Lines at office supply stores to buy pencils, notebooks, glue sticks and binders are a pretty good clue — it's back-to-school time.
Education in the 2012-13 school year has meant implementing changes to boost and/or stretch revenues while modernizing curriculums and teaching approaches.
Students this week began reporting to class. Start dates continue until after Labor Day.
Among the news at the region's districts are new or upgraded buildings; continuing construction projects; fresh faces in administration; lunch menus keyed to the federal government's healthier options requirements; tweaked grading scales; a curriculum tapping students' love for video games (Elizabeth Forward); introductions of uniforms (Wilkinsburg, grades seven through 12); and a middle-school wide ancestry program culminating in a trip to Ellis Island (West Jefferson Hills).
A roundup of some changes follows. More information is available at districts' websites.
BALDWIN-WHITEHALL
Two administrators will take over top spots: Randal A. Lutz is superintendent, and Denise Sedlacek takes Lutz's former post as assistant superintendent.
“We really want to focus on getting back to basics,” Sedlacek said.
Kindergarten through eighth-grade students in the special education or English as a second language programs will use the new Imagine Learning system to do remedial class work online.
HIgh school alternative-education students can use “Online Academy @ North Hills,” developed by North Hills School District, for individualized courses. School starts Aug. 28.
BETHEL PARK
The student parking lot at the high school will open by the first day of school, Sept. 4, and tennis courts, practice fields and softball fields will open in October, said district spokeswoman Vicki Flotta. The new building opened in January, but structures on the old campus had to be demolished for the parking lot and fields.
Students will follow a new social studies curriculum this year, using textbooks from McGraw-Hill.
A college-planning, career-planning and counseling program, called “Naviance,” for grades five through 12, is being implemented, Flotta said. It lets students research online, set goals and see which courses they need.
The school board will soon appoint a principal at William Penn Elementary to replace Jay Johnson, who went to Bethel Park High School.
BUTLER AREA
Classes begin Aug. 29.
Mike Strutt took over this summer for retired superintendent Ed Fink. Strutt had substituted while Fink was on medical leave last year, and has been an assistant superintendent. Strutt was formerly principal at Butler Intermediate High School.
Brian Slamecka, previously assistant principal at the high school, is assistant superintendent for secondary schools.
CARLYNTON
School begins Aug. 27.
The renovated high school cafeteria serving area will offer complete meals, rather than a serving line, said district spokeswoman Michale Herrmann. This will allow shorter waits and more time to eat. Lunch prices will increase slightly: regular high school lunches will go up 10 cents, to $1.85; premium high school lunches will go up 5 cents to $2.40; and elementary school lunches will go up 5 cents to $1.70.
A new roof and insulation have been installed at Crafton Elementary to keep the building cooler without air conditioning; and a cooling tower added at the high school to make air conditioning system more effective.
The middle school will implement a “Cougar Buddy” program, pairing seventh-graders with sophomore and junior mentors.
An “On Hand School” program will be used by teachers to design education plans, track performance and plan for remediation. Students and teachers will use Google Apps for Education to set up school email addresses.
CHARTIERS VALLEY
School starts Aug. 23. The district has rewritten its English Language Arts curriculum at all grade levels to emphasize college and careers. New textbooks will be used for the “Holt McDougal Literature” curriculum at the high school; “Write Source” and “Holt McDougal Literature” for the middle school; and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt's “Journeys” at primary and intermediate school levels.
To meet new federal nutrition standards, meals will offer more fruits and vegetables and whole-grain breads, pastas and cereals; skim and low-fat milk; and reduced sodium in food.
Lunch prices will increase by 15 cents.
ELIZABETH FORWARD
All students will learn with and about video games when school begins Aug. 27.
The high school's Entertainment Technology Academy will offer classes on the history of games, programming, visual and creative arts, and storytelling for games.
At the middle school level, grants funded a “SMALLab” Learning space, which projects interactive, computer-generated imagery from the ceiling onto the floor, creating visual-learning aids.
At elementary and middle-school levels, the computer and technology curriculum has been revised to incorporate game-based learning.
The high school library is being renovated into a “YouMedia Center” where students can use books, computers, tablets and cameras.
The middle school is opening a renovated Life Skills classroom.
FOX CHAPEL
An additional 200 iPads will be used to support technology goals in the district, bringing the total number in the district to 600.
Personal finance and investing is among four courses high school students can take through the FC Virtual, online learning program.
Several elementary teachers will be piloting a language arts program, and several kindergarten through sixth-grade teachers will develop project-based learning, assisting students to make connections between subjects including science, technology and art.
School began Aug. 22.
GATEWAY
Full-day kindergarten begins at all four elementary schools because of public demand, officials said. Kindergarteners begin Aug. 30. All other students start Aug. 28.
