Congratulations to our YC Christmas Cash winners this week:

December 1 – $25 – Amber Scovitch #1279

December 2 – $50 – Angie Barrett-Chalk #1011

December 3 – $50 – Alli Stover #1424

December 4 – $25 – Joshua Sprunger #1376

December 5 – $25 – Bob Wachowski #1609

December 6 – $100 – Brenda Newman #1043

December 7 – $25 – Falecia Smallwood #1364

Winners are posted daily on the YC website at www.yorkcatholic.org. Prizes are mailed to the winners weekly.

Mass for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception will be celebrated Friday, December 8, at 10:20 AM in the auditorium. All students will be attending. This will fulfill the Holy Day of Obligation.

At the end of Mass, Father Kuchinski will be blessing the image of our Lady of Guadalupe as we dedicate our Middle & High School to Her. The image represents our Blessed Mother and her continued aid to our community. 

The Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe is December 12 which commemorates Mary’s apparition to Saint Juan Diego in the hills of Tepeyac in 1531. She asked him to go to the bishop and tell him that Mary, Mother of God, sent him to ask for a church to be built atop Tepeyac hill. Every year, thousands of people from all over the country make a pilgrimage to the Basilica in Mexico City, some traveling on their knees for many miles. They do this as a sign of their devotion to Mary and to show gratitude for favors received from her. Outside of the shrine there are groups of mariachis, folk musicians, and ethnic dancers who have come to celebrate. Inside, various priests and bishops from all over Mexico gather to celebrate Mass. In the evening, the entrance of the basilica is filled with pilgrims from different regions of the country. Many other fiestas or popular celebrations take place all over Mexico. Almost every household erects an altar to the Virgin Mary for the day and the faithful demonstrate their joy by lighting fireworks throughout their cities.

The images blessed at York Catholic will be hung in the middle school and the high school as an inspiration for continued spiritual renewal among our students, faculty, staff, and friends.

The Virtue=Strength program is devoted to virtue formation through school, athletics, parish, and/or the community. It is designed to be used by teachers and staff across the entire student body. Each week a different virtue is highlighted to share with our students. Click below for the Virtue=Strength Virtue of the Week that helps parents reinforce virtue formation at home.

Congratulations to Ashton Bruno and Fahra Gwynn who were selected for the Towson University Honors Band. They will participate in a day of master classes this Saturday, December 9, that culminates in a performance at Towson University’s Kaplan Concert Hall at 8 PM.

York Catholic Middle & High School has the following employment opportunities available:  

• Instructional Support Teacher
• English Teacher
• Substitute Teachers
• Boys' Lacrosse Head Coach
• Cafeteria Aide
• Cafeteria Volunteers

Interested candidates can find details and application links at https://yorkcatholic.org/about/employment-opportunities/

Students are reminded that verification of service hours for the first semester is to be completed and submitted to Theology teachers by Friday, December 8.

Middle School Students: 

• Verification of at least 6 hours of service on the MobileServe app.
• Assignment per Theology teacher.

High School Students: 

• Verification of at least 8 hours of service on the MobileServe app. 
• Assignment per Theology teacher.

Service opportunities are published on the MobileServe app and in the Service Google Classroom (student code: d35qmxv).

York Catholic students and staff will have the opportunity to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation December 13-14 from 1-3 PM at YC.  Several priests from the York Deanery will be available to hear confessions.  This is a great chance to begin the new year with a "clean slate" spiritually.

The Knights of Columbus Educational Foundation is offering scholarship opportunities to any student whose father is a member in good standing with a Pennsylvania Knights of Columbus Council or who is a child of a deceased Knight of Columbus and was a member in good standing at the time of death. More than fifty $1000 grants will be distributed throughout Pennsylvania to students in grades 1‐12 for the 2024-25 school year.  The application deadline is January 31, 2024.

York Catholic is offering an SAT Math Prep course for juniors interested in getting extra practice before taking the actual exam. The course will run four Saturday mornings from 9-11:15 AM in York Catholic classrooms, and will be team-taught by members of the Math Department. Class dates are as follows: January 20, 27, February 3, 10. If snow causes cancellation of any of the classes, the make-up date is February 17. Cost is $200 per student and includes the cost of the Kaplan book. Registration forms and a check made to York Catholic should be turned into Mrs. Hand in the main office by Friday, January 12.  

