The district's Family Literacy Center has openings in its fall classes for parents and their children, age 3 through prekindergarten.

The sessions begin Tuesday and end Dec. 11. Classes are available from 9 to 10:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. to noon Tuesdays, from noon to 1:30 p.m. and 2 to 3:30 p.m. Wednesdays, and from 1:15 to 2:45 p.m. and from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursdays. Participants are asked to dedicate enough time for at least one 90-minute class time each week.

The classes will be held at the center, 614 Main St., Sharpsburg. This free program is open to residents of Fox Chapel Area School District. For information, contact Nancy Cannon at 412-696-0065 or e-mail nancy_cannon@fcasd.edu.

Superintendent Patricia P. Green will be host to a newcomers' coffee at the district's Central Administration Offices, 200 Hillvue Lane, McCandless, at 9:15 a.m. Sept. 23.

It will be an opportunity for parents new to the district to become acquainted with programs, processes, and key personnel. A question-and-answer session will conclude the two-hour meeting.

• Open houses and curriculum nights have been scheduled:

Elementary schools curriculum nights: Grade 5, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, grades 1 and 2, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday; and grades 3 and 4, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. next Thursday.

Middle schools open house: 7 to 9:30 p.m. Sept. 18.

Intermediate High School open house: 7 to 9:30 p.m. Sept. 23.

Senior High School open house: 7 to 9:30 p.m. Sept. 25.

• Ingomar Middle School has been selected to receive the 2008 Lincoln Investment Bob D. Schiller Memorial Cancer Research and Support Award from the Pennsylvania Association of Elementary and Secondary School Principals.

Principal Tammy Andreyko submitted the school's project, "Satchels of Caring," for consideration.

The award recognizes unique projects that support cancer research and the survivors of cancer. The award includes a $2,000 check for the school that will be presented to Ms. Andreyko at the annual banquet of the association's state conference in October.

The district received two awards of excellence and an honorable mention in the 39th annual Educational Publications Contest, sponsored by the Pennsylvania School Boards Association.

The elementary bands annual spring concert program and the district's Web site each received Awards of Excellence. The Arts Alive program received an Honorable Mention.

• North Hills Senior High School has been given $168,758 through the Classrooms for the Future initiative, which provides laptops and other technology equipment to high schools throughout the state.

New technologies include 125 student laptops, 12 teacher laptops, five printers/scanners, a digital camera and a digital camcorder. The grant also provides an additional $30,000 to help fund a technology coach, who will assist with integrating technology into classrooms and lessons.

Mike Benko, a North Hills science teacher, has been named technology coach.

North Hills Senior High School is one of 182 high schools from 152 school districts in Pennsylvania that are first-year recipients of the Classrooms for the Future initiative.

The district has developed a Web site designed to provide guidance information for high school students and their parents.

The site, accessed at www.pinerichlandguidance.org, is geared to high school guidance needs, but will eventually encompass guidance services districtwide.

It offers information on counselors, graduation planning, academic enrichment opportunities, testing information, career planning and assessment, college preparation, alumni outreach and a calendar of events.

New families also will find the site a valuable resource as they try to become familiar with the district and high school graduation requirements, said Jean Whalen, college information coordinator for the district.