Hillsdale Herald

Hello Hillsdale families,

I hope you were able to join us this past week for one or two of our Family Open Houses! I have heard good feedback from teachers, parents, and students about how they enjoyed the opportunity to visit school and meet the teacher before the first day. If you have specific feedback for me, please do not hesitate to send me an email.

We are READY for Monday and cannot wait to get our school year going! All students should report to the big playground in the morning, where they can put the backpacks in line at their homeroom number and play until the whistle blows (approx. 8:55am). Teachers will be out there to greet their new students and help everyone get to their new classrooms.

Reminders

• Be at the bus stop 5 minutes early in the AM and PM as bus times may vary for up to two weeks as routes and riders are finalized.
• Students cannot be dropped off prior to 8:30am. Please wait to be sure a staff member is outside to greet your child.
• Breakfast is free to all students again this year and is available in our cafeteria 8:30 -9:00am each day.
  
• Update Pick Up Patrol to reflect YOUR child's dismissal plan for each day
• Log into the Parent Portal and complete Back-to-School paperwork
  

Thank you,

Mrs. Paige Merten

Principal

Dear Hillsdale Community,

I am excited to introduce myself as your new school counselor! My name is Mrs. Carolyn Ronayne, and I am thrilled to join the Hillsdale family. It is an honor to have the opportunity to support our students’ academic, social, and emotional well-being.

During my 15 years in education as both a teacher and a counselor, I have focused my growth, passions and supports on social-emotional learning, restorative practices, and positive behavior supports. My goal is to create a safe and supportive environment where every student feels heard, valued, and empowered to succeed.

Outside of work, I enjoy playing outside with my two sons, relaxing at Long Beach Island, and reading, all of which helps me stay balanced and energized for the work I love.

I am looking forward to getting to know each of you and working together to ensure that all of our students have a positive and fulfilling school experience. Please feel free to reach out to me anytime – my door is always open!

Kind regards,

Mrs. Carolyn Ronayne
School Counselor

cronayne@wcasd.net

As a reminder to our families, starting this school year elementary students will have a new special area called Design Lab. In Design Lab, students will explore Design Thinking strategies and experiences, which means they will spend time collaboratively tackling problems, developing creative solutions, and thoughtfully approaching important ideas.

Remember we're also changing our library time. Instead of having a fixed schedule for library classes, we're making it more flexible. Students will still learn how to research ideas properly, work on projects, find good sources, and explore wonderful books, but on a less fixed timeframe. Our library program will keep teaching important skills and making sure all students have access to books.

We use Pick Up Patrol for all things related to attendance here at HDE. It has replaced the need for parents to phone in absences, early dismissals, and/or changes in dismissal. It is truly helpful to us. Parents can make changes to their children’s status up until 2:00pm. At dismissal time the software becomes incredibly valuable to us to help make sure all the children are exactly where they're supposed to be. We count how many children to expect on each bus, as walkers and as car pick up we have each day. So, please, be sure that you have the app and are making changes when needed!

You should have received an email from Pick Up Patrol to set up your account this week.

Please be reminded of the mandated health information that is required for students in particular grades. We want to be sure you have the information you need in order to comply with the state mandate.

Kindergarten and all newly registered students:

1. Physical examination report dated after September 2023
2. Dental examination report dated after September 2023. A blank dental form can be found below.
3. Report of up to date PA state mandated immunizations. The required immunizations include: Dtap, Polio, Hepatitis B, Varicella (chicken pox) and MMR (Measles, Mumps and Rubella). Immunization dates must be verified in writing by your Health Care Provider.

   
   

   The Chester County Health Department will provide immunizations free to any child who does not have insurance covering immunizations. Please contact them at 610-344-6468 for information when they will reopen.

3rd Grade Dental Exams

If you have a child(ren) who will be in 3rd grade for the 24-25 school year.

PA State mandates require that all 3rd grade students have a dental examination. The report can be dated any time after September 2023, and can be sent to me via email or brought to school.

