The Breakthrough Bulletin

What a great first week at YWA! From morning drop-off to afternoon pick-up, things ran incredibly smoothly, and that only happens when everyone works together. A huge thank you to our parents, faculty and staff, administration, and Campus Patrol for helping us start the year strong. We also received some great feedback about our cafeteria and the meals being served...which we love to hear!

We also started the year with YWA in the spotlight! KVIA joined us bright and early at 5:00 a.m. on the first day of school for four live segments, and what made that morning even more special was seeing our YWA community show up in such a BIG way. We had more than 80 students, along with many of their parents, on campus before the sun was even up! Some of our girls, faculty and staff arrived as early as 4:00–4:30 a.m., knowing they still had an entire first day of school ahead of them. Click Here to see the feature!

Seeing our girls, families, staff, teams, and organizations come together at that hour to represent YWA was one of those moments that just makes you incredibly proud. The energy, school spirit, and support were amazing, and it reminded me just how fortunate I am to be part of this wonderful community. Thank you to every student, family, faculty and staff who got up VERY early to show up for YWA! 🩷

And the spotlight continued! This week, our El Paso Times feature hit the FRONT PAGE! 📰🩷 Both KVIA and the El Paso Times gave our community a glimpse at what is happening at YWA and, more importantly, what is still to come. Click Here for the full story.

And there is A LOT to come! We are proud to share that YWA has been selected as the site for this year’s District-Wide Mother-Daughter Conference in November! We are honored to welcome this special event to our campus, and some of our YWA Student Ambassadors will have the opportunity to help welcome attendees. Dates are being finalized now, and we will share more information soon.

We have incredible momentum right now, and we plan to keep it going. None of it happens without the support of our YWA families, faculty and staff and I am incredibly thankful for the way you continue to show up for our girls and our school.

Keep reading this week’s Breakthrough Bulletin! We have important reminders, new volunteer opportunities for our families, athletics updates, and some really awesome things coming your way.

We’re in full swing, Warriors. Let’s keep breaking through! 🩷

Jen Arias

Your PROUD Principal

Young Women's Academy

Kick off the year by showing your Warrior Pride while supporting YWA! Our beginning-of-the-year school-wide fundraiser is officially underway, and all proceeds benefit our students and school programs.

Our Warrior Spirit Shirts are $21 and are available for purchase through August 13 on School Cash Online. These aren't just fundraiser shirts—students can wear them throughout the year on our Friday Spirit Days!

👕 How Students Can Wear Their Spirit Shirt on Fridays:

• Middle School: Spirit shirt with uniform pants or the uniform skirt.
• High School: Spirit shirt may be worn with Free Dress Friday bottoms, following all YWA free-dress guidelines.

Grab your shirt, support our programs, and help us fill YWA with pink, black, and Warrior Pride every Friday! 🩷🖤

One School. One Warrior Family.

School Cash Online: https://episd.schoolcashonline.com/

Join us for our first Coffee with the Principal on Friday, August 14 at 9:00 a.m. in Room B-100.

We’ll discuss important information, including the 90% attendance policy, along with other campus updates and topics that impact our students and families. This is also an opportunity for parents to meet with the Principal and Assistant Principals, ask questions, share concerns, and stay connected with what’s happening at YWA.

Coffee with the Principal will be held monthly, and we’ll be sharing the full schedule for the school year soon.

We hope to see you there! 🩷☕

We love having our families involved at YWA! Through VIPS (Volunteers in Public Schools), parents and family members can volunteer on campus in a variety of ways throughout the year, from helping with morning or afternoon traffic, to assisting with copies, special events, and other campus needs.

To volunteer on campus, you must first complete the EPISD VIPS application and approval process. Our Family Liaison, Ms. Sylvia Villarreal, is happy to help families with the process. She is on our campus Thursdays and Fridays and can also be reached anytime by email at sevillar@episd.org.

Apply to Become an EPISD VIPS Volunteer

YWA was selected as the only secondary campus to receive a LEGO Lab, and we are incredibly excited to bring this opportunity to our Warriors! The LEGO Education approach goes far beyond building with bricks. It provides students with hands-on opportunities to explore STEAM, engineering, problem-solving, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity.

As a STEAM campus, we can't wait to see the ways our girls will be able to build, create, design, test, and problem-solve in this new space.

