Math Competition

Congratulations to our York Mathletes that competed in their first North Suburban Math League (NSML) competition last night at Barrington.  Our team placed second overall.  The juniors led the evening with a first place finish and our frosh team took second place. York also won the coveted candy bar competition and took home 100 chocolate bars! Special recognition goes to senior Brian Strauch who had a perfect paper.  A good beginning to the season!  

Nancy Mordini  and Linda Lahti

Math Team Coaches

Deserving Dukes Kicks Off Today

Deserving Dukes is a school-wide acknowledgement program that promotes positive behavior. Each week, students who have been observed demonstrating behavior that exemplifies the message of "Be Safe, Be Respectful, Be Responsible" can be nominated. On Friday, members of the ACHIEVE committee, York Student Services, and York administration deliver the Deserving Duke awards to student recipients. The awards consist of a York peppermint patty and a message describing why the student is being recognized.

Our first Deserving Dukes for this school year were recognized this morning. Congratulations to these students and to all of our students who demonstrate positive behaviors that contribute to our York community!

York Peer Tutor Center

The York Peer Tutor Center (YTC)  provides a dedicated space, within the Learning Commons North, for students needing help with homework, learning new skills, or reinforcing concepts already learned. Over 70 students volunteer their time to tutor throughout the week: before, during, and after school.  The YTC is open from 6:40 am until 4:30 pm.  Students that need help can either walk in or make an appointment online here.  Once a tutor request is made, we make every attempt to meet each student’s time constraints and academic needs.   Be sure to utilize this incredible resource! 

Opportunities to become a tutor are also available. 

Focus 205 Fall Community Meeting- Monday, October 3rd

This Monday marks the first Focus 205 Fall Community meeting!  I encourage students, parents, staff members, and community members to attend! 


From the District website:


Focus 205 continues this fall with two more community meetings on October 3 and December 5, beginning at 7 PM in the York High School Commons, 355 W. St. Charles Road. We hope you will join us as we recap the work done last year, celebrate student achievement in District 205 and begin exploring options that will support educational priorities in Elmhurst for years to come. RSVP at (630) 617-2300 ext. RSVP or at www.focus205.org. Please indicate if you require childcare (for ages 3-12).

Service, not just scores

Oftentimes, educators can be quick to publish excellent AP scores and off the charts standardized test scores, which is a great way to advertise the achievements of the current student body; however, it only gives a small snapshot of the great things happening in a school.

Since my last post was about testing and the unbelievable 13 National Merit Semi-Finalists, I would like to change things up and talk for a moment about the service learning component that has been incorporated into our AP Spanish program, led by one of our outstanding educators--Beth Leidolf.

Her students are investing in the lives of others by investigating and learning about poverty and its effect on education.  During their 10 hours in the classroom, Ms. Leidolf assists students as they discover more about this crucial global concern and guides students as they develop an action plan to make a difference both locally and globally.

At the conclusion of their service learning projects, students will create a presentation to share their work and celebrate their accomplishments.  We are so proud that Ms. Leidolf and her students are leading the way by piloting this new AP program that allows our students to bring their learning and hard work out into the real world to help others.

Homecoming Celebrations and Reminders

Homecoming Week at York has proven incredibly spirited and festive! Thank you to York's Student Council who has worked tirelessly to maintain the incredible energy surrounding the school!   I want to highlight this week’s activities and make sure you are aware of the details related to upcoming events.

• We had dress-theme days every day this week.  Monday was Pajama Day, Tuesday was Tropical Day, Yesterday was Class Color Day, and today is favorite fictional character day.  And of course, Friday is Green and White Day!  Go Dukes!
• After school yesterday, 18`of our clubs and teams decorated assigned hallways in the theme of the week: “Once Upon a Time.”  They did an extraordinary job!
• Last night we held our Powder Puff Football game in the Stadium.  Two hundred girls participated this year, and the seniors came out victorious in a close game: 14-6. The teams were coached by York faculty and members of the varsity football team. Our halftime entertainment included performances by our extremely talented band and the Queen and King of the Couch Contestants who demonstrated suave dance moves!  The night ended with a celebratory senior BBQ.  

• All in all, the week has been a huge success!

Pep Assembly                                                                  

We will hold our pep assembly at 2:30 on Friday in green and white gym.  At this assembly, the winning team is named Queens or Kings of the Couch and they will sit on an old beat-up, green couch at the football game Friday night and have refreshments served by staff! 

Football Game                                                            

Please join us for our Homecoming football game against the Willowbrook Warriors, which kicks off at 7:30 p.m. in the Stadium.  The sophomores play at 5:00.  Students: leave your backpacks in your lockers, cars, or at home!  Our Athletic Boosters will host concessions and sell Duke gear!  Look for the Alumni Tent to learn more about the exciting "Dukes of Distinction" recognition program for our distinguished alumni. 

Homecoming Dance                                                           

 Students are all invited to the Homecoming Dance on Saturday evening. The dance runs from 7:00-10:00 p.m.  Students must be in the doors by 8:00.  The dress is semi-formal.  Many of our students come alone, with a friend, or in a group--they do not need a date.  Students must enter  through the athletic entrance at door 5 and can be picked up anywhere in the front circle. Also, please note that we do not permit students to arrive or be picked up in a limousine at York dances.   

