Newsroom

YCSDigest - April 14, 2022

2022-23 School Year Calendar

The School Board has approved the 2022-23 school year calendar. The first day of school will be Monday, August 29, 2022. Under state law, the Friday before Labor Day must be a student holiday, creating a 4-day weekend. Next year's calendar is available on the division website.

Food Services Update

For the past two school years, meals have been provided to all YCSD students at no cost through a waiver provided by the USDA. This waiver will not be reissued. Instead, breakfast and lunch meals will return to a paid status, with no charges allowed, beginning this summer.

Free or reduced price meals will be available (upon application and approval) to students whose family income falls within federally established guidelines. Families with students participating in Summer Academy programs who would like to take advantage of free or reduced price meal options are asked to submit applications by Wednesday, June 1, 2022, if applications have not already been submitted. Please go to myschoolapps.com to access the application. Applications are also available in all school offices.

Additional information regarding free or reduced price meal applications for the 2022-23 school year will be provided before the start of the year. If you have questions, please call 757-898-0468 or 757-898-0485 or visit the Let’s Talk – Ask YCSD platform.

Gifted Education Plan Review

In compliance with state regulations, each local school division must maintain and submit a 5-year plan for gifted education programs to the Virginia Department of Education. As the division’s current plan ends this summer, a gifted education steering committee, comprised of principals, teachers, parents and GEAC members, has provided recommendations and feedback to support the development of the 2023-27 YCSD Local Education Plan for the Gifted. This draft is now available on the division website. Questions or feedback on this draft plan can be submitted through the Let’s Talk – Ask YCSD platform through April 25.

NASA HUNCH Teams

NASA is in the final countdown to select the winning teams in its annual HUNCH program – and YCSD students are among the finalists presenting their projects in Houston this week. HUNCH provides students with the unique opportunity to learn skills and have a real-world contribution to NASA, including space missions.

A student team from Grafton High School (Daniel Noble, Caleb Lewis, Nick Schilling, and Will Shoemaker) took on the challenge to build a full-scale, interactive mockup of the Destiny module. A project requirement included that the module be easily transported and reassembled from location to location.

The "Flying Sauciers" team, representing New Horizons Regional Education Centers, secured a place in the finals of the culinary challenge with recipes for shrimp fajitas, Mexican street corn casserole, and kickin' brownie cookies. This team includes students from eight different high schools on the peninsula. Representing YCSD are Hanna Morton (BHS), Kylie Adams (YHS), Brandon Fitzgibbons (GHS), Dayanna Jones (THS), and Indyia Anderson McCoy (THS).

Congratulations to these amazing students and their teachers!

Purple Up Day

April is the Month of the Military Child. More than 79,000 military students attend public schools in Virginia with YCSD proudly serving the highest concentration of military children in the state. To celebrate the Month of the Military Child, all students and staff are encouraged to wear purple on Wednesday, April 20. Purple represents the blending of the colors of the five branches of our armed forces. Please participate so our military students and families know how much they are supported and appreciated.

Community Announcements

The York County School Division offers local businesses and organizations the opportunity to share information with students and parents regarding educational/enrichment activities, events and opportunities, which are either available to YCSD students or support division programs. These flyers are neither sponsored nor endorsed by the York County School Division or the schools, but are made available as a community service for our families.

Community announcements can also be found on the division website and each school's website.