But first... we have to build the lab! 😁

Immediately following Coffee with the Principal on Friday, August 14, we're asking our YWA families to roll up their sleeves and help us unpack, organize, and set up our brand-new LEGO Lab.

📅 Friday, August 14
⏰ 10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
📍 YWA

Whether you can stay for 30 minutes or the entire two hours, we would love the help! 🩷

Our 2026–2027 Student Handbook contains important information about school policies, expectations, procedures, dress code, attendance, technology use, and other resources to help your student have a successful school year.

We encourage every family to take a few minutes to review the handbook together.

At the end of the handbook, you will find a Parent/Student Acknowledgment. After reviewing the handbook, please complete the online acknowledgment form.

Helpful Links:

• 📘 2026–2027 Student Handbook: Scan QR Code or find link here: YWA student handbook 2026
• ✅ Parent/Student Acknowledgment Form: Scan QR code or find link on the last page of the handbook

Thank you for taking the time to review this important information and for partnering with us to make this a successful school year!

Thank you to our students and families for working with us during our first week as everyone adjusted to our dress code expectations. Beginning Monday, August 10, consequences for dress code violations will be enforced. We want to highlight a few of the most common issues we noticed this week so that everyone is ready for Monday:

• Facial Piercings: Absolutely no facial piercings are permitted, including nose and septum rings.
• Bracelets: Students may wear a maximum of two bracelets per wrist.
• Blazers: The black uniform blazer is required. If your family is still waiting for a blazer order from Lands’ End, please have your student let us know. We understand that some orders may still be in transit.
• Collar Accessory: Every student needs a tie, bow tie, or other approved neck accessory (pink in color) worn around the collar of the white uniform shirt.
• High School College Thursdays: High school students may wear a college shirt with non-distressed jean pants (no rips or tears), uniform bottoms, or the uniform skirt. Shorts and other bottoms are not permitted on College Thursdays.
• High School Free Dress Fridays: Free dress is for high school students only. Shorts or skirts must reach at least the tips of the student’s fingertips, and jeans may not have holes, rips, or distressed areas.

These are simply the most common dress code concerns we observed during the first week. All other YWA dress code expectations remain in effect. Please review the complete dress code in the student handbook (found in the section directly above).

Our dress code reflects the professional culture and high expectations of YWA. We want our students focused on learning in an environment where distractions are minimized and every Warrior is prepared to learn, lead, and represent YWA with pride. Thank you, families, for partnering with us in maintaining these expectations! 🩷

After School Meals

Beginning Monday, August 10, after-school meal service will begin at 4:00 p.m. Students may select any 3 items offered during after-school meal service.

Menu Changes

While we make every effort to serve the posted menu, occasional substitutions may be necessary. If there is a change to the breakfast or lunch menu, we will make a school-wide announcement so students are aware before meal service.

Food Allergies & Dietary Concerns

If your student has a food allergy or any dietary concerns, please contact our school nurse, Ms. Alexis Vaughan (atvaughan@episd.org), as soon as possible. She will work with the appropriate staff to help ensure your student's needs are communicated and accommodated.

Breakfast and lunch menus for this month are included below.

It’s officially volleyball season, and our Warriors are ready to hit the court! Our first game is Tuesday at Loretto, followed by our first HOME game on Tuesday, August 18. The full season schedule is included below, so mark your calendars and come out to support our girls! 🩷

One of the things that makes our YWA athletes so special is everything they balance. Our girls are students first, committed to challenging academics while also giving their time, energy, and heart to athletics and so many other activities across our campus. We are proud of the discipline and dedication it takes to represent YWA both in the classroom and on the court.

Let’s show up, get loud, and cheer on our Warrior Volleyball team as they kick off their season!

Let’s go, Warriors! 🏐🩷🖤

A reminder to all families with students participating in middle school or high school athletics: please make sure your student’s Rank One account and required forms are completed. Students must have all required athletic paperwork, including a current sports physical, completed before they can participate.

Need a physical? We’ve got you covered! The flyer below includes an option for $10 sports physicals, with walk-ins accepted Sunday–Saturday from 9:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m.

This applies to students preparing to participate in any YWA athletic program, so take care of those requirements now and be ready when it’s time to hit the court, field, mat, or track! 🩷🖤

Calling all 7th and 8th grade girls! Have you ever thought about playing softball?

