Hillsdale Herald

Hello Hillsdale families,

The First Day of School is MONDAY, AUGUST 31st! If you are new to our school, please watch the short video linked below with all the usual school information. The slides are also attached if you would like to just read the info. There will be a NEW, different video shared at Back to School night with your child's teacher on Sept 8th or 9th.

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
  

NEW TRAFFIC PATTERN!!

Please be aware the car driveway and bus driveway are separate now. Cars will enter directly into the first parking lane and exit where the old driveway entered, thus creating a safer intersection for cars and buses coming and going. Please see detailed information and a picture below.

Please - if you are driving to school to drop off or pick up your child, you need to use the Car Line. Do not park in the lot and walk your child. There is not enough parking for this, and the lanes are one way!

Volunteers

An addition to volunteering in the library or classrooms, we welcome volunteers with their clearances to support our teachers in K and 1st grade lunch and 2nd - 5th recess/gaga pit. Please see sign ups below.

Homeroom Parents

If you are interested in being a Homeroom Parent for your child's class this year, please complete the survey below by Friday, September 11. Completing the survey indicates interest and does not guarantee selection. We strive to provide as many families as possible with opportunities to be involved in our school community and select Homeroom Parents with the goal of engaging a broad range of parents across Hillsdale.

Homeroom Parents help coordinate class parties and support teachers and students throughout the year in partnership with the PTO. To provide more families with opportunities to volunteer, parents may serve as a Homeroom Parent for only one classroom per school year, but you may certainly volunteer in your other child's classroom for other things. In addition, younger siblings are not permitted during volunteer activities.

Cafeteria Update

Please note that breakfast (served 8:30 to 9:00 each day) will be free again this year. Lunch, snacks, and ice cream require payment. Students wishing to purchase food will do so from their account (no cash transactions). Parents may load money to their child’s account through PayPal in Parent Portal Instructions for funding child's lunch acct. or by sending in cash (no change provided) or check to the cafeteria. NEW THIS YEAR - students will have a card to be scanned when making purchases.

Menus will be updated prior to the start of school at this site: WCASD Meal Menus.

We can't wait to welcome our Huskies back soon! Enjoy these final days of summer!

Thank you,

Mrs. Paige Merten

Principal

Due to the renovation construction, there was a limited sale of School Supply Kits in the spring. If you did not order one, please use the lists linked below to purchase your child's school supplies at the store of your choice.

Parent Portal Reminders

• You may update contact information and communication preferences throughout the school year through the Parent Portal.
• Families who already have a Parent Portal account and have enrolled a new kindergarten student can add their child to their existing account by selecting Preferences, then Students, and entering the kindergarten student's access information.

Need to Create a Parent Portal Account?

If you do not currently have a Parent Portal account, you will need to create one. Your child's access information was provided during the registration process. Please allow up to 24 hours after creating an account or adding a student for your Back-to-School/Update site to become active.

If you need assistance accessing the Parent Portal, please contact Ms. Espenshade, our school secretary, at bespenshade@wcasd.net.

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.

If you would like to volunteer in our school this year, please 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.

Links to sign up to volunteer for Kindergarten and 1st grade Lunch and 2nd - 5th grade Gaga Pit/Recess support are below. We are always looking for volunteers in our Library. You can contact Ms. Szczesny directly at aszczesny@wcasd.net.

Locations for morning drop off, afternoon car pick-up and walkers will remain the same for this school year. HOWEVER, we have NEW TRAFFIC patterns, so please look at the pictures carefully.

• Bus Lane is RED
• Car Lanes are Green - dotted line is for afternoon pick up only
• Curbs are BLACK
• ALL TRAFFIC IS ONE WAY

Walkers will exit out the Loading Dock doors. Parents will wait in the grass and/or parking lot.

Please use caution in the area!

We are sincerely asking you NOT to park your car to walk up and pick up your child. If you are coming in a car, you need to be in the carline. The parking lot is too dangerous to be walking through it as the carline is operating. The lanes are ONE WAY, so you cannot back out and go against traffic. Chester County Art Association has asked us repeatedly to not have parents park in their lot for pick up as well.

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.

• 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!!

Morning Drop Off

• 8:30 am to 9:00 am.
• Class instruction begins at 9:10.
• Parents should follow the green arrow down the first lane and around to the drop off/pick up zone.
• Several cars can empty at the same time along the long sidewalk. You do not need to wait until you are first in line to drop off.

Afternoon Pick Up

• 3:35 to 3:50
• Class instruction ends at 3:30.
• We use both parking aisles 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.
• We will try to load 5-6 cars at once in the afternoon.

If you need a Spanish speaking interpreter for at Back to School night, please arrive in the gym at 6:15pm

Si necesita un intérprete de español para la reunión de padres de inicio de curso, por favor llegue al gimnasio a las 18:15.

Dear Hillsdale Families,

As we prepare for the start of a new school year, I wanted to take a moment to share that I will be transitioning to Starkweather Elementary School as the full-time Assistant Principal for the 2026-2027 school year.

While I am excited for this new opportunity, leaving Hillsdale is certainly bittersweet. During my first year as an assistant principal in the West Chester Area School District, I had the privilege of splitting my time between Hillsdale and Starkweather. I truly could not have asked for a better first year. From the moment I walked through the doors, the Hillsdale staff, students, families, and community welcomed me with kindness, support, and encouragement. You made me feel like I belonged, and for that I will always be grateful.

As many of you know, West Chester has always been home to me. I grew up in this community, attended West Chester schools, and now have the joy of raising my own family here. Having the opportunity to serve the Hillsdale community has been an incredible honor, and I will always cherish the relationships I have built throughout this past year.

Although I may no longer be at Hillsdale each day, I will always think of myself as a Husky. The memories, friendships, and experiences I have shared with this community will stay with me, and I will continue cheering on all of the amazing things happening at Hillsdale. Please know that I will always be here to support our students, families, and community whenever I can.

To our students, thank you for making every day so much fun. Your smiles, laughter, curiosity, and excitement for learning reminded me every day why I love what I do. To our families, thank you for your partnership, trust, and support. And to our incredible staff, thank you for welcoming me as a member of your team and for your unwavering commitment to our students. It has truly been a privilege to work alongside all of you.

While I am sad to say goodbye, I am also excited to begin this next chapter as the full-time Assistant Principal at Starkweather. I know our paths will continue to cross throughout the district, and I hope that when they do, you'll stop and say hello. Please don't be a stranger—I would love to hear how everyone is doing and celebrate the continued success of the Hillsdale community.

Thank you for making my first year in West Chester one that I will never forget. It has been an honor to be part of the Hillsdale family, and I will always be proud to call myself a Husky.

With sincere gratitude,

Alyse Gonzalez
Assistant Principal

Starkweather Elementary School

If you are new to HDE, you will receive an email from Pick Up Patrol to set up your account before school starts - usually the last week of August.

August

Mon 8/31 - FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!

September

Fri 9/4 - Early Dismissal (12:05) - No lunch served

Mon 9/7- NO SCHOOL - Labor Day

Tues. 9/8 - K, 1st, 2nd Back-to-School Night 6pm - English;

6:15pm - Spanish

Wed 9/9 - 3rd, 4th, 5thBack-to-School Night 6pm - English;

6:15pm - Spanish

Fri 9/11 - PTO Welcome Back Bash

Thurs 9/17 - PTO meeting 6:30pm in the Upper Library and on Zoom.

Mon 9/21 - NO SCHOOL - Yom Kippur

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://hde.wcasd.net/
Location: 725 West Market Street, West Chester, PA, USA
Phone: 484-266-2001
InstaGram: @HDEhuskies