Newsroom

The Northgate School District will be hosting a flu clinic for all staff members, students and the community.

The clinic will be at the MS/HS from 8:30 a.m. to noon on Oct. 10. All students, 18 and under will need a consent form, which is available here. 

Vaccinations for the flu, pneumonia, shingles and more are available. You will need your insurance card. 

Registration is required. You may sign up by clicking this link.

Avalon Elementary School’s Parents as Allies in Making program was featured at the Hands-on Science Showdown on the Rachel Carson Bridge on Wednesday.

Presented by Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh and the Carnegie Science Center, the community event was associated with the 2022 Annual Conference of the Association of Science and Technology Centers. Avalon's educators had the opportunity to speak about the innovative program to attendees from around the country. Meanwhile, students in attendance enjoyed a day of various science demonstrations and activities.

The Parents as Allies in Making program teaches parents about the value of “maker learning” and how Avalon inspires creativity in its classrooms. The program includes three courses that parents can complete to become a coach in the school’s Makerspace.

 

Attention 5th, 6th, 7th, & 8th Grade Students:

Do you like acting, reading or public speaking? Would you like to get better at speaking in public?  Have you ever read the announcements for school, or would like to in the future?  If you answered yes to any of these questions, you would be great on the Forensics team at Northgate.  

Our first meeting for Forensics is coming up!  Avalon will be held Monday, Sept. 19 from 3:15 - 3:45 p.m. in Room 18. Bellevue will be held Tuesday, Sept. 20 from 3:15 - 3:45 p.m. in Mrs. Schuetz’s room (next to the Chill Room). Lastly, the Middle School will be held Wednesday, Sept. 28 from 3:15 - 3:45 p.m. in the Conference Room.  

You will be provided with more information about the program at that meeting.  Please email Mrs. Monahan if you are interested in participating. Those interested in participating can fill out the attached form.

Avalon Elementary
412-732-3300 ext. 3018
412-426-5573
gretchen.monahan@northgatesd.net
 

The Northgate News student newspaper has issued its first edition of the 2022-23 school year!

Click here to read the issue, which includes a tribute Dan O'Keefe, welcomes to the new school year, and a blend of commentary on sports and entertainment. 

The Northgate Homecoming Dance will be 7 to 10 p.m. Sept. 24 at the High School.

Tickets will be sold Sept. 14, 15, 16, 19, 20, 21 in the HS lobby after school and from 5:30- 7:30 at Open House on Sept. 15. The cost is $10 per person.

**NO TICKETS WILL BE SOLD AFTER SEPT. 21. ** 

Students who are bringing guests from another school MUST have their guest complete and return the Principal Verification Sheet before purchasing the guest ticket.  One guest per Northgate student.

The theme of this year's dance is "Hollywood Nights." The dance is for students in grades 9-12.

 

 

Late yesterday evening, the Northgate administration learned about the death of longtime school board director and dedicated community advocate, Dan O’Keefe. 

Dan served on the district’s school board for more than two decades, devoting countless hours toward enriching the lives of our students.  

A father of Northgate graduates, Dan’s involvement in the district dates back to the 1990s when he helped establish the Avalon Elementary Drama Club. He would later become an active member of the band boosters, including working as a student chaperone and publisher of the Marching Band Festival Program. 

Dan has been an impactful leader and key proponent of public education for years. During his time on the school board, Dan served on multiple committees, was board president for three years, and was a member when the board received the distinguished Richard Wynn Award. He was serving as vice president of the school board for the past two years.

In addition to his role at Northgate, Dan was serving as president of the A.W. Beattie Career Center Joint Operating Committee, leading a group of representatives from nine school districts. He also was a board director for the Allegheny Intermediate Unit for the past six years.

His unwavering commitment to education earned him respect amongst his peers and resulted in his election to represent the region on the Governing Board of the Pennsylvania School Boards Association for multiple years. He was awarded accreditation as Master School Board Member in 2011 and was awarded the designation of an accredited School Director Leader a decade later.

Dan’s legacy and impact in our community will not be forgotten. Our thoughts are with his family.

The Northgate Cheerleaders will host a clinic for students in K-6 on Sept. 21. 

Participants will learn a cheer routine, perform for their parents at the end of the clinic, and will be able to march in the Homecoming Parade with the Cheerleaders before the Homecoming Game on Friday, Sept. 23. The parade will go from Avalon Elementary to Alumni Field.

Click here for the registration form!

Join us at Alumni Field at 7 p.m. on Aug. 31 to meet our fall sports teams!

 

The Northgate School District is proud to welcome back a second year of the Odyssey of the Mind after school program in its elementary schools. 

Odyssey of the Mind is a competitive creativity competition in which teams of five to seven students solve a defined, complicated problem that they present at the competition in the spring. They also train to solve spontaneous problems, problems given to the team that they have only minutes to solve. 

It is open to students in grades 1-6 in Bellevue and Avalon. Click here to register.

“Odyssey of the Mind participants must do everything by themselves to solve the problems, so they apply all sorts of STEAM principles to get to their solutions” said Bill Bergmann, a leader of the effort in Northgate. “They write and perform original skits; they design and construct all props and costumes; they build sets and required technical elements to the problems; they develop a plan to complete their solution and do so within a budget.”