York Catholic students are collecting NEW hats, scarves, and mittens for the Catholic Harvest Food Pantry, and unwrapped toys for Toys for Tots. Items can be dropped off December 1-15 to YC.

Calculators

Middle School students need to bring a calculator to school for their math classes. We don’t have enough for everyone to borrow during class. A calculator would be a great Christmas gift!

Yearbooks

Even though the 2024 color yearbooks are not distributed until May, NOW is the time to place your order for a book. Extra yearbooks are not available in May. Only what is ordered is delivered to YC for distribution. All orders are taken by phone by calling the Balfour ordering line at 1-800-944-5930 or by visiting https://www.balfour.com/pennsylvania/york/york-catholic-high-school

All Year Sports Pass

Great Christmas gift! Don’t miss a minute of YC sports with an All-Year Sports Pass. Click the button below for the form. Go IRISH!  https://yorkcatholic.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/all-year-sports-pass-2023-24.pdf

Junior Class Rings

It is time for the class 2025 to consider the purchase of a York Catholic keepsake, a class ring! Visit https://www.balfour.com/pennsylvania/york/york-catholic-high-school to make your selection. Any junior needing help with sizing should stop by Mrs. Kemp’s desk in the main office. Order now and receive your ring in four to six weeks. Questions can be directed to Kathy Hand at khand@yorkcatholic.org.

Sports & Events Photos

Three photography companies provide photo services to York Catholic. Lifetouch Photography takes student portraits each year for yearbook and personal use, Inky’s Sports Shots takes pictures of our athletic teams and games, and Mike Inkrote Photography takes pictures of our extracurricular activities and events. In addition to individual photos and memory mates, Inky and Mike both offer photos, magnets, buttons, and more capturing that memorable moment. Click below to enter the photo galleries and make your purchases:

• York Catholic Athletics – Inky’s Sport Shots YC Gallery
• York Catholic Events & Extra-curriculars – Mike Inkrote Photography

Instruments and voices come together at York Catholic’s Christmas Concerts! 

The high school concert is Sunday, December 17, at 2 PM and features the Concert Choir, Concert Band, Jazz Bands, and Brass Choir. 

The middle school concert is Monday, December 18, at 7 PM and features the Chorus and Band.  

Celebrate the season and enjoy the sounds of holiday spirit!  Admission is free.

Dress Rehearsal will be held Thursday, December 14, from 3:15-5:30 PM.

Students in grades K-3 are invited to attend Futures Elf Night on Friday, December 15, from 6-9 PM at York Catholic. Crafts, games, and a snack will be offered by the YC Student Ambassadors. This is a great time for parents to finish their last minute preparations for Christmas while their children are having fun in a supervised atmosphere!  All children must be registered with a permission form prior to the event and space is limited. Click the button below to register by December 11.  To assure we have adequate supervision, walk-ins will not be accepted the night of the event.

Good luck to our YC Competitive Cheerleaders who will be competing in the District Championships this Saturday, December 9, at 9 AM at Central Dauphin East High School. Tickets must be purchased online in advance and will not be sold at the site.  

Our winter sports season is underway! Please read the following important information regarding some expectations for each sporting event.

• Schedules: https://arbiterlive.com/Teams?entityId=26390
• Athletics Ticket Prices
• Senior High Events
• Adults (64 and under) $5.00
• Senior Citizens (65+) $4.00
• Non-YC Students and Partner Students $3.00
• YC Students FREE with student ID
• Middles School Events
• Adults (10 and older) $2.00
• Non-YC Students and Partner Students $1.00
• YC Students FREE with student ID
• No backpacks are allowed in the gymnasium for students grades K-12.
• No signs, banners, noisemakers are permitted.
• All YAIAA and PIAA Sportsmanship rules and regulations apply for athletes and spectators at each contest.

Sportsmanship is probably the clearest and most popular expression of morals. Sportsmanship is a thing of the spirit. It is timeless and endless, and we should strive to make it universal to all races, creeds, and walks of life.

