Opening Week!

September 3, 2026

Dear Students, Families, and Guardians,

We have had a fun-filled and busy week with our students back in the building, and it has been wonderful to see the energy and excitement throughout YHS!

Our freshman orientation kicked off on Tuesday with a day dedicated entirely to the Class of 2030. It was truly a special day as our Senior Facilitators welcomed our newest Wildcats and helped them begin their high school journey.

Yesterday, we welcomed back the full student body and started the day with a school-wide assembly, followed by a variety of activities focused on building relationships and strengthening connections within our school community.

One of my favorite traditions is our annual Senior Breakfast at the beach. It is such a great way to begin what will be a very special year for the Class of 2027. Seeing our seniors together, enjoying time with one another and their teachers, is a great reminder of what makes the York High School community so special.

Throughout the week, we also spent time talking about school culture and pride. We want every student to feel a strong sense of belonging at YHS and understand that they play an important role in creating a positive, respectful, and welcoming school community. Building a strong culture takes all of us, and we are excited about the year ahead.

It has been a great start to the school year, and we are looking forward to all that is ahead!

Kyle Hodsdon, Principal

Corinne Monaco, Assistant Principal

Next Wednesday, September 9, we will hold our annual Open House beginning at 5:00 p.m.

Open House is a great opportunity to follow your student’s schedule, meet their teachers, and learn more about their classes. You will have the opportunity to ask questions and connect with teachers about your student’s experience in each course.

If you have two students at YHS, you can choose which classes you would like to attend for each student.

We look forward to welcoming you to York High School and hope you enjoy the evening!

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 ensure students arrive with enough time to be inside their Block 1 classroom before the 7:50 AM bell. The school day officially begins at 7:50 AM, at which point students will drop off their cell phones in their Block 1 class. As a reminder, entering the building on time is not the same as being in your classroom ready to learn when the bell rings. At the end of the day, when the bell rings at 2:05 PM you will return to your Block 1 classrooms to pick up your cell phone.

All students have now received their YSD Chromebook. Please remind them they are required to keep the hard plastic case on their device. If your student is unable to access platforms that are needed for educational purposes, please reach out to us.

There is still time to purchase device protection, and we highly encourage you to do so. Please log into MySchoolBucks.com to register and/or sign in to pay the $26.00 protection fee. Click Browse items and choose Device/chromebook Protection. Choose your student: (You can find your student’s id # in your PowerSchool Parent Portal account. It can be found at the top of each page.), add to the basket and check out.

We hope to see you at our Senior Parent Night on Wednesday, September 16th at YHS in the York Community Auditorium from 6 to 7:30. We welcome you to join us for a presentation on the college application process and planning for after high school, tips to start early and stay organized, and information surrounding scholarships.

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.

We will send weekly newsletters on Thursday afternoons via email to families with important information (it will come from me but through Reach My Teach, so if you do not receive it, check your Spam folder first). This will be a great resource for everyone to know what is happening at YHS.

If we have a school emergency or a change in our regularly scheduled programming, we will reach out to you as soon as we are able. Please know that your students may share information with you faster than we can, but the most reliable will come from an administrator.

We will also archive all of our Weekly Memos on our website, so if you miss something, be sure to look there.

In addition to our weekly newsletter, we also have a school Instagram account (@yhs_principal). Be sure to follow along on social media for additional updates and information.

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.

Friday, September 4 ~ No School

Monday, September 7 ~ No School ~ Labor Day

Wednesday, September 9 ~ Open House @ 5:00-6:30

Tuesday, September 15 ~ Picture Day (depends on English class)

Wednesday, September 16 ~ Picture Day (depends on English class)

Wednesday, September 16 ~ Senior Parent Night @ 6:00 (YCA)

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

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

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)

Monday, September 7

• JV Football vs. Greely 4:00

Tuesday, September 8

• Golf at Freeport/North Yarmouth 3:30 (Early Dismissal 1:30)
• Field Hockey vs. Poland 4:00/5:30
• Volleyball vs. Biddeford 4:3-/6:15

Wednesday, Sept. 9

• FT Boys Soccer vs. TBD 4:30

Thursday, September 10

• Golf at Cape Elizabeth/Lake Region 3:30 (Early Dismissal 1:45)
• Boys Soccer vs. Wells 4:30/6:15
• Girls Soccer at Wells 4:00/5:30
• Volleyball vs. Wells 3:30/4:45/6:16

Friday, September 4

• Girls Cross Country at Portsmouth 3:30
• Football vs. Gardner 6:00

Saturday, September 12

• Boys Cross Country at SMC Invitational 10:00am
• Field Hockey vs. Mt. Ararat 11:00/12:30
• Volleyball vs. Washington Academy 11:30/1:00
• Girls Soccer vs. North Yarmouth 3:00

Principal: Kyle Hodsdon ~ khodsdon@yorkschools.org

Assistant Principal: Corinne Monaco ~ cmonaco@yorkschools.org

Phone: 207-363-3621

Website: yorkschools.org