

Hopewell's Happenings
COMMUNICATION FOR THE HES COMMUNITY
May 2024
THANK YOU
April was a very busy and educational month at HES. We kicked off this month with the Solar Eclipse and what a blast everyone had! See the photo below of our pre-school students. Special thank you to Paul Wesley for his beautifully-framed photos of the eclipse taken at HES that are now hanging up in the front office. Stop by to see his amazing work.
The 3rd Grade Iditarod Races were exciting to watch. The weather could not slow our students and staff down as teamwork was displayed by all! Thank you Ms. Buechner, Ms. Devereaux, and Ms. Hamilton for all your hard work organizing the event.
Many thanks to Ms. Bruce, Ms. Heiser, Ms. Kerr, and the whole Green Team for an outstanding Green Week. From 4th Grade's whole school meeting to read-aloud sessions, Kinder-Garden planting, and our collaboration with the Sourland Conservancy, HES filled each day with joy and enthusiasm. Thanks to everyone who took part and helped make these events a big success.
We were also excited to host New Jersey's First Lady Tammy Snyder Murphy, Interim Executive County Superintendent Dr. Daryl Minus-Vincent, and NJDOE representatives at HES this past month. Thank you to our gracious hosts, HES's Student Council and Green Team Officers, for showing them The Hopewell Way! If you missed the short news clip, you can view it HERE.
Friday's performance of "Wackadoo Zoo" by our 2nd graders brought plenty of smiles to our HES families and staff. A special thank you goes to Ms. Dauer for making this event happen. We're excited to continue this tradition for many years to come!
On Saturday, we had beautiful weather and an even more beautiful turnout of HES community and staff members for our Color Run. Thank you to the Nature Harmony Project Committee, Green Team, and PTO for all of your hard work. We were able to raise over $16,000.00 for HES's Outdoor Learning Initiatives. Enjoy the photos below.
We are looking forward to a busy month of May and the countdown to the end of the year with many exciting events planned. Please be sure to check out the Save the Date events listed at the bottom of this newsletter.
Sourland Conservancy Plantings
Green Week
New Jersey's First Lady Tammy Snyder Murphy Visit
May Day Celebrations
Parents are invited to our annual May Day Celebration, held outside on the HES Basketball Court on May 2nd, at 2:15PM. Consider bringing a blanket or a lawn chair for seating.
We will be dancing and singing to celebrate “Summer is a-comin’ in, and Winter’s gone away-O.” This phrase is from the song “Hal-an-toe,” which we sing every year. Each class will perform a dance, and some fifth graders will weave the ribbons of the beautiful May Pole. Our rain date will be Friday, May 3rd.
LIVE MUSIC!
Parents, you are invited to join us and play the music for the dances. Our Advanced Orchestra will be playing, as will some of the HES graduates, and we’d love to have you join us. The tunes are on Ms. Mills’ teacher website found HERE.
Check out the tunes and send Ms. Mills an email if you are interested in playing (jmills@hvrsd.org).
May Day Dismissal Form
To ensure a smooth dismissal process for your child(ren) after the event, please complete the following FORM. Kindly fill out one form per child. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated in making the dismissal process efficient. We look forward to seeing everyone there.
Hopewell Elementary School's Class Placement 24-25
Please note that only written comments will be accepted per the guidelines below:
Written comments should be limited to unique issues relative to your child’s strengths, interests, study skills, work habits, developmental needs, accomplishments, learning traits, and characteristics.
Parents may not request a specific teacher. Such requests will not be accepted or considered either by the current classroom teacher or the principal.
Consistent with prior practice, any information received relative to a teacher’s performance must be shared with the teacher and the source of the information must be identified.
Parents/guardians are asked to refrain from requesting placement assignments for pairs or clusters of students. In extraordinary circumstances that require your child to be placed in a different homeroom than a specific classmate may be included.
Staff Appreciation Week: May 6th - May 10th
We will be celebrating our annual Teacher & Staff Appreciation Week May 6-10, 2024. Below is a detailed itinerary of the week's themes, along with some creative suggestions for how you can participate and express gratitude to our amazing teachers and staff!
Walk, Bike & Roll to School Day
🎉 Join the festivities with Hopewell PTO, Hopewell Township Police Department, Greater Mercer TMA, and Hopewell Elementary School staff for Walk, Bike, and Roll to School Day, Thursday, May 9th!!
See details below:
🕗 Join your route at designated times.
📍 All routes meet up at the Train Station at 8am.
