Week #5

September 17, 2026

Dear Students, Families, and Guardians,

I hope you are having a great week! It has been a busy and productive week at YHS as we completed our first full five-day week and conducted mandatory evacuation drills. To keep our campus prepared, we will continue practicing emergency procedures throughout the year, including additional evacuation and lockdown drills.

We have a lot coming up over the next few weeks, so please hang onto this memo for reference.

Upcoming Early Release & iReady Testing

Next week features our first Early Release Day, with student dismissal at 11:00 AM. This time is dedicated to professional development for our district staff. Before dismissal, students will participate in iReady testing during the morning hours.

As always, if you have any questions or need assistance, please feel free to reach out.

Kyle Hodsdon, Principal

Corinne Monaco, Assistant Principal

Financial Aid Night - September 23

We recommend that all junior and senior families join us for our Financial Aid Night on Wednesday, September 23, at YHS in the York Community Auditorium from 6 to 7:30. This is an opportunity for you to meet a representative from the Finance Authority of Maine (FAME) and hear about the FAFSA and preparing for college financially.

College, University & Military Rep Visits at York High School

We are excited to share that representatives from a wide range of colleges, universities, and military branches will be visiting York High School over the coming weeks! This is a fantastic, low-pressure opportunity for juniors and seniors to meet directly with admissions officers and recruiters, ask questions, and explore future pathways.

• Who it’s for: Juniors and Seniors

• Format: 30-minute small group sessions with the representative and interested peers

• Visiting Schools & Branches Include: UMaine, Boston University, Savannah College of Art and Design, Merrimack College, Providence College, Yale University, the U.S. Army, Navy, Marines... and many, many more!

• How to sign up: Students must reserve their spot in advance through Naviance by clicking the "what's new" window on the Naviance homepage.

Encourage your student to check Naviance regularly as new institutions and representatives are added to the schedule!

Students’ use of personal vehicles on school property is a privilege. Students are expected to follow all expectations when operating a vehicle on school grounds.

• Any student who intends to drive a vehicle to school must complete a Parking Permit Registration Form (here) and display an issued permit on their vehicle. Permits are provided at no cost to eligible students. Unregistered vehicles may lose parking privileges or be subject to towing. Parking passes will be issued starting on Sept. 8. Students must have permits on vehicles beginning on Sept. 14.

• All State of Maine motor vehicle laws will apply, including excessive speed, noise, and reckless driving.

• Only students with valid driver’s licenses will be eligible to park at York High School.

• Students are expected to park in a marked parking space.

We have also created a new Student Resource Hub bookmark to make it easier for students to access important digital forms and resources. The Hub includes forms that were previously located in the Front Office Documents folder, including:

• Late Arrival/Early Dismissal Form
• Dance Guest Form
• Extended Absence Form
• And other commonly used student forms and resources

We encourage students to familiarize themselves with the Student Resource Hub, which will provide a convenient, centralized location for accessing these forms throughout the school year.

PLEASE READ: This year, we are limited in the amount of loaner chromebooks & chargers that we can hand out each day. We have approximately 12 loaner chromebooks / chargers for the entire YHS. Unfortunately, once our loaner chargers & chromebooks have been loaned out, there are no more for the day.

To help with this, please remind your student(s) to:

A. Charge their Chromebook at home EACH evening

B. Bring the Chromebook & charger to school EVERY school day.

We do not have enough loaner chromebooks/chargers for daily distribution. Please bring your chromebook and charger!

Please be sure to complete the annual Back to School / Returning Student Registration forms. You will need to log into your PowerSchool Parent Portal at the following URL:

https://yorkschools.powerschool.com/public

Enter your username and password. In the left-hand navigation column, click on the Forms Icon, then the Enrollment tab. You will see the list of forms that need to be completed. If your student is entering grade 9, you will be asked to upload two proofs of residency.

School meals continue to be available to all students at no charge again this year, regardless of household income. Students are eligible for one breakfast and one lunch. Student lunch schedules will be based on the classes they are in for block 3. Teachers will share lunch information with students on the first day of school.

Wednesday, September 23 ~ iReady Testing Day ~ Early Release Day (Dismissal @ 11:00)

Wednesday, September 23 ~ Financial Aid Night @ 6:00 (YCA)

Tuesday & Wednesday September 29 & 30 ~ Activities Fair during Pride

Friday, October 9 ~ No School ~ Staff Professional Development Day

Monday, October 12 ~ No School ~ Indigenous Peoples’ Day

Tuesday, October 13 ~ Start of Spirit Week

Wednesday, October 14 ~ PSAT

Friday, October 16 ~ Homecoming Dance @ 7:00-9:00 (Guest forms due by 10/1)

Wednesday, October 21 ~ Early Release Day (Dismissal @ 11:00)

• • Thursday, September 17

    • Golf at Fryeburg (Lake Kezar CC) - JV 3:30 (Early Dismissal 1:15)

    Friday, September 18

    • Football vs Leavitt - V 6:00

    • Field Hockey at Freeport - V 4:45/JV 6:00

    • Boys Cross Country at Poland - 5:00 (Early Dismissal 1:45)

    Saturday, September 19

    • Girls Soccer vs Cape Elizabeth - JV 12:00/V 1:30

    • Volleyball vs Brewer - FT 11:30/JV 1:00/V 2:30

    • Girls Cross Country at Manchester Invitational (Derryfield Park) - 12:00

    • Boys Soccer at Cape Elizabeth - JV 1:00/V 3:00

    Monday, September 21

    • Boys Soccer vs Poland - JV 4:30/V 6:15

    • Golf at Poland w/Fryeburg (Poland Springs Golf Club) - V 3:30 (Early Dismissal 1:45)

    • Girls Soccer at Poland - JV 4:15/V 6:00 (Early Dismissal 1:30)

    • Field Hockey at Cape Elizabeth - V 4:30/JV 6:00

    • Football at Leavitt - JV 5:00

    Tuesday, September 22

    • Volleyball at Gorham - FT 4:00/JV 5:30/V 7:00

    Wednesday, September 23

    • Golf at Old Orchard Beach w/GNG (Dunegrass Golf Course) - V 3:30

    Thursday, September 24

    • Volleyball vs Cape Elizabeth - FT 3:30/JV 5:00/V 6:45

    • Boys Soccer vs Greely - JV 4:30/V 6:15

    • Girls Soccer at Greely - V 4:00 (Early Dismissal 1:45)

    • Field Hockey at Yarmouth - V 5:00/JV 6:30

Principal: Kyle Hodsdon ~ khodsdon@yorkschools.org

Assistant Principal: Corinne Monaco ~ cmonaco@yorkschools.org

Phone: 207-363-3621

Website: yorkschools.org