Blue & White Newsletter - 1/17/25
Week of January 13, 2025
Do you have a neighbor with an incoming kindergarten student who does not currently have children in West York? Feel free to share this newsletter with them so they can join the distribution list as well!
Does your child have signs or symptoms of the flu, Covid or RSV? Did they test positive?
The recommendations are that your child stay home until they are fever free for 24 hours without medication and that they feel good enough to return to school. The CDC also recommends (it is optional) that a mask be worn for 5 days after their return if they tested positive for Covid.
Students who have been exposed to someone who tested positive for Covid do not need to stay home from school unless they come down with symptoms or test positive.
If you have any questions, please reach out to your school nurse.
The Lunch & a Show, an invitation-only event for Golden Bulldog Pass Holders, is now taking reservations. Seating is limited so register soon! Lunch will be roast turkey, mashed potatoes, vegetables, and dessert, served with water, iced tea, and coffee.
- What: Lunch and a Show
- When: Sunday, March 2, 2025
- Where: West York Area High School
- Time: Lunch Served at 12:45 PM (doors open at 12:15 PM), Show starts at 2:00 PM
Don't have your Golden Bulldog Pass yet? District residents age 65 and over can get one at the District Administration Building located at 1891 Loucks Road, Suite 100 (in the old York Newspaper Co. building), between 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM, Monday - Friday. Simply bring a photo ID and address.
Additionally, our school counselors will be offering an informational meeting in the High School Auditorium for our junior parents beginning at 5:30 PM. This is an extremely helpful session to learn more about the SAT, post-secondary options, Dual Enrollment, and information related to the senior year of high school. Please know our school counselors are able to work individually with families by appointment as well.
Finally, we will hold an open house style Back-to-School Night (Second Semester) at the High School that will officially begin at 6:00 PM. Please have your child share his/her schedule with you as we will not have schedules printed.
We need your help! On Thursday, March 13th, Junior Achievement of South Central PA will be at the High School with their STEM Summit Program. Students will be participating in the day-long event designed to explore careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.
The goal of the STEM Summit is to inspire students to pursue an academic STEM focus in the remainder of their high school courses. After the completion of the STEM Summit, guidance counselors have a foundation to work with students on appropriate course work.
For this day to be a success, we will need volunteers to facilitate ONE of the STEM activities for the day as students rotate through your station. You do not need to have a STEM background to be a great volunteer! If we do not have these volunteer spots filled, we are in danger of not being able to run this meaningful event.
You do not have to be an approved school volunteer to help with this day. Junior Achievement will provide online training as well as on-site support to all volunteers. A light breakfast and lunch will also be available for volunteers.
Please consider volunteering and join us as we spend the day empowering and inspiring our students. Check out the following information:
- Click the STEM Summit Overview for Volunteers green bar below to learn more about volunteering
- Click the Volunteering Video green bar to see a short video about volunteering
- Click the Volunteer Registration green bar to register yourself as a volunteer
You can reach out to Shannon Baker, Senior Vice President Program Operations, at sbaker@jascpa.org if you have any specific questions.
- Dentistry
- General Medicine
- Health & Rehabilitation
- Imaging
- Information Technology
- Labs
- Nursing
- Pharmacy
- Public Health
- Respiratory
- Surgical Services
UPMC is offering a virtual 13-week Junior Health Care Explorers program. This program is free but you must register. The details are:
Session Dates/Times: Saturdays from 9:30 - 11:00 AM, January 25th - April 26th
Sessions are presented via Microsoft Teams - computer and webcam needed to participate
Registration Deadline: Wednesday, January 22nd.
If you have questions, please email JHCE@upmc.edu.
To register, click the bar below.
Students and Parents, we will be spotlighting a new product or service every month to help you
get to know First Capital Federal Credit Union and what we have to offer you and your family!