🚶♂️🚴♀️ Then Walk, Bike, and Roll parade style to school!
🚨 Walk, Bike, and Roll Safely!
🛑 Follow directions from Police and Parent Volunteers.
🏀 Meet at the basketball court for GMTMA’s Quiz Wheel, prizes, and enter to WIN Lunch with our hometown heroes & helpers!🥪
😃 HAVE FUN!
#WalkBikeRollHES #CommunityEvent #HopewellSchools #HopewellNJ 🎈🎊
Event Flyer
Route Map
Speed Limit Reduction Reminder from Hopewell Boro
"The speed limit on Broad Street in Hopewell Borough has been lowered to 25 mph. There will be a period of increased enforcement followed by intermittent periods of increased enforcement in the future to ensure we maintain our safety gains.
Roads have many users. Hopewell Borough’s goal is to protect those who are most vulnerable, including children who are walking and biking to and from school."
K & 1st Grade Family Game Night (Sponsored by PTO)
Turn off your screens and turn on the fun!
Join us for our Kindergarten and First Grade FAMILY GAME NIGHT! This will be May 10th from 6:30-8pm at HES.
- Ticket are $15 per family. Families must have a student in either K or 1st grade to attend.
- We are also offering pizza, for an additional $20, if you would like to eat dinner while playing. Pizza options are plain cheese, either regular or gluten free.
- Tickets and Pizza can be purchased HERE.
Feel free to bring your favorite games, but also game stations will be set up for a whole night of FUN!
Kid-Preneur Fair (Sponsored by the PTO)
Calling all Kid-Preneurs!! Do you have a great business idea?
Come sell your product/service at the Kid-preneur Fair in June! You will have the opportunity to sell to not only our school communities but also those attending the Hopewell Town-Wide Yardsale on June 8th from 1-4PM.
Applications -All booths must be run by the child, and all business applicants must be 5-11 years old. Booth cost is a $25 donation to the HES PTO (paid after your business idea has been accepted)
KID-PRENEURS: APPLY TODAY!!
https://tinyurl.com/HESKidpreneur2024
Our timeline will be as follows:
APRIL 23rd - MAY 8th: Applications accepted.
MAY 10th: Approval emails will be sent to families.
JUNE 8th (1-4PM): Run the KID-PRENEUR FAIR! (RAIN DATE is June 9th at the same time)
Please send any questions or comments to Alisa at: alisamkuppe@gmail.com
At 3:45PM on the day of the Fair, there will be an End-of-Fair CELEBRATION & AWARDS CEREMONY:
- Best Presentation
- Most Creative
- Teamwork Made the Dream Work
- Young Visionary Award: Making Tomorrow Brighter
Timberlane MS Spirit Wear for Rising 6th Graders
The TMS PTO welcomes you, 5th grade families! If you are looking for a little gift to celebrate a 5th grader heading off to middle school, we are here to help with Timberlane spirit wear!
Here is a link to our online store: https://timberlane-middle-school.square.site/.
Please place your order by June 1st. All orders can be picked up at the TMS main office during regular school hours or alternate arrangements can be made if needed. Please contact tmshopewellspirit@gmail.com with any questions.
Thank you,
The TMS PTO Apparel Sales Team
Bring Your Shoes!
The HES PTO is excited to announce our latest fundraiser because you don't have to buy ANYTHING!
With assistance from the 5th grade, we're collecting gently worn, used and new shoes to raise money to support our students and enrich their experience at HES. Not only do you help the HES PTO, but the shoes also get a second life with those in need. It's a double donation!
The PTO will earn funds based on the total weight of the pairs of used, gently worn, and new shoes collected, as Funds2Orgs will issue a check for the collected shoes. Anyone can help by donating gently worn, used and new shoes at HES. All donated shoes will then be redistributed throughout the Funds2Orgs network of micro-enterprise (small business) partners. Funds2Orgs works with micro-entrepreneurs in helping them create, maintain and grow small businesses in developing countries where economic opportunity and jobs are limited.
We will have collection bins by the HES front office during April & May, and will bring collection bins for all school events (Color Run, May Day, etc.). The more shoes we collect, the more money we make- so grab shoes you no longer need from your closets, your relatives, and your friends and give them to HES!
For more information, contact:
Jill Perhach, Director of Fundraising for the HES PTO
Nature Harmony Project Update
Thank you to everyone who made last Saturday's Color Run a huge success! Special shoutout to all of the amazing runners, families, and staff who supported the event.
