The summer is drawing to a close, and schools in the northern suburbs are preparing to welcome more than 50,000 students back to the classrooms. Most schools will start next week although some are delaying starts to finish up construction projects.

As always, the new school year brings new people, new facilities and new programs to the schools. Here are some of them:

Starting date: Aug. 27 (Aug. 28 for Acmetonia Primary School.)

Estimated enrollment: 1,173

Web site: www.avsd.k12.pa.us

What's new? Starting times have changed. Students at Springdale Jr.-Sr. High School will begin their day at 7:45 a.m., while elementary pupils will start at 8:30 a.m. Springdale High students will finish their day at 2:30 p.m.

The district will use the PayForIt.net program to help parents manage their child's cafeteria account. It accepts credit card prepayments 24 hours a day.

At the junior-senior high school, two labs -- mathematics and junior high art -- have new computer stations. A security system has been installed. The track has been resurfaced and a walkway added behind the bleachers at Veterans' Memorial Field. Handicapped ramps have been added to the visitors' side bleachers.

At Colfax Upper Elementary School, there are new computers in the technology lab. Parents will be able to go online in September to see grades, attendance, and homework information.

At Acmetonia, food service director Alan Donnelly was hired in July. Kindergarten has expanded to four sections to accommodate an increase of about 77 students.

Starting date: Aug. 26

Estimated enrollment: 1,400

Web site: www.avonworth.k12.pa.us

What's new? 25 teachers.

Starting date: Aug. 26

Estimated enrollment: 8,200

Web site: www.butler.k12.pa.us

What's new? Major renovations to the football stadium and the building of a baseball stadium at the high school. Renovations are starting at Northwest Elementary School.

The district is in the third year of its "Classrooms for the Future" grant; 87 teachers are involved. A new program, called Language!, will start at the junior high and intermediate schools

Starting date: Sept. 2

Estimated enrollment: 2,012

Web site: www.deerlakes.net

What's new? Renovations began at the high school in June. Work is being done in phases so students can remain in the building. Temporary classrooms will be established in the auditorium and library and other sites. All student dropoffs will be in front of the stadium.

Renovations will include a new entrance and bus loop. The science, fine arts and industrial arts departments are the interior areas of concentration. New classrooms will feature laptop carts, SMART boards, and projectors, screens and telephones.

The visual communications program, and the building trades, wood and technology departments will receive state of the art equipment in the first phase of the renovation.

These areas will be completed in November 2008.

Residents are invited to view the renovation project from 7 to 9 p.m. next Thursday.

Starting date: Aug. 27

Estimated enrollment: 609

Web site: www.edenchristianacademy.org

What's new? Modular classrooms are in place at the Mount Nebo Campus to accommodate growth at the upper school (grades 7-12) which has seen an 87 percent enrollment increase since it opened four years ago.

The academy will mark its 25th anniversary with a yearlong celebration that will include a dinner and auction gala Nov. 14.

New staff members include an athletic director, Russ Gratton, who most recently served in the football and track programs in Gateway School District. Mr. Gratton will focus on development of varsity sports.

Starting date: Aug. 25

Estimated enrollment: 4,589

Web site: www.fcasd.edu

What's new? O'Hara Elementary School has a new assistant principal, James P. Prager, who most recently was grant coordinator and enrichment/remediation math specialist for Pine-Richland School District. Michael Hower, head principal of the 9/10 program, will become head principal of the 11/12 program. The school board is expected to name a 9/10 program head principal before school starts.

Carpeting was installed in the libraries at Kerr and Dorseyville and both libraries were painted.

Three new math courses are available at the high school: foundations of algebra, foundations of geometry, and calculus. The high school is also receiving a Classrooms for the Future grant of $94,830 that will be used to enhance technology in the 11th- and 12th-grade program. Dorseyville was named one of five nationwide grand-prize winners in the Win a Wireless Lab sweepstakes and will receive about $45,000 worth of technology equipment.

