Hopewell's Happenings

February Highlights at HES

February may have been short, but it was full of learning, fun and lots of snow! We’re so thankful to our custodial team for keeping walkways safe during all the snow, allowing students to enjoy recess and come and go safely.

This month, we welcomed our new Spanish teacher, Tatiana Arias Regidor, and launched our new Spanish classes, an exciting addition to our curriculum!

Our SEL Day of Play was a big hit thanks to Ashley LaRose and the SEL Committee, giving students a fun day of teamwork and connection.

Kindergarten and 5th grade celebrated milestone days, the 100th and 1,000th days of school, with creative projects and lively performances.

Our SOUPer Bowl of Caring was a huge success again! Thanks to HES students, families, and staff, we collected over 1,600 food items for The Chubby’s Project. Special thanks to the First and Fifth Grade Teams and Mrs. LaRose for helping organize this effort.

We also thank our PTO for sponsoring the “Special Someone” Dance for second through fourth graders. A fun night full of smiles and community spirit!

And a big shout-out to Mrs. White, HVEF, and the PTO for bringing author Laurie Wallmark to HES, inspiring our students with her visit.

As February ends, we’re looking ahead to March with our exciting Book Fair and more fun events. Here’s hoping for warmer days and sunshine ahead.

5th Grade's 1000th Day

Garden Club in Action

PTO's "Someone Special" Dance

SEL Day of Play

1st Grade's Valentine Show

SOUPer Bowl

As part of Hopewell Elementary Schools 100th celebration, we’ve been gathering favorite HES moments from students, staff, parents, and alumni. With the help of our talented art teacher, Ms. Anderson, these treasured memories are now beautifully displayed just outside the front office!

Be sure to stop by and read the wonderful stories our community has shared as we celebrate 100 years of HES!

Cover Art Winners

After collecting votes from homerooms across HES, I'm excited to share with you the winning theme to be featured in this year's yearbook. While all themes received votes, Modern Icon received the most votes and will be showcased in the 2025-2026 HES yearbook.

In addition, I'm also excited to announce the winners of this year's yearbook title page contest with you this morning. After reviewing 126 creative and colorful submissions, the overall winner and runners up have been selected.

Honorable mentions from each grade include:

Gaia Goerner from Mrs. Needham’s class.

Billy Rossy from Mrs. Heiser’s class.

Ellie Smith from Mrs. D’Amore’s class.

Maddie Shriver from Mrs. Currie’s class.

Foster Hinchliffe from Mrs. Maloney’s class.

Emma Kinder from Ms. Danieluk’s class.

And the overall winner of the 2025-2026 yearbook title page contest is....

Nina Merritt from Mrs. Hamer's class!

Your teachers and I are so proud of every student who submitted a design. We can't wait to share the completed yearbook later this year!

Don’t Miss Out — Purchase Your Yearbook Before It’s Too Late!

Preparations for the 2025–2026 HES Yearbook are underway! Yearbooks are now available for purchase through the online store. You can click here for ordering details. Orders will be accepted through May 8th, 2026.

The Book Fair is this week (March 3rd - 5th), and we hope you will all get a chance to come and visit before or after school with your children and "Leap Into a Good Book". Use this Sign-Up Link, which will show when your child/children will visit the fair with their homeroom class and give you the opportunity to sign up to volunteer either during their class visit time or during the afternoon and evening hours of the fair. We also need help with the setup and breakdown of the fair and we'd appreciate any amount of time you can give. Link HERE for the HES Book Fair Flyer.

Please be in touch with us if you have any questions:

Eileen Lloyd (eileen.g.lloyd@gmail.com)
Janet Rauscher (janetsrauscher@gmail.com)

Next week, March 2–6, we will celebrate Read Across America Week and 100 years of reading. In 1926, Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne was published, bridging the old way of teaching lessons and morals in children’s books to a new approach that honored imagination, friendship, and the everyday wonders of childhood.

At Hopewell Elementary, we value the whole child, heart, mind, and imagination. Stories like Winnie-the-Pooh remind us that children’s creativity, curiosity, and voices matter. We encourage families to celebrate this week by reading together and sharing the joy of a story.