The funds raised during our Color Run will be utilized to fund the construction of an outdoor learning pavilion at HES. While our timeline is based upon fundraising efforts, please see the rendering below which highlights the finished project. We look forward to sharing additional details soon!
Counselor Corner
I can’t believe that May is already here. The beginning of May brings us to our last month-long focus on our Character Strong trait of Creativity and our last SEL Day Celebration - HopeWellness Day!
Throughout the day, students will engage in mindful moments, therapy dog visits and outdoor space wellness activities such as guided meditations in our hammock garden and deep breathing practice in the infinity garden. Extend the lessons and techniques learned through at-home practice as a family. You can access various activities by following the links below.
Calming Strategies (Young Adults,Teachers and Parents)
Be well, Hopewell! As always, please reach out if you need any assistance via phone at 609-737-4007 x7206 or email at ashleylarose@hvrsd.org
Summer EBT - Eligibilty
Summer EBT is a new federal program to help families buy food for their school-aged children during the summer. Families will receive $120 for each eligible child to buy groceries during the summer. Children who receive Summer EBT benefits can still participate in other summer meal programs. Receiving benefits will not affect children or families’ immigration status. To find out more information or if you are eligible, you can find information HERE.
HELP! We Are Lost 😢
Below are the latest photos of our Lost and Found area located by the Cafeteria. We kindly ask that you remind your children to visit and reclaim any misplaced belongings, particularly winter jackets, as there are quite a few. All unclaimed items will be donated on May 15th. Please take a moment to review the photos provided.
PTO News
PTO Meeting:
The May PTO Meeting is Friday, the 17th, from 8:45 - 9:45AM in the Faculty Lounge at HES. If you cannot attend in person, please click HERE for a Zoom link.
Are you in the directory yet?
Did you know HES has a free, secure directory for families to find contact information to schedule playdates, send out birthday party invites or contact a parent in a pinch? Sign up for the school directory to manage the information you want to share and choose whether to receive important PTO announcements about upcoming events such as the school T-shirt giveaway and the book fair. The Membership Toolkit portal is secure, so your information will never be shared outside of our school community, and it gives you control over what you want to share. If you have any questions about the directory, reach out at hesdirectory@gmail.com.
HES PTO Fundraising:
The HES PTO is the volunteer organization behind many fun events and special things for our kids during the school year. Please view our link to the Frog Flash for more information.
Save the Date
- May 1st - Early Dismissal for Students/Staff Professional Development; Preschool Half Day - PM Only
- May 2nd - CogAT Testing; 6th Grade Math Placement Testing; May Day Celebration (2:15PM)
- May 3rd - 6th Grade Math Placement Testing; 1st Grade Field Trip - Doyle's Farm; May Day Celebration Rain Date
- May 6th - Teacher Appreciation Week
- May 7th - Teacher Appreciation Week; Field Trip - Princeton Symphony Orchestra (Mills & Dauer)
- May 8th - Teacher Appreciation Week; Bike/Roll/Walk to School (7:45AM);
Prismatic Magic Laser Assemblies
May 9th - Teacher Appreciation Week; Bike/Roll/Walk to School Rain Date (7:45AM); Green Team Meeting (8:00AM)
May 10th - Teacher Appreciation Week; Kindergarten's Donuts with Grownups (9:00AM); HVEF's Boots & Bling (6:00PM); PTO's Game Night for Grades K & 1 Families (6:30PM)
May 13th - 17th - NJSLA Testing (Gr 3-5)
May 17th - PreSchool Collaboration Day (No School for PreSchool); PTO Meeting (8:45AM); 5th Grade Activity Night (6:00PM)
May 20th-21st - NJSLA Testing (Gr. 5 only)
May 20th - Board of Education Regular Meeting (6:30-8:30PM)
May 24th - Field Day (Gr. 3-5 in AM; Gr. K-2 in PM)
May 27th - Memorial Day (Schools/Offices Closed)
May 29th - 2nd Grade's Habitat Hoopla (1:30PM)
May 30th - Green Team Meeting (8:00AM); 5th Grade Field Trip - Liberty Science Center
May 31st - School-wide Spring Concert (2:00PM); 5th Grade Family Dinner (6:00PM)
June 3rd - HES Spring Concert at CHS PAC (7:00PM)
Important Links
Previous Community Newsletters
This section of our monthly correspondence is dedicated to posting our older community newsletters so that you can refer back to previous HES communication. We also recommend that you regularly visit our school's website and read HVRSD's weekly Focus to stay informed with the latest events and happenings at HES.
Previous Newsletters: