Blastoff Bulletin December

Rocket News & Updates December 19, 2025 Dear Rocket Families, As the image above shows, the North Pole has been utilizing our Rocket Barn as storage recently. Here are a few updates for you as we head into the Christmas break.   Updates Student Achievement Shines! Did you know that based on the 2025 Assessment results, all four buildings (Slippery Rock Area Elementary School, Moraine Elementary School, Middle School, and High School) were recognized by US News and World Report as high-performing schools? Did you know that Slippery Rock Elementary School is ranked first among all elementary schools in Butler County based on their Pennsylvania building level score? Did you know that Moraine Elementary School is ranked third in Butler County based on their building level score? Did you know that Slippery Rock Middle School is ranked first among middle schools in Butler County based on their building level score? Did you know that our High School Graduation rate of 97.5% is significantly higher than the state average? Did you know that 97.4% of our High School students completed Industry-Based Competency Activities, preparing them for a successful transition to work, significantly higher than the state average of 41.1%?  There is so much to be proud of and we greatly appreciate all that our families do to support and promote the great things happening in the SRASD.   Meet Regan Hess We welcome Mr. Regan Hess to the Slippery Rock Area School District! Mr. Hess will take over as our new business manager with the retirement of the legendary, Paul Cessar, who has spent the past 36 years in the position. Regan has moved his family across the country from Montana to become our lead financial Rocket! We are excited that he and his family will be residing in our school district. You can read even more about Mr. Hess HERE. Welcome, Mr. Hess! Good luck in your new position.   2026-27 School District Calendar Our school board has officially approved the calendar for the 2026-27 school year. Some highlights featured in next year's calendar are: August 26 - First Day of School Dec. 23 to Jan. 3 - Christmas Break June 3 - Last Day of School Click HERE for a clearer version of the calendar.   New School Board Members New school board members, Katee Gearhart and Mara Hensel, were sworn in this month and have officially begun their tenure. Our school board members are residents from three regions of our 140 square miles, representing: Mercer Twp., Harrisville Borough, Slippery Rock Twp., Muddycreek Twp., Portersville Borough, Prospect Borough, Franklin Twp., Slippery Rock Borough, Brady Twp., West Liberty Borough, and Worth Twp. Our nine school board members are: Greg Schiller (President) Carl Aglio (Vice-President) Leslie Colosimo Katee Gearhart Mara Hensel Theresa Pearce Vito Pilosi Mark Taylor Sara Whitman   Reminder Tuesday, December 23 is a half day of school for our students. Dismissal times are as follows: Middle School - 11:15 High School - 11:18 Elementary Schools - 12:20 Monday, January 5 we welcome all students and staff back to school. Enjoy the Christmas break with your families and Happy New Year to all of our Rockets!   Contact information Slippery Rock Area School District 724-794-2960 https://www.slipperyrock.k12.pa.us/

Friday, Dec 19 2025

Blastoff Bulletin November

Rocket News & Updates November 13, 2025 Dear Rocket Families, One fourth of our school year is now in the rear view mirror! I hope that you find the following news and information to be of interest. Have a Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy the time with your families and good luck to all of our hunters!   Updates Brave Bella! Brave Bella is the story of a Pennsylvania fourth grader who, despite setbacks and challenges, continues to find ways to be helpful and kind to others. The best part about the book is that the main character is one of our own students! Bella attends Moraine Elementary School and was recently celebrated during an assembly at Moraine. The author of the book is Moraine Elementary building secretary, Mrs. Billie Douglas. You can read more HERE. Honoring Our Veterans Highlighted by our High School's Rocket Marching Band participating in the Butler Veterans Day Parade, all of our schools and classrooms spent much time facilitating lessons centered on honoring our nation's heroes. Here is a sample of the activities and events: At Slippery Rock Area Elementary School, the Harrisville American Legion Honor Guard Assembly conducted a flag raising, "Reveille" was played, and a short discussion on the significance of the presentation was held. Students with special Veteran family guests hosted refreshments for our visitors. Fifth-grade students assisted with serving our guests who had the chance to view the school's Wall of Honor. Moraine Elementary School classes honored Veterans by sharing information about their careers classes sending home special crafts made by students. Some classes read, What is a Veteran, Anyway?, written by Dr. Robert Snyder, a professor at SRU. Students had the opportunity to participate in a Q&A with Veterans. Additionally, some classes made Christmas cards for the veterans that reside at the Southwestern Veterans Center to be deliver in early December. Our middle school and high school social studies classes facilitated lessons about Veterans leading up to Nov. 10. The middle school held a Veteran's Day Panel to celebrate in and talk to all of our students on the 10th. Lastly, our middle schoolers planted U.S. flags (each student) in the front lawn, entry to school. Winter Sports The official start date for the winter season is Friday, November 14, The PIAA Sports we offer during the winter season are:  Boys and Girls Basketball  Boys and Girls Indoor Track & Field  Boys and Girls Swimming  Boys and Girls Wrestling  We also are fortunate to offer the following activities for our students: Basketball Cheer  Bocce  Pep Band  You can find our athletics' schedules by clicking HERE. Lastly, we hope that you are able to attend our "Meet the Rockets" night! See the flyer above for more information or click HERE or by clicking the image above. Winter Weather Watch All of the information you need concerning the Slippery Rock Area School District and winter weather can be found HERE. We will utilize the ParentSquare notification system along with local news outlets for any delays or cancellations. Reminder The first day of Thanksgiving break is Wednesday, November 26. Students and staff return to school on Tuesday, December 2.   Contact information Slippery Rock Area School District 724-794-2960 https://www.slipperyrock.k12.pa.us/