We look forward to a fun Spirit Week and our Book Fair Monday-Wednesday as we celebrate the power of reading! Link here for slides

Hygiene Kit Collection

From March 2nd-13th, the HES Lily PALS are collecting hygiene items to support The Chubby’s Project, a local organization dedicated to helping families in need. We invite all students to participate by donating assigned items based on their grade level. If you would prefer to donate money instead, you may bring cash or a check (made out to Hopewell Elementary School) to your child’s teacher or the front office.

Grade-Level Donation Assignments:

Pre-K & Kindergarten: Toothbrushes
1st Grade: Toothpaste
2nd Grade: Bath Soap
3rd Grade: Hand Soap
4th Grade: Deodorant
5th Grade: Shampoo
Staff Donations: Paper Towels & Toilet Paper

On Wednesday, March 18th, during our SEL Day of Cooperation, students will work together to pack the hygiene kits before delivering them to Chubby’s. This is a wonderful opportunity for our students to practice teamwork and generosity while making a positive impact in the community. Thank you for helping HES make a difference in our community!

Grade Level Coin Wars

The HES Student Council is excited to kick off a Grade-Level Coin Wars from March 23rd-27th! This friendly competition will help raise money to support Student Council & Green Team spring projects at HES. This time, there are three teams: K&1 vs. 2 & 3 vs. 4 & 5, and it's coins only—so start saving up your spare change! The team that collects the most will be announced as the winner at our Spring Pep Rally. Get ready to bring in those coins and support some great initiatives at HES!

Spirit Days

Our Student Council officers recently created a poster to highlight the final three spirit days of the school year! Be sure to check it out and start planning how you’ll show your school spirit as we celebrate together and wrap up the year in a fun way.

Mark your calendars! The HES Mini Musical will take place on March 21 at 2:00 PM in the HES Cafetorium. This year’s production, Finville Elementary, is a heartwarming story about making friends, finding where you belong, and learning to fit in through the power of music. Our students have been working hard to bring this colorful and meaningful show to life, and we can’t wait to share it with you. We hope to see you there!

Hopewell Valley's Night Off is March 4!

One of the most anticipated evenings of the year is coming soon! Designed in response to the increasing demands of work and school on personal and family time, this community-wide initiative was created for families to “take the night off” to spend time together. With the support of local school officials, sports leaders, parents, community and religious leaders, all sports practices, classes and homework will be canceled on this special evening. Make it a tech-free night! Don't know what to do with your night off? Visit this link for some great ideas!

Thank you for your continued support!

Make it a tech-free night! Don't know what to do with your night off? Visit this link for some great ideas!

News for students by students! We are so proud of all of our members of the Newspaper Club who put a lot of effort into making their articles. You will get to learn more about what is happening at the school, learn more about teachers, pets of HES and so much more! Thank you for taking the time to read our paper! Don't forget to check out the special podcast all about school news!

February Newspaper

Trimester 2 at HES will officially end on Friday, March 13th, with Trimester 3 beginning on Monday, March 16th. Report cards will be available to parents on Monday, March 23rd, so be sure to check your OnCourse Connect for updates!

Celebrate the HVRSD 2025-2026 Governor's Award Recipients including our own 2nd Grade Teacher, Ms. Pontani, at the Annual HVEF Above and Beyond Celebration. Click here for more information.

Date: Friday, March 20, 2026

Location: Hopewell Valley Vineyards

Time: 6:30-9:30pm

We are excited to announce the return of the HES Color Run on Saturday, April 18th at 10:00 am to support our Green Team. A collaboration between HES PTO, ecoPTO, and Hopewell Elementary School, this 1-mile fun run around our campus will welcome the spring season. Participants will be sprayed with colors at various locations. The event will end with snacks and a DJ Dance Party. All participating runners will receive a white Green Team T-shirt, one packet of colored powder (for the DJ Dance Party), an eco-friendly finisher's medal, and access to fun race-day activities.

The Color Run will raise money for the enhancement of our outdoor learning spaces.

Recent investments in our outdoor learning spaces include the hammock garden, refurbished

kinder-garden, and the construction of an outdoor learning pavilion. We are excited to move

forward with the construction of the pavilion decking soon, which will allow classes to effectively

utilize this space. Funds will also be earmarked to purchase native plants and furniture for this

completed space as well.