We're looking for students who are willing to learn, grow, and try something new! No prior experience is necessary.

Softball clinics begin Monday, August 10, giving girls who are new to the sport an opportunity to learn the fundamentals, build their confidence, and prepare for tryouts in a fun and supportive environment.

We encourage all interested students to come out, meet new friends, develop new skills, and give softball a try. You might just discover your new favorite sport!

Practices will begin after school during the second week of classes. Students interested in participating should contact our Athletic Coordinator, Coach Pacheco (lamedran@episd.org).

📄 See the Softball Calendar Above for Additional Details.

We're excited to share that YWA is in the final stages of adding girls' wrestling as a high school sport!

Over the past several months, we've made tremendous progress, including securing a dedicated wrestling practice space and mat room. We're also working closely with our district and community partners to finalize the remaining steps.

If everything proceeds as anticipated, our high school wrestlers will begin preparing for the upcoming season, which starts in October.

We look forward to sharing more exciting updates over the next couple of weeks!

Questions? Please contact our Athletic Coordinator, Coach Pacheco (lamedran@episd.org) or our middle school wrestling coach, Coach Pulisci (fapulisc@episd.org).

Come out for an evening of food, fun, and Warrior spirit while supporting our YWA Flag Team! 🩷

Join us at Peter Piper Pizza on Wednesday, August 26 for our YWA Social & Fundraiser. The fundraiser runs all day, with our YWA Social happening from 5:00–7:30 p.m. Bring the family, meet up with other YWA families, and enjoy a fun evening together!

📍 Peter Piper Pizza – 119 Balboa Rd.
📅 Wednesday, August 26
🍕 Fundraiser: All Day
🎉 YWA Social: 5:00–7:30 p.m.

Be sure to mention YWA at the register when purchasing pizza, drinks, or tokens. Funds raised will directly support our YWA Flag Team.

Come hungry, bring the family, and help support our girls! 🚩🩷🖤

Our Parent, Teacher, and Student Organization (PTSO) is an incredible partner to YWA, and we are so grateful for the many ways they support our students, staff, and campus throughout the year. We encourage every family to get involved!

👕 YWA Spirit Wear — Pre-Order Now!
YWA PTSO Spirit Wear is available for pre-order! Long-sleeve shirts and hoodies can be ordered through August 13, with delivery scheduled for August 27. T-shirt orders will open August 14 and remain open through August 28, with delivery scheduled for September 11. Orders will be delivered directly to students, and PTSO spirit wear is approved for YWA Spirit Days!
➡️ See the flyer below for styles, ordering information, and deadlines.

📣 First PTSO Meeting — August 17
Want to learn more about PTSO and everything they have planned for this year? Join us for the first YWA PTSO Meeting on Monday, August 17 at 4:15 p.m. in the YWA Cafeteria. Families can learn about volunteer opportunities, spirit wear and logo sales, upcoming activities, and ways to get involved. Your voice matters, and we'd love to see you there!

🍬 PTSO Treat Day to EVERY YWA Student — August 28
PTSO has something sweet planned for our girls! On Friday, August 28 after school, PTSO will be giving FREE Bolis to every YWA student in front of the school. No purchase or sign-up needed...just a little treat from our PTSO to kick off the weekend! 🩷

🎉 Birthday Sashes
Would you like your student to be recognized on her birthday with a special YWA birthday sash? This tradition is completely free and available to all YWA students, but families must complete the sign-up form in advance.

➡️ See the flyer below for registration information.

🩷 Become a PTSO Member
Joining the PTSO is one of the best ways to support our school community. Your membership helps provide programs, events, and resources that directly benefit our students and staff throughout the year.
➡️ See the membership flyer below to join today!

🙋‍♀️ Volunteer Opportunities
There are so many ways to get involved at YWA! Whether you can volunteer occasionally or throughout the year, we'd love to have your support.
➡️ Check out the volunteer opportunities flyer below to learn more and sign up.

Thank you to our amazing PTSO for everything they do to help make YWA an exceptional place for our girls to learn, grow, and thrive.

Thank you to our amazing PTSO for everything they do to help make YWA an exceptional place for our girls to learn, grow, and thrive.