If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Eileen Champi, School Nurse, at echampi@wcasd.net.

8/26 - 8/29 First Week of School

Fri 8/30 - NO SCHOOL

Mon 9/2- NO SCHOOL - Labor Day

Fri 9/6 - PTO Welcome Back Bash

Thurs 9/12 - PTO Meeting 6:30pm Upper Library

Wed 9/18 - Early Dismissal: 12:05 -no lunch served

Thurs 10/3 - No School - Rosh Hashanah

Once you log into Parent Portal to see your child(ren) bus information, please download this app and select their bus to follow. This will allow you to get updates right to your phone if the bus is running early or late. Please remember the bus may always be 5 minutes before or after the assigned time. Please be at the stop accordingly.

The WCASD uses an online process to complete Back-to-School information. This process is accessible via our PowerSchool Parent Portal, which is a secure system that enables the District to verify demographic, emergency, and medical information for students before the start of the new school year. Additionally, families can electronically sign most forms and indicate that they received and reviewed other informational materials.

For additional guidance regarding account creation, visit the WCASD Parent Portal Account Webpage. If you do not remember your self-selected ID and password, please select the “Having trouble signing in” link found below the login screen to recover login information or email parentportal_support@wcasd.net for further assistance.

If you would like to volunteer in our school this year, please consider attending our "Volunteering 101" session on Thursday Sept 12th @ 6:30pm before the PTO meeting at 7pm.

A few things to note:

1) Volunteers must have clearances.

2) Younger siblings are not permitted at school while you volunteer.

3) Volunteers are held to the same confidentiality standards as any WCASD employee.

4) While you may see and interact with your child when you are volunteering, you are here to assist all children.

*GREEN= Car Lanes

*YELLOW = Bus Loop

**Red Arrows=Pay Attention!!**

During Drop Off times in the morning, and Pick Up time in the afternoon, cars and buses share the same driveway. Be careful where you see the RED ARROWS!!

Please have your children use the passenger side of the vehicle. Children need to be able to do their own seatbelts and car seats.

Parents should not get out of the car.

• Drop off time runs from 8:30 am to 9:00 am.
• Class instruction begins at 9:10.
• Parents should follow the green arrow, and use the Car Line Loop only.
• Please drop off at the paws painted on the sidewalk. 5 cars can empty at the same time. You do not need to wait until you are first in line to drop off.

*GREEN= Car Lanes

*YELLOW = Bus Loop

**Red Arrows=Pay Attention!!**

During Drop Off times in the morning, and Pick Up time in the afternoon, cars and buses share the same driveway. Be careful where you see the RED ARROWS!!

Please have your children use the passenger side of the vehicle. Children need to be able to do their own seatbelts and car seats.

Parents should not get out of the car.

Pick up time runs from 3:30 to 3:50

• Class instruction ends at 3:25.
• There is crossover where the buses need to pull around the car line to get to the bus lane. As long as all drivers are cautious, everything will run smoothly.
• Please see the picture below. We use both aisles of the parking lot to weave cars together at the bottom. This allows us to get more cars off the road and avoid a dangerous situation at the Bradford Ave and Market St intersection.
• If you need to park in order to assist your child with the car seat, please attempt to park in the top parking lot right in front of the school.
• Remember, red arrow indicate places to pay attention to merging!
• We will try to load 5-6 cars at once in the afternoon.
• If the cars in front of you have not dropped off or picked up, it is ok to safely pass cars and exit the property.
• BE CAREFUL!!!

Si usted prefiere comunicarse en español por favor llame al 484-266-1690 para contactarse con personal escolar.

(If you prefer to speak to a Spanish speaking operator, please call 484-266-1690 to connect with school personnel.)

Email: pmerten@wcasd.net
Website: https://www.wcasd.net/Domain/602
Location: 725 West Market Street, West Chester, PA, USA
Phone: 484-266-2001
Instagram: @hdehuskies