Dear YMA Faculty, Staff, and Families,

I hope everyone is enjoying a safe, relaxing, and restorative summer. As we prepare for the start of the 2026-2027 school year, I would like to share several important updates and upcoming dates for our school community.

Attached you will find our Welcome Back letters for families and staff, as well as flyers for the YMA at Yankee Stadium event and the First Riders Program.

Student Schedules and School Supplies

PK-12 student schedules are now available in PowerSchool. Families may access schedules through the Parent and Student Portals. Please note that some students in grades 9-12 may see open periods on their schedules as final adjustments continue to be made.

If you have questions or concerns regarding your student's schedule, please contact the appropriate Assistant Principal:

• Ms. Kerri Romanino – Grades 9 & 10

• Mrs. Wendolyn Landrau – Grades 11 & 12

Supply lists for students in Pre-K through Grade 6 are available on the Yonkers Montessori Academy website.

Leadership Team Update

I am pleased to announce and officially welcome Mr. Manuel Ramos to the YMA Leadership Team. Mr. Ramos has transitioned from his role as Resource Teacher at YMA and will serve as our Middle School Assistant Principal for the 2026-2027 school year.

At the same time, we congratulate Mr. Pritchett, who has accepted a Principal position at another Yonkers Public School. We thank him for his service to the YMA community and wish him continued success in his new role.

Congratulations to both Mr. Ramos and Mr. Pritchett. We know you will each do great things in your new positions.

Important Opening of School Information

The attached Welcome Back letters contain important details regarding:

• First day of school procedures

• Orientation opportunities

• Meet and Greet events

• School supply drop-off information

• Daily schedules and arrival times

• Innovative Learning Schools Grant initiatives and technology updates

Please take time to review the information relevant to your child's grade level.

Upcoming Dates

August 21, 2026

• First Riders Program for Pre-K students who will be riding a school bus for the first time (see attached flyer)

August 28, 2026

• 7th Grade Orientation – 9:00 AM

• 9th Grade Orientation – 10:30 AM

September 2, 2026

• PK-6 Meet and Greet / Classroom Visits / School Supply Drop-Off

• 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

September 3, 2026

• First Day of School for All Students (PK-12)

• Student Hours: 7:35 AM - 2:15 PM [welcome back staff | PDF], [welcome back 7-12 | PDF], [welcome back pk-6 | PDF]

September 22, 2026

• YMA at Yankee Stadium (see attached flyer)

Faculty and Staff Classroom Preparation

The building will be open for teachers who would like to begin preparing their classrooms on Friday, August 21, from 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM. If you plan to come in, please email your grade-level Assistant Principal and copy both Ms. Vicale and me.

As always, thank you for your partnership, dedication, and commitment to our students. We are excited to welcome everyone back and look forward to another outstanding year of learning, growth, and YMA Magic.

Enjoy the remainder of your summer, and we look forward to seeing you soon.

Warm regards,

Don DeMatteo
Principal
Yonkers Montessori Academy

Subject: YMA Weekly Summer Update

Dear YMA Families and Staff,

I hope you are enjoying a restful and relaxing summer. As we continue preparations for the 2026-27 school year, I would like to share a few important updates.

Student Schedules

Student schedules for the 2026-27 school year are still being developed. While schedules are currently visible in PowerSchool, please be aware that changes are still being made to ensure students are appropriately placed. We ask for your patience during this process. Scheduling concerns and requests will be addressed after August 25, 2026.

Building Preparation

As many of you know, our building has been hosting Extended School Year and other summer programming. Once these programs conclude, our building maintenance team will begin the important work of thoroughly cleaning and preparing the school for the upcoming year. When classrooms are available for teachers to return and begin setting up, I will communicate that information through both email and our phone messaging system.

Student Orientations

YMA is excited to welcome our new students through orientation programs designed to help them feel comfortable and prepared for the start of school.

Grade 9 Orientation
Friday, August 28, 2026
9:00 a.m.
YMA Auditorium

Grade 7 Orientation
Friday, August 28, 2026
10:30 a.m.
YMA Auditorium

In addition, we will be offering a First Riders Program for students in our Pre-Primary classes to help familiarize them with bus safety procedures. We will also host orientation programs for our Pre-K students and their families. Additional information, including dates, times, and locations, will be shared soon.

