We are excited to announce our participation in the @CJERSEYPRIDE 2023 Virtual Job Fair on March 30th! We are seeking candidates across all grades and subject areas! Please share with family and friends who may be interested!
#NJEducatorJobFair #DiversityInEducation #NJTeacherJob
In a conversation with MercerMe this week, ahead of the March 13th HVRSD BOE budget meeting, Superintendent Dr. Rosetta Treece, BOE President Anita Williams Galiano, and Assistant Superintendent for Business / Board Secretary Robert Colavita discussed the impact of rising costs on the School District. Please click here to read the MercerMe article.
Superintendent’s Coffee & Chats: The Community Relations Committee of the Board will be providing more opportunities to interact with the Superintendent and School Board in an informal setting. One of these programs is what we are calling Superintendent’s Coffee and Chats. The first, “Budget 101” was held on Feb. 28th. You can watch the meeting by clicking on this link. This session was intended to help our stakeholders to understand the inner workings of public schools funding and school budgets. The second, “Rebuilding Community” will be on March 8th at 6:30pm -8:00pm in the Community Room at Central High School. These sessions will be recorded for those who are unable to attend.
On March 30th, The District will be hosting Max Stossel, of Social Awakening, who will speak to students, staff and parents about social media's impact on our lives, and creating resources to help manage that impact. More information will be available shortly.
Beginning this month, watch for technology tips and events offering resources and support for parenting in the digital age brought to you by the Digital Wellness Initiative, in partnership with Hopewell Valley Municipal Alliance and the Hopewell Valley Regional School District.
Did you know? Caretakers model the use of screens and the use of technology for their children. Being mindful about how/when/how much you use your screens can make a huge impact on your children. Tip: Set family rules on screen time for all family members to follow. Purposefully set phones aside during designated unplugged family time to engage with family members. If using screens at home, do so in a public space in the house to discourage youth from engaging in harmful social media behaviors. Do not allow screens in bedrooms at night in order to promote healthy sleep habits. It can be helpful to create a family media plan to help the whole family set healthy boundaries and guidelines for media use at home. Visit: APP Media Plan for more information!
Info sources:
Digital guidelines: Promoting healthy technology use for children
Beyond Screen Time: Help Your Kids Build Healthy Media Use Habits
The Pennington Public library and the Hopewell Valley Historical Society are hosting a talk about the Pennington Profile and its author Margaret O'Connell on Sunday, March 19, 3 pm at the Pennington School and via Zoom. Additional Information is available here.
Sunday, March 26th, The HVEF “Spring Fling” Fashion Show and Luncheon at the Cobblestone Creek Country Club in Lawrenceville. This event is a fundraiser for the Hopewell Valley Education Foundation (HVEF). Janice Mintz, the owner of Poppy Boutique will be running the Fashion Show and providing commentary. Also, there will be local vendors selling their products!
Please consider supporting World Down Syndrome Day on March 21, 2023. Thank you for supporting our students!
Kindergarten Registration for children who will be five years old on or before October 1, 2023 can be found here. Kindergarten Camp: An optional summer camp will be held at each elementary school for two weeks starting on 7/10 and 7/17. The camp is Mon - Thurs from 8:30-11:30am. Please click here for more info. Only registered students will be accepted! Thank you!!
Hopewell Valley After School Enrichment Program: Enrollment begins on Tues March 7th for the Spring session and will run until March 14th! The Spring Session runs for 7 weeks beginning the week of April 17th, 2023! Please look for an email with the link and check out the programs and register early! Reach out to lorricefalone@hvrsd.org with any questions.
Check out our new Summer Programs page for Camps and Events!
for the Hopewell Express
Thank you to all that sent information and pictures!
HVCHS Summer Job & Service Fair: Did your student miss the fair? Over 30 companies and organizations are offering employment and volunteer opportunities to students starting at age 14. The list of all positions can be viewed here. Students are encouraged to follow up directly with the contacts provided if interested in a position. Questions? Contact the Hopewell Valley Municipal Alliance at hvmunicipalalliance@gmail.com
Please consider supporting World Down Syndrome Day on March 21, 2023. Special class students have helped to tie dye socks and t-shirts which STRIVE is selling to support our students with Down Syndrome. Order shirts by 3/5! All products will be delivered to schools prior to March 21st.
