August is ending, classrooms are calling and, in the aisles of local retail stores, mothers are doing some last-minute shopping.

For proof look no farther than Valerie Dunlap's shopping cart. Dunlap has been shopping with three children: Emma, Alaina and Nolan. The former two girls are heading back to school at Grove City Christian Academy, while Nolan is about to start preschool in Slippery Rock.

“It's expensive,” Dunlap said. “It really is. Mostly what we're getting is based on what the school says they need on their back-to-school lists.”

All three have new backpacks: Emma's has sequins, Alaina has “pink, silky stripes” and Nolan will be rocking a dinosaur sack.

It's not just families preparing.

The 2018-19 academic year brings new schedules, classes, facilities and security to the nine public school districts in Butler County.

The largest student enrollment figure in the county belongs to Seneca Valley with about 7,200. The smallest is the Allegheny-Clarion Valley School District with just about 680 students, which combines with the similarly-sized Union School District for several activities. The Butler School District has about 6,400 students.

Butler

Class resumes in the Butler School District Tuesday.

Butler schools are rethinking kindergarten schedules and curriculum this year to lengthen time spent at school and to modernize what students are learning.

This year, about 440 kindergartners will attend on a regular full-day schedule like other grade levels. As of Friday, only two families were opting to keep their child on a half-day schedule. The district has roughly doubled its number of kindergarten teachers to 23 by moving reading specialists into kindergarten positions.

Starting this year, kindergarten through fourth grade students will participate in a weekly program tentatively called Encore.

During the program's different quarters, students will take introductory coding courses online through code.org, use engineering concepts with classroom building projects and participate in other STEM-associated activities, according to Julie Hopp, curriculum director.

Kindergartners in particular, Hopp said, will go through structured play exercises where teachers attempt to facilitate good social skills: literally teaching kids how to play nice.

“We are hearing from businesses and employers about what attributes they look for in a candidate,” Hopp said. “They're all saying collaboration and team work are needed skills.”

For example, some elementary classes will read a book called “Peg + Cat: The Race Car Problem” and then will build their own model race cars. The children will be required to keep a journal about the process, using sketching and other basic engineering techniques to develop plans and execute them.

Teachers, Hopp said, are still working out a few details about new curriculum. For instance, the name “Encore” isn't particularly loved among teachers.

Kindergarten teachers have also had a lot of conversations about how quiet times will work, as the need will be much more apparent with longer days. Hopp said they've circled around 20-minute periods with soothing music, lowered lights and quiet activities for those who don't want to nap.

Older students have changes to look forward to as well. The district has 439 seniors this year.

Athletes will have a new basketball court floor to play on. Roof repair projects at Northwest and Center Township Elementary schools will wrap up soon after school starts, according to Nick Morelli, the district's acting business services director.

Butler High School's cafeteria just got a new set of cafeteria furniture, Morelli said. The district is also adding several additional security cameras to its campuses.

Mars

Students in the Mars School District return to school Wednesday.

Mars is taking steps to curb bullying this year, and it's doing so with larger concerns of school safety in mind.

With the new year, the district is starting Rachel's Challenge, a program based on writings by Rachel Joy Scott, the first victim in the 1999 Columbine High School shooting. Scott's work advocates for kindness to trump bullying.

The district established a school safety hot line in May. The phone number is 724- 625-2720.

Seneca Valley

Class starts Wednesday in Seneca Valley as well — but the big change in the district this year is what time those classes actually begin.

The district is tinkering with its starting times this year in hopes of better suiting students' sleep cycles. Students in kindergarten through sixth grades will attend classes from 8:55 a.m. to 3:25 p.m., while older students will go in at 8:09 a.m. and stay until 2:41 p.m.

Freeport

High schoolers in the Freeport School District returned to new chairs when class started Thursday.

All of the student furniture in Freeport High School has been replaced.

The district's running track has been resurfaced as well.

One upgrade is less glamorous: the district replaced 85 feet of sewer line over the summer.

A new full-time counselor has been added to the district's staff to serve as a resource for students struggling with their mental health.

Moniteau

The Moniteau School District resumes classes Monday.

Moniteau students will have a healthy amount of new technology to wrangle with this year. The district has 180 new Chromebook computers for students to use, and a new information technology help service called School Dude. Students and staff will be using Google Domain, a service that aids in building websites.

The district also has new metal detectors for extra security.

South Butler

The South Butler School District starts session Wednesday.

The district renovated the Knoch High School library and is preparing younger students to later make good use of the new facility with a new elementary school reading program called Wonders.

Wonders is a new textbook system for the district that brings new stories and is available online.

Allegheny-Clarion Valley

Students in the Allegheny-Clarion Valley and Union school districts both head back to class Wednesday.

A-C Valley reworked its energy usage this summer. The high school received new lighting, while the elementary has new water pipes. Electric work was conducted.

School buildings also have new security vestibules, and the high school got a new roof.

Karns City

Karns City School District students return to class Tuesday.

Like Butler, the Karns City district is introducing elementary school students to coding this year.

The district bought about 400 computers this year, revamped its website and upgraded its Internet connection.

The district performed pavement maintenance, sport facility renovation and a partial roof replacement.

Slippery Rock

Slippery Rock School District returned to school Wednesday.

Slippery Rock Elementary School has a new computer lab and a new roof, and Moraine Elementary School has a new special education classroom.

New textbooks and Chromebooks have also arrived at the district.