Hartwood Elementary School has received a $10,000 Highmark Healthy High 5 School Challenge grant for the 2008-09 school year to develop a program to prevent bullying.

A $10,000 Highmark Healthy High 5 School Challenge grant has helped the district upgrade the physical education/athletic program and facilities through the purchase of strength/conditioning equipment.

Starting date: Aug. 27

Estimated enrollment: 3,107

Web site: www.htsd.k12.pa.us

What's new? At Poff Elementary, students will find an expanded entryway with new security features; renovated lobby, new health suite, principal's office, kitchen, restrooms, bus/car loop, boiler room, and exterior. Renovations will continue throughout the school year with completion planned for July 2009.

Construction has begun at Central Elementary on a greenhouse that will be used to augment science and other curriculum.

New personnel include Eric Stennett, middle school principal; Jacque DeMatteo, varsity football head coach and physical education teacher.

The long-held practice of dismissing elementary school pupils early each Wednesday is discontinued. Instead, elementary students will be dismissed at 1:30 p.m. one Friday every month. The first early dismissal Friday is Sept. 12. At the middle school, the starting time will be at 7:55 a.m. instead of the former 8:06 a.m.

At the high school, the school day will run from 7:30 a.m. to 2:19 p.m., adding three minutes to the day, and student schedules will change from eight to nine periods daily.

New athletics teams this year are JV golf, and boys lacrosse, formerly a club sport, will be a WPIAL sport.

Starting date: Sept. 2

Estimated enrollment: 2,900

Web site: www.goldenrams.com

What's new? Kathi Shirey is the principal of Fawn Elementary School, and Heather Hauser is the principal of Grandview Elementary School.

The NutriKids point-of-service system will be added at the elementary schools. The system uses identification cards to identify the purchaser and record purchases.

The Raptor System will be added for security. It will scan the driver's licenses of school visitors and perform a background check before printing a tag with the person's name, photo and destination. The background checks will be performed each time the person enters a district building.

Dark fiber optic service will increase Internet speed from 1.5 megabits per second to 1,000 megabits per second. Bandwidth will also increase in February.

Starting date: Aug. 25

Estimated enrollment: 94

Web site: Not Available

What's new? Each homeroom has a computer wired to the Internet. Four new interactive white boards will be installed within the first month of school, and new DVD/VHS combos have been purchased for the televisions in each classroom.

Starting date: Aug. 27

Estimated enrollment: 3,006

Web site: www.marsk12.org

What's new? Construction on expansion and renovation at Mars Area High School is expected to begin in November. The $15.6 million project will renovate the rear wing of the high school, add a new main hallway and several classrooms opposite the new hallway.

A second floor will be added to the rear wing, connecting to the science wing at the west end of the high school. The project will relocate several departments and will provide additional space for the art, family/consumer science and science departments and more classroom space for the technology, technology education, and preengineering programs.

A guidance/nurse's suite will be built in the location of the high school's main office, which will be moved to a new area constructed on the opposite side of the main entrance. The auxiliary auditorium will be renovated to provide space for a television/ production studio and the stage area will remain intact as part of a large-group instruction area. Also, included in the overall cost of the project are roof replacement and parking lot repaving at the high school.

Starting date: Aug. 28

Estimated enrollment: 8,054

Web site: www.northallegheny.org

What's new: A Mandarin Chinese class, more physical education equipment and new lockers at the intermediate high school are just a few changes students will notice,

In June, the school board approved the district's first Mandarin Chinese distance-learning course, taught through the A.W. Beattie Career Center.

Up to 30 students in grades nine through 12 can take the class and earn one arts and humanities credit.

A $456,000 U.S. Department of Education Carol M. White Physical Education grant will be used to expand upon the nontraditional approach to phys ed by buying more canoes, mountain bikes and heart monitors. It will also help build a cardio-fitness lab, pay for more in-house training for the physical education staff and help bolster a partnership for undergraduate physical education students at Slippery Rock University.

