I hope this update finds you well…
Monday, January 17th marks our country's celebration of one of our most storied and cherished civic leaders, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Among my many favorite Dr. King quotes is "Life's most persistent and urgent question is: what are you doing for others?" I truly believe that a purposeful life is one of service to others, before self. To me, this quote typifies the collective effort and experience of our first semester. Admittedly, it was imperfect, but the pursuit of perfection is the enemy of great!
Friday, January 21st will mark the end of our first semester. Again, I counsel all of our students to use the precious remaining days to take full advantage of the available resources and services to reach a successful conclusion to their semester.
Have a great afternoon, and thank you for a fantastic week of learning at Yorkville High School. Enjoy the weekend, FOXES!
The daily bell schedule for the week of January 17th is listed below:
- Monday, January 17th - MLK Day
- Tuesday, January 18th - A Day
- Wednesday, January 19th - B Day
- Thursday, January 20th - A Day
- Friday, January 21st - B Day
The daily bell schedule for the week of January 24th is listed below:
- Monday, January 24th - A Day
- Tuesday, January 25th - B Day
- Wednesday, January 26th - C Day
- Thursday, January 27th - A Day
- Friday, January 28th - B Day
Included in this update:
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Monthly Calendar - January - February - updated item
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YHS Athletics Update - new item
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YHS Activities Update - Spanish Honor Society - new item
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End of Semester is almost here - old item
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Spotlight on Learning - Computer Science - new item
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This week in Advisory...- new item
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Digital Citizenship Tip of the Week - new item
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Dean's Update - new item
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22-23 Course Selection is underway - updated item
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Map My Next Move - College & Career Center - updated item
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Hey Seniors - FAFSA available - updated item
In addition to my weekly email updates, I encourage everyone to follow us on Twitter and “like” our Facebook page to learn about all the great things happening at YHS. We have so many great things happening— so don’t just FOLLOW but SHARE our FOX PRIDE within our community—help us build our following!
As always, if this update raises questions, please ask. Thank you for all that you do—it does not go unnoticed or unappreciated. Have a great day! GO FOXES!
With PRIDE,
David S. Travis
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Monthly Calendar - January - February |
Provided for our families is a month at a glance summary.
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A Days are highlighted in "Red" - January 18, 20, 24, 27, 31; February 3, 7, 10, 14, 17, 22, 24, 28
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B Days are highlighted in "Gray" - January 19, 21, 25, 28; February 1, 4, 8, 11, 15, 18, 23, 25
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C Days are highlighted in "Green" - January 26; February 2, 9, 16
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January 17 - Martin Luther King Jr Day; February 21 - President's Day
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Congratulations to the varsity wrestling team on winning the Southwest Prairie Conference West Division Championship. The Foxes defeated Oswego 57-9 on January 13th to go undefeated in the conference and earn the divisional title. Sebastian Westphal, Luke Zook, Brody Williams, Kayden Kleckner, Hunter Janeczko, Ben Alvarez, Justin Wiesbrook, Ben Cavey, Jack Ferguson, Dominic Recchia, Dominic Coronado, and Ryder Janeczko all earned wins!
The Foxes wrestling team celebrated senior night on January 13th before the match against Oswego. Senior wrestlers honored included: Phoenix Cruz, Christian Delgado, Cole Farren, Kayden Kleckner, Natasha Markoutsis, Sam Patterman, Connor Peach, Nick Sinopoli, and Ellie Alvarez! Congratulations, seniors!
Congratulations to the varsity girls basketball team on defeating Romeoville 59-40 on January 11th. Nine different foxes found the scoring column in the win. Leading the way was Abby Pool and Kenzie Phillips with 13 points each!
Congratulations to the dance team on performing in the SPC Conference meet on Thursday, January 13th. The Foxes had a great performance and placed 9th overall!
The Boys Basketball team hosts Plainfield Central tonight Friday, January 14th and the varsity wrestling team hosts on a QUAD on Saturday, January 15th. All Spectators attending must complete the self-certification linked & show the green checkmark (screenshot) upon entry.
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Spanish Honor Society Raises Funds |
The Spanish Honor Society participated in the Pulsera Project the last week before winter break. The Pulsera Project is a non-profit organization which sells bracelets and purses created by artisans from Central American countries. All proceeds help support educational development, employment opportunities, and empowerment within the artists’ communities. Bracelets were sold for $5 each and purses were sold for $10 each. The Spanish Honor Society sold $590 worth of bracelets and purses between the two campuses to be donated to this worthy cause. |
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End of the Semester is almost here! |
All semester grades will be finalized by February 3, 2022. Once the last assessment grade is entered for a class, parents/students will be able to see their final semester grade. These can be viewed by clicking on the Classes icon in the Home Access Center (HAC). Students are able to retake the last assessment at their request (after completing required re-learning) and must sign up for the Den/Testing Center on their own. All retakes must be completed prior to February 3rd.
