Several Lehigh Valley students will head to Harrisburg to compete in the 2018 Pennsylvania National Geographic Bee April 6, with a chance to move on to the national competition. This is the second level of the 30-year-old competition.

School bees for fourth- through eighth-grade students were held to determine each school champions. Those winners then took a qualifying test. The National Geographic Society invited up to 100 of the top-scoring students to the state contests.

A local qualifier for the state competition, to be held at the State Museum of Pennsylvania, is Caroline Gray, an eighth-grader at Northampton Area Middle School.

Each state champion receives $200, the National Geographic Visual Atlas of the World, second edition, and a trip to Washington, D.C., to represent his or her state in the National Geographic Bee Championship, held May 20-23 at the society’s headquarters.

The national champion receives a $50,000 college scholarship, a lifetime membership in the society, including a subscription to National Geographic magazine, and an all-expenses-paid expedition to the Galápagos Islands aboard the new National Geographic Endeavour ll.

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Due to inclement weather this school year, the district is required to make up some instructional days. The following days have been added to the calendar and will be school days for students now: March 29, April 2 and June 4, 5 and 6.

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The Title I spring family night will be held 6 p.m. April 3 in the Northampton Area High School auditorium. Mark your calendars!

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PSSA testing will begin next week for grades 3 through 8. The state testing will be done for two weeks. It is very important students do their very best to attend school during these dates.

Be sure to get plenty of rest and eat a good breakfast. Also, it is important to be on time and prompt arriving to school.

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The end of the third marking period will be April 4. Grades and report cards will be available on the district website, nasdschools.org. Navigate to parent resources to view online grades and academic records. On there, parents/guardians will be able to connect to Sapphire to view the grades.

If you have any questions or concerns, contact your child’s teacher.

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Commemorative brick pavers that will be placed at the new memorial plaza outside the entrance of Al Erdosy Stadium and the entrance to the new district swimming pool are still available for purchase. This memorial plaza will be the center of the secondary campus.

This buy-a-brick fundraiser is sponsored by Northampton Area Konkrete Kids Educational Foundation, and all proceeds will be used to supplement and enhance NASD K-12 education programs.

More details and information about engraving, sizing and pricing of the pavers are available at konkretefoundation.org.

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Do you have any school news? This column is a compilation of upcoming school events in the Northampton Area School District. Teachers, administrators, parents, students, coaches, PTAs, club advisers and any other community members are invited to share their upcoming activities. Email me at jamb87@hotmail.com with “Northampton School News” in the subject line at least a week before an event.