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

• January 24: Act 80 half-day

The school district calendar has 3 snow make-up days built in (January 20, February 17, and April 17). With the option of using up to 5 Flexible Instruction Days (remote learning), it is unlikely that we will need to use the make-up days, but we still build the days in for unforeseen circumstances. At this time, we do not anticipate needing to use the first make-up day, January 20, so parents/guardians should plan for their children to be home that day.

The Pennsylvania Department of Education, Bureau of Special Education (BSE), monitors all school districts and charter schools in the state at least once every six years to ensure that they are complying with federal and state regulations for special education. The Burgettstown Area School District will be monitored this year. As part of this monitoring, the BSE is seeking parent opinions about the special education services being provided. In addition to surveying parents, they are also interested in hearing directly from students about their educational experience. If your child is 14 years of age or older, they invited to complete the student survey. Although parents and students 14 years of age or older are not required to participate in the survey, the BSE encourages them to do so. Click HERE for the complete letter from the Department of Education.

We are in the process of building the school calendar for 2025-2026. This process includes the creation of draft calendar(s), a review by the teachers, a meeting with our Educational Advisory Committee (select teachers, administrators, and school board members) and finally the consideration, decision making, and approval of the school board. We would like your input on the calendar to use as we proceed through this process. Please consider taking a few moments to complete the following survey. This survey will be live for approximately one week.

Students were playing a quiz game to review for a text. Word has it that Dr. Cooke jumped in, but quickly lost!

Mr. Tropeck's 7th grade science students demonstrated in-depth knowledge of density and buoyancy and their application in a lab activity.

Mrs. Smith's students have been exploring podcasting this year, and this week they were gathering content for a podcast. Dr. Cooke was asked to share his inspirational quote of the day. Stay tuned for more podcasting information from Mrs. Smith's class so you can hear what the quote was!

...Steelers, here we go! It's a playoff weekend in the 'burg (Pittsburgh, that is!) as the Steelers travel to Baltimore for a wild card playoff game. The Blue Devils always like to show their support by having a Black and Gold day! If the spirit of our elementary center students is any indication, a Steelers win is quite possible!

At BAEC on '80s Spirit Day,
The kids dressed in bright neon display.
With their outfits so bright,
And their styles out of sight,
They learned in a most rad way!

Limerick credit: ChatGPT

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.