School start and dismissal times will move 10 minutes ahead because of adjusted bus schedules. High school classes will start at 7:16 a.m. and dismiss at 2:27 p.m.; Gateway Middle School, 7:55 a.m. and 3 p.m.; Moss Side Middle School, 8:10 a.m. and 3 p.m.; and all elementary schools, 9:21 a.m. and 3:51 p.m.
Lunch prices increased 10 cents to $2.25 at the high school, $2.20 at Gateway Middle School, $2.05 at Moss Side Middle School, and $2.05 at elementary schools.
The district is expected to soon announced a successor to Joseph A. Petrella.
HAMPTON
The school board last week reappointed John Hoover as superintendent, with a five-year contract although details are still being negotiated.
Several new programs center around technology. The district has refined its teacher supervision and evaluation model.
Google Apps will be used for students in grades six to 12, including Gmail, Google Apps and video.
Hampton received a $20,000 grant for its middle school to implement technologies and hands-on projects.
The district is expanding its Digital Citizenship and Cyber Safety program, which focuses on preventing cyberbullying, safe and ethical use of technology, and personal safety online.
Hampton is continuing to build its Online Academy.
Classes start Aug. 23.
HOPEWELL AREA
The district is implementing a 10-point grading scale this year.
Superintendent Charles M. Reina said parents expresses concerns that the old grading scale was creating a disadvantage for college applications and scholarship opportunities. Many times, Reina added, the minimum eligibility for scholarships has a 3.5 GPA.
Reina said many other school districts, colleges and universities use a 10-point scale, so district students' grades will conform more to others.
Students' letter grades for those in grades 10-12 this year will not be changed retroactively, but their GPAs will be recalculated under the new scale.
Classes begin Aug. 29.
KEYSTONE OAKS
School starts Aug. 27.
William Stropkaj, formerly an assistant superintendent at the North Allegheny School District, is superintendent, replacing William Urbanek, who retired. Eric Brandenburg, formerly of Armstrong School District, replaced Gwen Walker as business manager.
Aiken Elementary Principal Bobbi-Ann Barnes replaces retired principal George Shevchik at Dormont Elementary, and former Baldwin-Whitehall teacher Mark Iampetro is principal at Aiken.
Lunch prices will go up 20 cents. Regular meals cost $2.10 for grades one through five and $2.20 for grades six through 12, and a “premium” meal for middle and high school students costs $2.75.
After-school activities buses fell victim to cost-cutting. Parents will have to provide their own transportation for students who stay late. District spokesman Jim Cromie said, however, most of the affected students are high-schoolers and in the past, those students were able to drive themselves.
MARS AREA
Construction is complete at Mars Area Elementary for grades two through four, and Mars Area Centennial School, grades five and six, with the buildings in full use.
Lunch prices will increase by a quarter. Prices: are elementary, $2.50, secondary, $2.75, breakfast $1.
Negotiations continue with the district's teachers and custodial, paraprofessional and secretarial support staff.
Classes begin Aug. 27.
McKEESPORT AREA
A new dress code bans seventh- through 12th-graders from wearing jeans. Students may not wear leggings, sweatshirts and shirts with writing.
All skirts, pants or shorts must be a solid color of black, blue, brown or tan, and shirts, which may striped, plaid or solid-colored, must have collars.
The dress code is planned to reduce distractions, spokeswoman Kristen D. Giran said.
School starts Sept. 4.
The $8.8 million renovation of Francis McClure Intermediate School is complete and a ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for 5:45 p.m. Aug. 30. The building, for fourth through sixth grade, now includes a second school, Francis McClure Elementary School. It will eventually house pre-kindergarten through fifth-grade. Another building that will house two schools is under construction at the former Cornell Elementary site.
Lunch prices increased 10 cents to $1.15 for elementary students and $1.25 for secondary students.
MOON
Moon opens its new middle school on Sept. 5, when classes begin. The former high school on Beaver Grade Road underwent $48.5 million worth of renovations to become the Moon Area Middle School. The old middle school on University Boulevard will be demolished.
Renovations provide more space and light than the old building.
Fifth-graders, classified as middle-schoolers for the first time, will attend the building. They and sixth-graders will compose a “lower middle school,” with students in grades seven and eight in the “upper middle school.”
The district's 272 kindergarten students will attend classes all day for the first time this year.
MT. LEBANON
School starts Aug. 27 for all but kindergarteners, who start Aug. 29.
Elementary schools will have a slightly longer schedule to create Learning for Everyone to Build Opportunities Time —LEBO Time — for remediation or extra homework. Elementaries begin at 8:30 a.m. and classes will end at 3:30 p.m.