Please consider registering today by clicking HERE! Registration fee (individuals: $30/runner or

family discount: pay for 2 runners, get 1 free) will be collected using 99pledges at a later date.

Stay tuned for an email regarding payment information. Registrations will close on Friday,

March 27th.

Each runner will receive a fundraising page from 99pledges. This is where you will pay your registration fee. We also encourage you to share this page with family and friends! Each additional $50 fundraising dollar (after the registration fee) guarantees your runner an extra

color packet and an entry into a race day giveaway. We appreciate any and all of your

fundraising efforts!

Are you interested in sponsoring the event? Click here to view additional information. Please

reach out to Ms. Fleisher at rachelfleisher@hvrsd.org in order to confirm this partnership.

We can’t wait to see you at the Color Run!

Interested in volunteering at the HES Color Run? We’d love your help—please sign up HERE.

Thank you,

HES Green Team

Kindergarten Registration is now open.

Kindergarten Camp will be held Monday through Thursday, 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. (four days a week) on the weeks of July 6th - 9th and July 13th - 16th at each elementary school. Please Note: your child must be registered for Fall 2026 Kindergarten in order to attend. The cost for attending two weeks is $400. If your child is only attending one week, it is $200. Transportation is not provided. Kindergarten Camp Registration will also open on Feb. 10th. Link HERE for registration.

PEECH (Preschool & Early Education for Children of Hopewell) Program Registration is now open.

The Tulpehaking Nature Center is planning programs for families during Spring Break. See below fo this wonderful opportunity.

Thank you for supporting your child(ren)’s practice of Honesty during the month of February. Students were honest about their feelings, learned about the importance of telling the truth and were encouraged to be their authentic selves. Please see some special moments from 4th and 5th grade practice below.

Our focus for the month of March is Cooperation. Cooperation is working together to reach shared goals. International SEL Day will be celebrated district-wide on March 18th and our focus will be on Cooperation. Students and staff will engage in activities such as buddy art and putting together hygiene kits for the Chubby’s Project to practice SEL in recognition and celebration of the day. If you’d like to join in on the fun and increase Cooperation in your family, follow this link to take part in our family SEL activities: 2026 SEL Day of Cooperation.

As always, please reach out if you need any assistance via phone at 609-737-4007 x7206 or email at ashleylarose@hvrsd.org.

Help your child’s treasures find their way home! Please remember to label coats, sweatshirts, jackets, water bottles, and other belongings. Labeled items are much more likely to return safely—like following a rainbow to a pot of gold! 🌈

Any unclaimed items will be donated before Spring Break on March 27th, so be sure to stop by the Lost & Found and see if any lucky treasures belong to you! 🍀

Draw an original design reflecting the theme: “Why I Walk. Why I Bike.”: Show the reasons why you like to walk or bike. Maybe for fun, for friends, for fresh air, and for our planet. Draw your safe happy journey! Return it to GMTMA by March 13, 2026. The winning designs (two from each county) will be printed & distributed to schools and local libraries in Mercer and Ocean Counties. Link HERE for more information.

The winners (2) will receive a $50 gift card. Winning bookmarks will be printed and distributed to participating school libraries and promoted through our website and other media outlets.

TMS Music Open House - Thursday, 3/26, 5:30-6:30pm

The TMS Music Department invites all 4th and 5th-grade families to attend a Music Open House on March 26th. The event will take place at Timberlane from 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm. The evening will give families a chance to meet the teachers, see the classrooms, mingle with current students and parents, enjoy student performances, and light refreshments.

Princeton University Concerts

It's that time of year again! Our next "Little Listeners" family concert for kids 3-6 is coming up on Saturday March 14th on the Princeton University campus, this time introducing kids to the Bayberry String Quartet with beloved host Rami Vamos. In this fun and playful program, we’ll discover how time makes music special. Along the way, we’ll see how music can match our feelings—whether we’re happy, sleepy, or ready to dance! Curated for Kids Ages 3–6 RELAXED FORMAT for neurodiverse audiences. Let’s make time for music together!