Tickets are $20 through tomorrow at the Bookstore and $25 at the door.  Any student who is bringing a guest from another school must have a signed form from a dean before the end of the day on Friday. 

Please remember that the students' safety is our first concern as an administration and staff.  We want our students to make smart decisions before, during, and after the dance.  If a student is found under the influence of alcohol or any other illegal substance, we will notify you, the parent, to pick your student up immediately.  Students who violate the school policy will compromise participation in future events including prom.  Let's keep the evening positive and spirited as the rest of the week has been!  

If you have any unanswered questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out.

Sincerely,

Erin DeLuga

edeluga@elmhurst205.org

What in the world are York teachers doing on student late arrivals?

Good morning, York Community!  Every Wednesday our students enjoy a late arrival while our teachers are working within Professional Learning Communities (PLCs).  These PLCs work to ensure that teachers have a set amount of time to analyze student growth on formative assessments.  When teachers come together in this fashion and are able to establish shared responsibility, consensus-building decision making, and adhering to a common vision, student growth soars.  As a staff, we have really worked to enhance student growth with intentionality.  I must say  you how inspired I am by the dedication of our staff to truly adhering to the PLC model. The focus on student growth and achievement as it relates to curriculum design and interventions is extraordinary!  I am including a link below that helps clarify what PLCs are and the impact they can have.  Enjoy!


http://www.sedl.org/change/issues/issues61.html

NHS Petitions

All prospective NHS Applicants -

We would like to confirm that NHS Petitions are due to the York Student Services Office by 3:15pm on Friday September, 23rd.  There is a discrepancy between the date printed on the petition and the date presented at our meeting. Again - NHS Petitions are due Friday, September 23rd at 3:15pm to the York Student Services Department.

Homecoming Week

Happy Homecoming week, Dukes!  Remember to show your school spirit this week!  Monday is PJ day, Tuesday is Tropical day, Wednesday is Class Color day, Thursday is "Once Upon a Time" themed character day, and Friday is green and white school spirit day.  The week culminates in a home football game against the Willowbrook Warriors on Friday and the Homecoming Dance on Saturday!  Please remember that we embrace and advocate good decision-making and safe choices throughout the week.  Have fun and go Dukes!

PSAT on October 19th

This year, we are excited to have all sophomore and junior students take the PSAT/NMSQT on Wednesday, October 19th for several reasons:

• In April, York will be taking the SAT instead of the ACT; therefore, the PSAT will help our students become accustomed to the format of the SAT long before the April test.
• The PSAT/NMSQT is also scholarship test for all of our junior students: students who score in the top 1% statewide are named as a National Merit Semi-Finalist, and students who score in the top 1% nationally are eligible to be chosen as a National Merit Finalist.  This year, York is proud to have a record number 13 National Merit Semi-Finalists.
• All sophomore and junior students will be receiving a PSAT/NMSQT practice test booklet from their current English teacher this week; please make sure that students keep this booklet with them, so their teachers are able to help students become familiar with the ins and outs of the PSAT.
• Our freshman students will be taking the PSAT 8/9 this year, which is closely aligned to the PSAT/NMSQT and the SAT.  CollegeBoard has not yet released its student guide--which includes sample test questions, answer explanations, and testing tips--for this test; however, they anticipate that it will be posted online at psat.org/resources by the end of September.

We can't wait to celebrate the successes of this year's junior class after the amazing accomplishments by the Class of 2017.  Go Dukes.

College Rep Visits for Seniors

Attention all seniors! College visits kick into high gear this week. Senior students should sign up in advance in the CCRC for any sessions that they are interested in attending. Click here for a schedule of the colleges represented for the week of September 12.

No Back Packs at Football Games

York has implemented a new policy regarding back packs at football games.  Students will not be permitted to bring back packs into home football games.

This policy goes into effect on September 23, 2016 when York hosts Willowbrook for Homecoming.

Homecoming 2016!!!

Homecoming 2016 - Once Upon A Time
Hey, York!  Homecoming 2016 is just around the corner.  We will have a week full of activities such as lunch room games, theme days, hallway decorating, powder puff, the pep rally, the football games, culminating with our Homecoming Dance on Saturday night in the field house at 7:00pm.  Tickets will be on sale in the bookstore starting Wednesday, September 14th.  Tickets are $20 in the bookstore or $25 at the door.  School rules and policies must be followed at all events, and appropriate attire is required at the Dance.

Welcome to York High School's Official Blog

Welcome York Community to the York High School Blog!  We are thrilled to launch this blog in an effort to streamline information, announcements, and reminders in addition to highlighting school successes, innovative educational resources, and  important programming.  Information on athletics, activities, programs and much, much more will be updated here!  This blog will be linked to the official York Facebook page, Twitter account, and website.  Please add your email address to the "follow by email" section of the blog to be updated when new posts are created.  We look forward to enhancing our communication with parents, students, staff members, and the community at large.  Go Dukes!