Elementary schedules will number days, as is done at the middle and high schools, said district spokeswoman Cissy Bowman. The system ensures students don't miss art, gym or music, classes previously scheduled for certain days of the week.
New administrators include Marybeth Irvin, principal at Lincoln Elementary; Jason Ramsay, principal at Foster Elementary; Erin Wright, unit principal at the high school; and Jeffery Zeiders, assistant principal at Jefferson Middle School.
The district is celebrating its centennial this year with numerous activities.
NORTH ALLEGHENY
The district activity fee continues this year. The fee is $75 per season per athlete, with a family cap of $225; for marching band the fee is $50 per member with cap of $150; for all other groups, it is $25 per participant with a $75 cap.
The district will conduct a leadership reorganization and increase the usage of electronic communication.
A technology audit will be performed and IT functions reorganized.
NORTH HILLS
Classes start Aug. 27. New curriculums include Math in Focus in kindergarten, first and second grades, using a highly visual and topic-intensive approach.
In grades nine through 12, students may take Flash Game Design, Forensic Science and Interior Design. Six senior English courses will be implemented — Adventure and Quest Literature, Survey of Classic to Modern Literature, Female Perspectives, Questioning the Self, War of the Classes and Apocalyptic Literature.
The Online Academy @ North Hills will extend courses to elementary students.
High school students may also enroll in one of six new academic academies — arts and communications, business and finance, engineering, law and government, medicine and world affairs.
PENN HILLS
School starts Aug. 28.
A three-day, high-school transition program for ninth-graders held Aug. 8-10 was so well attended that it will become an annual event, school officials said.
The district is issuing drawstring bookbags to fifth through 12th-grade students that can be carried during the school day. Other bookbags must be placed in lockers during the school day.
High school students will return from winter break in 2013 to the new $61 million Penn Hills High School being built at the former Roberts Administration Building on Collins Drive.
The old school will be demolished and replaced by a parking lot, an athletic field and tennis courts,.
PETERS
Students will be allowed to bring electronic devices. An expanded wireless network allows students to access laptops, iPads, or smart phones for learning.
New administrators are Vince Belczyk, business manager/board secretary; Mara Linaberger, director of staff development, and Patricia Kelly, director of special education.
School starts Aug. 27.
PINE-RICHLAND
School starts Aug. 28. A 106,388 square-foot expansion of the high school includes a science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics addition and larger music wing, kitchen and cafeteria. Social studies and languages will be integrated.
Extra security was added that includes a redesigned entrance to the high school, cameras, blue emergency call buttons and a new configuration for traffic entering campus.
Seventh through 12th-graders will pay the same flat fee of $80 for after-school activities.
Parents and students can log on to the PR Home Access System, used for grades, to also view transportation information.
PLUM
About 500 kindergarten through sixth-grade students will attend the new Pivik Elementary School at 151 School Road, across from the old building.
The new school cost $16.6 million in construction and other costs, Superintendent Timothy Glasspool said.
School begins Aug. 27 for first-grade through 12th-grade students. Kindergarteners begin Aug. 28.
About 750 outdated computers in the high school and elementaries have been replaced with laptops; Internet speed is doubled and Plum has a mobile district webpage. Justin Stephans is now principal at Regency Park Elementary School.
A five-day class rotation is being implemented at elementaries to ensure all students take the same number of art, music and physical education classes. Lunch prices increased 25 cents to $2.15 at elementaries and to $2.50 for secondary school students. The cost of milk increased 5 cents to 50 cents.
QUAKER VALLEY
School begins Sept. 4. Work will continue on the middle school renovation. The building will open Jan. 7. Students in grades 7 and 8 will spend the first few months of the school year at nearby Anthony Wayne school while sixth graders will attend Osborne Elementary. All kindergarteners will be at Edgeworth Elementary School for the school year.
Beginning this year, elementary schools will intensify their focus on writing and the high school will implement the state Department of Education's new high school testing system, the Keystone Exams. Students in grades nine, 10 and 11 the exams in algebra I, biology and literature. Middle school students enrolled in algebra I must also take the exam.
RIVERVIEW
School starts Aug. 23.
Margaret DiNinno, formerly of Apollo-Ridge School District, becomes superintendent, replacing Charles Erdeljac, who retired.
Verner and Tenth Street elementary schools received a grant from the Grable and Benedum foundations and will use the money to place emphasis on inquiry learning and linking the arts to the sciences. Riverview will partner with Fox Chapel Area School District and the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh as part of the program.
Lunch prices rose for elementary and secondary schools increased to $2.50.
The district is implementing the Schoolwide Positive Behavior and Intervention Support program in all grades.