PTO Meeting:
The March PTO Meeting is Friday, March 20th, from 8:45am - 9:45am at HES. If you can not 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.

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.

ecoPTO Potluck - Thursday 3/26 @ CHS, 5:30-7:30pm

The ecoPTO is a diverse crew of Hopewell Valley parents, educators, students, and community allies, who are gathering and mobilizing to make our district's inspiring aspirations* for Youth and Earth Wellbeing (Y.E.W.) happen! (*our district has chutzpah = Environmental Stewardship Statement, Climate Action Plan, and the Strategic Plan)

Join the ecoPTO for their inaugural potluck and sample the ideas and dishes brought by the ecoPTO community, and contribute what you have cooking (or been stewing on)! The ecoPTO would love to roll up their sleeves with you!

RSVP here and sign up to bring a dish!
Kids, bring board games to share!
Families, bring your own dinnerware!
https://ecopto.org/

From Soil to Scholars: Help Grow Our District’s Living Classrooms

Thanks to the dedicated work of HVRSD's Climate Action Committee, HVRSD received a Climate Literacy Grant, and will partner with The Watershed Institute to install native plant gardens at all six district schools. These "living classrooms" will allow K-12 students to tackle real-world climate solutions right on campus. BUT we can't do this alone, we need your muscle to get them started! We are looking for volunteers to help with garden prep so that students can plant (during their school day!) smoothly. Whether you can stay for the full three hour block or just drop by for one hour, every bit of help counts. Please sign up here, or email Olivia at ospildooren@thewatershed.org with your availability.

Sat 4/18 @ Timberlane, 1-4pm
Sun 4/19 @ Central High 9am-12pm/ Hopewell Elementary 1-4pm
Sun 4/26 @ Toll Gate 9am-12pm/ Bear Tavern 1-4pm
Tues 4/28 @ Stony Brook, 1-4pm

March 2nd-4th - HES's Book Fair
March 2nd-6th - Read Across America Week
March 4th - Hopewell Valley's Night Off; Vocal Ensemble Rehearsal (7:50am)
March 5th - Student Council Meeting - Officers ONLY (8:05am); Orff Ensemble Rehearsal (3:45pm)
March 6th - 4th Grade's Engineering Expo (3:00pm)
March 8th - Daylight Saving Time Starts - Spring Your Clocks Ahead
March 10th - Dungeons & Dragons Club Meeting (8:00am); The Watershed Institute's Assembly for 3rd Grade (9:30am); Green Team Meeting (3:40pm)
March 11th - Vocal Ensemble Rehearsal (7:50am)
March 12th - Orff Ensemble Rehearsal (3:45pm)
March 13th - Trimester 2 Ends; Preschool Collaboration Day (No School for Preschool)
March 16th - Trimester 3 Begins; Board of Education Regular Meeting (6:30pm)
March 17th - St Patrick's Day 🍀
March 18th - Vocal Ensember Rehearsal (7:50am); Early Dismissal Day for Students (12:45pm); Staff Development in PM; Preschool Half Day - AM ONLY; SEL Day of Cooperation
March 19th - Student Council Meeting - Officers & Reps (8:05am); Orff Ensemble Rehearsal (3:45pm)
March 20th - Rock Our Socks Day; PTO Meeting (8:45am); HES Mini-Musical School Performance (2:15pm); HVEF's Above & Beyond Celebration at Hopewell (6:30pm)
March 21st - HES Mini-Musical Community Performance (2:00pm)
March 23rd - Report Cards Available on the Parent Portal
March 25th - Vocal Ensemble Rehearsal (7:50am); PSO BRAVO Brass - 5th Grade Show (12:30pm); Garden Club Meeting (3:40pm)
March 26th - Debate Team Meeting (8:00am); 1st Grade's Mammal Museum (9:00am); Orff Ensemble Rehearasl (3:45pm); ecoPTO's PotLuck Dinner at CHS (5:30am)
March 27th - HES Pep Rally Day (Wear Blue HES T-Shirt); Newspaper Club Meeting (8:00am)
March 30th - April 3rd - Spring Break: Schools Closed

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:

Hopewell's Happenings