PTSA Family Event: YMA at Yankee Stadium

We are excited to remind everyone about our first PTSA event of the school year, a YMA Family Night at Yankee Stadium! Join fellow YMA families for an evening of baseball and community as the New York Yankees take on the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday, September 24, 2026, at 7:05 p.m. Tickets are $55 each with Main Level seating. Students must be accompanied by an adult, and families are responsible for their own transportation to and from the stadium. Tickets are limited, so we encourage families to reserve their seats early. For additional information, please contact the YMA PTSA at yma.ptsainfo@gmail.com. Click here to purchase tickets https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.gofevo.com/event/Yonkersmontessori2__;!!CtcW_5ORIF_ZIHY!PP_WTbCwzS6skLCPoUBTs6P5LJpsc0DAu_2kkHMVQXtATGYk03jKjt8X1N54D0iX88l1lhM09zia8WpgOFq4LQ18$

On behalf of the entire YMA leadership team, thank you for your continued support. We wish you and your family a safe, relaxing, and enjoyable remainder of the summer vacation. We look forward to welcoming everyone back and beginning another successful school year together.

Warm regards,

Don DeMatteo
Principal
Yonkers Montessori Academy

Dear YMA Learning Community,

I hope everyone is enjoying a relaxing and well-deserved summer! We had a wonderful 2025–2026 school year, and I want to thank our students, families, and staff for making it such a successful year. Even though school is out, our team is already hard at work preparing for an even better 2026–2027 school year.

As we continue preparing for September, I wanted to share a few important updates:

PTSA Yankees Family Event

Join the Yonkers Montessori Academy PTSA for a fun-filled evening of baseball and community as the New York Yankees take on the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday, September 24, 2026, at7:05 p.m. at Yankee Stadium. Tickets are$55 each and include Main Level seating. Families may select from available seating sections during checkout, and the available sections are located next to one another. Please note that all students must be accompanied by an adult, and families are responsible for their own transportation to and from the stadium. Tickets are limited, so reserve your seats soon! The event flyer with purchasing information is attached to this email(Click Here).

Grades 9–12 Schedules

Student schedules for grades 9–12 have been posted. Please note that schedules are still being finalized and are not yet 100% complete. Any schedule concerns or necessary adjustments will be addressed during the last week of August.

Grades PK–8 Schedules

Schedules for students in grades PK–8 will be available in the PowerSchool Parent and Student Portals in August. For students in grades PK–6, this information will also include classroom teacher assignments.

Intermediate Grades (4, 5, and 6)

We are excited to share that we are adding a seventh intermediate classroom teacher to help reduce class sizes and provide an even stronger learning environment for our students. To accommodate this additional class, some students have been reassigned to different teachers. If your child's teacher assignment has changed, this is the reason. We are pleased to welcome back a returning YMA teacher who brings valuable experience in intermediate Montessori education.

We will continue sharing important updates throughout the summer as we get closer to the start of the school year. Please continue to check your email and the school's communication platforms for the latest information.

Enjoy the rest of your summer, stay safe, and make time to relax with family and friends. We look forward to welcoming everyone back in September for another outstanding year at Yonkers Montessori Academy!

Warm regards,

Don DeMatteo

Principal

Yonkers Montessori Academy

Please read the attached YMA End of School Year Letter!

💙 It’s Staff Appreciation Week at YMA! Thank you to our incredible faculty & staff for your dedication, service, and commitment to our students and learning community. Please stop by and enjoy the celebrations—we appreciate all you do! #YMA #StaffAppreciationWeek

JOIN OUR TEAM!

Join Yonkers Public Schools for this year’s Relay for Life as we raise vital funds for cancer research and support services, Friday, May 29, 2026 from 3:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.at Gorton High School, 100 Shonnard Place, Yonkers

Building on last year’s success, we are coming together to support two very special members of our school family: Brenda Cardoza, whose dedication and compassion have touched so many lives, and Belen Ruiz Benito, a brave second-grade student at Enrico Fermi School whose strength and courage have inspired our entire community.

Walk with us and stand united in hope.

⚾ YMA PTSA FAMILY NIGHT!
Grab your family and join us at Yankee Stadium on May 19 as the Yankees take on the Blue Jays! Your $70 ticket includes:
🎒 Yankees Backpack Giveaway
🍔 $15 Food Voucher
🏟️ Section 333 Home Run Territory Seats
Don’t wait—limited tickets and sales close March 18!
Let’s cheer together! 🎉

Click Here for More Information

Attention All Students Grades 6-12!
Deadline Extended for the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 2026 Poem Contest
Get Details Here: https://www.yonkerspublicschools.org/page/mlk-poem-contest-2026