SENECA VALLEY
Heather Lewis is athletic director. She was formerly the chief operating officer for a United States Olympic Committee National Governing Body. She was a head field hockey coach, women's lacrosse coach, and associate and assistant athletic director at Bucknell University.
The school board appointed Angelo Lettiere III as assistant instructor for the Army Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps. Lettiere had been senior military science instructor for ROTC at Pitt.
Sean McCarty, formerly principal of Seneca Valley Middle School, is assistant superintendent of elementary education, grades kindergarten through six. He replaces Jeffrey Fuller, now superintendent of Freedom Area School District.
Jeffrey Roberts is assistant principal of Seneca Valley Cyber, grades K-12. He had been assistant high school principal.
Classes begin Aug. 28.
SOUTH PARK
Students start school Aug. 27. The district will open a cyberschool. A teacher will be assigned to monitor students' progress.
Elementary administrators will implement a behavior program that rewards good behavior, as opposed to punishing bad behavior, Superintendent Jeanine Gregory said. The program will include a prize system.
The middle school is implementing a second phase of a program on bullying awareness which teaches students how to handle it.
STO-ROX
Classes begin Aug. 23. All students will have the same start time, 8 a.m. after staggering times last year.
A new program will help identify and address academic problems in youngest students to avoid placement later in special education programs. Advanced Placement English courses and a media class that will announcements from a new television studio have been added at the secondary level.
The district upgraded its language arts curriculum and will incorporate more technology, such as Smart Boards, which are virtual bulletin boards.
All students will be offered breakfast for free.
Sto-Rox will continue its Students on Board, allowing students to meet with school board members to address concerns and questions. Suggestions implemented from last year's meetings were painting the first floor of the high school and offering new menu items at lunch.
UPPER ST. CLAIR
Classes begin Aug. 27.
An Internet safety and cyber-bullying prevention curriculum is being implemented in all grades, while the high school will continue its Leadership Academy program.
Middle schools have an algebra 1 in eighth grade, while elementaries will have new math and science programs, said Superintendent Patrick O'Toole.
Sharon Suritsky, formerly acting assistant to the superintendent and supervisor of special education, is assistant superintendent.
Patrick McClintock-Comeaux, a teacher at Upper St. Clair from 1995-2001 and most recently a teacher in Mt. Lebanon, is principal at Baker Elementary. John Rozzo, an assistant principal at Fort Couch Middle School, is academic principal for Fort Couch and Boyce middle schools. Amy Pfender is assistant principal at both schools.
Lou Angelo of the high school, Pennsylvania's Assistant Principal of the Year, has been promoted from assistant principal to associate principal.
WASHINGTON
The district opens its upgraded Washington Junior/Senior High School when school starts Sept. 5. The $15.9 million renovation project was dedicated this week. Renovations began in 2010. Improved spaces include the Large Group Instruction Room, media center, computer labs, science labs, band room, cafeteria and consumer science rooms. Classrooms, hallways, restrooms and flooring and the gymnasium were refurbished.
WEST JEFFERSON HILLS
School begins Aug. 27.
The high school will offer film criticism, introduction to astronomy, Web 2.0, architecture, engineering, robotics and computer-aided manufacturing.
Pleasant Hills Middle School has interactive white boards and projectors in all reading and language arts classrooms.
Middle school students will participate in a schoolwide unit on ancestry. All teachers will have lessons focused on how students are influenced by family, heritage, traditions and values. The unit will culminate in a schoolwide trip to Ellis Island in New York City.
When school is in session at McClellan Elementary, only buses will be allowed onto School Lane from 8 a.m. to 8:20 a.m. and from 3:05 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Parents picking up their children at the 3:10 p.m. dismissal can park in the school lot before restrictions take effect.
WEST MIFFLIN
The middle school will have two more grades this year, following a reconfiguration.
The $36 million school at 81 Commonwealth Avenue opened in January..
The reconfiguration will add students in fourth and fifth grades, leaving students in pre-kindergarten through third grade at three elementary schools, Superintendent Daniel Castagna said.
The district created the position of middle school vice principal, and a candidate will be named soon, he said.
School starts Aug. 29.
WILKINSBURG
Classes begin on Sept. 10. The district will hold a back-to-school-celebration from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday in the parking lots next to the administration building, 718 Wallace Ave. Building principals will be on hand to greet students and parents. There will be refreshments and information available about clubs and other organizations. For more information, contact Kathye Sears at the district, 412-871-2296. The district is instituting uniforms for students in grades seven-12. Shirts must be purchased at administration offices. More information is on the district's website, wilkinsburgschools.org.
Trib Total Media reporters Bobby Kerlik, Tory N. Parrish, Matthew Santoni, Bill Vidonic and Rachel Weaver contributed. Freelance writer Sandra Fischione Donovan also contributed.
