Bellefonte Area School District

It is always a fun surprise when Mr. Roth visit's Srta Waite's Spanish classes at BAMS! Mr. Roth popped in during a lesson reviewing 12 Deseos Para El Año Nuevo-12 Wishes For the New Year. He learned the significance behind wearing a certain color of underwear on New Year's Eve and what that is to bring in the coming year: red-amor, verde-salud, or amarillo-dinero. Students are shown with Mr. Roth doing a brain break. Finally, before leaving for the day, Mr. Roth got to feel nostalgic to the Tommy Tutone song: 867-5309 as students are learning numbers 0-20 and for fun listening to the chorus of this song and reciting the phone number in Spanish to a partner. Mr Roth said that he was in 7th grade when that song was big!

Coach Prestie “Skip” Headings has been a cheer coach for over 20 years. He has led his teams to state and national competitions all over the country. Recently, Coach Headings has been nominated for the 2025 PIAA Champion Coaches Award! Individuals that are nominated have shown to great extent involvement with school and community activities and programs, commitment and dedication to the organization, a sound coaching philosophy, along with integrity and leadership in the sport of cheerleading. Congratulations, Coach Headings on your nomination! Winners will be announced at the Santander Arena during the PIAA State Competition.

The Bellefonte Area School District is hiring! Listed below are some of the highlighted positions: 1. Head Varsity and Assistant Varsity Coach - Cross Country 2. Custodian, 2nd Shift - BAMS 3. Utility Assistant - Marion-Walker Elementary 4. Cafeteria Worker - High School 5. Elementary Life Skills Support Teacher 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!

Congratulations to Haley Way for earning the January ELKS Teen of the Month! Haley’s academic resume is truly exceptional. She has taken several AP and honors courses throughout her high school career. What sets Haley apart, however, is not only her ability to excel but also her unwavering curiosity and drive to go beyond the material. Haley approaches challenges with enthusiasm and persistence, qualities that will undoubtedly propel her toward continued success. Beyond her academic achievements, Haley is a natural leader and a thoughtful collaborator. She has actively engaged with peers, fostering a positive and productive learning environment. Haley has participated in several community based events through the National Honor Society contributing to increasing morale of our school. Haley Way embodies the qualities of a well-rounded scholar and individual: intellectual curiosity, perseverance, and integrity. She exemplifies the core values celebrated by the Elks Teen of the Month program: academic excellence, leadership, and a commitment to making a positive difference.

At Bellefonte Elementary, students in Ms. Brown's class used the photos of themselves standing next to the tree to create snow globes for their families before our winter break!

The Board of Directors met last evening to determine which of the four elementary buildings would attend the new one. The Board voted for Bellefonte Elementary and Benner Elementary students to attend the new elementary building in the fall of 2026! This decision was driven by the Board's commitment to ensure the well-being and success of all students in the District. The physical challenges of the buildings, combined with the need to allocate resources to facilities that can better meet the long-term needs of our students, made this an unavoidable conclusion. The goal is to provide every child with a safe, nurturing, and high-quality learning environment, and are confident that this step, though painful, is necessary to achieve that goal. To read the full letter from Dr. Rakszawski, please click the following link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zRKeaLqbLzEiUFfCFK-ew57DW4Mjf4s4/view?usp=sharing Or go to our website and locate School News.

The Bellefonte Area School District is hiring! Listed below are some of the highlighted positions: 1. Elementary Life Skills Support Teacher 2. Middle School Reading Specialist 3. Cafeteria Aide - Marion-Walker Elementary 4. Mechanic - High School 5. Classroom Paraeducator - Benner Elementary 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!

In preparation for BAMS Drama Club's upcoming production of Disney's The Little Mermaid, the drama directors had local puppeteer Adam Swartz come work with the students! He gave the students tips on how to control fish puppets (that were designed and created by him) that will be used in the upcoming production! The students were very excited to meet their puppets and learn how to move with them on the stage.

Need a day from cooking dinner? Eat in or carry out from the Bellefonte Hofbrau today! A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Bellefonte Area High School Student Council Mini-THON initiative.

Tomorrow evening there will be a School Board Meeting held at the Bellefonte Area Middle School cafeteria, beginning at 7:00PM. The public is encouraged to attend! Click the link to access the Board Agenda: https://go.boarddocs.com/pa/bellasd/Board.nsf/Public

Bellefonte Area High School students attended the District Orchestra Festival in Westmont-Hilltop on Friday, January 10th. They enjoyed the experience!

In December, both first grades at Benner Elementary and at Pleasant Gap worked together with Ms. D’Ambrosia by completing an integrated day of learning about natural and manmade resources. The classes started off with reading the Lorax, then planted seeds on their farm. After that the students learned about different resources, how they are harvested, and what they are used for. The students then harvested the resources and graphed what was picked. Lastly, they collected different resources to create products to take to a celebration. The students learned that if they take too many resources, there won’t be enough left!

Good evening! Our area is to anticipate some extreme low temperatures next week. With the very low temperatures predicted for Tuesday and Wednesday, Dr. Rakszawski will consider several factors for those days. BASD's current Administrative Regulation cites a wind chill of -20 degrees as criteria for closing. However, other factors may come into play, like the ability to keep buses running in those temperatures as well as building HVAC systems ability to provide a safe learning environment for all. Come Monday evening, Dr. Rakszawski will do his best to consider all factors and make the best decision for all. At this time, the district anticipates our schools opening as usual on Tuesday and Wednesday. Please encourage your children to dressed appropriately as they leave the house. In the event that our buildings cannot open on Tuesday and/or Wednesday, those would be FID days. Stay warm, be safe, and be kind.

At Bellefonte Elementary, students in Miss Metric’s class had a great time at their holiday party before break. They played a candy cane game in which they tossed a candy cane fishing hook at a bucket of candy canes to try and hook them just as if they were fishing! The students had a great time. This activity was a parent’s idea and Miss Metric, along with all of the teachers, very much appreciate the parent volunteers that help make our children's daily experiences even better.

The Jana Marie Foundation was at the high school for monthly Wellness Friday in January. The activity offered was setting intentions for the New Year. Students really enjoyed creating these affirmations!

For Your Calendars: BAHS Student Council is sponsoring a Mini-THON Dine in/out night at the Bellefonte Hofbrau on Monday, January 20th! A portion of the proceeds will go to the high school's Mini-THON program.

The Bellefonte Area School District is hiring! Listed below are some of the highlighted positions: 1. Cafeteria Aide - PG Elementary 2. JV Assistant Baseball Coach 3. JV Assistant Softball Coach 4. Junior High Head Girls' Soccer Coach 5. Classroom Paraeducator - Benner Elementary 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!

The BAMS Library is hosting a new reading incentive called Reading Dragons! Reading Dragons is a card collecting, dragon evolving adventure - with over 60 different dragons to evolve. Evolving dragons and earning special characters will make reading an even more exciting adventure!

Allies in Action is a program designed for students in grades 10-12 to facilitate conversations with students in 6th grade about bullying prevention, allyship, and promoting positive peer relationships. Specific lessons in the 4-week program include impact and speech, power and respect, difference and value, and ally and act. The Friends of Rachel Club members volunteered for this program. Allies in Action can help students prevent bullying and promote healthy peer and community relationships by promoting allyship and fostering a culture of respect, empathy, and acceptance. The high school volunteers are role models to their younger schoolmates, which helps create a positive, community-oriented learning environment.

Good morning! Please enjoy today's Snapshot Tuesday newsletter for January 14th. Have a great day!