HVCHS Winter Musical: Hopewell Valley Central High School Performing Arts is proud to present the musical The Wedding Singer, based upon the 1998 hit Adam Sandler film. Set in 1985, the wedding singer is a nice guy with a broken heart who's stuck in one of the most romantic jobs in the world. He loses all hope when he is abandoned at the altar by his fiancé. He meets a young woman, who enlists his help to plan her wedding. He falls in love with her and must win her over before she gets married. All performances will be live on stage in the Performing Arts Center at Hopewell Valley Central High School on March 3, 4, 10, & 11 at 7 p.m.. Tickets are $15/$10 for students and seniors at https://www.showtix4u.com/event-details/71631 No tickets will be sold at the door. This production is rated PG-13 for some mature language and content.
HVCHS Culture Connections: Bonjour! Hola! Aloha! Namaste! HVCHS Culture Connections is a student organization that prioritizes and embraces cultural diversity, individuality, and identity. Our mission is to promote cultural competency among HVCHS students and staff by inviting cultural representatives throughout our larger community to speak about their particular culture. We are looking for presenters from the community who would be willing to present their culture and all of its unique customs and traditions during our lunch period here at HVCHS. Please fill out this form if you are interested in presenting to our students. If you have any questions, you may contact our club advisor Maya Smith-Mabry at mayasmithmabry@hvrsd.org.
Red Cross Club Winter Weather Information: Although the winter has been mild so far, there’s always the potential for a winter storm! The HVCHS Club has created a winter storm safety newsletter for the community that is full of important safety information.
The HVCHS DogByte is the HVCHSPTO newsletter which provides information about upcoming events and programs. It is emailed every Tuesday and available through the HVCHS website.
Absences & Late Arrivals: Parents/Guardians should call our TeleSafe number 609-737-4003, Ext 2, by 8:00 am to report an absence or late arrival. Please also review our attendance procedures for details about our policies.
What’s Happening at HVCHS? Please follow us on Twitter: @HVCentralHS and Instagram: hopewell_valley_central_hs for pictures, updates, and fun facts. Fundraising activities from our classes, clubs, and teams can be found here. Also, check out our HV Student Publications Network page for student created podcasts, digital videos, and more.
Dates to Remember
March 3, 4, 10, 11: Winter Musical, The Wedding Singer, 7 p.m.
March 30th: Social Awakening Program, details to follow
The YMCA is offering a “SafeSitter” Babysitting course geared for students in Grades 6-8 in March. Please click here for more information.
Pretzel Sale: The TMS PTO is having a Pretzel Sale during early dismissal on Wednesday, March 15th- $1 per pretzel and CASH ONLY. Support the PTO and don’t go home hungry!
Social Media Presentation for Students on March 15th: our 6th and 7th graders will have a presentation by Magician & “Edutainer” Robert Hackenson Jr. on the topic of “Navigating Social Media.” His presentation uses magic, eye-catching illusions and skits to deliver a memorable message of the importance of accountable online behavior.
On March 14th at 6:30pm, we have a related program for Parents/Guardians: “Helping Youth Avoid Social Media Land Mines.” Robert Hackenson Jr. (see description above) will teach cyber safety in an unexpected and engaging way. His presentation is meant to help start a conversation amongst parents and students about social media safety and the need for responsible posting.
CEREAL DOMINO CHALLENGE!
Timberlane is going to try to break the Guinness World Record for the longest consecutive chain of cereal boxes to fall like dominoes! This school-wide project will help students practice a variety of skills including working towards a goal, teamwork, connecting with local resources, creative planning and helping others in need. Best of all, after the challenge, cereal boxes will be donated to area food banks. Help TMS reach their goal of obtaining 6,500 boxes (that’s only 7 boxes per student)!! Full size cereal boxes can be brought to the main office. Don’t want to carry all those boxes? Purchase cereal on Amazon and have it shipped directly to the school: TMS, 51 S Timberlane Drive, Pennington, NJ 08534. We would love to get the entire community involved in this challenge so let TMS know if you have connections to a local media source so we can advertise county wide and beyond. Also, if you work for a company that will match a monetary donation and would like to donate money to be used to buy cereal, please contact the PTO.
Spring Sports Start Monday, March 27th: Baseball, Boys & Girls Lacrosse: Open to 7 & 8 grade only. Softball and Track & Field: Open to 6, 7, 8 grade. Registration and medical forms for TMS spring sports are due by Thursday, March 9th. Please click here to access the registration page and print medical forms. Any student who is not registered and does not have either a physical form or health history update form on file with the school nurses will not be able to try out or practice until they do.
