Bellefonte Area School District

For your Calendars: Would you like your opinion heard? The BASD Board of School Directors will be holding a public hearing to receive and consider comments from the public on the issue/question as to whether one or more of the District’s elementary schools should be permanently closed and/or explore other options. This will be held at the Bellefonte Area Middle School on Thursday, September 26th at 7:00PM. Please see the message below for the formal statement provided by the Board of School Directors: NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Bellefonte Area School District Board of School Directors will be holding a public hearing pursuant to Section 780 of the Public-School Code of 1949, as amended, to present information as well as to receive and consider comments from the public on the issue/question as to whether one or more of the District’s elementary schools should be permanently closed and/or explore other options. The hearing shall be held in the Cafeteria at the Bellefonte Area Middle School, 100 North School Street, Bellefonte, Pennsylvania 16823 on Thursday, September 26, 2024, at 7 p.m. Any questions, please contact Dr. Roy Rakszawski, Superintendent.

Good morning! Please enjoy the Snapshot Tuesday newsletter for September 17. Today's newsletter features alumni: Kachina Spangler (2008) and Danielle (Dani) Hosterman (2006). Have a great Tuesday!

The Jana Marie Foundation was at BAHS for their first Wellness Friday of the school year. Since it is National Suicide Prevention Month, the activity was to write hopeful messages on a ribbon. It is displayed outside of the guidance office.

Bellefonte Area School District New Hire Spotlight: BASD welcomes Maranda Hanley to our staff! Maranda is a special education teacher at the Bellefonte Elementary School. Below is a little questionnaire about her: What is something you are passionate about outside of work? I am passionate about singing! I actually tried out for American Idol in 2019 (but clearly I didn't go far haha). You will always catch me humming a tune or singing under my breath! Who would you choose if you could pick 1 person (living or not living) to have dinner with? Kylie Kelce. She is mindful, she is intelligent, she is smart, and she is a woman of her word. I would LOVE to have one dinner with her. Using 3 different adjectives, describe yourself in 3 words: Confident, Empathetic, Sociable What is the best piece of advice someone has ever given you? My parents always told me to love others the way I would want to be loved. It is a spin off of "Treat others how you would want to be treated" and I have carried that with me for years. Why did you choose BASD? I chose BASD because I love the willingness to help from the staff, the community involvement, and the drive that the teachers/aids/administration have to make their students successful both inside and outside of the classroom. We hope that you enjoyed learning a little about Maranda and are excited to have her on our staff!

On September 10, Volleyball held a very successful Elementary Night! Students in Grades 1-6 were invited to watch a high school game and got to join the team on the court after the second set of the night.

Are you an alumni of the Bellefonte Area School District? Do you have a son or daughter that is an alumni? We would love to feature you or them in an upcoming Snapshot Tuesday newsletter! Please fill out the following questionnaire to be added: https://forms.gle/2RiF7a6uvuJkKBWw5 If you have questions, please email me at publicrelations@basd.net Some information to note: -I have a record of the names of those that responded last year. If you cannot remember if you were featured, email me. - I still have responses left over from last year that I am continuing to add. - If you are retired, please list the career that you retired from. -It is important that you include a picture. If not, I cannot include you. Thank you so much for your responses! The community and district staff very much enjoy reading about our alumni!

Students in Miss Waite’s 6th grade Spanish class learned about the traditional Spanish dance, the Flamenco. They finished up their unit by completing their own dance that includes proper hand and arm movement.

We honor those that lost their lives on this day, 23 years ago. We will never forget. #USA

It's Worker Wednesday! The Bellefonte Area School District is hiring. Listed below are some of the highlighted positions: 1. Middle School Vice Principal - BAMS 2. Director of Curriculum and Instruction - Administration 3. Varsity Assistant Volleyball Coach 4. Utility Assistant - Benner Elementary 5. Custodian, 2nd Shift - District Wide There are many more listed on our website, which can be viewed here: https://bellefonte.tedk12.com/hire/index.aspx Please share with family and friends - a fully employed school district is what our children deserve!