Thursday, Nov 13 2025

Blastoff Bulletin October

Rocket News & Updates October 15, 2025 Dear Rocket Families, We have already hit the 30 days of school mark! Thank you for all of your cooperation and support as we made up the day for the Middle and High Schools. Also, a big thank you to our bus drivers for helping us on October 13. Reminder: There will not be a Community Open House this evening for the High School. We are not quite ready, yet. Stay tuned! Here are some updates for you as we hit the midpoint of October.   Updates Rocket Volleyball! Congratulations to your Region Champion SRHS Volleyball Team! The team solidified their championship by defeating Mercer last night. Head Coach Ferrier, Assistant Coach Whitmer and the team arrived back in Slippery Rock to a hero's welcome, led by some of our first responders! Stay tuned for playoff information and updates from our Athletics Office. Best of luck to all of our fall sports teams as they position themselves for possible playoff runs. Go Rockets! Elementary Teachers Act 80 Day Learning can be fun for both students and teachers. During last Monday's In-Service Day, our professional staff had the opportunity to learn new instructional strategies, explore literacy research, and collaborate with their colleagues. Pictured is just a sample of the hands-on activities that helped us all learn and grow. Many thanks to our trainers, Leah Winans and Linda Delvaux from MIU4, for facilitating such a meaningful and engaging day of professional development. High School Construction Update The outside of the high school building should look much more like a school and less like a construction site in the next week as the trailers are moved off the grounds. The new grass, parking lot and sidewalks will be more visible, too. Inside, there is still work being done to the electrical and HVAC system in two shifts. Next month, we expect the new CTE classroom space, media center (library) and LGI (large group instruction) rooms to be nearly complete. Community Open House We will hold off on our Community Open House of the newly renovated building until we can truly show off all that has been completed. We expect this to be held in early December, at this point. Rocket Pride for October 2025 Each month, at one of our school board meetings, we recognize a member of our staff or school community who demonstrates Rocket Pride through their efforts, commitment and dedication to our students and schools. This month, Patty Jo Dean was recognized as the lone lunch room monitor at Moraine Elementary School and for being a phenomenal one, at that. Congratulations, Patty! Thank you for all you do for Moraine Elementary! Reminder The end of the first nine-week period is November 5. Time for our students to make sure they are all caught up on their work and everything is turned in! A parent reminder is always appreciated. Thank you.   Contact information Slippery Rock Area School District 724-794-2960 https://www.slipperyrock.k12.pa.us/

