Today marks the beginning of the 2018-19 school year for three area districts, Otto-Eldred, Kane and Port Allegany. With improvements for students’ educational and social environments, each district starts the year with a new slogan and many new announcements.

In an effort to stay current with educational trends, with the impact of state and national issues as a background theme, Otto-Eldred Area School District will host an open house for the entire community at 5:30 p.m. Aug. 29 in the high school auditorium.

Otto-Eldred has announced that its theme this year is a cross-multiple media platform declaring #oesdmatters to promote and “get the word out about all the great things happening in our district,” said Matt Splain, superintendent, who noted that security measures for a range of scenarios have been updated in the district.

Students at Otto-Eldred will be provided most items they need for the start of the school year today, said Splain, who explained “as a parent, I know it can be an adjustment to get your kids back in school mode but having a short week to start the year helps with that.”

The Kane Area School District will host multiple open houses this year, with the high school’s event set for Sept. 26, the middle school’s set for Sept. 25 and the elementary school’s open house set for Sept. 27. The events will focus on the “mission and vision to provide a collaborative learning environment that empowers and engages our students and inspires our students to maximize their individual potential,” Superintendent Jeff Kepler said.

Construction at the Kane Area High School is not yet complete but on schedule, with hopes to showcase new school improvements during the open house, Kepler said.

A complete back-to-school packet for the Kane district can be downloaded directly from its revamped website at www.kasd.net.

Each school building held its own introductions for the significant student transition points, namely entering the district in pre-kindergarten or kindergarten and also moving up to the junior-senior High schools as seventh-graders, previously this summer.

While Port Allegany Superintendent Gary Buchsen could not be reached for comment Tuesday, Port Allegany Area School District also begins its school year today, with one new addition, the learning and nutrition app Nutrislice, which is available from both Apple iTunes and the Google Play. The app will not only provide a listing of upcoming lunch availability for students it also provides nutritional facts about each meal served.