This week, we’re shining the spotlight on our Deep Sea Savers account, designed for the
younger children in your life! At First Capital, we offer accounts for kids of all ages, starting from
newborns and up! With the Deep Sea Savers account, children will receive a red wallet to
collect coins. They’ll earn these coins by making a deposit of $25.00 or more, which can then be
saved and redeemed for exciting prizes! Every child receives a birthday postcard during their
birthday month which gives them an extra $5.00 deposit in their account! For our youngest
Deep Sea Savers (newborn to one year old), we’ll even make the initial deposit to get them
started with $6 ($1 membership fee + $5 share savings deposit). Get your children on the path
to saving early with First Capital’s Deep Sea Savers account!
Through our partnership with WYASD, families in the School District automatically qualify for
membership at First Capital Federal Credit Union, and we would love to have you as a member!
We will even make the initial opening deposit of $6 ($1 membership fee, $5 share savings
deposit) for you! If you would like more information, please stop by The Bulldog Branch on
Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. to learn more about what First Capital
has to offer.
Earlier this week, winter weather brought us our first plowable snow. Now is a good time to review a few tips to ensure your travel is safe! Click HERE to check out a few winter driving tips.
Thank you, Mr. Jeff Ludwig, Supervisor of Building and Grounds, for sharing this helpful safety information with us!
A student's high school yearbook is a way to capture all of the amazing memories that students experience during their final years here at West York - home of the Bulldogs!
Purchasing a yearbook early in the school year assures you the best pricing, currently $75, and an item off your "To-Do List" that builds as the end of the school year approaches!
Starting November 16th, the price will be $80 - so don't miss the $75 early purchase price!
Also available now is the opportunity to place a special message/ad in the yearbook just for your child. More information on this, and all things yearbooks, can be found by visiting the West York page of Jostens website by clicking the image above.
Using Your Computer to Report an Absence
MUST be completed within 3 days of the absence
From the District WEBSITE Home Page
âž” Scroll down to the vertical gray boxes just under the changing highlight pictures at the top of the District website's home page
âž” Click on the Attendance box
âž” Underneath Online Attendance click on Sapphire Community Portal Login
âž” On the login page put in your username and password (this must be set up prior to you using this page)
âž” On the left side is your student(s) name(s)
- If you have multiple students, please make sure you are at the correct student
âž” Under MY BACKPACK click on Student Data Forms (making sure it is the correct student)
âž” Underneath On Demand Forms click on Digital Excuse Blank
➔ Fill out the entire form and upload any doctor’s notes into this form
âž” Make sure to click on SUBMIT so your form is sent directly to the attendance secretary
Using the District App from Your Cell Phone to Report an Absence
MUST be completed within 3 days of the absence
âž” From the WYASD App Home Page, click on the More waffle icon on the right side of the screen
âž” Click on the Sapphire Portal icon on the right side of the screen
âž” Log in to Sapphire
➔ If you have multiple students, make sure you are in the correct student’s account
âž” At the bottom of the screen there is a purple circle with 3 white lines, click on the circle
âž” Click on the green circle marked Student Data Forms
âž” Underneath On Demand Forms click on Digital Excuse Blank
➔ Fill out the entire form and upload any doctor’s notes into this form
âž” Make sure to click on SUBMIT so your form is sent directly to the attendance secretary
Our West York Area High School's Counseling Center compiles lists of available scholarships as our high school students prepare for their post-secondary educational plans and funding. An updated list is posted at the High School as new scholarships become available. The Counseling Center also emails each scholarship and updated bulletin directly to students' school emails.
Paper copies of scholarship applications are available to students at the Counseling Center in the waiting area.
PLEASE NOTE: The date due is very important. Students should have their applications submitted to the Counseling Center at least six days prior to the due date. This allows the Counseling Center staff sufficient time for review of the application and transcript preparation, ensuring that the application is sent out in a timely manner.
If you have any questions, please reach out to Mrs. Gail Wildasin in the Counseling Center.
If you are new to West York, you might be saying, "What is a Golden Bulldog Pass?" Exclusively for West York Area School District residents 65 and older, the Golden Bulldog Pass is valid for one admission to all District-sponsored events, including athletic events (excluding playoff events), fine arts events such as concerts, plays, and musicals, and special invitation-only events for senior citizens.
Our annual "Lunch and a Show" is our most popular invitation-only event and seating is limited! So, don't miss out on this and other opportunities! To learn more, please click the Golden Bulldog Pass card to the left.