Batter up...It’s Timberlane Day at Yankees Stadium! Join us on Sunday, April 16, 2023 at 1:35pm to watch the Yankees play the Minnesota Twins. Field level outfield section tickets are $100 per person and include a hot dog, drink and Yankees backpack. Ticket orders must be placed by March 17. E-mail Dana at danafray@aol.com with questions or to sign up! Tickets are NOT restricted to TMS families so anyone in the district is welcome to attend.
Yearbooks are now on sale: Click here to order.
TMS Updates: For additional information about TMS, please visit our webpage, or follow us on Twitter @Timberlane_HV, or instagram @timberlane_timberwolves
Dates to Remember
March Is Women’s History Month
March 14th: "Helping Youth Avoid Social Media Pitfalls" " Parent Program at 6:30pm
March 15th: "Navigating Social Media" Presentation for Grades 6 & 7
March 15: Early Dismissal, PTO Pretzel Sale
March 21- World Down Syndrome Day
March 27: Spring Sports Begin
March 30: Social Awakening Program, details to follow
BT Principal Page - Click here for our new principal button on the Bear Tavern website!
BT Author Visit: Renowned author, Tami Charles, is coming to visit BT on March 8th. The BTPTO, in partnership with HVEF, is proud to offer students the opportunity to meet and interact with an NYTimes best-selling author.
St. Baldrick's Day: Friday, March 10th at BT we will be raising money to fight Childhood Cancer (learn more HERE) You can join “Team Bear Tavern” or donate HERE. You can also get a “Team Bear Tavern” T-Shirt (recommended for shavees and available to anyone who wants to support the team!). Bear Tavern has raised over $65,500 to support St. Baldrick’s since 2016 and teams with Mr. Turnbull have raised over $133,000 since 2010!
World Down Syndrome Day March 21, 2023: Special class students are helping tie dye socks and T-shirts to support our students with Down Syndrome. Proceeds will support STRIVE PTO and the Down Syndrome Association of Central NJ (DSACNJ). Please contact HVRSD Strive PTO at hvrsdstrivepto@gmail.com with any questions. Shirts need to be ordered by March 5th! Also, join the awareness campaign and show off your mismatched, bright, colorful, crazy, wild socks or lots of socks to get people talking and celebrate diversity and the beauty of being different.
BTPTO Online Coffee Sale -The BT OLA is an integral part of the Bear Tavern Learning Environment and needs support to purchase seeds, supplies, materials, food for our fish friends, and yearly maintenance. So we are partnering with Giving Bean to raise funds. Giving Bean is a specialty coffee roaster and tea blender service that ships directly to homes. We will receive 25% off items, and there are subscription options that raise funds through repeat orders automatically.
2023 March Mania Basketball Tournament - The annual Hopewell Valley YMCA Tom Jackson 3v3 Basketball Tournament is open to all 3rd – 5th grade students. Tournament Dates are March 9th - March 31st. Registration deadline 3/3/23. Please click here for more details
BTPTO Ice Cream Social - An Ice Cream Social is to be held at BT on Friday, March 24th, with build-your-own sundaes and raffle baskets. Click the link for the flyer. Click here for more information and to pre-purchase your discounted raffle tickets and concessions. Click here to Volunteer for the Event: Ticket Table, Concessions, Game/Art Stations
BTPTO: Volunteers are needed for the Spring Event Planning Committees - In May we will have a Parent/Teacher Night Out. Please click here to volunteer for the planning committees. Questions/Info: Jessica.Ruff@comcast.net or Christa.Eastgate@gmail.com
PaySchools Central Food Service: Use the following links for the 2022-2023 school lunch
Click Here for a Link to Pay Schools Central to Pay for Student Lunches
BT Changes In Students’ Dismissal: Families, if there is a change in how students will be going home, please be sure to call (609-737-4005) or email the main office, as teachers do not always have an opportunity to check their email. Please use THIS EMAIL ADDRESS btmainoffice@hvrsd.org when informing us of dismissal plans.
Absences & Late Arrivals: Parents/Guardians should call our TeleSafe number 609-737-4005, Ext 2
Dates to Remember
March Is Women’s History Month
March 5th - deadline to order for World Down Syndrome Day
March 8th - Tami Charles visits and 2nd Trimester Ends
March 10th - St. Baldrick's Day
March 15th- Early Dismissal/Staff Development
March 21st- Wear Lots Of Socks or Crazy Socks/Down Syndrome Day
Reading Helps Your Mind Bloom: The HES Book Fair is back! The fair will be held in our HES library on the listed dates below. We have a few volunteer slots left to be. Please fill out the sign up genius here if you would like to help out.
