Yellow Jacket Family News

Welcome to the final week of Quarter One! This week, students will be submitting projects, completing assessments, and taking exams that reflect their hard work and academic progress. I encourage our families to continue motivating students to remain focused, take pride in their efforts, and finish the quarter strong!

As we work together to support student success, I also want to remind parents and guardians of the importance of consistent communication and monitoring academic progress. If you have a question or concern about your child's performance in a class, please contact the teacher first. Our teachers are committed to supporting student learning and managing the needs of more than 100 students. If you do not receive a response within a reasonable timeframe (48 hours), please follow up by including your child's grade-level counselor and administrator in the email correspondence.

Additionally, I encourage all families to check ParentVUE regularly to stay informed about grades, missing assignments, upcoming assessments, and attendance. Please pay particular attention to attendance in your child's third-period lunch class, as being present and accounted for throughout the school day is essential to student success.

As the temperatures begin to drop, we recognize the importance of providing students with access to lockers to store their coats and personal belongings. However, because temperatures fluctuate throughout the building, many students choose to keep their coats with them throughout the school day. In addition, district policy requires that athletic bags be stored in the designated bins provided at the entrance rather than in gym or personal lockers. Since most of our instructional materials are accessed electronically, students typically carry their Chromebooks and a few essential items in their clear bookbags, reducing the need for lockers for many students.

Nevertheless, we will implement a student request process for locker assignments. This approach will allow us to prioritize students who have a genuine need for storage, establish clear expectations for locker use, and monitor locker sharing to ensure accountability and student safety.

Information about the request process will be communicated directly to students and announced throughout the building. Our goal is to provide a practical solution that meets students’ needs while ensuring that school resources are used responsibly and effectively.

Friday is an early dismissal for students and it is our rivalry football game vs _ouglas at 6:30 pm. It is also Red Ribbon Day, please see the flyer below. Please be vigilant to ensure our teenagers have a safe Halloween weekend. Keep us posted of any and all concerns for this upcoming week and weekend. Anything that happens in the neighborhood comes into our building and we need to work together to keep our children safe.

Let us finish this quarter with purpose, and prepare for an even stronger second quarter.

One School, One Family, One Jacket!

Please feel free to reach out to me by email at naima.hopkinsvinson@pgcps.org.

Please join our new official School Instagram: @gphsyellowjackets

Your Purposeful Principal,

Dr. Naima Hopkins

Uniform checks every week!! IDs are expected!

WHITE/BLACK/GOLD CREWNECK JACKETS OR SWEATSHIRTS; NO BLUE JEAN

12th Grade Assistant Principal

Rashieda Addison, rashieda.addison@pgcps.org

11th Grade Assistant Principal

John Quinn, john.quinn@pgcps.org

10th Grade Assistant Principal

Yolanda Clark, yolanda.leonardclark@pgcps.org

9th Grade Assistant Principal

Eric Harrison, eric.harrison@pgcps.org

While mobile phones continue to be useful tools in education, they have also become a harmful distraction for many teenage learners during the school day. We are asking all parents to help by exploring ways of implementing parental controls on student mobile devices during school hours. We also ask that you have regular conversations with your children about responsible usage of mobile devices and social media. We will be having ongoing conversations with the community about this throughout the year to promote a safe and healthy learning environment for all.

Please note that TEACHERS ARE PERMITTED TO HAVE NO CELL PHONE POLICIES IN THEIR CLASSROOMS, and students must adhere to these classroom rules.

Parental control guides for iPhones, Android, and other devices

🐝🎓💫Graduation is May 24, 2027 at 10:30 am 🐝🎉🎓

October Parent Meeting on Thursday.

Senior Calendar

As you prepare for this exciting milestone, please keep the following important updates in mind:
• Service Learning Hours are a graduation requirement. These must be completed, especially if you plan to apply for an early release schedule. Be sure to check the 2027 Canvas page for details.
• Review your Graduation Notification Agreement (GNA) provided by Ms. Greene to ensure you are on track with your credit requirements for senior status.
• Parents & Students: Please join the BAND app to stay informed. Important updates, including Senior Pictures, have already been posted.

Join the Band App for more information on the class of 2030

Band App-Class 2030

Parent Meeting October 27, 2026 Virtually.

Prince George's County Library Upcoming Programs

Trivia: Everything Halloween!

Tuesday, October 27: 6:00pm - 7:00pm

Show off your smarts and test your knowledge with Halloween trivia! Join the fun, compete with others, and discover interesting facts along the way. Will you take the top spot?

Trivia Flyer Link

November

Book Discussion: "Dungeon Crawler Carl" by Matt Dinniman

Wednesday, November 18 5:00pm - 6:00pm

Join a thoughtful conversation about "Dungeon Crawler Carl" by Matt Dinniman. Share your insights, hear different perspectives, and connect with fellow readers.

Book Discussion Dungeon Crawler Carl Link click on the right side to view it

Piscataway Conoy Tribe Wellness and Sage Practices
Presented by Troi Madison Newman
Wednesday, November 18 6:30pm - 7:30pm

In this program, Troi Madison Newman, will discuss the history of tribal wellness, specifically with sage, sweetgrass, cedar, and tobacco. She will share how the Piscataway Conoy Tribe uses tobacco for wellness and explain traditional sage practices. Each individual will be provided their own ethically sourced, indigenous-grown sage bundle for smudging.

Piscataway Tribe Flyer Link

Parking Enforcement

All parked cars need a parking pass. Student parking passes can be purchased from MySchoolBucks for $25. A copy of a valid license, registration and insurance is required for the application, which is available in the main office. Towing has resumed. All visitors to the school can receive a parking pass from the main office.

SCHOOL HOURS REMINDER

First period starts at 7:45 am! Any student arriving afterwards will have an unexcused tardy for the day. The number of unexcused tardies because of car drop offs is unacceptable. Please be mindful that students are missing instructional time in the first period and grades will be impacted.

Students, Parents, and Guardians,

1. Student lunches should be sent with them when they arrive for school or lunch can be purchased in the cafeteria via MySchoolBucks.
2. Please refrain from bringing fast food to the school for your students and their friends throughout the school day and during their lunch period, as it is a distraction in classes.
3. Food deliveries ordered by students, parents, family members or friends will NOT be accepted from DoorDash, Uber Eats, GrubHub or any other food delivery service or vendor. It will be confiscated.

• Monday, October 26, 2026: PSAT/SAT provided to students who signed up
• Tuesday, October 27, 2026: Virtual Parent Meeting for the Class of 2029
  
• Thursday, October 29, 2026: Virtual Parent Meeting for the Class of 2027
• Friday, October 30, 2026: Early Dismissal for Students | Q1 Grading & Reporting Half-Day for Teachers
  
• Wednesday, November 4, 2026: PTSA Meeting at 7:00 pm Virtually
  
• Tuesday, November 3, 2026: School and Offices Closed (Election Day)
  

• Wednesday, November 11, 2026: Schools Closed for Students | Parent-Teacher Conferences

• November 25-27, 2026: Schools Closed for Thanksgiving Holiday

School Instagram:@gphsyellowjackets