Classes will begin Monday with about 3,248 students in the West Allegheny School District.

Elementary school breakfast will cost $1, a 10-cent increase over last year.

Students returning to the high school will notice the district's $26 million renovation and expansion project is nearly complete. The main entrance includes wider sidewalks and a reconfigured circular driveway.

New administration, guidance and nurse's offices are open, as well as a renovated fitness center, music lab and Family & Consumer Science suite.

Finishing touches are being completed in the Stewart Morgan Auditorium, which will reopen after being closed for renovations last year. The facility includes a new balcony that expands seating from 650 to 1,000, as well as additional stage and storage area.

New technical equipment will allow expanded video capabilities. In the auditorium lobby, new lights, floor and ceiling tiles, restrooms and a ticket booth were added.

The high school offers several new advanced placement courses, including U.S. Government and Politics, Psychology and Biology.

A revised math curriculum for all grades includes new textbooks for advanced math classes in grades six to 12.

Fourth-grade pupils in all the elementary schools will participate in a "Study of Sound" project funded by a $15,000 Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics grant from the Grable Foundation. Students will work with art teachers and staff from the Mesa Creative Art Center in Burgettstown to study the scientific concept of sound as it relates to social studies, music, art, technology and health.

Technology upgrades across the district include new computers; access to new technologies through the Allegheny Connect Initiative; and enhancements to bandwidth and security capabilities.

Later this school year, parents of fourth- and fifth-graders will have online access to student grades via Edline, a web-based application that already serves middle and high school parents.

The Autism Center of Excellence will train staff in classroom techniques for students with autism, while the University of Pittsburgh will collaborate with staff to strengthen educational leadership, instructional delivery, and student achievement.

Information: www.westasd.org.

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