The buses are fueled and ready, walls have been painted, floors have been polished and teachers are decorating their bulletin boards. It's time for schools to reopen.

Here's a roundup of activities in West schools:

Aliquippa

Like many districts, Aliquippa is expanding its online course work. Unlike others, the district is doing it directly instead of joining consortiums to share classes. This year, it will use Lincoln Interactive classes, developed by the Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School and marketed through a cyber school offshoot, the National Network of Digital Schools.

	V.W.H. Campbell, Post-Gazette Thirty or more volunteers came together Saturday to assemble and install new playground equipment for Crafton Elementary School. The school's parent-teacher group raised $20,000 for the equipment. Click photo for larger image.

Lincoln Interactive offers a full slate of both basic and advanced courses to supplement what's available within the traditional classroom setting.

Students start classes Tuesday. Enrollment is expected to remain steady at about 1,350.

Rachel Gray has been promoted from assistant principal to principal at the elementary school; the school board is interviewing candidates for assistant principal and for the new position of curriculum and student achievement coordinator.

Ambridge Area

Classes start Wednesday for the district's 2,950 pupils -- about the same enrollment as last year.

In some ways, the biggest news for Ambridge schools will have only a passing impact on students. The new high school will be under construction adjacent to the existing one throughout the year, though it won't open until January 2008.

Other changes include a Web-based reading and math program for all grades and additional duties for special education supervisor Michelle Scala-Dubaich, who will also serve as principal at State Street Elementary. The district also is offering after-school tutoring for all students.

Beaver Area

A new high school musical theater course may be the most noticeable change, but there are other changes beneath the surface. The district is in a multi-year strategic planning process, and will redesign its Web site and make changes in administrative processes.

Enrollment is steady at about 2,150, with classes starting Monday. High school students will have a new principal, Dan Taormina, promoted from associate principal.

Beaver is also expanding its online learning opportunities, through a number of consortiums with other districts and with courses it has developed itself.

Bishop Canevin

Students at Bishop Canevin High School in the Oakwood section of Pittsburgh will begin the year on a staggered scheduled.

Only seniors will report from 8 to 11 a.m. today, only juniors will attend classes those hours tomorrow, and sophomores will do the same on Monday. On Tuesday, freshmen will spend a full day (8 a.m. to 2:25 p.m.) in classes. The full student body reports Wednesday.

Blackhawk

The big addition is a combination fitness center and dance studio in the high school.

The fitness center has free weights and a variety of fitness machines, and will be integrated into the physical education program, similar to the program launched at the middle school with its own new fitness center last year.

The dance studio initially will host evening classes for people from the community, but the district is looking to build a dance curriculum for students in the near future.

Classes open Tuesday with about 2,850 pupils, continuing a gradual enrollment decline. Those at the high school will have a new assistant principal, former teacher Ken Marlovits.

High school students will have a couple of new advanced placement courses available. The district also is adding a half-credit technology requirement, to be sure all graduates can use basic computer software.

Carlynton

Classes begin Monday. Parents can visit their children's classrooms and meet their teachers during open house at 6 p.m. next Thursday in Carnegie and Crafton elementary schools.

Starting Tuesday, Junior-Senior High School students will begin their day by reporting to their first-period class, which will be followed by homeroom period for announcements. On Monday, students must report to homeroom by 7:30 a.m. Reversing the order of homeroom and first period is intended to motivate students to be on time for classes.

Crafton Elementary pupils have a new playground. It was assembled by volunteers last weekend and will be dedicated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 9:30 a.m. Monday. The PTA has raised about half of the $44,000 total for the project, which has enabled completion of phase one, including equipment and surfacing. The PTA must raise $20,000-$25,000 for the remaining phases, which will be used for additional equipment. Completion is targetedfor next spring or summer.

Amy Burch starts the year as new principal of Carnegie Elementary School. She had been a fourth-grade teacher in the Franklin Regional School District for nine years. And psychologist Lynn Barrett joins the district. She had been with the Hopewell Area School District.

The high school cafeteria has been painted blue, yellow, purple and orange hues by members of the student council who spent several summer vacation days on the project. The cafeteria also has new graphic murals, fresh hanging plants and a new moniker -- The Cougar Den.

Center Area

Construction is the big news, with work ongoing on a new primary center for kindergarten through second grade, a technology center in the high school and renovations to the high school/middle school cafeteria.

