Every week is a great week in Blue Devil Country! Please scroll down to learn more. #True2theBlue

• April 17: Snow Day Make Up- School is in session
• April 18-April 21: Spring Break- No School
• June 5: Last Day of School
• June 5: Class of 2025 Commencement: 7:00 PM @ The Pavilion at Star Lake

Due to cancellations earlier this winter, we must make up one snow day. This day will be made up on Thursday, April 17. Please plan accordingly.

This week in first grade ELA the theme was "How do people work with animals?" Killian Robinson's mother Marissa brought in a service dog named Lego. She talked to the students about the Warrior Canine Connection, showed videos, and demonstrated some of the jobs that Lego can do. She explained that Lego will eventually go on to live with and help a veteran. The students loved getting to pet Lego!

What a weekend it was for Ms. Elek and the cast and crew of this year's musical. Three evenings of productions of Alice in Wonderland, Jr. brought family, friends, and community members out to see the talents and skills of our students as Alice, the White Rabbit, the Caterpillar, the Mad Hatter, the Queen of Hearts, and the rest of the characters came to life on the auditorium stage. The production reminds us that as the long winter months pass and spring emerges, not only are our student athletes practicing and competing on the court and the mats, but many others, including a few student athletes, quietly work in the the performing arts center; practicing lines, rehearsing musical numbers, preparing the set, and making sure they are prepared for the curtain to raise. Many afternoons, evenings, and even weekends are spent preparing for three shows. The talents of our students shone this weekend and we are proud of all of them! Bravo!

Lions, tigers, and Bears! Oh, My! Mrs. Kozares taught her kindergarten students about animal habitats in reading this week.

Mr. Rendulic taught the 7 Mindsets character education lesson of the week to his fourth graders. The students played an icebreaker game and shared personal drawings depicting what makes them happy.

Oreo cookies, anyone? Mr. Hughes taught the phases of the moon using Oreo cookies in his 4th grade science class this week. The students enjoyed this (tasty) hands-on lesson !

Washington, Von Steuben, and Franklin were influential people in history. Our 4th graders learned abut Valley Forge by using Nearpod and primary sources. The students were certainly intrigued and engaged!

The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) establishes "testing windows" for Keystone and PSSA tests. These windows are blocks of time in which school districts may schedule their administration of the various assessments. Each of our schools consider events that are occurring within school during these dates and then determine the specific dates that are the most appropriate to use. Attendance at school, and participation in the assessments is important, so we are providing the testing windows that PDE established for 24-25, 25-26, and 26-26 so families may consider if planning vacations or other planned absences. KEYSTONE ASSESSEMNT NOTE: The Burgettstown Area School District does not typically participate in Summer Testing, and rarely utilizes the Winter Wave 1 window.

This year, the Burgettstown Athletic Department is introducing digital ticketing for regular season football, volleyball, girls and boys basketball, and wrestling. Though all fans may still purchase a ticket "at the gate," but those who wish to avoid lines and pre-purchase an electronic ticket may do so by accessing the digital ticketing feature on the Hudl Fan page. Single game regular season tickets for both students and adults are available. Also, for those who know that will likely attend all games in a particular season, a season pass can be purchased. Please note: there is a processing fee, per ticket. This fee does not go to the school district, it is a vendor fee in support of the electronic ticketing feature. Scan the QR code or the button below to access the Hudl Fan page.

We remind students, employees, parents, guardians, and community members that smoking, the possession or use of alcohol or other drugs, and the possession of weapons on school grounds, including outdoor athletic areas, by any individual, is prohibited. These acts are subject to police action and must also be reported to the Department of Education.

Our school community has embraced the uniqueness of conducting commencement exercises at Star Lake for decades. The various management groups throughout the years have supported this by donating the use of the facility and we are most appreciative. While it is early in the school year, we want to make note that in order to hold graduation at Star Lake, flexibility in planning is necessary. Believe it or not, the planning for the next year begins shortly after the school year ends. We notify Star Lake management of our desired date and it is recorded as a preferred date. There are no guarantees, and in the past several years, we have not been able to finalize the date until some point in April. We know this causes a bit of anxiousness on the part of our seniors and their families, but if we want to continue this fine tradition, we must remain flexible. This week, the members of the Class of 2025 were informed that Star Lake was contacted on May 31, 2024, and informed that our preferred date for this year's Commencement is June 5, 2025. While this is our preferred date, there is no guarantee that we will get it. As the months go by this year, the District will remain in contact with Star Lake management. When we know the confirmed date, we will communicate it to our students and families. Though graduation may be the last thing on anyone's mind this early in the school year, we wanted to communicate this information so there are no misunderstandings.

Student and employee safety is extremely important to us. We are constantly looking for ways to make our schools, school grounds, and property safe for all. Recently, we ordered signage that will be placed on all of our school busses, warning that unauthorized boarding will be subject to criminal prosecution. This is not something new, it is simply something we are creating a greater awareness of.

According to the Pennsylvania Crimes Code:

§ 5517. Unauthorized school bus entry. (a) Offense defined.--A person who enters a school bus without prior authorization of the driver or a school official with intent to commit a crime or disrupt or interfere with the driver or a person who enters a school bus without prior authorization of the driver or a school official who refuses to disembark after being ordered to do so by the driver commits a misdemeanor of the third degree. (b) Notice.--A school district may place a notice at the entrance of the school bus that warns against unauthorized entry.

Our school district prides itself on providing the best possible learning environment for our students, and school buildings and other facilities that can be a source of pride for the community. We are constantly monitoring the conditions of our schools, athletic complexes and other district-owned property but sometimes we miss things. You can help us by completing this form when you notice something that you think needs our attention. It can be something as basic as noticing that there is a light out in our parking areas, or that the trash receptacles at the baseball field need emptied. Just like you have for your home, we have a running list of items that need our attention. These items get prioritized and acted upon. We may already know about the issue you raise, but if we don't, we can't prioritize it until we do. We are all in this together and your input is greatly appreciated. Please click her to access this form: HERE

We know our families and our communities enjoy seeing the various photographs and related information about our students and their activities through the various social media platforms and other methods of communication from our school district. If a parent or guardian objects to the use of their child's image and related information, they must notify the school district. Please see the following document for more details.