Dear Fox Chapel Area Family,

With the first grading period coming to an end on Friday, I just wanted to give a heartfelt “thank you” this week to our entire school community for the work everyone has done to contribute to a full nine weeks with in-person and online instruction for our students. While it was not always easy, I am proud that all of us worked together to move forward. I am excited for us to build on these achievements and milestones during the next grading period.

Speaking of the second nine weeks, we continue to be hard at work finalizing our instructional plans and building preparations in advance of welcoming back our kindergarten through fifth-grade students for five-day-a-week, in-person classes beginning on Thursday, November 5. As I stated last week, we will continue to evaluate our pre-kindergarten and secondary programs with the goal of eventually expanding in-person instruction to five days a week for those students as well.

I have two other updates to share at this time:

• We are wrapping up mitigation efforts at several of our school buildings in regard to legionella bacteria detected in the water systems, based on recommendations from a plumber and epidemiologist from the Allegheny County Health Department. Mechanical work is nearing an end on four fixtures at the high school and two fixtures at O’Hara Elementary, and work is continuing at Kerr Elementary on a malfunctioning expansion tank that is believed to be contributing to the issues there. Water testing is being conducted today at all three buildings, and we will also be testing the chlorine amounts in the water as an extra safety precaution.
  
  
• Fox Chapel Area School District fared very well in Niche’s “2021 Best Schools” rankings. Overall, the district was No. 1 among school districts in the Pittsburgh area, No. 3 in the state of Pennsylvania, and No. 25 in the nation. In addition, Fox Chapel Area High School and Dorseyville Middle School also placed No. 1 among their peers in the Pittsburgh area. All of our elementary schools ranked in the top 2% of all public K-5 schools in Pennsylvania. Congratulations to all!
  
  

I want to wrap up my weekly communication by reminding our families to continue practicing good habits outside the home (wearing masks, washing your hands frequently, and using social distancing) to keep COVID-19 at bay as much as possible. We know that many of our families travel during holiday breaks, and we ask that you be as safe as possible if you plan to do so in the upcoming months. Please consider the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s travel guidelines if you plan to travel. Taking as many precautions as you can will help to ensure that our students are able to stay in school. As always, we greatly appreciate your cooperation!

Sincerely,

Mary Catherine Reljac, Ed.D.
Superintendent