Projects that will be finished this year include a new middle school drop-off area, a new high school parking lot, tennis courts, a new roof on the high school/middle school and restrooms and concession stands at the stadium.

Classes open Tuesday, with 1,892 students, keeping enrollment steady.

The district has a new assistant superintendent, Nicholas Perry, and is also adding an advanced placement biology course. The high school is looking to expand its dual enrollment program, letting upperclassmen take college courses, and also will look to focus more on career and vocational skills.

Chartiers Valley

There may be construction materials, workers and vehicles strewn about the district's schools this week, but officials are adamant that the first day of classes will be Monday -- on schedule.

"Regardless of what you hear, phase I [of a $30 million districtwide expansion and renovation project] will be complete by Monday, Superintendent Anthony Skender said Tuesday night. "We'll be operational on Monday."

Art Turner, facilities director, echoed those sentiments.

"School's going to open. We're ready."

Chuck McCartney, public relations coordinator, pointed out that most construction is outside of buildings. As long as parking is available and the school buses can get through, there will be minimal disruption to the educational environment, he said.

Bob Gold, district construction manager, gave a quick update on work at each building. The new rear driveway to and from the high school/middle school to Thoms Run Road will be ready for traffic next week. He expects the high school/middle school addition to be "under roof within 30 days or so."

Director Patti Frey said parents are concerned about parking for football games, but Mr. Gold said some new spots have been provided around the building and a new parking lot is under way at the primary school across the road. The main waterline that services the stadium is finished.

Chartiers Valley's first home football game isn't scheduled until Sept. 15, but the high school band will sponsor a band festival at 7 p.m. Sept. 9 at the stadium.

At the intermediate school in Scott, where a driveway has been eliminated because of expansion, 24 additional parking spots, as well as the main road, were to be paved beginning yesterday. It will be finished by the first day of school, as will the retention pond, which is being built to meet Scott's requirements, Mr. Gold said.

Paving also was slated to start yesterday for the new parking lot entrance and exit at the primary school, as well as the filling of 10 caisson drillings. The caisson work will be finished in mid-September. The primary school addition is in the works, but pupils are barricaded from entering it from the school.

Mr. Gold assured officials that the first phase is on schedule and under budget.

New to the district this year, the science curriculum will be revised in grades three-five, and the 10th grade American Cultures classes will pilot an online text program, with the districtwide Spanish program moving into its 11th year.

Cornell

The high school will introduce Advanced Placement Problems of Democracy, with Kristopher Hupp teaching it. Cornell already offers AP English and AP Stats. Cornell students also have the opportunity to participate in a Dual Enrollment Program with Community College of Allegheny County.

Pupils in grades six-12 will complete an Internet safety training course called i-Safe. It can be viewed at www.i-Safe.org. The senior high student council is sponsoring the program.

The district recently submitted an application for the Classrooms of the Future grant through the state Department of Education. It will provide laptops, Smartboards and other technology in the classrooms over a three-year period.

Divine Mercy, Beaver Falls

A bumper crop of 37 preschool children has caused Divine Mercy to start an afternoon session this fall. Enrollment is down a bit to 101 in grades K-eight at the Catholic school, however.

Classes begin Monday, with preschool starting Sept. 5.

The school has added some computers for both pupils and staff, and has made minor building repairs.

Elizabeth Seton, Sheraden

Classes begin today with a half-day of school. Enrollment has surged from 116 in 2004 to more than 200 this year, according to principal Sarah Tonski. She credited the increase to a generous benefactor who has helped subsidize tuition, increased advertising and the popularity of the school among city families.

Linda Cummins is the new fifth-grade language arts teacher, succeeding William Hilbert, who retired after more than 30 years.

The school has been painted and the front bricks have been repointed in observance of the building's 100th anniversary.

Holy Child, Bridgeville

Grades one-eight will begin classes with half-day sessions today and tomorrow. The year starts with an enrollment increase in K-eight (177 pupils), a new full-day preschool program and a change for the three-day preschool. It moves from the convent back into the school so the children will have more space and better access to staff.

Teachers have an upgraded Accelerated Reader Program to track what the children read and how well they comprehend the material.

Also, the school has a wireless system to work with the laptops purchased last year and to enable teachers to access the Internet in their classrooms.