More than 500 lockers at the intermediate high school will be replaced.

Starting date: Aug. 25 for ninth-graders, Aug. 26 for 10^th-graders and Aug. 27 for 11^th- and 12^th-graders

Web site: www.northcatholic.org

Northgate

Starting date: Aug. 25

Estimated enrollment: 1,325

Web site: www.northgate.k12.pa.us

What's new? The district will have an advanced placement English course, and a newly required oral communication course.

In the seventh grade, there will be an accelerated mathematics section, and a First in Math elementary computer program to reinforce facts and concepts.

New attendance and tardiness guidelines will be instituted. Also, there will be new eligibility requirements for middle/high school athletics. Students may fail no more than one course and remain eligible to participate in athletics

Starting date: Aug. 25

Estimated enrollment: 4,530

Web site: www.nhsd.net

What's new? Four of the district's seven elementary schools will begin the school year with new principals: Frank Brettschneider at West View, Lindsay Hauck at Seville, David Lieberman at Ross, and Joe Pasquerilla at Northway. Kevin O'Toole joins the senior high administrative staff as an assistant principal.

High school students will have the opportunity to take one of seven online courses recently developed by North Hills teachers: Classic Mythology; Intro to Poetry; Advanced Language Enrichment; Shakespeare Through Literature and Film; Tolkien, the Epic & Medieval Literature; Literature and World Religions, and Literature and Women's Roles, Rights & Spirit.

Renovation of McIntyre Elementary School began in June, and construction crews are completing site work but will soon begin construction of the school's new wing. Renovation will continue throughout the school year with anticipated completion in August 2009.

Starting date: Aug. 27

Estimated enrollment: 4,450

Web site: www.pinerichland.org

What's new? Security has been upgraded districtwide. The middle school and high school have a new control system that includes magnetic locking doors, camera systems and proximity card badges for employees.

The district will unveil a high school guidance Web site before the start of school that will provide parents and students more information on graduation planning, academic enrichment opportunities and college preparation.

Parents will receive an electronic newsletter at Eden Hall Upper Elementary School, the middle school and the high school this year. Parents at Hance, Richland and Wexford elementary schools had this communication tool last year.

Other changes:

• More coaches have been added as the football program move into Quad A.

• The parking lot at the middle school and stadium will be repaired.

• New lockers and improvements to the hallways and cafeteria at the middle school.

• New high school stage floor and stadium field house tile.

Starting date: Aug. 25

Estimated enrollment: 228

Web site: www.alphaschool.org

What's new? The theme this year is wellness. An athletic field, walking track and playground, complete with a rubberized, composite base for safety, have been added to the campus as a result of the wellness and athletic portion of the school's ongoing capital campaign. The school has also added Zumbatomic, a dance-based fitness activity that incorporates Latin rhythms in energetic dance moves into its extracurricular activities.

Robotics Exploration has also been added to the after-school robotics program to prepare students to participate in robotics competitions. Conservation and recycling policies have been introduced in the school and cafeteria.

Starting date: Aug. 25

Estimated enrollment: 1,976

Web site: www.qvsd.org

What's new? Kim Eaton is the assistant to the director of finance.

The high school will pilot a program in world history and world languages. An advance placement world history course will be offered to 10th-graders. Online courses in languages such as Mandarin Chinese, Russian, Japanese, Arabic, Latin, Italian and German will be offered to 11th- and 12th-graders who have completed two years of other languages.

Juniors and seniors will be able to take classes under a dual enrollment agreement with Penn State Beaver campus.

The district is entering its second year in the Classrooms for the Future grant program.

Sixth-graders can explore French, German and Spanish in a 12-week course. Seventh-graders can begin studying a language.

Starting date: Aug. 28

Estimated enrollment: 351

Web site: Not Available

What's new? A readiness program will be available five days a week for children not yet ready for kindergarten.

Starting date: Aug. 21

Estimated enrollment: 516

Web site: www.stals.org

What's new? Preschool for 3- and 4-year-olds. In addition, the school will offer an extended-day program.

