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A community blood drive will be held from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. today in the high school large group instruction room, 611 Field Club Road, O'Hara. Anyone who donates blood at a local donor center can ask for the donation to count toward Fox Chapel Area's total by specifying the school's code, HS010025.Information: Rachel_Machen@fcasd.edu or 412-967-2445.
Reservations are being accepted for an open house from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday at Providence Heights Alpha School, 9000 Babcock Blvd., McCandless. The school is a private, Catholic, coeducational school for grades K-8 for children of all faiths, founded and sponsored by the Sisters of Divine Providence.
It serves students from 14 school districts. Registration: 412-366-4455 or pkachmar@alphaschool.org .
Administrators proposed Monday that the district adopt a grading scale in which 90 percent and above is an A, 80-89 percent is a B, 70- 79 percent is a C, 60- 69 percent is a D and 59 percent and lower is failing.
The current scale is 92-100 percent for an A, 83-91 percent for a B, 74-82 percent for a C, 65-73 percent for a D and 64 percent or lower is failing.
Superintendent Tracy Vitale said the proposed change would conform with other districts. A committee formed to study the grade scale issue looked at 11 other districts and found only two others followed the grade scale now used by Seneca Valley.
Administrators said the change would make students more competitive for college admission and scholarships, help athletes meet NCAA regulations and improve general motivation.
"Changing the grading scale isn't cheapening the value of a Seneca Valley education," assistant superintendent Matthew McKinley said. "I have no fear that we will be lessening the rigor or best practices in any way."
The school board must have three readings of the proposed grade scale change before it becomes official. The first reading will be Monday. If approved, the new grade scale would take effect next school year.
• The intermediate high school has been named a SMART Showcase Elite School for 2012 by SMART Technologies, makers of the original Smart board.
Among the more than 200 schools designated as showcase schools in North America, the intermediate building is one of 25 designated for the company's "elite" category because of commitment to smart technology.
The honor is given to schools showing a commitment to technology and using a wide range of Smart products in the majority of classrooms.
The intermediate high school will receive a plaque and the school will be noted as a school of elite status on the showcase schools Web directory. It also will be eligible for free hardware and software upgrades on certain new Smart products and free professional development opportunities.
In addition to a Smart UF75 projector, the building also will receive a Smart Response XE interactive system that will enable students to respond to questions using open-ended answers.
First Published February 9, 2012 12:00 am
