to make a positive difference in the lives of others
• Make connections between classroom learning and the local or global community

6th grade: 5 hours

7th grade: 7 hours

8th grade: 10 hours

*To find more information on the required hours, types of service, and the reporting form, please visit York's website and click on the "Learn More About IB at York" button, then view "Service as Action" documents. Questions can be directed to Mrs. Whalen (brooke.whalen@hcps.net)

Dorothy C. York Innovation Academy / Homepage (hillsboroughschools.org)

York is currently an International Baccalaureate Candidate School* working towards authorization to become an IB World School. To gain insight about the IB framework and expectations of students at York, please check out the linked Padlet. It can also be found by visiting our school website and clicking "Learn more about IB at York."

International Baccalaureate Candidate School (padlet.com)

Dorothy C. York Innovation Academy is a Candidate School* for the Primary Years Programme and Middle Years Programme. This school is pursuing authorization as an IB World School. These are schools that share a common philosophy—a commitment to high quality, challenging, international education that Dorothy C. York Innovation Academy believes is important for our students. Only schools authorized by the IB Organization can offer any of its four academic programmes: the Primary Years Programme (PYP), the Middle Years Programme (MYP), the Diploma Programme, or the Career-related Programme (CP). Candidate status gives no guarantee that authorization will be granted. For further information about the IB and its programmes, visit www.ibo.org

Many guardians of Admirals have reached out to see how they can support the campus. Below are some ideas:

• Volunteer in our Media Center. Fill out the required HCPS form here: Volunteer Services / Overview (hillsboroughschools.org) and email valerie.service@hcps.net to let her know you'd like to help out!
• Donate any new or used Lego or Duplo blocks
• Donate any new or gently used uniform clothing
• Visit DonorsChoose.org and search "Dorothy C. York" and support a classroom of your choice
• Apply to be a substitute at Hillsborough County Public Schools (kellyeducationalstaffing.us)
• Visit our PTSA page at Dorothy C. York Innovation Academy PTSA - Home | Facebook

A Hillsborough County Magnet School

Website: hillsboroughschools.org/york
Location: 5995 Covington Garden Drive, Apollo Beach, FL, USA
Phone: 813-533-2400
Twitter: @HCPS_YorkMagnet