Students will return to an upgraded cafeteria, iMac computers throughout the computer lab, and renovation of the small gym. Academically, all students in preschool through Level 6 will be introduced to Spanish.

Starting date: Sept. 2

Estimated enrollment: 315

Web site: www.stbonaventureparish.org

What's new? A new floor in the gymnasium. The school lunch menu will change.

Starting date: Aug. 21

Estimated enrollment: 315

Web site: www.saintjosephhs.com

Starting date: Aug. 25

Estimated enrollment: 349

Web site: home.catholicweb.com/saintsebastianparish/

What's new? Diane Dickson will take over as principal. The school will begin a new No Bully Program for students, faculty and parents. It also will offer a new science club and a leadership program for girls in the eighth grade.

Starting date: Aug. 26

Estimated enrollment: 300

Web site: www.saintteresas.org

What's new? A roof was installed during the summer, along with a fire alarm system.

A decorative wall has been built in front of the school and a SMART board (interactive technology) installed in the library. Students in K-3 will be introduced to a new social studies program and Latin and Algebra II will be available to eighth-graders. A new Web site has been developed.

Starting date: Sept. 3

Estimated enrollment: 7,600

Web site: www/svsd.net

What's new? The district anticipates replacing the press box at NexTier Stadium this year. Plans for the new press box were unveiled in August and indicate the two-story structure will be replaced with a four-story building, with room for more media, district personnel, restrooms, booster groups, event staff, coaches and film equipment. The box is expected to be more than 8,000 square feet and cost a little more than $3 million. The project is being managed by Eckles Architecture of New Castle.

The district expects to use $1 million from its construction fund to pay for the project, and borrow the remaining $2.1 million.

Starting date: Sept. 2 for the senior school; Sept. 3 for the lower and middle Schools.

Estimated enrollment: 785

Web site: www.sewickley.org

What's new? Mark Hansen, former elementary principal at the Berlin Brandenburg International School in Kleinmachnow, Germany, is the new head of lower school. Neal Holmes will serve as the director of diversity and global education. He previously was lower school director of diversity and was director of Harambee, a day school program for gifted minority second- through eighth-graders in Georgia.

Senior school students will have the option to take Chinese II and an Asian culture class, along with two new sections of Chinese I. Chinese has been added to the middle school curriculum.

The boys' lacrosse team has joined the WPIAL.

Renovations to the middle and senior school cafeteria will allow students to dine al fresco when the weather is nice.

Starting date: Aug. 28

Estimated enrollment: 955 total on all three campuses.

Web site: www.shadysideacademy.org

What's new? Grandizio Athletic Field has opened on the campus of the senior school in Fox Chapel. The facility with synthetic turf playing field, lighting, and concession stands, will be the home of 14 Shady Side Academy athletic teams.

Starting date: Sept. 8, K-10; Sept. 9, juniors and seniors.

Estimated enrollment: 5,300

Web site: sasd.k12.pa.us/

What's new? As the district continues it's Vision for the Future campaign of renovation and new programs, some students will return to ongoing construction at the high school -- at least for a couple more months. Until the kitchen is complete, food will be brought in from other school kitchens or cooked on a portable grill outside.

The rest of the district's buildings, remodeled in preparation for "Vision," are completed and ready for the new configuration of students.

Starting date: Aug. 27

Estimated enrollment: Not available

Web site: www.southbutler.k12.pa.us

Starting date: Aug. 25

Estimated enrollment: 235

Web site: www.vaduq.org

What's new? President, Mary Frances Grasinger, and assistant principle, Victor Boerio.

The school has also completed construction on tennis courts.

Starting date: Aug. 25

Estimated enrollment: 95

Web site: www.winchesterthurston.org

What's new? A $25,000 grant for the City in the Schools program, which will fund a curriculum that highlights resources and technology in Pittsburgh. The grant was given by the Benedict Foundation for Independent Schools.