Grizzly Gazette

Grizzly Families,

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday.

I am so thankful for the opportunity to serve as Interim Principal here at York. It has truly been a wonderful experience getting to know our students and staff. I’m grateful for the support, collaboration, and kindness I’ve received along the way, and I appreciate the trust you’ve placed in me during this time.

I wish you the best as we approach the holiday season.

Jill Houser

The Christmas card titled A Small Town Christmas, created by Emilie Garcia, an 8th-grade student at York, has been named the district winner of the Holiday Card Contest.

• Dec. 1 - Theatre Tech Rehearsal @GOHS 5:15 pm
• Dec. 2 - OPDT Board Meeting - 7:00 pm York Library
• Dec. 2 - Theater Performance - Alice in Wonderland - 6:30 pm GOHS
• Dec. 3 - Orchestra Holiday Concert - 7:00 pm GOHS
• Dec. 4 - Boys Basketball vs. Stockton 5 pm
• Dec. 4 - Girls Basketball @Stockton 5 pm
• Dec. 5 - Winter Dance sponsored by OPDT - 7:00 pm York Cafeteria
• Dec. 6 - Girls Basketball Tournament 7 am
• Dec. 8 - Choir Winter Concert - 6:00 pm GOHS
  
• Dec. 10 - OPDT Holiday Party - 5:30 pm York Gym
• Dec. 10 - YCC Meeting - 6:00 pm
• Dec. 11 - York PTO Meeting 9:30 am
• Dec. 11 - Boys Basketball @ McCullough JHS 5 pm
• Dec. 11 - Girls Basketball vs. McCullough JHS 5 pm
• Dec. 12 - JH All-Region Band Rehearsal 4 pm
• Dec. 12 - Color Guard Club Showcase
• Dec. 13 - Orchestra Cello Recital 9 am
• Dec. 13 - JH All Region Band Rehearsal and Concert 7 am
• Dec. 15 - 19 Midterm Exam Week
• Dec. 15 - Boys Basketball vs. Irons JHS
• Dec. 15 - Girls Basketball @ Irons JHS
• Dec. 19 -Students Early Release - 12:50 pm
• Dec. 22 - Jan. 5 - Winter Holidays
• Jan. 5 - Teacher Workday

December is spinal screening month! 7th grade girls and 8th grade boys will be screened during school. Boys and girls are screened separately and privately, by the nurse. Screening will be conducted December 9th, 10th , and 16th . We ask that students being screened wear a thin shirt on the day of their screening, as this screening is completed over their clothing. The screening itself takes only a few seconds. If you would like your child to be exempt for religious reasons, please submit an affidavit form to the clinic by December 5th. Questions? Call the clinic directly at 832-592-8614.

🎉 Join Us for a STEM Extravaganza! 🤖✨
Presented by The Woodlands High School FRC Robotics Team – The Pastabots

Get ready for an afternoon of hands-on fun at our STEM Extravaganza on December 7th! 🗓️ We're bringing robots to life with live demonstrations and offering FREE interactive STEM activities for all ages. Whether you're a future engineer, inventor, or tech enthusiast, there’s something for everyone!

But that’s not all! 🎁 The event also features a Holiday Market where you can shop unique handmade and 3D-printed creations, including:

• Jewelry

• Ornaments

• Desk Organizers

• Fidget Toys

• Lamps and more!

🕑 Date: December 7th, 2025

📍 Location: TWHS Cafeteria, 6101 Research Forest Dr, The Woodlands, TX, 77381
⏰ Time: 2:00 PM – 6:00 PM

Every purchase at the Holiday Market directly supports the Pastabots’ journey to the 2026 FRC competition season! 🚀

Come for the fun, stay for the creativity! See you there!

Students are not permitted to receive food deliveries (such as DoorDash, Uber Eats, Grubhub, etc.) during the school day. This policy is in place for several important reasons:

• Safety and health concerns: We cannot verify ingredients or potential allergens in food items that are delivered.

• Identification issues: Deliveries often arrive under a parent’s first name and first letter of the last name, which makes it difficult for staff to determine which student the order belongs to.

• Logistical challenges: The front office can become very busy during the day, and sometimes a delivered lunch goes unnoticed until lunch blocks have already ended. At that point, we must call the student out of class to ensure they can eat, which means they are missing valuable instructional time and disrupting their learning. Additionally, it is the student’s responsibility to come to the front office to pick up their lunch. We have no way of knowing whether you’ve informed your student that a delivery was arranged for them that day.

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⚠️ To ensure consistency and fairness, our front office attempts a call home and keeps a record of any instances when this rule has been disregarded. We appreciate your support in helping us maintain a safe, organized, and productive environment for all students.

🥪 You are always welcome to drop off a meal directly to the front office with their name clearly labeled — you as parent bringing the lunch, or another entrusted family member/ friend.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation!