Wednesday, Oct 15 2025

Blastoff Bulletin September

September Rocket News & Updates September 25, 2025 Dear Rocket Families, We are now four weeks into school! Our Tailgate for Hunger event is now complete and the community support was tremendous. Many thanks to all of you for supporting this event and to all of our staff who organized, prepped, and worked this fundraiser. Our next big community event is our Homecoming Parade. Read through to the bottom for more information. Here are a few points of information and updates for you. Go Rockets!   Updates Class of 1970! The SRAHS Class of 1970 will reunite this Homecoming weekend to celebrate 55 years! 100 of the 196 members of this class will get back together to reminisce and check out the changes to the school since they last attended. Some interesting facts about the Class of 1970 (shared by alum, Leslie Davis Colosimo): Class president was Dana Cunningham.  Homecoming was a bonfire with a sock hop in the gym. No hard soled shoes were permitted in the gymnasium. Prom was in the gym, also. No coed gym or health education classes. Girls had to wear dresses or skirts at knee length. No bare legs for girls! Boys wore dress pants. No jeans with rivets. There were some non-rule followers and parents had to bring in other clothes. Many members of this class began their formal schooling in one-room school houses. No running water and a stove in the middle of the room to heat the school. If there was smoke in the schoolhouse, there were no calls home or to the fire department. Windows were just opened! Many male classmates who didn’t go on to college went to the service as this was the tail end of the Vietnam War era. This class worked with English teacher, Mrs. Martin, to bring about change to the cafeteria food selections. An ala carte line was first established due to this class, allowing more choices as well as chocolate milk and homemade cinnamon rolls (which were a huge hit!). Display Case Items Still Needed We are still interested in any items, artifacts or photos from past years of Slippery Rock Area High School to include in the display of our renovated High School. Please drop off your items to Denise Houpt in our Slippery Rock Area School District Office or mail them to: Denise Houpt Slippery Rock Area School District 201 Kiester Road Slippery Rock, PA 16057 High School Construction Update Pictured is our new music suite at the High School with "Home of the Rockets" posted on the signage. Second shift (night turn) continues as construction rolls along on our HVAC system, new Career and Technical classrooms, Rock Shop instructional space, and media center (library). Community Open House We still intend to hold a Community Open House for any of you to tour the site and peek into the new instructional spaces. We are hoping for October 15, but this will be dependent upon completion of some areas still under construction. Stay tuned! Education Foundation A group of nine community members have volunteered to be on our SRASD Education Foundation board. Our Foundation has been established to help supplement our teachers' instructional resources and assist with special instructional events. This is all accomplished through donations from our school community and staff members. All proceeds go directly toward improving our students' educational experiences and opportunities. If you are interested in making a donation to the Foundation, please use the contact information below. Soon, the Foundation will have a more streamlined method for those who wish to make contributions. Thank you. Joselyn Cain! Joselyn Cain, and eighth grader in our Middle School, recently participated in the 4-H District Horse Show. In order to earn a spot at this event, Joselyn had to attend a series of three county shows and place high enough to move on to the District show. Joselyn put in many long hours and hard work to get this far. At the District show, Joselyn earned several ribbons including a second place! She will now be moving on to the State Horse Show held on Oct. 24-26. Congratulations, Joselyn! Go Rockets! Reminder Homecoming Week kicks off with the Homecoming Parade tonight at 6:30 on the Middle School/High School campus. Bonfire to follow this evening at 7:00.   Contact information Slippery Rock Area School District 201 Kiester Road Slippery Rock, PA 16057 724-794-2960 https://www.slipperyrock.k12.pa.us/

Thursday, Sep 25 2025

Blastoff Bulletin August

Rocket News & Updates August 14, 2025 Dear Rocket Families, We need you to hold onto our Rocket students for just a little while longer! As many other school districts will be heading back to school in the next week or two, our Rockets won't start until Thursday, September 4 to give our construction workers more time to finish this incredible high school project (more on that below). Updates High School Construction Project Our high school construction project has seen quite a bit of progress over the course of the summer. The new music suite is complete. We are also told that the classrooms, restrooms, and cafeteria will be ready for the start of school (those are key areas to be able to have students and staff back in the building). The media center (library), new Rock Shop, and new Career and Technical Ed rooms will not be ready for the start of school, but they will be ready soon! Some areas of the high school might be a little messy and still under construction, but we expect to welcome back ALL of our Rocket students on September 4. We are also planning an October 1 Community Open House to show off our newly renovated building (mark your calendars). Thank you for your patience. Free Medical Clinic It's early, but mark your calendars as Butler County will be offering a Free Medical Clinic at the Butler Intermediate High School on Nov. 8 & 9. All are welcome and no ID is required. Vision, dental, and medical examinations will be conducted on site. Prescription glasses are made on site. This is "first come, first served" so please mark your calendars if this is something that could benefit you and your family. Visit RAMUSA.org or call 865-579-1530 for more information. Varsity Sports, Cheer, & Marching Rockets! Our Slippery Rock Area Marching Rockets are wrapping up band camp this week. They recently performed at Kennywood Park in Pittsburgh. Our varsity sports teams are also off and running (literally, for our cross country team!). If you are interested in attending any games, races, or matches for our football, cross country, golf, soccer, or volleyball teams, you can check out schedules HERE. Of course, our cheerleaders have been working as hard as any of our student activity groups to get ready for the Fall season. You can catch them in action at any of our schools' football games this season. Go Rockets! Chromebook Insurance Chromebook Insurance and Reminders Q & A: Q: Who needs to purchase Chromebook insurance? A: Chromebook insurance is mandatory for all devices in grade levels 3-12. (Grades K-2 student devices will remain at their school, therefore parent purchased insurance is not necessary).  Q: When do I need to purchase insurance? A: Insurance must be purchased prior to the first day of school for your child to receive their Chromebook. Q: If my child in grades 3-12 never brings their Chromebook home, do I still have to purchase insurance? A: YES! Even if the device remains at school, you and your child are still responsible for any damage that may occur. Q: Where can I purchase insurance? A: Purchase online HERE AFTER August 18th. Q: How much does the insurance cost? A: The annual damage waiver is $25 per device per year. For more information, you can also visit the Technology Homepage on the district website by clicking HERE. Meet Mr. Alden! Mr. John Alden will be our new Food Service Director through our contracted food service management company, Metz. Mr. Alden will officially begin working with us on Monday, August 18. If you have questions about your child's meals or our food service, in general, you can reach Mr. Alden at: 724-794-2960 x3225. Pleas join me in welcoming Mr. Alden to Rocket Territory!   Contact information Slippery Rock Area School District 724-794-2960 https://www.slipperyrock.k12.pa.us/

Thursday, Aug 14 2025