Bellefonte Area School District

High School teacher, Mr. Freidhoff, took his DIG program down to Bellefonte Elementary school and worked with Mrs. Whitman’s 4th grade students. Mrs. Whitman’s students learned about the field of paleontology through Mr. Freidhoff’s experiences with the DIG field school. Students found actual fossils in sediment from the Hell Creek Formation in Montana which will be used in actual research through the Burke Museum. Two students actually found mammal teeth which are really rare to find!

Bring your friends and family and join us for our first Big BINGO benefiting YSB's Big Brothers Big Sisters program! Get ready for an afternoon of fun, prizes, and fundraising to support this program that positively impacts so many in our community. Mark your calendar for Sunday, March 16th and buy your tickets in advance to help us plan for a fantastic event! Anyone under 18 must be accompanied by an adult, so bring the whole family for a day of fun and giving back. Click the following link to purchase your tickets: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/ysbs-first-annual-big-bingo

Greetings! Please enjoy the Snapshot Tuesday newsletter for March 4th. Today's newsletter features new staff employee - Barbara Stoicheff and Class of 2025 student - Madisyn Breon. Have a great day!

The next School Board Meeting is tomorrow, March 4, 2025 at the Bellefonte Area Middle School cafeteria. The meeting will begin at 7:00PM and the public is encouraged to attend! The next meeting after tomorrow will be on March 18, 2025.

BAHS Student Council is hosting a Mini-THON Community Day for families on Saturday, March 15 from 2:00-5:00PM at the Bellefonte Area High School! Community Day will include obstacle courses, arts and crafts, science experiments, and minute to win it games - fun for all ages. Please see the attached graphic for pricing. We hope to see you there!

March is Social Work Month, and March 2-8 is School Social Work Week! Our district is served by two certified School Social Workers, Maria McClatchey and Jessica Irwin. They support students and families by connecting them to school and community resources, and removing barriers to educational engagement. Our school social workers assist students and families with basic needs, mental health services, community activities, and crisis support. They also provide direct counseling interventions to individuals and small groups, and coordinate outreach and wellness activities throughout the district. Jessica and Maria work closely with local community organizations, the district's Student Assistance Program (SAP) teams, School Counselors, and our Homeless and Foster Liaison. Check out the Social Work page on Bellefonte's website to see more! https://www.basd.net/page/socialwork #SSWWeek2025 #SocialWorkMonth

Busy weekday mornings make it a challenge for many families to find time for a healthy breakfast. Fortunately, BASD schools offer nutritious school breakfasts, complete with fruit and low-fat or fat-free milk, to ensure students are fueled for learning every school day! The 2025 National School Breakfast Week (March 3-7) campaign theme, “Clue In to School Breakfast,” reminds the entire school community that school breakfast provides a healthy and energizing start to the day for students. Studies show that students who eat school breakfast are more likely to: · Reach higher levels of achievement in reading and math · Score higher on standardized tests · Have better concentration and memory · Be more alert · Maintain a healthy weight To help celebrate National School Breakfast Week, the School Nutrition Association offers a fun activity guide to do at home with your family! You can find it here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uXXyIvJP2a6fSwqKXNbhufs0j7h5uvGL/view?usp=drive_link

Do you have a student who has a talent that deserves the spotlight? The Tides program invites students in grades K-12 to audition for Happy Valley’s Got Talent and be part of a truly magical evening of performances! Audition Details: -Date: Saturday, March 29 -Location: Mount Nittany Middle School -Who Can Audition? Students in grades K-12 -Cash Prizes! Two age groups: 12 years & under and 13 years & up -1st Place: $250 -2nd Place: $150 -3rd Place: $100 Happy Valley's Got Talent welcomes singers, dancers, instrumentalists, actors, comedians, magicians, and creative performers of all kinds! This is your chance to shine on stage and share your unique talents. Happy Valley’s Got Talent will take place on Saturday, April 26, at Mount Nittany Middle School. To register, click the following link: https://signup.com/client/invitation2/secure/8212870540114/false#/invitation

On Thursday, February 20th - Mrs. Cipro’s advanced video students, along with Mr. Maris, Dr. Besch, and retired teacher, Mr. Klein - began the recording process of the Bellefonte Elementary School documentary. Mr. Klein provided a tour of the building, Dr. Besch gave insights to his time there are a student and administrator, along with Mr. Maris providing exceptional historic information about the building. Students also interviewed teachers and community members. In March, they will be recording at Benner Elementary for its own documentary. We are looking forward to the end result!

The Bellefonte FaithCentre is looking for your help! They are sponsoring a Community Food Drive event for the month of March. Please see the attached graphic for more details. A few quick facts about the FaithCentre Food Bank: ● In 2024, the FaithCentre Food Bank served an average of 353 people per month. ● 54% of those helped were children or the elderly. ● The FaithCentre Food Bank provides each client with over twice the number of healthy dairy, produce, meat, and grain items required by the State. ● The FaithCentre Food Bank also serves area residents impacted by fire, flood, or other emergencies. ● At the FaithCentre, we also love pets! We provide free pet food to over 200 low-income area families in Bellefonte and State College.

Tides is sponsoring Teen Grief Day Camps during the month of July. Participants will learn how to groom and handle horses, learn about equine education, and participate in trail rides and other grief related activities. The camps are available to those 9-18 years of age. Limited spots are available! Please see the attached graphic for more information.

The Prom Attire Event is currently accepting prom dress, tuxedo, shoes, jewelry, and accessory donations. You can help make Prom more affordable to all students! Please see the attached graphic for drop off locations and contact information.

BAHS orchestra students provided live music for our guests from Leadership Centre County on February 26. They have an upcoming Gala on March 11 - at the BAHS theatre.

The BASD Art Teachers are pleased to announce a county-wide, K-12 Art Show to celebrate Youth Art Month (YAM) in March. Each teacher selected one piece of student work to be featured in the show at Kish Bank, 114 South Allen Street, State College. There will be a reception on March 7 from 5:30-7:30 (First Friday) for students, their families and the community. The show will hang from March 7-March 31 and be available for viewing during banking hours. The art department is very excited to be participating in this county-wide art event!

Marion-Walker Elementary is looking for a Utility Assistant to help with attendance, preparing materials, and general clerical work. If you are interested or know of someone that is interested, please share this with them!

The Jana Marie Foundation was at the high school for monthly Wellness Friday in February. The activity was a community heart piece where students could fill out hearts expressing their love and gratitude towards others.

Greetings! Please enjoy the Snapshot Tuesday newsletter for February 25th. Today's newsletter features new staff employee - Abigail Harper and Class of 2025 spotlight - Elyse Olson. Have a great day!

This past weekend many of our winter sports teams were very busy! The Swim Team and Girls' Wrestling team both participated in their PIAA D6 Championship competitions. Members from the gymnastics team participated in the PA Classic State Championship. This coming weekend, we'll have a member of the indoor track team competing in the PTFCA State Championship at Penn State along with eight wrestlers competing at the West AAA Regional Meet (which is the last meet before States). To read more about the performances and events to look forward to check out the attached newsletter.

The BAHS Raider Revolution team will be hosting its annual Variety Show program on Tuesday, February 25th! The show starts at 7:00PM and located in the high school's theatre. Cost is $5.00 per ticket and all monies are used as a fundraiser for the Raider Revolution program. We hope to see you there!

Bellefonte Area School District will be hosting Open Door Interview Days every Tuesday in March on Allegheny Street! The district is looking for custodial and cafeteria staff. Please share with those that might be able to help or are looking to work! See the flier for more information.