Dorothy C. York Innovation Academy
Jan. 9-13 Newsletter
We were happy to welcome all of our Admirals back on campus this week and hope you had a wonderful holiday break. We started off 2023 full speed and are excited to see the growth that will occur during York's second semester!
Monday we are off school for a day of remembrance and honor for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Our Admirals strive to be principled, caring, open-minded and risk-takers - all of those attributes can be found in MLK's words and actions.
Today our first-grade students participated in Busch Garden's Animal Encounter field trip. The rain cleared up in time for them to enjoy learning from the Zoology staff members about habitats and animal characteristics.
Seventh grade students enjoyed an exciting lab with Mrs. Cajigas this week as they had to design an experiment that created the most suitable environment for yeast. Students used different mixtures of variables such as sugar, baking soda, vinegar, and different temperatures of water to combine with yeast to see which mixture would create enough gas to inflate a balloon attached to their flask.
Elementary students are working hard in their classes on STEM fair projects. We are excited to see the final projects soon. Many students have also chosen to work on SLAM projects with 2-D, 3-D, and video submissions to peak their peers' interest in books on the SSYRA (Sunshine State Young Readers) Award list. Students who have questions are welcome to stop into the Media Center to see Mrs. Service.
We'd like give a "shout-out" to Mrs. Turner who has moved from a VE teacher at York into the position of ESE Specialist. She is the perfect person to lead our school ESE team and we are excited to have her in this role due to her knowledge, compassion, and strong work ethic.
First Grade Animal Encounters
Upcoming Events & Reminders
January 16: NO SCHOOL, Martin Luther King Jr. Day
January 23: Early Release Mondays Resume
January 23-27: Celebrate Literacy Week (information below)
February 2: 5th Grade Field Trip
February 3: 4th Grade Field Trip
February 6: PTSA Parent Meeting at York
February 7-8: 4th and 5th In-House Field Trip
February 8 ,9, 10 & 14: 7th grade field trip (one group per day)
February 9: VPK Field Trip
February 16: Kindergarten Field Trip
February 17: No SCHOOL
February 23: VPK and Kindergarten Jack Hartman Concert (on campus)
Reminder that parents should be utilizing the car line for morning arrivals. Please do not park in front of the office as those spots are needed for visitors/office staff, and students crossing the car line to enter the building is a safety concern.
Dismissal is at 3pm SHARP. * Please make sure you have entered the car line no later than 3:15pm as staff/safety patrol leave their posts at 3:20pm.
** Early Release Mondays will resume on January 23rd for the remainder of the school year with 2:00pm dismissal.
Please remember that York is a uniform school. Monday-Thursday students should have a red, blue, or gray polo. On Fridays, students can wear a school spirit shirt.
Polo and Spirit Shirts are still available!
Polos and Spirit TShirts.pdf (hillsboroughschools.org)
Cash or Check made out to York Innovation Academy must accompany your order.
Instructions to access Canvas are available in English and Spanish on the school website:
Dorothy C. York Innovation Academy / Homepage (hillsboroughschools.org)
Admirals in Action
Mrs. Cajigas' Science Experiments
Mrs. Lee's students working on MLK projects
Elementary STEM Lab
Chorus is Coming to York for grades 5,6 & 7
Media Center Updates
Raise the Flags! Go Bucs!
Admiral on Deck: Mrs. Service
Ahoy Admirals! I’m Valerie Service, the Media Specialist (Librarian). This is my 28th year as an educator, and I am beyond excited to be part of the inaugural staff at Dorothy C. York Innovation Academy. I grew up in Southern California and graduated from the University of Arkansas - go Razorbacks!!!
I am passionate about connecting readers to books and motivating them to be life-long learners, and what better place to do this than the library?
I want the York Innovation Library to be a place where children have the opportunity to fall in love with books and reading. Libraries should be portals to our students’ curiosities. I hope they see themselves in new ways by connecting to books we share together. I also hope our shared stories make them wonder, dream, and open their world beyond their own experiences. I am one of the few people on campus who interacts with every student. I love cultivating connections with students, learning their reading levels and interests, putting the right book in their hands, and creating a warm, welcoming, and, yes, noisy space where they feel safe and know they belong!
At home, there is a husband, 3 children, and 2 grandchildren. I feel so lucky to be a part of the York Innovation Academy community and working with its teachers, parents, and especially its students!
PE Coach Corner
If you haven’t heard of the Fitnessgram, it is a battery of various standardized physical fitness tests designed to measure whether individuals are in the “Healthy Fitness Zone.” The students took the Fitnessgram pre-tests earlier in the year and will take the post-tests closer to the end of the school year. Click on this workout to learn how to become more physically fit and also to improve your Fitnessgram scores.
We will be presenting the Monique Burr Foundation Safety Matters curriculum starting in the next few weeks. If you would like to opt your student out of the curriculum please print out this form and send it in to Coach B.
York's Relay For Life Team Updates
Character Trait of the Month
How Can You Help?
Many guardians of Admirals have reached out to see how they can support the campus. Below are some ideas:
- Volunteer in our Media Center. Fill out the required HCPS form here: Volunteer Services / Overview (hillsboroughschools.org) and email valerie.service@hcps.net to let her know you'd like to help out!
- Donate any new or used Lego or Duplo blocks
- Donate any new or gently used uniform clothing
- Visit DonorsChoose.org and search "Dorothy C. York" and support a classroom of your choice
- Apply to be a substitute at Hillsborough County Public Schools (kellyeducationalstaffing.us)
- Visit our PTSA page at Dorothy C. York Innovation Academy PTSA - Home | Facebook
Dismissal Map
Dorothy C. York Innovation Academy
Website: hillsboroughschools.org/york
Location: 5995 Covington Garden Drive, Apollo Beach, FL, USA
Phone: 813-533-2400
Twitter: @HCPS_YorkMagnet