It's Back To School for Chartiers Valley!

We want you to share your child’s Back To School photos as he or she heads off to the school bus stop to start another year!

It’s the first day back to school for Chartiers Valley students! We all remember that dreadful day when we throw on our brand new clothes, tie up (or Velcro) our styling new shoes and throw on that backpack that is amazingly light without any books inside. Then we walk to the bus stop with Mom not far behind. In my case, I trudged out the front door and walked to the neighborhood elementary school in Mt. Lebanon. Then things would settle down a little bit when you'd take a seat at your new desk and meet your new teachers for the year. So we want you to share your child’s Back To School photos as he or she heads off to the school bus stop waiting to start another year. You can easily upload the photos or videos by clicking on the large “…

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CV School Bus Drivers Accept Contract

Chartiers Valley’s school bus driver and custodial union overwhelmingly approved the agreement and are awaiting the school board to ratify the contract.

Chartiers Valley’s school bus driver and custodial union overwhelmingly approved a contract agreement over the weekend. The Chartiers Valley Education Support Professionals union now must wait for the school board to formally ratify the contract, which could happen during tonight’s 7:30 p.m. workshop meeting. Butch Santicola, a spokesman for the union, said the school bus drivers and custodians voted Sunday by a “substantial margin” to accept the 4-year agreement. The two sides met Friday to finalize details of the contract after tough negotiations last school year that continued through the summer. Terms of the agreement were not available since the school board has not ratified the contract. “The members accepted it. That says enough …

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Poll: What Should School Districts Do To Avoid Raising Taxes?

Some say tax increases are inevitable; others say schools need to live within their means and make cuts accordingly.

Because many school districts throughout western Pennsylvania raised property taxes this spring to balance their budgets, the public spotlight on them is burning brightly. What is the answer to balancing a school district's budget as costs rise? As students prepare to go back to school within the next few weeks, Patch is asking what you think school districts should do. Budget deliberations are an annual affair. When spring rolls around in 2013, many of the same questions and issues will remain. What do you think should be done? How do you think cuts will affect the coming school year? Please tell us your thoughts by posting in the comments. This poll will be cross published on all Patch sites across western Pennsylvania. If you are …

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Bob Howard

2:04 pm on Monday, September 24, 2012

You are making a great case for school choice. As it now stands the district will rally around the organization and explain that you don't understand. But if you had the choice of taking your money and child elsewhere (like customers do) you can bet they would be all over themselves to address your concern. School choice is the only and obvious answer but you can't have it because the unions are …   more ›

Kids Could See More Snow Days This School Year

AccuWeather.com predicts storms this fall that will spawn more snow this winter.

With the new Chartiers Valley school year rapidly approaching, students are likely already wondering how lucky they'll get with snow days. Good news for them (maybe not so much for school administrators) is that AccuWeather.com reports that those students will likely get more snow days this school year than they did during the last one. Last winter, at least nine of the country's snowiest cities had less than 60 percent of their average snowfall (according to USA Today). How is this intensity of this winter being measured? "The presence of El Niño or La Niña—and their strength—is used to project how active the winter season is going to be," AccuWeather.com reports. And AccuWeather.com long-range meteorologists are projecting a weak to …

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New Blog Reaches Out to CV Alumni

The school district is posting stories about Chartiers Valley and some of its former students.

There’s a new blog out for Chartiers Valley alumni to read about their school and keep in touch with former classmates. The Colt Connections Blog, which is run by school district spokeswoman Kara Droney, began posting immediately after this year’s commencement. Droney has posted several stories since, including a 2005 graduate who plans to participate in the Paralympic Games. Another post displays an interactive map that shows where many of the 2012 graduates will be attending college this fall. She plans to continue blogging during the season and will post portions of the blog entries on Chartiers Valley Patch’s Local Voices section. If you’re a CV alum, check out the blog and offer your feedback for the school district. The website can …

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Jonesin' For News

Lunch Box Memories

Tell us your lunch box memories in the comments section or explain what your kids are bringing to school on the first day.

I can still hear my sandwich, apple and thermos rattling around in that blue, plastic lunch box I brought to school each day in elementary school. The food would be making a deep clunking sounds as I carried my Snoopy lunch box with my little backpack slung across my shoulders. Ka-clunck, ka-clunk, ka-clunck. My elementary school in Mt. Lebanon, just a couple blocks from the house, didn’t serve hot food, so we packed our lunches each day or walked up to the now defunct Chicago’s Pizzeria when we were old enough. The only thing I did buy each day was a half-pint of milk. But by the time we made it to junior high, we were too cool for lunch boxes and usually brown bagged it or ate that scrumptious cafeteria food (anyone remember those pizza …

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Lunch Prices Going Up for CV Students

Lunch prices are going up 15 cents for students in the Chartiers Valley School District.

Lunch prices are going up for students in the Chartiers Valley School District. All lunch prices are going up 15 cents, according to district spokesman Chuck McCartney. That means the cost of lunch at the primary and intermediate schools are increasing to $2.05. The middle and high school lunch prices are going up to $2.25. Breakfast prices are also going up across the board, McCartney said, meaning they will now cost $1.15. The increase of 15 cents means students who purchase their lunches at school will be pay an additional $27 this year. The school district raised the prices on lunches by a dime last year. Like the Chartiers Valley Patch Facebook page or sign up for our Daily E-mail Newsletter

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My Turn

Those Back to School Jitters

Reminiscing about the first day of school... anxieties and all.

So, the kids are back to school this week. In fact, a neighbor had a "Back to School" banner up on her front porch. I got to thinking, like I do, how bad do you hate your kids if you have to put up a "Back to School" banner? That banner just screamed, “Yay! They’re out of the house for eight hours EVERY DAY until Christmas!” I loved school, but I never liked the first day back. It was always fun, but a little scary. I remember when I went from being a middle school student to a high school student. To a kid, the transition is monumental, even though it's really just going from one school to another. I remember hearing the rumors in middle school. “Kids in high school keep guns and knives in their lockers.” Luckily, that rumor turned out …

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Tracy Fedkoe

3:54 pm on Wednesday, August 31, 2011

When I was entering middle school for the first time, our teachers went on strike and every night for 6 weeks was "the night before the first day of school" because my parents had to listen to the news every night to find out if they settled, and we still had to go to bed early. It was torture. At least this year we have email alerts to inform us of a strike.   more ›

Mom in Motion

Making The Back-to-School Transition Easier

5 tips on how moms can keep their sanity during this hectic time of year.

If there’s ever a stressful time of year for moms of school-age children, it’s back to school. Growing up, I remember the “getting ready” phase would start long before summer was over and bring with it that feeling of dread. Not that I hated school at all. It was just that after a long summer of being free from sitting still, homework, bedtimes and schedules, I just simply wasn’t ready to go back. I found out that as a parent, that hasn’t changed. Every year, it’s the same time, and I am still never ready. Having been there a few years with still many more to go, I have learned that a little preparation can go a long way in making the transition smoother. It’s never going to be smooth, but there are ways to minimize the chaos. Start to set…

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