BASD is hiring a vice principal for Bellefonte Area Middle School! BAMS is seeking an energetic, instructional leader to join a student-centered team and work collaboratively with students, staff, and families. A valid PA Principal certificate is required.

September is National Suicide Prevention Month. Prevention works, and help is available! Please note the following key resources, because everyone deserves to feel safe, heard, and loved: The 988 Lifeline is a national network of local crisis centers that provides free and confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in the United States. Call or text 988 at any time. Locally, the Jana Marie Foundation works to raise awareness and hope through outreach and education. Learn more about their programming and events at janamariefoundation.org For more information about suicide prevention efforts at the state level, explore the 2024 PA Suicide Prevention Month Guide https://janamariefoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/2024-Pennsylvania-Suicide-Prevention-Guide.pdf

Bellefonte Area School District has had some major administrative changes over the last few weeks. Two that we would like to highlight are the new athletic director and the new Pleasant Gap Elementary principal. Dr. Daniel “Duffy” Besch had been the Pleasant Gap Elementary principal for the past eight years. He recently transitioned from PGE principal to the new Athletic Director for BASD. He has helped the previous AD in the past and it was a very logical decision for him to take on this new position. Dr. Joe Eckenroth was the vice principal at the Bellefonte Area Middle School for the past three years and where he began his administrative journey. He has now earned the opportunity to be the new principal at Pleasant Gap Elementary School. The district is excited about these changes in leadership and look forward to seeing our administration continue to grow and evolve to be the best they can for our students and staff.

It's Worker Wednesday! The Bellefonte Area School District is hiring. Listed below are some of the highlighted positions: 1. Middle School Vice Principal - BAMS 2. Director of Curriculum and Instruction - Administration 3. Technology Education Teacher - BAHS 4. Cafeteria Worker - Pleasant Gap Elementary 5. Mechanic - BAHS There are many more listed on our website, which can be viewed here: https://bellefonte.tedk12.com/hire/index.aspx Please share with family and friends - a fully employed school district is what our children deserve!

On the first day of school, the Pleasant Gap Elementary fifth graders came together to create this vibrant bulletin board. This project beautifully illustrates how the students are uniting as a diverse group, with each student contributing their unique strengths and perspectives. During this activity, they engaged in meaningful discussions about the importance of fostering a strong classroom community. The students also established norms to ensure that their classroom is a supportive and respectful environment where everyone feels valued and heard.

A Community Event for your Calendars: The Pedals & Pathways event will be held on Tuesday, September 10 from 5:00-7:00PM. This event will involve bike safety, biking lessons, and community feedback on the cycling safety infrastructure projects in the Centre Region. Please see the flier for more information. You can RSVP here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScqpk5wa4Fnw3NywLdkwDrFbu90r5HtgW2EUDi8SIAmHzIWwg/viewform *This is not a BASD affiliated event.

The Bellefonte READS program had a monumental 10th year during the 2023-2024 school year. The program raised more money than ever before and was able to provide over 1,000 books to over 400 families. Please check out this video that summarizes the tremendous work that they did this past year! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7A13gYKSjwg

For Your Calendars: Bellefonte Area High School will be hosting its 3rd Annual Dress Drive on September 9th from 6:30-8:30 at BAHS. Sororities from PSU will be hosting a fundraiser selling lightly used formal dresses for low prices. Please see the flier for more information.

Good morning! Here is the Friday Sports Wrap newsletter for August 30! Golf has been in full swing since the beginning of August and the rest of the sports have joined in their competitions over the last week. Have a good weekend!

Please enjoy the slideshow from the #BASDFirstDay2024 activity! We had over 90 submissions! Thank you so much for participating! https://youtu.be/yARK4vuktPY *If I accidently missed your submission, I am very sorry.

The Centre County Suicide Prevention Taskforce is hosting its annual Suicide Prevention Rally on Tuesday, September 3rd from 12:00-12:30 on the Bellefonte Courthouse steps. Please see the flier for more information.