School: Week of Feb. 1
Kindergarten registration
Kindergarten Registration for the 2017-18 school year will begin in the Bethel Park School District in February. Parents whose children will be age five on or before Sept. 1 are eligible to register their children for kindergarten at this time.
Kindergarten registration dates are:
• George Washington Elementary School – 9:30 to 11 a.m. and 1:30 to 3 p.m. Feb. 7, call 412-854-8546;
• Abraham Lincoln Elementary School – 9:30 to 11 a.m. and 1:30 to 3 p.m. Feb. 8, call 412-854-8618;
• Benjamin Franklin Elementary School – 9:30 to 11 a.m. and 1:30 to 3 p.m. Feb. 9, call 412-854-8741;
• William Penn Elementary School – Feb. 14 at the Bethel Park Community Center on Park Avenue, call the school at 412-854-8522 to schedule a registration time;
• Memorial Elementary School – Feb. 16 at the Bethel Park Community Center on Park Avenue, call the school at 412-854-8506 to schedule a registration time
Before registration, parents should complete the Kindergarten Registration Packet, which is available in all Bethel Park elementary schools or online at www.bpsd.org/KindergartenRegistrationForms.aspx.
On Registration Day, parents should bring the completed Kindergarten Registration Packet, their child, their child’s original birth certificate and proof of Bethel Park residency with them.
Registering children for Kindergarten in February greatly assists the school district with its planning for the upcoming school year.
Parents who have questions should contact their child’s school for more information.
African-American Read-In
The Bethel Park High School English Language Arts Department and S.T.A.N.D. (Standing Together Against Negativity and Discrimination) will host an African-American Read-In at 2 p.m. Feb. 5 in the Bethel Park High School Little Theater, located on Church Road.
Admission is free for this public event.
Students from S.T.A.N.D. are scheduled to participate in this event, where they will present poems, excerpts from speeches, and spoken-word performances from African-American authors. The event is designed to be a celebration of African-American literature and music, including authors such as Angelou, Wilson, Baldwin, King and Hughes, plus original works by the students as well.
This local event is part of the National Council of Teachers of English countrywide program.
Coordinating this event at Bethel Park High School are BPHS English Language Arts Facilitator Charles Youngs and S.T.A.N.D. Advisor Tracy Ford.
Catholic Schools Week
The students, faculty and staff of Saint Anne School, Castle Shannon, will be celebrating Catholic Schools Week with the following events and activities throughout the week:
• Feb. 2, Celebrating Vocations – There will be a Mad Science Assembly for all students, with the PTG providing a treat for the clergy. There will be no school for grades 4-8 (Parent-Teacher Conferences grades 4-8). Students in grades K-3 will participate in the Body, Mind and Soul Olympics. Students may dress down in a shirt from their favorite sports team.
• Feb. 3, Celebrating Faculty, Staff and Volunteers – There will be a Science Fair at 6 p.m. in the school gym for students in grades 6-8, with the PTG and students providing a treat for the teachers and staff. There will be no school for grades K-3 (Parent-Teacher Conferences grades K-3). Students in grades 4-8 will participate in the Body, Mind and Soul Olympics. Students may dress down in a shirt from their favorite sports team.
• Feb. 4, Celebrating The Family – There will be a Talent Show at 7 p.m. in the school gym. Instructional, JV and varsity girls home basketball games are underway. Times may be found on the school website.
For more information, visit www.saintanneschool.org.
Parent night
All parents of eighth-graders who will be freshmen at Bethel Park High School in the fall of 2017 are invited to attend an Eighth-Grade Parent Night from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Feb. 15 in the Bethel Park High School Auditorium located on Church Road. At this meeting, parents will have the opportunity to meet administrators, counselors and department facilitators, who will be on hand to explain the course selection process, as well as the expectations for Bethel Park High School students.
Art awards
Nine works of art submitted by three Upper St. Clair High School students earned recognition in the regional Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.
Ninth-grader Vivian Li earned a Gold Key Award for her piece titled, “Nocturne,” and a Silver Key Award for her painting, “Blackbird.” Freshman photographer Lauren Teresi earned five Silver Key Awards for her work, “A Foggy Winter Morning,” “Jellies,” “Hearst Castle,” “Muir Woods” and “Bixby Bridge” as well as an Honorable Mention for her photo, “Succulents.” Sophomore Serena Luo was awarded a Silver Key for her artwork, “Spring Valley.”
As a Gold Key Award winner, Vivian has qualified to compete at the national level. National award winners will be announced in March and national Gold Medalists will be honored in June at Carnegie Hall in New York City. In addition, national award-winning artwork will be highlighted in the Art.Write.Now.Tour.
Gold Key and Silver Key artwork will be on display at the Pittsburgh Art Regional exhibition Feb. 4-19, at LaRoche College. The exhibit is open to the public from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Saturday.
Vivian, Lauryn and Serena – along with all Gold Key, Silver Key and Honorable Mention award winners – will be recognized at an awards ceremony Feb. 19. The closing celebration begins at 12:30 p.m. with music entertainment and refreshments. The award ceremony follows at 2 p.m. in the Kerr Sports & Fitness Center at LaRoche College.
Students’ submissions are evaluated on originality, technical skill and the emergence of personal vision by a panel of local jurors comprised of artists, art educators and other arts professionals.