~The Discovery of Morals

• Livestream for basketball games can be found at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYv-h3EFOOCwCJWfOSwWAyQ

The YAIAA is hosting a Winter Mental Health Symposium for student-athletes on Sunday, January 7, at Susquehannock High School. The event will feature a wellness fair from 2-4 PM and a presentation and question and answer session from 3-4 PM with a student panel discussing the stressors student-athletes face and how parents can assist their children to mitigate those stressors and/or how to seek assistance for their child. Registration is not required.

York Catholic Middle & High School is blessed with generous alumni, parents, and community friends like yourselves who have continued to support our school for nearly a century.  We hope to continue to make a Catholic education possible for anyone who seeks it. 

As December 31st approaches, many of you are looking at your charitable giving in terms of tax benefits. We ask you to prayerfully consider YC as a charity of choice for your year-end gifts to our annual York Catholic Fund.

Our York Catholic fund supports every student by enriching extra-curricular programs, music and the arts, professional development for teachers, academic program support, athletic programs, technology, special projects, and operating expenditures. This year, we have a fundraising goal of $300,000 for the York Catholic Fund by June 30, 2024. 

Every gift, whatever the amount, counts and is truly valued. Please click the button below to use our secure online donation page.

Given the current economic conditions, if it’s possible, we humbly ask that you consider increasing your gift from last year by 10%.

Thank you for caring and giving!

Parents, would you like to save on your State Income Tax return? Additionally, what if I told you those savings can have a direct impact on York Catholic students? Sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? If you file for, and are accepted, as a Special Purpose Entity (SPE), it’s a dollar-for-dollar reduction in the tax liability on your personal tax return. Please continue reading for additional information.

Pennsylvania now allows individuals to take advantage of EITC Tax Credits (just as businesses can) whereby you have the opportunity to re-direct 90% of your personal state income taxes to York Catholic Middle & High School. 

The Special Purpose Entity (SPE) is based on tax liability, not income, therefore each taxpayer’s situation will differ. Participants must be PA residents where at least one spouse is employed or has an ownership interest in a PA for-profit business. An individual or couple filing jointly must have a state tax liability of $3,500 or more to participate. To see if you qualify for 2024, you can find your PA tax liability on Form PA-40 Line 12 of your 2023 tax return. 100% of participant contributions are distributed to the school. You have to pay these taxes regardless, so why not have a say in how your taxes are allocated? Additionally, you will receive at least a 10% personal deduction on your federal taxes. The money you re-direct to York Catholic is for educational purposes, specifically tuition assistance.

If you would like to take advantage of this opportunity to reduce your tax liability AND provide much needed assistance to York Catholic students, please follow these steps:

• Review information on the SPE program to determine if you qualify at https://www.pennsylvaniaeitc.org/frequently-asked-questions.html
• Confirm your personal state income tax liability with your accountant.
• Complete and submit the Joinder Agreement at https://yorkcatholic.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/spe-joinder-agreement.pdf

For more information about this easy tax donation, please contact Dave Salter, York Catholic Director of Development, at dsalter@yorkcatholic.org or 717-846-8871 x1325.

During inclement weather that would cause a school closing or delay of schedule, York Catholic will call/text/email you through our One Call Now Emergency Notification system.  Other modes of notification include WGAL TV-8, Fox43, and the YC website.  Students from individual school districts are automatically excused if their district closes and does not provide transportation to YC.  The exceptions to this are Southern and Southeastern.  These students follow York Catholic’s delay and closing schedule.

St. Joseph Teaching Position

St. Joseph School in York is looking for a long-term substitute teacher, with the possibility of permanent full-time, for third grade beginning in late November. Requirements include development and implementation of appropriate programming in alignment with the Diocese of Harrisburg curriculum, supervision of children, communication with parents, and performance of other related duties as needed. Individuals interested can apply at https://bit.ly/493ZbOq and should reach out to Principal Mrs. Corrinne Eck at Eck@sjy.org or 717-755-1797.

Every year our students and teachers get into the Christmas spirit by decorating their doors for December. This year’s winners are Homeroom 211 and Homeroom 216. Get a look at all of the entries on our Facebook page.

Follow YC on social media throughout the week!

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/YorkCatholicHighSchool

https://www.facebook.com/YorkCatholicAthletics

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/yorkcatholic/

Twitter

https://twitter.com/YorkCatholicHS

https://twitter.com/YorkCathAthlet