Monday March 6th 8AM - 7PM
Tuesday March 7th 8AM -7PM
Wednesday March 8th 8AM - 5PM
2023 March Mania Basketball Tournament: The annual Hopewell Valley YMCA Tom Jackson 3v3 Basketball Tournament is open to all 3rd–5th grade students and is free to register and play. Please click here for more details! Tournament Dates are March 9th - March 31st and the deadline to register is March 3rd.
World Down Syndrome Day March 21, 2023: Special class students are helping tie dye socks & t-shirts to support our students with Down Syndrome. Proceeds will support STRIVE PTO and the Down Syndrome Association of Central NJ. Please contact HVRSD Strive PTO at hvrsdstrivepto@gmail.com with any questions. Shirts need to be ordered by March 5th using this link.Thank you for celebrating our students with Down Syndrome!
HES Yearbooks are now available: You can order online at ybpay.com. Please enter Yearbook ID Code: 1799323. The deadline is April 21st.
HES Acts of Service: In collaboration with The Chubby’s Project, HES is collecting any canned and boxed goods for the month of February. In preparation for the month of March, we will be collecting oral hygiene products such as; toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, soaps/body washes, shampoo, feminine products, etc. Thank you for all your generous donations.
PTO Dates and Events: The next meeting will be March 10th at 2:00 pm. Please check out the March Frog Flash filled with important information.
March is National Nutrition Month: To celebrate Pomptonian has created the next edition of the Pomptonian Nutrition News series, Healthy School Lunch Challenge. Please click here for the flyer with additional details.
Pomptonian Food Service: Use the following link(s) for the 2022-2023 school lunch. This link includes menus and how to pay for student lunches along with other useful information.
The Lost and Found Garden: Please encourage your child(ren) to check the lost and found for their missing items! Don’t forget to label your children’s coats, hats, and gloves.
Volunteer Opportunities: If you are interested in volunteering, please complete the attached volunteer form and complete the process for fingerprinting. We appreciate the community members who are interested in supporting our students and staff at HES.
Follow Us On Twitter: Our page offers parents a glimpse inside our classrooms, important reminders, and students engaged in learning & fun. Click here to follow us.
Absences, Late Arrivals and Dismissal Changes: Call our TeleSafe number 609-737-4007, Ext 2, by 8:00 am to report an absence or late arrival or please use our new office email hwmainoffice@hvrsd.org. If there is a change in how students will be going home, call the main office at 737-4007, as teachers DO NOT have an opportunity to check their email during the day.
DATES TO REMEMBER
March 5th - deadline to order for World Down Syndrome Day
March 6th - 8th - HES Book Fair
March 8th - Trimester 2 Ends
March 10th - PTO Meeting
March 12th - Daylight Savings Time
March 15th - Early Dismissal
#BeTheLightHES
Yearbook 2023: Yearbooks are now available for sale online or by form. Yearbooks are $25 and orders are due May 1.
2023 March Mania Basketball Tournament: FINAL DAY TO SIGN UP 3/3!
The annual Hopewell Valley YMCA Tom Jackson 3v3 Basketball Tournament is open to all 3rd – 5th grade students and is free. Tournament Dates are March 9th - March 31st. Click HERE for more information.
Boys Division Registration: https://forms.gle/aK9vKzJC1U55ouTn7
Girls Division Registration Link: https://forms.gle/jrRZx24tTmHKsSUu7
HV Spring Enrichments: Spring After-School HV Enrichment Program registration is open March 7-14. Click HERE for more information.
PJ’s Pancake House Fundraiser: Present this flyer on March 15th when placing a dine-in or take out order 8am-8pm and a percentage of the proceeds will be donated to the SBPTO.
PTO Meeting: Our next SBPTO meeting will be March 15th 7pm in the SB cafeteria.
World Down Syndrome Day March 21, 2023: Special class students are helping tie dye socks, as well as T-shirts to support our students with Down Syndrome. Proceeds will support STRIVE PTO and the Down Syndrome Association of Central NJ (DSACNJ). Please contact HVRSD Strive PTO at hvrsdstrivepto@gmail.com with any questions. The deadline for ordering is 3/5! Thank you for celebrating our students with Down Syndrome!