Holy Trinity, Robinson

Classes will begin with half-day sessions Monday and Tuesday. Full-day classes begin Wednesday. A back-to-school picnic will be from 5 to 9 p.m. today at the Rotary Shelter in Robinson Park.

Kimberly Stevenson is the new principal. She had been principal at Elizabeth Ann Seton School.

Hopewell Area

About 2,750 children will start classes Monday, an enrollment similar to that of recent years.

The biggest changes this year will be in the science curriculum, which is being revamped from fifth grade through high school.

Grades five-eight will use Glencoe module textbooks and hands-on science kits to learn a blend of life, earth and physical sciences each year. This year's ninth-graders will be the trailblazers for a new approach to high school science, studying biology this year, chemistry in 10th grade and physics in 11th, with subsequent classes to follow the same path.

This year's seventh-graders will do the same with math, pioneering a program called Bridge to Algebra, which gives them pre-algebra in seventh grade and half of the typical Algebra I in eighth grade.

Lincoln Park

Everything is new at Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School, which starts classes for the first time Sept. 5 in the brand new Lincoln Park Performing Arts Center in Midland.

An off-shoot of the Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School, Lincoln Park is a high school specializing in drama, music, dance and media arts. As of last week, 255 had enrolled; at most, 300 students are expected to attend.

Along with the arts center, which has dance and music studios, a black box theater and audio and video recording studios, the school also will use other nearby spaces, including a creative writing center in the lower floor of the Midland Public Library.

Course work is a mix of classroom and online learning, with a required multiyear interdisciplinary core course called Language and Materials of the Arts. Academic classes are mostly run in conjunction with the cyber charter school, with a staff of teaching artists handling the performing arts instruction.

The school also will offer early college credit, with Community College of Beaver County professors teaching juniors and seniors two days a week, for both high school and college credit.

One other twist is the school year, which is 200 days rather than the traditional 180. This includes some extended time in June and some Saturdays, when there are special performances.

Rebecca Manning will serve as chief executive, with Holly Castelli as dean of academics and Stephen Catanzarite as dean of arts.

Montour

Class begins next Thursday. The new 2006-2007 bus schedules are posted at the district's Web site.

The year's first PTSA meeting will be at p.m. Sept. 19 in the high school cafeteria.

The site also highlights "an ambitious initiative to prepare students not only for the new SAT, but for the demands of research-based education." The focus is on prekindergarten through 12th-grade literacy.

Moon Area

Classes resume Tuesday. Curriculum initiatives include work on science, environment and ecology in order to meet Pennsylvania's mandated standards and to prepare for the 2007 science, technology, environment, and ecology PSSA. Literacy will be stressed in a multidisciplinary manner in Writing Across the Curriculum. Nearly 500 student computers have been installed, and 275 teacher computers have been updated.

Ten new teachers have been hired: two for third-grade at Bon Meade, one each for third grade at Allard, first grade at Brooks, special education at Bon Meade and special education at Hyde.

Also new hires are a speech pathologist and librarian at Brooks, a new social studies and a new physical education teacher at the middle school.

Mount Gallitzin Academy, Baden

Enrollment preschool through eighth grade is at 207 at Mount Gallitzin, a Catholic school serving 13 school districts. Enrollment has been steadily rising in recent years.

The school has two new teachers, and the classrooms have carpeting and new lighting. A roof repair project has been completed as well.

New Brighton Area

The district is upgrading the curriculum for its 1,838 pupils, with new early intervention curricula for reading and language in early grades and college courses in upper grades.

Classes start Tuesday. Enrollment is about the same as last year.

The high school will expand its dual enrollment program, which lets juniors and seniors who are doing well take college courses for dual credit. The district also has joined the "blended schools" consortium, a group of Pennsylvania schools using technology to share course work through videoconferencing and online classes to give students a broader range of choices.

Also, the district will offer Japanese as an elective at the high school. The high school also will have a new music teacher and band director, Jamie Rapp, and guidance counselor, Caroline Wiest.

Our Lady of Grace, Scott

Classes will begin with a half day on Monday. Enrollment has increased by 30, with total enrollment at 270 in K-eight and 60 in the preschool for 3- and 4-year-olds. Full- and half-day kindergarten will be offered for the first time, bringing the number of classes to three -- full-day, half-day morning and half-day afternoon.