First semester grades will be posted under the Grades icon on February 4, 2022. Please understand that report cards include G.P.A., credits and Honor Roll calculations. The Grade Point Average (GPA) listed is a weighted GPA that means students who took honors/Advanced Placement (with some additions) receive an additional grade point for a grade of C or better. For example, a student who received a “B” in English 1 Honors would earn 4.0 grade points versus a student who earned a “B” in English 1 who would receive 3.0 grade points.
Lastly, please note that we do not mail home paper reports. Families who don’t have access to technology or would like a paper copy should contact Patty Luptak at pluptak @y115.org or 630.553.4380 ex. 5358 for paper copies or for Home Access Center issues.
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Spotlight on Learning - Project Lead the Way |
As we continue to highlight the Career and Technical Education Department, this week we feature a course in the Engineering Technology Division. If your student is interested in Engineering, they might consider enrolling in the introduction to Project Lead the Way course, called Introduction to Engineering Design.This is the first course in a sequence of four PLTW courses offered at YHS.
Introduction to Engineering students started the semester building their skills with computer aided design and drafting. Students learned the practical techniques of creating more complex assemblies of parts. This includes content in tolerancing parts, identifying, and selecting the correct joining procedures and materials given design constraints. They will revisit the design for the cupcake shipping containers they made last unit and improve them with the new skills they acquire.
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This past week, students worked with their advisory teacher to create a plan to identify supports available to promote academic success. Also, students reflected on ways to transfer positive attributes that they identified through the "Passion Project" to other areas of their lives and how these attributes will benefit future goals.
Listed below are the lesson topics for the upcoming week in your student's advisory class:
Tuesday, January 17th: Students will review grades and develop a plan to prepare and complete any remaining summative and checkpoint grades before the end of the semester on Friday, January 21st.
Thursday, January 19th: Students will participate in a Virtual Career that focuses on the career pathways of Stem and Articulture.
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Digital Citizenship Tip of the Week |
Parents and Students, attached is a video that offers 5 common sense rules for dealing with online bullying.
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We hope you are excited for the finish of our 1st semester. As a reminder, in order to be added to our parking pass list, you must fill out an application through the district website to be considered for parking once more spaces open up. |
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Course Selection is Underway at YHS! |
Students from the class of 2023-2025 are currently meeting one on one with their counselor to select classes for next year. We have sent course selection appointment reminders to the student email. A reminder email will be sent 24 hours in advance of your appointment. Teachers will excuse students to their appointment, no pass is needed in advance.
If you are at home during your scheduled course selection appointment and are well enough to join via Zoom, please use the link below for your counselor to attend your appointment at your originally scheduled date and time.
It always helps to be prepared for your appointment. Here are some helpful hints:
Have conversations at home about how this year is going and what classes aid in continuing on the path of success.
Consider post-secondary plans and options to get experience, such as our Field Experience program.
Talk with current teachers and club sponsors about good fits related to career pathways of interest.
Seek support from our College & Career Counselor, Ms. Kendall Sims at ksims@y115.org if you are undecided on plans for the future.
Complete your course selection worksheet or enter course requests into Home Access in advance of your appointment.
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Map My Next Move Update - College & Career Center |
Each year, the Counseling Department requires that all students complete the Map My Next Move survey, detailing their individual post-secondary plans. This survey allows Counselors to collaborate with students and families to support the college and career aspirations for all students.
Post-secondary planning involves evaluating all options for students to pursue after high school graduation. These plans may include: entering the military, going straight into the workforce, attending a trade and/or vocational school, and attending a 4 year college or university. As a Counseling Department, we strive to ensure that all students have identified a post-secondary plan, and have the tools to help that plan turn into a reality.
Post-secondary plans should be attainable, researched and have a "back-up" plan. In the event that your student is planning on attending college, that means that they should have an identified "safety" school to apply to. Safety schools are defined as those in which a particular student has a 75% chance or better of being accepted.
Please click here to have your student complete the survey.
As of Wednesday, January 13, the Map My Next Move survey completion rate is as follows:
Class of 2022 (Seniors): 92% completion rate
Class of 2023 (Juniors): 83% completion rate
Class of 2024 (Sophomores): 93% completion rate
Class of 2025 (Freshmen): 94% completion rate
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Hey Seniors - Let's Complete the FAFSA! |
Senior Families: Completing the FAFSA or the FAFSA waiver is an Illinois state high school graduation requirement--in order to graduate, you MUST complete it! The FAFSA is the free application for federal student aid, that must be completed to qualify for federal grants, state grants, and institutional scholarships provided by colleges and universities. Remember, grant money is obtained by completing the FAFSA on a first come, first served basis! The FAFSA application is open now!
Each year, the amount of Illinois grant money runs out earlier and earlier. By completing your FAFSA as soon as possible beginning October 1st, you put your student in line to receive the money for which they qualify. The FAFSA application is based on your tax documents from the previous year; no need to estimate or update!
Six years ago, only 59% of the Class of 2015 grads completed the FAFSA, with less than 30% completing prior to the announcement that state grant money was depleted. Last year, 58% of the Class of 2020 completed their FAFSA prior to the announcement that state grant money was depleted.
As of Sunday, January 9th, 278 families have completed the FAFSA graduation requirement!
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