York JH PTO would like to give a HUGE THANK YOU to our amazing York JH PTO sponsors for the 2025-2026 school year! We have seen amazing community support once again this year and could not be more thankful! Thank you to our Gold Sponsors: Hughes & Cozad Orthodontics, Huntington Learning Center, The Wendy Ahmad Group, and Aberly Herin Sunshine Fund. Thank you to our Silver Sponsors: Herin Family Foundation, Planet Ford, and Blo Blow Dry Bar. Thank you to our Orange Sponsors: Creekstone Outdoor Living, Raising Cane's, Woodson's Reserve Dental, and Comeaux Dental. We would love for our York JH Community to keep these sponsors in mind when they can help meet a need you have! You can see a complete list of our sponsors anytime here.

We are still collecting gift cards for our 12 Days of Christmas Event! Our goal is to have every York JH teacher and staff member be able to be gifted a gift card at random! To make this happen, we are asking for donations of $10 gift cards to anywhere. If you can donate a gift card or two, please drop them off at the front office, labeled PTO as soon as possible. Thank you for helping us spread holiday cheer to York JH!

Our Annual Holiday Cookie Grab is coming up and we need your help! Please consider signing up to bring one of your favorite cookies to share with York teachers and staff. Each sign up is for two dozen cookies. Please label the cookies with the flavor, write PTO on them, and drop off at the front office anytime on December 11th. Homemade is preferred, but we will take store bought. Sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/409094CACAF2AA1FF2-54740793-holiday.

We have two Spirit Events coming up in December! Join us December 8th at either 5pm or 6pm at The Coder School and enjoy a free hour of code workshop! While your student is in the workshop, parents will receive a complimentary tour of The Coder School. There is no fee - a portion of all future enrollment sales will be donated back to the school! Registration is required: register here for the 5pm class and register here for the 6pm class. December 10th will be our Scooter's Spirit Event. This event is ALL DAY! Stop by anytime to fuel up with a great cup of coffee, or other delicious Scooter's drink or snack and mention York JH PTO! We appreciate your support!

Our next PTO Meeting is on December 11th. Join us at 9:30am in the York LGI and see how you can help us make this another amazing year for all students, teachers and staff at York Junior High!

We have a limited amount of York JH PTO Spirit Wear available in our inventory! Support the PTO by purchasing your Grizzly spirit wear directly from us: https://yjhspiritwear.cheddarup.com/

York JH PTO is looking for local businesses to partner with! We offer Community Sponsorships that offer great visibility to our community, while supporting the PTO. We have several different levels for our business partners. Please email fundraising@yorkpto.com or visit https://www.yorkpto.com/sponsors-and-fundraising to partner with us today!

Connect with us! We post frequently on our York Junior High PTO Facebook page. Make sure to give us a follow to stay in the loop: https://www.facebook.com/YorkPTO. We also have a website: www.yorkpto.com. Both are great sources of information!

During the 2025 fall semester, Conroe ISD’s Attendance Boundary Committee (ABC) will review attendance boundaries in preparation for the opening of Kacy Arnold Elementary and Grand Oaks Junior High. Kacy Arnold Elementary will be located at 5175 Woodson's Spring Dr., Spring, Texas, 77386, and is expected to open in August 2026. Grand Oaks Junior High will be located at 28075 Woodson's Grand Dr., Spring, Texas 77386, and is expected to open in August 2027. Grand Oaks High School Ninth Grade Campus will also be located at 28075 Woodson's Grand Dr., Spring, Texas, 77386, will have the same zoning as the senior campus, and is expected to open in January 2027.

For more information about the process, please visit the rezoning website.

The 2023 School Report Cards are now available.

Due to judicial proceedings involving the TEA, the release of the 2023 School Report Card was significantly delayed and is now available to view. You can view your student’s School Report Card by following the steps below. Please note that the information included reflects data from the 2022–2023 school year and may not reflect the most current rating for your campus in the 2023–2024 and 2024-2025 school years. Alongside our 2023 School Report Card, we encourage you to visit TXschools.gov to learn more about our school’s performance in the 2024-2025 school year.

How to Access:

1. Visit the link below.

2. Under the School Report Card section, expand 2022–2023.

3. Select your campus.

Campus Accountability Reports

Many of you may have heard that Governor Abbott signed a new law (HB 1481) that prohibits any child in a K-12 school to use their personal cell phone/electronic device during the day. Please note that this new law conflicts with what I told you at the York JH Parent Orientation and what is different from what I shared with your children at their Clark/Cox Pep Rally in May.

Texas House Bill 1481 says that student use of personal electronic devices, such as cell phones, personal iPad, smart watches, etc. is prohibited during instructional time. The CISD School Board has adopted a policy supporting HB 1481 stating electronic devices will be prohibited for the entire day. Electronics should be off and away for the entire school day. This means once school begins at 8:50 AM, their electronics must be shut off and put away. This is in the hallways, in the classrooms, and during lunch. The CISD School Board also discussed that campus consequences, such as confiscation of these devices, will occur if the child is not following directions.

I know this will be a big adjustment for some of our students and parents, but I believe we will see benefits in classroom engagement, interaction, and content retention. We will follow the state law and Board policy as written, but it will take support from you to help us. Please have conversations with your child NOW, so they are prepared for this new adjustment.

