Exciting new additions, opportunities greet Brandywine students first back to school

STEM classes extended; upgrades made to facilities

We are excited to start a new school year at the Brandywine Heights Area School District. There will be exciting new additions and opportunities that will greet our students when they start back to school on Tuesday, August 22nd.

In the realm of curricular enhancements, we are excited to introduce an extension to our existing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) classes which are held in grades K-8. This year we will be incorporating Maker Spaces in the Library which will provide students an opportunity to explore, create and develop STEM skills while also enhancing the foundational development of critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity. New mathematic curricula was developed and we are excited to be implementing the new curriculum and corresponding resources this school year. Students in grade K-8 will be using a resource called en Vision MATH 2.0 which is a research based comprehensive math program which aligns to the Common Core standards. We also have expanded our Internship program allowing students to explore and partner with local businesses as they explore future career occupations. An AP Environment Science course has been incorporated into the high school course offerings as we diversify science opportunities for students. The 1:1 computer initiative continues to be enhanced as we further incorporate technology components into the daily lessons and interactions of educational material for our students. The benefits have been remarkable as we restructured our instruction toward electronic curriculum and assignments and as a result, our teachers have more intimately gained insight into the student understanding of material taught.

Upgrades have been made to the facilities this summer as well. This summer the second phase of the Guaranteed Energy Savings Project was implemented. Last year we updated LED lighting for exterior lights in large areas such as the gymnasium/ cafeteria and also air conditioned the Elementary School. This year, air conditioning was installed in the Intermediate/Middle School building in areas not previously air conditioned. Now all classrooms across the District are air conditioned. Another large undertaking this summer was to update the technology infrastructure. Previously, our internet connection between buildings was 1 GB; with the updates, we have significantly improved connection speeds up to 10 GB. Servers, fiber optic connections, new backup solutions and new wireless access points have been added to achieve faster speeds in order to provide seamless internet access as we place more emphasis on instructional technology resources.

We are very excited for the start of a new year and wish all students a safe, successful school year.