Hilltop School

Leave the car at home (or drop your children off at the Gazebo or a friends house) and WALK to school.

The HSA Green Initiatives Committee is kicking off their walk to school campaign this Friday, 9/13. Meet friends in your neighborhood or at the gazebo and make your own walking school bus. I try to make it to the Gazebo most Fridays - we usually depart around 8:15 for the school!

Come out to support our schools in the 11th annual Harvest Hustle. I will be competing in the 1-mile fun run at 8 AM. See if your child can beat me - most will!

The 5-K begins at 9 AM.

This is a Mendham Borough Home and School Association (HSA) even and proceeds will benefit the students at Hilltop and Mountain View Schools.

REGISTER HERE

Support our schools and join the HSA. There are great opportunities for all!

If you stay with y our child to use our playground after school, we insist that your child follow the same rules that are established for recess. This includes knowing which bars are safe, staying off of the trellis under our playground, not going up the slides and much more.

Apollo aftercare uses the playground as well, and having all students following the same rules helps to ensure a fun and safe place to play.

Please monitor your children if you stay late to socialize on the front grass.

For SAFETY purposes, students SHOULD NOT:

• Climb trees or light posts.
• Play with any sticks or rocks.
• Play near the driveways or street

We expect the same respect given to students after school as we do during the day.

Download the Mendham Borough School District App. - The redesigned Mendham Borough School District website delivers a great app for viewing school information on your phone. You can download it on the Apple or Google Play store. Sign up for notifications and have district and school news, menus, and more at your fingertips!

Once downloaded, click on SETTINGS and you can turn on notifications. You can choose to receive from Hilltop, Mountain View or the Mendham Boro School District.

Monday: RAINBOW DAY

“RESPECT our DIFFERENCES. They make us special.”

• PreK/K- blue

• 1- red

• 2- orange

• 3- yellow

• 4- green

TUESDAY - SUPERHERO DAY

"Be a LEADER. Show others how you show RESPECT each day.”

WEDNESDAY - SCHOOL'S CLOSED - Yom Kippur

THURSDAY - BLUE & GOLD DAY

“I am PROUD to be a Hilltop Student. RESPECT the members of our school.”

FRIDAY - JERSEY DAY

“RESPECT everyone at Hilltop. We’re all a TEAM. ”

Pick Up Patrol -

• All seems to be running smoothly. Please put in your changes by 1:00. After that time, you must call the office.
• Leaving Early?? Please log in to indicate if your child is leaving early (BEFORE 8:30). You can enter an early dismissal in advance, so if you know about an appointment in October, enter it now!
• As enrichment begins, you can change your child's default dismissal plan on their Enrichment days in advance!

Absences

• Please be sure to call in your child's absence. We must ensure our count is accurate and your help in the process is appreciated!

Back to School Night will be held on Thursday, September 19th. The schedule is as follows:

• 6:00-7:00 - Related Arts Teachers (Gym, Art, Music, Library) in their classrooms for Open Visits

• 6:15-6:50 - Kindergarten, 1st & 2nd Grade teachers will present in their classrooms
• 7:00 - 7:40 - General meeting in Gym

• 7:45-8:20 - 3 & 4 and Pre-K teachers will present in their classrooms

If you have more than one child in the time slots above, you can split up if your spouse is available. If not, you can attend part of each session. You can always contact your child's teacher with any concerns.

Back to School Night is meant to be an adult-only event. If this is an issue for your family, please contact Mr. Heller.

Supervision begins at 8:15. Our Mendham Borough Police Officers are not considered supervisors, as they may need to leave at a moment's notice. Please do not leave your child unattended before 8:15.

We have procedures in place for a safe, curbside drop off. Between 8:15 & 8:30, you can take advantage of our drop off line at the back of the building, and from 8:30-8:35, you can drop off in the front driveway. The more people that park and walk across the busy parking lot, the greater the risk for an accident.

Those dropping off and picking up should continue to show patience. Every day, cars wait as those in front of them unload (some slower than others) without passing. This leads to a smooth, accident-free environment. PLEASE WAIT to pull away until the car(s) in front of you have left.

Please do not drop off in front of the school. Traffic is challenging enough - let's not add to the congestion.

WALKING TO AND FROM SCHOOL

We are fortunate to be a community school where many students can walk to and from school. Please be sure to talk with your child about:

• Crossing at the crossing guard (even if they are walking to the Library).

• Crossing at a cross-walk if there is no crossing guard on duty (it is a law that cars yield to pedestrians in a cross-walk).

• Stranger Danger - All children should know what to do if they are approached by a stranger.

• WALKING - If your child walks to and from school, PLEASE insist that they WALK and remain aware of automobile traffic. There are countless hidden driveways between school and the gazebo. Approaching these driveways with caution will allow cars to see oncoming pedestrians - it is an essential safety feature. Students who run home, do not take this precaution. Think about it as you approach a blind driveway next time.

PICK-UP

At Hilltop, we have minimized risk by having a curb-side pick up in the back. If you insist on parking and picking up your child, please cross at the crossing guard and keep your child by your side. Allowing them to run ahead or linger behind in a parking lot is a risk.

Please only park in designated spots - parking illegally increases the risk for drivers and pedestrians. Plan on arriving early, as it eases parking problems.

DOGS

I love dogs - so do many of our students. But there are many who don’t and are scared of even the smallest canines. When you come to Hilltop School, please do not bring your dogs on school grounds. Whether they are excited to see another dog, or with students running around blissfully, their barking and behavior can be scary for our youngsters.

PLEASE PASS THIS INFORMATION ALONG TO OTHERS WHO TRANSPORT YOUR CHILD.

Apollo Aftercare will be open for students on Thursday and Friday, 11/7 & 11/8 when school is closed for teacher's convention from 8:30-3:30.

REGISTER HERE.

• 9/13 - Mum Sale - Class of 2020 - ORDER NOW!
• 9/19 - HSA Kids Care Recess Project - Students will make signs and decorate boxes for our Coat Drive (9/20-10/18)
• 9/28 - HSA Portraits in the Park - Family portraits with funds going to HSA - Sign up here
• 10/5 - Class of 2020 Chili Cook-Off - DETAILS HERE
• 10/27 - HSA Trunk or Treat - Hidden Pond Tree Farm - 2-4PM

Website: mendhamboro.org/hilltop
Location: 12 Hilltop Rd, Mendham, NJ, USA
Phone: 973-543-4251
Twitter: @mendhamborosd