Additionally, your children's cell phones will stay with them during the day, they just have to be "away for the day." They may use them during dismissal time when school is over. They may also reach out to you (with permission), if an emergency arises.

• Students riding the bus will be dropped off in the back of the school. These students will then report to the cafeteria, if it is before 8:20 AM. If after 8:20 AM, they will go to HOMEROOM.
• Students riding their bike may LOCK their bike in front of campus, at the bike racks.
• Car Riders- please have patience and be nice to your neighbors. Use the "zipper" approach- one enters the front drive from the west side of Waterbend Cove, then the east side, and so forth and so on.
• Car Riders- we will allow "double stacking" of cars in both lanes to help more traffic flow on Waterbend Cove.
• Car Riders- follow the signage on the sidewalk and in the street. Pull all the way forward before dropping your child off from the passenger side.
• Car Riders- There will be several staff members outside to help you and TEACH you the "York Way." Most importantly, PULL ALL THE WAY UP, PAST THE FRONT DOOR, UNTIL ASKED TO STOP. The more cars we have pull all the way up, the more we are able to get kids out efficiently.
• Car Riders- Please pay attention to the county signs on the street that prohibit parking and pickup/drop off on Waterbend Cove. Police officers will be out there to provide citations to those who do not follow this rule.

• York JH dismisses at 4:05 PM.
• As soon as buses begin to arrive, bus riders are called from their last period class to load.
• Car riders, walkers, and bikers, will be released out the front doors closer to 4:00-4:05.
• Car Riders- follow the same procedure as arrival. Drive SLOWLY and look for your child. Pull all the way forward and allow your child to enter from the passenger side.
• Do not CUT or PASS others in order to move to the front of the line.
• Do NOT pickup your child on Waterbend Cove. All students are to be picked up near the front doors, next to the flag pole.
• At 4:15 PM, any remaining bus riders will be released to wait in the cafeteria.

CHARGING UPDATES

During the school year, we are limiting the amount of charges that a child can make on their account. After a child charges 15 days of meals, they will no longer be able to charge, and will NOT RECEIVE A LUNCH. Please make sure you are up to date on payments.

Breakfast Meal Prices

· Student Breakfast $2.00

· Student Reduced Breakfast $0

· Non-student Breakfast/2nd Student Breakfast $3.10

Lunch Meal Prices

· Student Lunch $3.20

· Student Reduced Lunch $0.00

· Non-student Lunch/2nd Student Lunch $4.70 (Teachers, Parents, Siblings)

My School Bucks

Beginning August 1, 2025, payments may be made online at https://www.myschoolbucks.com

Free and Reduced Meals

Parents can apply online for Free and Reduced meals NOW!! https://www.myschoolapps.com

Below is the list for the 25-26 school supply list. You'll find that supply lists are different at the junior high level, rather than elementary/intermediate. We ask that each family provide their child with supplies that they will keep and use throughout the year. Please buy what your child will be able to use and keep in their backpack. Second, we have a "donate" list to bring to campus. Many teachers will provide a supplemental list of supplies during the first week. The list below is a recommended list for junior high. Because times are tough for many of our families right now, the classroom supplies are optional. However, anything you are able to purchase will make a huge impact in the daily learning for your child. See the list below.

Some families have asked "what do we need?" Thanks to a tremendous outpouring from last year, we don't need much to get us started this year. However, we have added a few items to our Amazon Wish List to help us decorate campus, get our classrooms ready, and have some treats for teachers. Check out our wish list here: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2IFZ2FR1EYVY4?ref_=wl_share

Starting in 7-12 grade, ALL students in CISD will be required to wear an ID badge. All students will be provided a new badge at the beginning of the school year. Any child who loses their badge during the school year and needs a replacement, will incur a $5 charge, which covers the badge, sleeve, and lanyard.

Interested to know if your child is eligible to ride the bus? Want to know how to register your child for the bus? Click the link above (Conroe ISD Transportation Information) to learn everything you need to know about CISD Transportation.

Transportation cannot change addresses for students. All student information is uploaded from campuses, and it is used to route our students. Parents, you will need to contact Shelita Hebert, Registrar, if needing to change your address. Once the campus makes the address change, it takes about 48 hours for Transportation to process the change.

Parents or guardians must submit an Alternate Stop Request Form each school year for service to an alternate stop. Students who are not eligible for transportation services may not be allowed to request or utilize an alternate stop. Parents can request an alternate stop when they request transportation for their child (register). They can do that at the following link: https://apps.conroeisd.net/AlternativeTransportation/

We do not offer transportation to students who live under a mile from the campus. Our one-mile measurement is made from the point at which the residence’s driveway meets the public road to the nearest point where any campus driveway meets the public roadway or where any pedestrian walkway (greenbelt) provides access onto campus property (through a gate or driveway). The distances are measured using the District’s dedicated school bus routing software and the Montgomery County Appraisal District (MCAD) maps to determine distances if necessary.