08/25/2026
A New Year Begins Tomorrow!
Dr. Lutz Welcome Video: https://app.screencastify.com/watch/NL2qdLzKy44qYvkMcaVi
(Note: the video touches on some of the following topics but for full details, please see below.)
Dear Baldwin-Whitehall Families and Staff,
Educators are fortunate in that we get to experience two “New Year’s Days” each year.
January gives all of us the traditional opportunity to turn the calendar, reflect on what has passed, and think about what we want to do differently moving forward. In education, we are given another opportunity each August. A new school year allows us to leave behind the challenges and frustrations of the previous year and begin again with new students, new goals, new opportunities, and a renewed sense of purpose.
Tomorrow, we get that fresh start.
After months of planning, hiring, scheduling, construction, transportation work, professional learning, and preparation throughout the District, we are ready to welcome our students back for the 2026-27 school year.
Students in grades 3-12 begin tomorrow, Wednesday, August 26. Students in kindergarten through grade 2 will also begin their staggered start tomorrow, with all students attending together beginning Friday, August 28.
There is always a special energy surrounding the first day of school. New teachers, new classrooms, new schedules, new friendships, and new opportunities all come together at once. We are excited to get started.
Districtwide Updates
Transportation
Transportation is one area where some patience will be especially important during the first several days.
Routes simply take longer at the beginning of the school year as students, families, drivers, and staff become familiar with new schedules and routines. As we have done in previous years, our schools will begin dismissal approximately 15 minutes earlier than the normal dismissal time through September 4. We will then assess where we are and make any necessary adjustments.
Our goal is to get secondary buses on the road a little earlier so that elementary routes can remain as close to their scheduled times as possible. At the elementary level, dismissal preparations will also begin earlier, recognizing that some buses may still be completing their secondary runs.
Families received transportation assignments on August 20. Students riding District-operated buses can be tracked through My Ride K-12, which replaces MyStop. Families whose students ride a First Student bus should use the FirstView app.
Additional transportation information, including directions for both apps, is available in the Back-to-School section of our website.
Bus Stop Safety — Everyone Has a Role
As buses return to our neighborhoods, please remember that school bus safety is a shared responsibility. Parents and guardians should make sure students are at their assigned stops on time, remain a safe distance from the roadway, and wait until the bus has come to a complete stop before approaching.
For all of us as drivers, please be especially alert during the morning and afternoon hours. Slow down, avoid distractions, and give school buses the space they need to operate safely. Most importantly, respect the flashing lights. Yellow lights mean a bus is preparing to stop. Red flashing lights and an extended stop arm mean students may be entering or crossing the roadway. Stop and remain stopped until the lights are deactivated and the bus begins moving again.
This year, the District is also adding BusPatrol stop-arm camera technology to help address motorists who illegally pass stopped school buses. In addition to creating an extremely dangerous situation for our students, failing to stop may result in a citation and a significant financial penalty.
No appointment, commute, or schedule is more important than the safety of a child.
ParentSquare
We are also beginning the transition to ParentSquare, our new districtwide communication platform. ParentSquare will eventually replace ReachWell and Skylert, bringing school, District, classroom, and family communication into one location.
We will continue using Skylert during the opening weeks of school, and families will receive additional information before that transition is completed.
Elementary School Highlights
One of the most unique aspects of this school year is the relocation of our kindergarten students to a dedicated area of Baldwin High School while McAnnulty Elementary undergoes renovation.
Last night’s Kindergarten Meet the Teacher was a tremendous success, with lots of smiling faces and excitement as students and families visited their new classrooms. Our kindergarten teachers and staff have worked incredibly hard to make the space feel special, welcoming, age-appropriate, and truly their own for our youngest Highlanders.
The arrangement also creates some wonderful opportunities for students at opposite ends of their Baldwin-Whitehall journey to connect. Last year, during our Pre-K program, Rory developed a friendship with Reese, now a senior at Baldwin High School. They genuinely look forward to seeing one another, and their friendship is a great example of what can happen when our youngest and oldest students have opportunities to connect.
Across our elementary schools, students will continue to experience programs designed to extend learning beyond the traditional classroom.
At R. A. Lutz Elementary, the student-produced PawCast gives students opportunities to plan, script, interview, record, and tell the stories of their school while developing communication and collaboration skills.
The Lutz Grow Garden continues to expand, allowing students to participate in planting, maintaining, and harvesting while learning about agriculture, sustainability, and environmental science.
Our digital badging program continues to recognize student skills, interests, and learning experiences, while the House System strengthens belonging, leadership, teamwork, relationships, and school culture.
Secondary School Highlights
J. E. Harrison Middle School
We are welcoming Dr. David Muench as the new principal of J. E. Harrison Middle School, along with a new administrative team. They are excited to begin working with our students, staff, and families and to build upon the many good things already happening at the middle school.
We are also working through a recent staffing challenge involving two sections of Spanish I. Rather than simply eliminate the opportunity for students to continue studying Spanish, we are exploring several options that would allow students to remain in the course and receive appropriate support.
One option includes the use of Imagine Learning’s Edgenuity platform, along with additional supports. Those details have not yet been finalized, and we continue to work through the available options. Families directly affected have received additional information, and we will continue communicating with them as plans are completed.
Baldwin High School
At Baldwin High School, our redesigned schedule is creating additional opportunities for students to participate in internships and real-world career experiences.
Students are gaining experience in areas such as healthcare, communications, education, finance, legal studies, marketing, social media, retail, and the skilled trades. These opportunities help students better understand what may come after high school while beginning to develop the communication, collaboration, and workplace skills they will need in the future.
Districtwide Innovation and Resources
Across the District, we are continuing to invest in tools and resources that support students and staff.
Our teachers will begin using MagicSchool, an enterprise platform designed specifically for educators. The technology can assist with lesson planning, differentiation, assessments, family communication, and other administrative tasks, allowing teachers to spend more time focused on students, instruction, and relationships.
Our transportation fleet will also welcome three new fully electric school buses this year as we continue investing in modern and sustainable transportation.
Families can find schedules, transportation information, school resources, and answers to many common questions in the Back-to-School section of the District website.
For those interested in showing their Highlander pride, several District apparel stores are also available:
District Store #1:
https://keystonecustomapparel.chipply.com/baldwinwhitehallschooldistrict/store.aspx?eid=402084&action=viewall
District Store #2:
https://keystonecustomapparel.chipply.com/baldwinesports/store.aspx?eid=402085&action=viewall
BW Kind Kid Store, which remains open through September 3, with a ship-to-school option.
https://shieldsembroidery.tuosystems.com/stores/bwsd2026
A New Year Begins Tomorrow
For all of the schedules, buses, technology, construction projects, programs, staffing decisions, and logistics that go into opening a school year, tomorrow really comes down to something much simpler:
Students walking through our doors.
Some will be excited. Some will be nervous. Some are beginning kindergarten, while others are beginning their senior year. Thousands of students will arrive at very different points in their journey, but each of them deserves the same thing — to know that they belong here, that someone knows them, and that there are adults ready to help them succeed.
That is the opportunity our second “New Year’s Day” gives us.
To our staff, thank you for the tremendous amount of work that has gone into preparing for tomorrow and for everything you will do in the days ahead.
To our families, thank you for your patience, your trust, and your partnership.
And most importantly, to our students — welcome back.
A new year begins tomorrow. Let’s make it a great one.
Sincerely,
Randal A. Lutz, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
Baldwin-Whitehall School District
