Hopewell's Happenings

November marked our month of gratitude. We had numerous reasons to express gratitude, including exceptional students, dedicated staff, and a supportive community. Throughout the month, various events highlighted our deep sense of thankfulness.

During our whole school meetings, students showed their appreciation to staff members while the staff, with the help of Freddy, thanked our students. Freddy and the HVCHS Choirs, surprised our students with a concert and some impromptu dancing. We all left feeling grateful! See photos below.

For Thanksgiving holiday, our HES community provided food for 27 families in need to assist the Chubby’s Project right here in Hopewell. It was heartwarming to see our community continue with this wonderful tradition of supporting families in need during the holidays. See the photo below of our 5th-graders on delivery day.

To finish up the month, HES hosted Shana Tucker and Christian Tamburr for an Interdisciplinary Arts Assembly. These are two highly accomplished musicians/artists/teachers who visited HVRSD thanks to Christian's ties with the Seward Johnson sculptures on display throughout the Valley and here at HES.

This year’s first Parent University webinar will provide attendees with an anthropological view of anxiety. There will be discussions on how anxiety may present in youth, and explore how you, as a parent or guardian, can support youth with their anxiety experiences. The topic of anxiety will be approached as a common human experience. This webinar is for parents of all youth. Considerations for anxiety disorders will also be discussed. Please register using this LINK.

The first trimester ends on December 8th. Report cards will be available on OnCourse beginning December 15th. At the elementary level, the district uses standards-based grading. Look for an email from HVRSD on December 11th with information about standards-based grading and how to access your child's report card.

Math resources are available for parents and students. EnVision resources for parents are linked HERE and directions for implemeting the Savvas app for EnVision Mathematics is linked HERE.

On December 11th, HES's Student Council will be kicking off their 2nd Annual CHOP fundraiser. Click on this LINK for how families and students can help. The fundraiser will run from Monday, December 11th - Friday, December 15th. HES will host our pajama day in celebration of our staff, students and community efforts on Friday, December 15th.

Please have your child(ren) check the Lost and Found table by the cafeteria before December 8th. All items will be donated on Friday, December 8th. Remember to label your child's coats, hats, and gloves!

It is time to order your 2023-2024 Hopewell Elementary School yearbook! Don't miss out on the chance to preseve precious moments and celebrate achievements of your child throughout the school year. Simply scan the QR Code on the FLYER or visit the website at ybpay.com and enter the yearbook ID code: 15200324. The deadline to order is April 4th 2024

Mark your calendars, Life Touch will be here on December 5th for Picture Day make-ups. Click on this LINK to sign up and pre-order.

Thank you for supporting your child(ren)’s pursuit of Gratitude last month. We are so GRATEFUL to faculty, students and families who took part in our LEAP Core Value selection! These core values will be used to guide our SEL and Character Education efforts throughout the year. You can introduce the values to your child(ren) with our new HES Honor Pledge:

Here at HES, we LEAP while we learn and play

We show our core values through our actions every day

L is for Leadership, we pave the way and do what is right

E is for Empathy, we think of others and make sure they are alright

A is for Acceptance, we celebrate everyone’s unique traits

P is for Perseverance, we keep going no matter what we face

At Hopewell Elementary School we know that good character is cool

So we pledge to LEAP in the community, at home and at school!

During December, we will be focusing on the trait of Empathy. Empathy is one of our core LEAP values as well as the Character Strong trait of the month. You can use this definition from the Character Strong program to talk about the meaning of Empathy as a family. Research has shown that you can build empathy in children through reading together. While reading, pause to ask your child what the characters are feeling and what they think they might do in a situation to practice perspective taking.

As always, please reach out if you need any assistance via phone at 609-737-4007 x1 or email at ashleylarose@hvrsd.org

Library Volunteers - Calling all parents! We need your support in the HES Library. Join our team of dedicated volunteers to shelve books and organize the library. Your help ensures our students have a well-organized and inspiring reading space. Let's work together to maintain an enriched learning environment. Sign up today to be a part of our library volunteer team! Contact Mrs. White at leawhite@hvrsd.org.

If you are interested in volunteering please view the HVRSD letter for district protocol.

PTO Meeting:
The December PTO Meeting is Friday the 8th from 8:45 am - 9:45 am in the Faculty Room at HES. If you can not attend in person click here for a Zoom Link.

Gift Drive:

On Thursday, Dec. 7th and Friday, Dec. 8th we will be collecting new or gently used items, that are NOT wrapped, at the FROG from 8-9:30am. The items will be collected for the East Trenton Center Gift Drive.

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: Fall Fundraising.

Minted.com:
Support the HES PTO while you shop at Minted. Holiday Cards, Wedding Stationary, Birthday party Invites...you get 20% off and we get back 15% of your purchase directly to our account. It's a win-win!

Also, you can share the code with family and friends (they don't have to live in Hopewell!). Anyone who uses our code can take advantage of 20% off. Feel free to post on your social media! The Hopewell code is FUNDRAISEHOPEWELLELEM.

Photography Partnership:

We've partnered with Kris Renee to receive a benefit back from her holiday mini sessions. See the opportunity below:

Booking Link: https://krisreneecreative.pixieset.com/booking/HolidayMiniSession

• December 5th - Picture Retakes
• December 8th - Trimester 1 Ends; Preschool Collaboration Day (No Preschool); PTO Meeting (8:45am)
• December 11th - Trimester 2 Begins; Whole School Meeting (Wear HES T-Shirt)
• December 14th - Green Team Meeting (8:00am)
• December 15th - Report Cards Available to Families; Pajama Day for CHOP Fundraiser
• December 20th - Student Council Officers & Reps Meeting (8:00am)
• December 22nd - Holiday Sing-Alongs; Class Celebrations: Early Dismissal (12:45pm); Preschool Half Day (AM Only)
  
• December 23th - January 1st - Winter Break

HES Dismissal Waiver Form

HES Lunch Info

HES School Calendar

HES School Times

HVRSD District Calendar

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:

• November Edition
• October Edition
• September Edition
• Back to School Edition