Hopewell's Happenings

We hope you’re having a wonderful summer! Believe it or not, it’s almost time to kick off another school year—and this one is extra exciting. Hopewell Elementary is turning 100 years old! We’re calling it “A Century of Hopewell Elementary”, a milestone that celebrates our history and the amazing community that makes HES such a special place. Throughout the year, we’ll be celebrating with special events, activities, and moments that honor the rich history and spirit of Hopewell Elementary. For example, take a look at the photo below featuring HES yearbook covers dating back to 1997. We’d love to showcase even more memories—so if you have artifacts or unique items that reflect what makes HES such a special place, please consider dropping them off to share with our community. We can’t wait to celebrate it all with you!

This newsletter will help keep you in the loop with school updates, important reminders, and celebrations. Be sure to check below for details about our First Day of School Celebration, the PTO’s “BooHoo-WooHoo” Breakfast and don't forget to fill out our HES Dismissal Waiver Form.

Here’s to a great start and an unforgettable year at HES!

On Thursday, August 21st, your child’s classroom assignment will be available in OnCourse Connect. Earlier that day, HES will send a letter with additional details and instructions, so please keep an eye out for it. Below, you’ll also find photos highlighting our 2025–2026 grade-level teaching teams. As a reminder, families may not request specific teachers. Such requests cannot be accepted, as our faculty maintains a professional and respectful culture built on mutual trust and collaboration.

We are excited to welcome several new staff members to the Hopewell family this year! Please join us in warmly welcoming:

• Ms. Melissa Backus (School Nurse)

• Ms. Karrin Phillips (Instrumental Music Teacher)

• Ms. Adelinne Danieluk (Grade 5)

• Ms. Jerika Crane (CST)

• Ms. Mia Migliaccio (Grade 1)

• Mr. Johnathan Cell (Special Education)

• Ms. Lauren Currie (Grade 3)

We are also pleased to introduce Mr. Luke Sinibaldi as our STEAM teacher. He will be working with students once a week through the middle of the second trimester. Additionally, Ms. Arias Regidor will begin the year at Toll Gate Grammar School and will rejoin Hopewell in February to provide weekly Spanish lessons for the remainder of the school year.

Annual Registration is now open in the OnCourse Parent Portal, and it must be completed before students can access their schedules.

• If you are a kindergarten or new family, or if you do not know your login credentials, please use this link to log in to OnCourse.

• If the link does not enable your account, please email us at helpdesk@hvrsd.org for assistance.

• Once you complete the Annual Registration, the initial sign-in page will prompt you to select the 2025–2026 school year and review/acknowledge several sections.

• This process must be completed for each child in your household before you can proceed.

Beginning on Thursday, August 21st, you will be able to view your child’s classroom placement in OnCourse by logging in and selecting “Student Info” on the left side of the page. Then, under “Additional Information” on the right, you will find your child’s Homeroom Teacher.

Families will also be able to see their child’s bus number, bus stop, and other key details. Please note that in the coming weeks, the Transportation Department will send an email that includes your child’s official bus pass.

Once you know your child’s classroom teacher, you can access the teacher’s website for important information, including a Welcome Back Letter. To do this, go to Schedule, then click on the homeroom teacher’s name (in blue) to be directed to their website.

After the school year begins, OnCourse will once again be the place to view daily attendance, assignments, and report cards at the end of each trimester.

Our amazing HES staff returns to HES on Thursday, August 28th! What better way to celebrate than by having our HES families leave encouraging messages throughout the campus using sidewalk chalk? We invite you to stop by HES at any time on Wednesday, August 27th, to leave a quick message for our instructional and support staff. Sidewalk chalk will be available at various locations around the campus, so you and your family members can get as creative and positive as possible for our tremendous staff. We know they will love seeing these messages!

Our first day of school for all Kindergarten through 5th Graders will be Tuesday, September 2nd. All families are welcome to join us on the HES basketball court for our First Day of School Welcoming Ceremonies, beginning at 8:30am (see picture for location). Please arrive early as we anticipate parking and congestion issues. We look forward to seeing everyone!

P.S. Preschool's First Day of School will take place on Thursday, September 4th. More information will be communicated by your child's teacher.

Immediately following the Welcoming Ceremony and Students' Clap-In Parade, join the PTO for coffee and light refreshments as you make your way out of HES. Whether it's a "boohoo" or "woohoo" kind of morning, the PTO has you covered! We would love to meet you or welcome you back to HES (and we promise not to ask you to volunteer for anything...at least not at this event!).

Please complete the 2025-2026 HES Dismissal Waiver Form for each child that attends HES. Please review the various choices within the form and make a selection for each day of the week. Waivers should be completed before the start of school on September 2nd.

In the event that there is a change in dismissal plans, please email the office staff at hwmainoffice@hvrsd.org as well as your student's teacher as soon as possible.

Get all the details you need about school lunches, including menus, pricing, and Free & Reduced Lunch forms HERE. Remember, even if you received Free & Reduced Lunch last year, you still need to complete new forms for the 2025-2026 school year.

The Hopewell Elementary School PTO welcomes our students and families to the 2025-2026 school year. This year is extra special as we are celebrating Hopewell Elementary’s Centennial! To start off the year of celebrations, the HES PTO is thrilled to sponsor the Back to School Bash!

Please join us on Friday Sept 12th from 5:30 - 7:30 PM, on the grounds at HES, for a fun night of inflatables, DJ Dance party, 50/50 raffle and more! Bring a blanket for your family/friends and enjoy. Please note: this is not a drop off (all children must be supervised at all times during this fun, family event).

While you are welcome to bring your own food, the PTO is offering pizza that can be bought by PRE-ORDER ONLY (order via the link below). All pizza orders must be received by Monday, September 8th. Drinks, water ice, and HES merch are also available for purchase on site.

Feel free to contact Jill Guiseppe (JillyRD77@gmail.com) with any questions. Can't wait to welcome everyone to HES this year!!!

PIZZA PRE-ORDER: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/back-to-school-bash-pizza-order

HVSA's fall rec registration closes on 8/19. After this date we start a wait-list. More information about HVSA Rec, HVSA/NLSA PDP, HVSA travel, and our adult league can be found at hvsasoccer.org. Thanks as always!

https://go.teamsnap.com/forms/486196

HES Daily Schedules

HES Dismissal Waiver Form

HES Lunch Information

HVRSD Calendar

HVRSD OnCourse Connect

• August 21st - Student's Classroom Placement Released in OnCourse Connect
• August 26th - Kindergarten Orientation (9:00am-10:30am use Cafeteria Entrance); New Families Orientation (11:00am-11:45am use Cafeteria Entrance); Open House for All K-5 Families (4:00pm use Visitor's Entrance)
• August 27th - Help "Chalk the Sidewalk" to Support our Staff (all day on front and side walkways)
• September 1st - Labor Day (Schools/Offices Closed)
• September 2nd - 1st Day of School for Students; HES Welcoming Ceremonies (8:30am); PTO's BooHoo-WooHoo Breakfast (9:00am in Cafeteria)
• September 4th - 1st Day of Preschool AM PEECH & SKIP (9:00AM) & PM PEECH (12:30PM)
• September 5th - 1st Whole School Meeting (9:00AM) - Wear HES Spiritwear (Blue/Yellow)
• September 12th - PTO's Back-to-School Bash (5:30pm -7:30pm use Large Parking Lot Entrance)

• September 18th - Back-to-School Night (6:00pm - 7:30pm use Visitor's Entrance)
• September 20th - Hopewell Harvest Fair at HES