Before-school care begins at 7 a.m. and after-school care runs from 3:15 to 6 p.m..

Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Moon

Classes begin Monday for seniors, Tuesday for juniors, Wednesday for sophomores and next Thursday for freshmen.

Projected enrollment is 345 -- the highest in the school's history.

Among new staff members are Cyndi Mancini, chorus and band, and Samantha Kristek, freshman class mentor.

Our Lady of Fatima, Hopewell

Classes started today for 164 pupils in kindergarten through eighth grade. Another 42 have been signed up for preschool. Four-year-olds start Sept. 6 and 3-year-olds Sept. 7.

The school's hallways have gotten a new coat of paint. A golf outing Sept. 9 will help raise funds for the school.

Pennsylvania Cyber Charter

The Midland-based online school has 70 new staff members to help handle an enrollment expected to hit 6,500 sometime this school year, a 55 percent increase. About 100 employees have moved into the third floor of the brand new Lincoln Park Performing Arts Center, and hundreds of employees are scattered among eight other Midland buildings, an office in Beaver and regional centers in Cranberry and in suburban Philadelphia.

"Real time" virtual classes begin Sept. 5, though students can start at any time on classes they're taking independently.

New courses include Chinese I, Latin I and II, Technical Writing, Fashion Design, 1960s America, Web Design, History of Jazz, Computer-Aided Drafting, Intro to Mass Media, the Arts Alive Program for fine arts and Road to Physical Fitness. Podcasts are being developed for math courses; they are already available for most others.

Nancy Yanyanin has been named assistant director of the Cyber Charter School. Andrew Oberg has been named principal.

Quigley, Baden

Enrollment continues to rise at Beaver County's only Catholic high school, with 181 students set to start classes today, up from 145 last year.

Rhema Christian, Moon

When students return Wednesday, they will have a playground for the first time. The recreation area was installed by volunteers the past few weekends. Dante Malamisuro, a history teacher, is the new principal He succeeds Ella Sheesley who retired.

Riverside

High school students will have a new principal and assistant principal when they report for classes Tuesday. Michael Leitera, the assistant principal last year, will take over as principal, with David Campos as assistant.

Total enrollment is projected at 1,813, virtually the same as the 1,815 who ended classes in June.

The other significant change will place special education students in regular classes much more often, said Superintendent David Parry.

Robinson Township Christian

When students return Wednesday, there will be a new chief administrator. Bob Alouise who has been a headmaster in a school in Australia will fill that position. Last year, he taught part time in the history department. He succeeds Patty Rotellini, who retired. Heather Peters is the new teacher for fifth and sixth grades, and Bethany Douglas is a new fourth-grade teacher.

The annual Back-to-School night will be Monday. Parents of children whose last names begin with A-M can visit with teachers from 6 to 7 p.m. and those with last names beginning with N-Z can visit from 7 to 8 p.m. High school students can receive their schedules and talk with teachers.

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Scott

James Churilla comes from St. Coleman as the new principal.

The school is accepting registration for preschool 3-year-olds through grade eight.

St. Joseph, Coraopolis

Students will report for half days today and tomorrow. Preschool will begin Sept. 5. Diane M. Fleet is the new principal, succeeding Sister Mary DeLourdes. She had been principal at St. Bartholomew in Penn Hills. This is her 26th year in the Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese.

St. Malachy, Kennedy

Classes begin with half-day sessions today and tomorrow. The first full day is Monday. Enrollment is projected at 182.

Three-year-old preschool orientation will be today, and 4-year-olds will attend orientation tomorrow.

Tracy Sorco is the new fifth-grade teacher. She will teach science to pupils in grades five through eight and reading to pupils in grades five through seven.

Fifth-graders will have a new Pearson Scott Foresman reading program this year. A new English book has been purchased for pupils in seventh and eighth grades. And a new language arts book will be used for fourth-graders.

St. Malachy has a new dance program. The dance teams are: youth pom, junior pom and hip-hop.

St. Margaret of Scotland, Green Tree

A new computer room will greet pupils as they arrive for the start of classes today. The school has 25 new computers, which will replace older, outdated models and assure that each child will have a computer during technology period.

St. Philip, Crafton

The pre-kindergarten program is expanding and now has openings for 4-year-olds in both morning and afternoon classes.

