With the uncertainty of the weather forecast that including snow and the possibility of ice, we have decided to cancel the high school dance for this evening. We would rather err on the side of caution, especially with student drivers being on the road. We will either postpone the event or simply refund students’ money depending on the availability of future dates. We appreciate your understanding and hope you have a nice weekend.

OPLC Global School Play Day is well underway. We have played Hungry Hungry Hippo, Candyland, Connect Four, Shopkins, built forts, painted and just played. What a fantastic day to celebrate!

February 18, 2025 Regular Board Meeting Live Link: https://youtube.com/live/78Dbc5FM7Uo?feature=share

Please join the Octorara Facilities Town Hall meeting to be held on February 3 from 7:00-8:00 in the Middle School HUB. By attending this meeting, you will have the opportunity to learn about the 2025 Facilities Study, District financial planning, needed facilities updates, enrollment trends, District space utilization, and grade realignment considerations. The meeting will also be livestreamed by using this link: https://youtube.com/live/AvOdBMt54eQ?feature=share

The Technology Student Association (TSA) just held its 2025 annual leadership and regional conference at the Conestoga Valley school district on January 25th. Six students and one advisor, Mr. Lefever, from Octorara High School attended the conference, competing in a total of six STEM related events. All six students either placed or qualified in multiple events for the state conference in April. We can't wait to see how they do in the spring! Congratulation to Mr. LeFever and the students for their awesome success! Please check out more information on the results! https://5il.co/36dof

Congratulations to Ella Teufert on the 130 lb and Jolee Johnson at 124lbs as they claim first ever LL League Championships this past Saturday! Also, to Taylor Orner on claiming 2nd place. Great Job! Full story below https://lancasteronline.com/sports/highschool/wrestling/octorara-freshman-celebrates-l-l-league-girls-wrestling-title-run-teams-top-5-finish/article_32196a88-dd0c-11ef-932e-d3dcd3cfc3e4.html

Please join the Octorara Facilities Town Hall meeting to be held tonight, January 28 and/or February 3 from 7:00-8:00 in the Middle School HUB. By attending this meeting, you will have the opportunity to learn about the 2025 Facilities Study, District financial planning, needed facilities updates, enrollment trends, District space utilization, and grade realignment considerations. The meeting will also be livestreamed by using this link: https://youtube.com/live/ObLTv2o3qc8?feature=share.

Dear Octorara Community, This morning while routinely tending to our animals in the barn behind our high school, students and staff discovered smoldering straw in one of our animal pens. The source of the smoke was a heat lamp that was pulled to the ground overnight by one of the animals creating a small fire. By the time we discovered the issue, there were no flames but the straw was smoldering. Thanks to the quick action of teachers and students, the animals were removed from the area and the straw was extinguished. The Cochranville Fire Department was dispatched to investigate. No injuries were reported however some of our animals are under the care of a veterinarian for exposure to smoke. There was no threat to the main high school or middle school buildings. The district will investigate this incident further and plan to address the needs of our animals and potential hazards. Sincerely, Steven A. Leever Superintendent of Schools

The 2024-25 Octorara FFA Tractor Restoration Project is on display in the front lobby of Octorara Area High School. The tractor is a 1968 Cub Cadet Lawnmower. The restoration project was completed for the Lancaster Farming competition that culminated in presentations on the last day of the 2025 Farm Show. The team of Garrett Beiler, Lisandro Esquivel-Lopez, Gabe Kreider, Matt Russell, and Grant Umble put in a ton of time and effort in this restoration. Please come out to see the work that was completed by our Mechanical Sytems students! We are proud of their efforts and the knowledge gained.

Notice of Special Meeting: NOTICE is given that a special meeting of the Octorara Area School District Board of Directors has been scheduled for Monday, January 27, 2025 beginning at 6:00 p.m. for the purpose of approving a Bond Purchase Agreement. This meeting will be held in the Multi-Purpose Room of the Octorara Middle School, 228 Highland Road, Atglen, PA.

Additional Information Regarding OASD School Closing for Friday January 17, 2025 https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hBBZjvyCXEUpJF11K6vPJDitmOYXSE48/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=110369852959077905753&rtpof=true&sd=true

Please join us for an Octorara Facilities Town Hall Meeting on January 16 and February 3

The community is invited to an Octorara Facilities Town Hall Meeting on January 16 and/or February 3 - see link for more information! https://5il.co/34rpe

PowerSchool Security Breach Notification - January 9, 2025 (English and Spanish) https://docs.google.com/document/d/1D9zjv8N7C54-P7MfKhia9-NVYdcPhgjV/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=110369852959077905753&rtpof=true&sd=true

We had a great visit to High Steel yesterday. The students learned about what they do at High Steel and what they are looking for in their employees. Employees from High Steel also discussed looking at total compensation packages that employers offer including health benefits, 401K matching, and tuition reimbursement for post secondary education in addition to salary or wages before students accept any kind of employment offer. The students (and Ms, Pittman!) were able to practice their welds, too! Thank you to High Steel for such a great opportunity.

Girls Basketball team defeats Bristol 42-16!

Today, we had the tremendous opportunity to welcome three new goats to our OACTEP family! A Big Thank You goes to Ms. Talley, Ms. Long, all of the students in the Animal and Plant Science Program, and Frenchie for delivering such cute goats!

Octorara Flexible Instruction Day (FID) Procedures 2024-2025. In view of the anticipated weather on Monday, please refer to the document linked below for procedures for an Octorara FID day. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NllbmGiZpcpf-OELJcv0EkFZYhATKhOv/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=110369852959077905753&rtpof=true&sd=true

On Tuesday, December 17, Octorara Area High School hosted a 2024-25 awards for Chester County Farmer of the Year and Distinguished Contributions to Agriculture in Chester County. Our previous Director of Career and Technical Education, Lisa McNamara, received the 2024-25 Distinguished Contributions to Agriculture in Chester County Award. The three County Commissioners, Marian Moskowitz, Josh Maxwell, and Eric Rowe, presented the awards to the recipients. Our Culinary Arts students prepared the appetizers for the event. The appetizers were created from food purchased while the Culinary Arts students visited several Chester County farms prior to the event. As usual, the food was amazing! Thank you to AgConnect for allowing us to host the event and to our students for creating such an amazing spread of food. #buylocal #eatlocal

On Wedenesday, December 18th, our senior Career and Technical Education Program students participated in Mock Interviews. A big Thank You goes out to all of the Employers that assisted in this actvity. This was, for many of our OACTEP students, their first formal interview. Also, a big Thank You goes out to our Instructors for preparing our students with resumes, questions, and student presentation. We had recevied a ton of positive responses from our employers about how well prepared our students were for this event. Great Job to all!