Students in Shaler Area School District will return to school on Aug. 24.

New and continuing programming includes Portrait of a Graduate, the district’s vision for 21st-century learning for every student.

“This is a process of identifying skills and characteristics that we desire our students to have as they graduate from Shaler Area. These are also aligned with the skills needed to be successful in college, the military, a trade and the workforce,” said Shaler superintendent Dr. Sean Aiken. “We are still in the process of developing specific goals and expectations at the grade bands throughout the various levels.”

Aiken defined grade bands as kindergarten through third, fourth through sixth, seventh and eighth and nine through 12th.

Also being offered for the first time is a fire fighting course. In partnership with the Allegheny County Fire Academy, Shaler Area High School will offer the essentials of firefighting to students interested in serving with the volunteer fire service by learning entry-level fire training, CPR, and first aid. High school juniors and seniors interested in enrolling for fall 2023 should see their school counselor, the district said.

Two new special education teachers, Ashley Ferguson and Lily Letterle, have been hired for the 2023-24 school year.

Also new this year is Science of Reading, a Pennsylvania Department of Education initiative extended to all kindergarten through eighth grade classroom teachers. It trains educators on how to identify potential risk factors for early reading deficiencies and instructs them on how to differentiate instruction to improve reading skills.

Kindergarten Entry Inventory assesses the cognitive and non-cognitive skills of all kindergarten students in the first 45 days of school.

The district is expanding its competitive eSports programs. Students in grades seven through 12 are eligible now to participate.

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