The activities support the education students receive in the classroom, and provide for an opportunity to work with their peers.

“The long-term problem they solve requires them to make decisions as a team and to have individuals work on tasks on behalf of the team,” Bergmann said. “In the spontaneous, or short-term, problem the team must act fast and take good starting ideas and make them better to develop the strongest possible solution. The sum of these experiences reveals to participants that they are stronger at solving problems as a team than they are individually, that listening and finding value in the ideas of others makes them better at what they do. This isn't always an easy journey, but it is an incredibly valuable life skill.”

Students participating in the program this past school year had great success, with a team from Avalon Elementary advancing to the World Finals competition in Iowa in the spring.

But the competition wasn’t the only measurement of the program’s success.

“We had seven teams across the two elementary schools and they performed very well at the regional competition," Bergmann said. "Judges remarked on the energy and creativity brought to the solutions. I was proud when one of our Avalon Elementary School teams advanced to the Pennsylvania State Finals and astounded when they then advanced to the World Finals. This achievement and the outpouring of support from the community was a sweet ending to a great year and it was a wonderful experience for the kids. This success is a testament to the great kids we have in the district and the quality of education our children receive. I'm looking forward to another successful year!”

The Northgate School District "Tireless Effort Award" is given to individuals in the district who have gone above and beyond in their efforts to support our students and our school community. 

Personnel in each of the three school buildings are nominated for the award. 

The Middle/High School Tire was presented to the high school custodial team, including Brett Barkschat, Dave Amend, Jason Gregor, Karen Berwick, Elijah McBride-Burson, Zach Waldschmidt and Mandy Viviano. 

They were nominated by Bob Metz, facility manager, who wrote:

“The High School Custodial Team deserves to be recognized for their tireless effort this summer to keep up with the hectic pace and endless list of work. In addition to the usual summer cleaning, the team took on additional projects such as removing large trees, pressure washing the building exterior, and a significant amount of painting. The evening custodian's teamwork was evident in the work they completed each night while continuing daily cleaning tasks along with painting classrooms allowing the daytime team to work on special projects. Please thank them for their hard work and dedication when you see them.”

The Bellevue Tire was given to school psychologist Krista Black. She was nominated by Christina Garczewski, Director of Special Education, who wrote:

“Krista has one of the most important and challenging positions in the district.  She is the sole psychologist completing special education evaluations and functional behavior assessments.  Due to the pandemic, Krista conducted over 100 evaluations during the 2021-2022 school year.  Krista is positive, helpful, knowledgeable and a huge asset to the department and district.  All of Krista's work requires stringent timelines and compliance.  She not only meets these compliance standards, she surpasses them.  She is the first to volunteer to assist with developing plans for students in need and jumps at the opportunity to support faculty and staff.  Krista is an advocate for all students.  Krista has an amazing ability to quickly form relationships with families and works diligently to provide guidance and support that meets the child's best interest.  Thank you for all of your hard work and dedication to the Northgate students and families.”

The recipients of the Avalon Tire were Judy Zimmerman and Carrie Davies. Both are business office personnel nominated by Chris Ursu, Director of Finance, who wrote:

"Judy Zimmerman and Carrie Davies have worked in the district business office for many years, performing essential functions such as the payment of bills and processing of payroll.  They have faithfully executed their duties through both good times and bad.  When the pandemic hit in 2020, Judy found a way to make sure that the monthly payroll was never missed, even as the shutdown required her to work from home using only a laptop.  Similarly, Carrie made sure that the district’s bills continued to be paid in a timely manner despite delays in the mail and other challenges.  
 
Over the past couple of years, the district implemented a new enterprise resource planning software to overhaul its accounts payable, accounts receivable, and payroll processes.  Many hours of training were required, and there were numerous hurdles along the way.  Despite this, Judy and Carrie persisted until the software was successfully implemented. 
 
The work that Judy and Carrie do is essential to allowing the district to remain open so that its teachers and other employees can provide exemplary educational opportunities to students in keeping with the district’s vision statement.  As a token of appreciation, I would like to present Judy and Carrie with the district’s tireless award.”

Meet with Bellevue Elementary Principal Dr. Michael Amick prior to the start of the upcoming school year! These meetings provide the opportunity to learn about the academic initiatives, support systems, clubs and other things that are happening at Bellevue Elementary School.

The YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh is hiring to fill positions in its after school programs, including in the Northgate School District. For information, visit: https://pittsburghymca.org/careers

Northgate High School will host a Back to School Night for students and families on Aug. 23! Join us to receive and review class schedules, as well as learn about the exciting opportunities in the high school!

The Northgate Varsity Football Team has partnered up with Mattress Warehouse on McKnight Road for a fundraiser on Aug. 13, starting at 9 a.m. If you’re in need of some good sleep and a new mattress, these prices can’t be beat! Come support our team! #INAM

 

 

Avalon Elementary will be hosting a Welcome Back Water Games event for its families from 4 to 6 p.m. Aug. 18 on the field behind the school. The event will include a student versus teacher water balloon battle!

Free hot dogs and refreshments will be served, as well as free ice cream from Scoops in Bellevue, courtesy of the Avalon Elementary PTO. 

We look forward to seeing the Avalon Elementary community gather together as we get ready to start the upcoming school year!