Lost and Found: Please encourage your child(ren) to check the lost and found for their missing items! Don’t forget to label your children’s coats, hats, and gloves.
PaySchools Central Food Service: Use the following links for 2022-2023 school lunch information:
Click Here for a Link to Pay Schools Central to Pay for Student Lunches
Click Here for Free and Reduced Lunch Forms
SB Membership Toolkit: All volunteer opportunities, Spirit Wear, and ways to donate can be found on MembershipToolkit. Click here to register.
Absences & Late Arrivals or Changes in Students’ Dismissal: Call our TeleSafe # 609-737-4006, Ext 2, by 8:00 am to report an absence or late arrival. To make contacting the main office easier, we've created a "sbmainoffice@hvrsd.org" email that will go to both secretaries. Please use this to send us your dismissal changes. Teachers do not always have the opportunity to check their email during school but including them in your email is helpful. If you have a change after 3pm, please call us at 609-737-4006 ext. 0.
Dates to Remember
March 3rd - Deadline to register for March Madness
March 5th - deadline to order for World Down Syndrome Day
March 7th - Registration for Spring HV Enrichment Programs Opens
March 15th - Early Dismissal for Staff Development. Dismissal pick up time is 12:45pm.
March 15th - PJ’s Pancake House Fundraiser
March 15th - PTO Meeting 7pm in Cafeteria
March 21st - Author visit: Tamika Charles
March 31st - Princeton Wrestling Readers at SB
ReadaFun Fundraiser - Toll Gate will be running a 2023 Reading Raiser from March 1 to April 9, 2023. A Reading-Raiser is like a jog-a-thon, except your child will be reading books instead of running laps, and earning pledges based on how much they read. Everything is tracked online, which makes inviting sponsors and logging reading much easier! Here are two videos that explain how to participate in the Reading-Raiser:
- How to authorize your child's Reading-Raiser account: https://youtu.be/X4KCsWBwA7M
- How to become a sponsor and invite more sponsors: https://youtu.be/NrUbWdEfy24
Your child received a private online account at https://app.readafun.com/ where he/she will log reading. Parent and student instructions on how to use the website have been sent home. Your child will not be able to invite any sponsors without your authorization. Follow this link to view instructions on how to use your parent account. Our school keeps 80% of each donation using this program. We are really excited to promote reading and help our school raise the necessary money for our ongoing needs. Any questions, please reach out to ReadaFun Chair Eva Tramontana emck323@gmail.com Thank you so much for your support!
TG Student Council Sponsored Spirit Day, Friday, March 10th: Dress as a Book Character Day and donate a box of pasta to the Hopewell Valley Mobile Food Pantry. There will be a labeled donation box by the Main Office for donations. Thank you for your support!
TG Student Council Bake Sale & Green Team Green Gear Sale- after school on Wednesday, March 15th from 12:45 - 1:15 pm. A variety of baked goods and hot chocolate will be available for $1 each. The Green Team will also have TG green gear available for sale, including bamboo utensil set($5), reusable straws ($1) and snack/sandwich pouches ($5). Exact cash appreciated!
World Down Syndrome Day March 21st - Join Strive PTO in showing your support by purchasing a hand made tie dyed jersey! All orders will be delivered to schools before 3/21. Proceeds will support STRIVE PTO and Down Syndrome Association of Central NJ. Order shirts by 3/5! Thank you for celebrating our students with Down Syndrome! Link to shirts: https://www.createmytee.com/Join/175368
BookSmiles Collection - The TG Student Council and Green Team are collecting gently used adult and children’s books to help irrigate book deserts throughout the Philadelphia/NJ area. Drop your gently used books into the donation boxes between March 20-24. This collection coincides with the Book Fair. Consider donating your old books before purchasing new books!
Dates to Remember
March is Women’s History Month & National Reading Month
Wednesday, 3/8: 2nd Trimester Ends
Thursday, 3/9: Author Tami Charles Visits Toll Gate
Thursday, 3/9: PTO Meeting @ 7:00 PM via Zoom
Friday, 3/10: Spirit Day Dress as a Book Character (Please donate a box of pasta)
Monday, 3/13: You Matter Day & Gator Groups
Wednesday, 3/15: Staff Development Day - Early Dismissal at 12:45 PM
Wednesday, 3/15: Bake Sale & Green Gear Sale 12:45-1:15 PM
Thursday, 3/16: PTO Math Night
3/20-3/23: PTO Book Fair
Tuesday, 3/21: World Down Syndrome Day