Pupils learn at their own pace with the goal of preparing them for kindergarten. Social development is emphasized, and children are encouraged to be considerate and respectful.

For a tour of the school and introduction to the program, call the school office, 412-928-2742.

St. John of God, McKees Rocks

Classes begin with half-day sessions today and tomorrow. Starting Monday, children will have to "brown bag" it for a few weeks until the school can find a vendor to operate the school lunch program, which the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh has discontinued. Interested food service managers should call the school office, 412-331-8501.

Preschool classes begin Sept. 5 for those attending Tuesdays and Thursdays and Sept. 6 for those attending Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

St. Titus, Aliquippa

Thanks to a benefactor funding a scholarship program, St. Titus is continuing to see enrollment grow, expecting 156 pupils in preschool through eighth grade for the start of classes today.

The biggest change is the availability of full-day as well as half-day preschool, a popular offering.

Andrea Karmazyn also has come on board to teach sixth grade.

SS Simon & Jude, Scott

Mommy & Me class will be offered for moms or caregivers to interact with their child through crafts, play and story. There will be activities throughout the school year. The class is offered Mondays and Wednesdays from September through May for children ages 12 months to 2 1/2 years.

There will also be a Thursday class for 2-2 1/2-year-olds to attend without parents. For information, call Regina Berner, program director, 412-257-4185.

South Fayette

Classes began Tuesday, with estimated enrollment at 2,100, compared to 1,995 at the end of last year.

South Fayette has a new student wellness policy.

Students and their parents are encouraged about making positive choices for good nutrition. The district will offer only water, fruit juice and sports drinks in vending machines. Teachers and parents will be encouraged to provide healthy snacks for classroom celebrations and special events.

South Side Area

Additional computers, an elementary renovation project and a new middle school principal will feature prominently in the coming year.

About 1,300 children start classes Tuesday; enrollment is down slightly, although it has been relatively stable.

New principal Tim Strader had been principal for eight years at Oak Glen Middle School in West Virginia. He and other school district staffers will have numerous new computers to work with and revamped computer, math and art curricula.

Work on Phase I of the elementary renovation and expansion is nearly done; phase II will follow, with construction expected to be done in several months.

The district is also looking to establish a "sister school" relationship with a school in Zabreh, Czech Republic. It now has had four visits from another sister school in Taishi, Japan.

Sto-Rox

Classes begin Monday. A new food service procedure allows students to purchase food on credit two or three times, but there are restrictions on full-meal selections. Parents will be notified of credit purchase status, according to the district's Web site.

The site also posts Pennsylvania Academic Standards and Assessment Anchors. These standards cover various subjects and "describe what students should know and be able to do at each grade level."

Also featured on the site this year are curriculum maps, which ensure "that our students learn each of the assessment anchors and eligible content in depth and at the appropriate grade level." The curriculum maps show what is taught during each month for each grade.

West Allegheny

Classes begin Wednesday for an estimated 3,300 students, about the same as last school year.

Thomas Orr is the new McKee Elementary principal.

Numerous improvements have been made in technology, and the high school kitchen and three school buses have been replaced with newer models.

An AP Economics course has been added at the high school, while new middle school science textbooks have been acquired.

New policies are in place for student wellness, foreign exchange students and parent involvement for disadvantaged students. Security policies are being reviewed systemwide.

	V.W.H. Campbell, Post-Gazette A group of parents and teachers take a moment to match up the parts and tools while constructing the Crafton Elementary playground apparatus. Click photo for larger image.

Along with the $1.3 million renovation of the high school kitchen, summer projects include a variety of facility enhancements throughout the district. These improvements include ceiling and energy-saving light replacements at Wilson, carpeting in individual classrooms at McKee and Wilson and several indoor/outdoor painting projects.

A total of 215 new computers have been installed along with the Secure ID system as required by the state Department of Education. New software includes Web-based GradeQuick and My Lunch Money. All students are getting new laminated ID cards.

Western Beaver

Classes start Monday. Summer renovations included new classroom lights, fire alarm systems and new public announcement systems for all school buildings.

The high school will reinstitute the remedial reading and math program for students who didn't do well on the state assessment tests. The science curriculum has been realigned to conform to new state standards and in preparation for the PSSA science tests that will be given next year.