Hillside Elementary School

Welcome to Hillside Elementary!

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

All Mount Laurel Schools are CLOSED today due to the pending winter storm. All school-related activities are canceled.

Assessment of Student Skills

New Assessments This Year For Gifted and Advanced Course Placement

Effective in the 2013-2014 school year, the district no longer employs the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) test as an assessment. The criteria for student placement in our Gifted Academic Program (GAP) and Advanced Courses will therefore change for the 2014-2015 school year.

A number of factors will be considered, for example, in GAP placement. This year, staff will look at the student’s Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA) level, and their district writing assessment score, in addition to the new Progressive Math Initiative (PMI) final exam score at Grades 2 and 3. This chart will define the assessments used by all grade levels for GAP Placement.

Meanwhile, the criteria for Advanced Math Courses will also change for next year. This chart shows the specific criteria that will be used at each grade level. Once again, the PMI Final Exam will take the place of the MAP Test scores in this determination, along with other criteria.

In the area of Enriched Language Arts courses at Hartford and Harrington Schools, the placement criteria will include the student’s NJASK score, a strong teacher’s recommendation with focus on the student’s diligence, perseverance, and persistence (a strong work ethic) in addition to the student’s ability as reflected by grade. Students must have an A-Average in literacy learning, and must demonstrate above-grade level performance in reading and writing on the Fountas and Pinnell benchmark assessment. This assessment offers teachers both a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the student’s reading behaviors and patterns. The benchmark assessment will be administered in the spring.

New Jersey Assessment of Skills and Knowledge (ASK) Test

It is mandatory in the state of New Jersey that all students in public schools be tested in Grades 3-8 each year via the NJ ASK Test. This assessment is created and distributed by the NJ Department of Education under strict testing guidelines. It gauges student skill levels in Mathematics, Language Arts and Science. Generally administered in our school in May, the state testing spans four to five days. Student scores are received by the district either in late summer or early fall.

PAARC Testing Begins Next Year

Beginning in the 2014-2015 school year, Mount Laurel will administer the online PAARC Assessment in place of the NJ ASK Test.
Learn more about the PAARC Test here.

Here's a parents' guide to the new PAARC Test.

Tips for Parents To Help Students Prepare For Testing

The Parents Section of our website includes a page of resources specifically geared to help parents prepare their children for testing. Access it here.

News From Our Schools ...

	It's HERE! YES! PowerSchool on the GO! Our PowerSchool Mobile App portal is now open! Now, you can view classes, schedules, grades, projects, assignment, and announcements from your phone or iPad! It's the same easy-to-use system that you know, using the same user name and password you always use. But now it's all in your hand, ready to go where you are! Click here for complete instructions on how to set-up your mobile device!
	Want to learn more about how schools are governed, the correlation between taxes and school financing, or where to go for help for your child? A new service by the New Jersey School Boards Association puts all of that and more at your fingertips! Visit the New Jersey School Boards Association's new Parent Connections Website here.
	NEW! The New Jersey Educator Resource Exchange website will allow a user to navigate these standards, search for and download instructional resources, create a library of resources for later use, and establish a "resource feed" that will notify the user when new resources unique to their role are added to the site. The website is open to educators and parents. Parents will find a host of resources to help their child in school. Access to the website is free for all users and requires only a quick registration. Click here to check it out!

Students: Register Now for the Get Fired Up For Literacy Contest!

As a way to promote reading, The Mount Laurel Fire Department and the Mount Laurel Library are excited to announce the third year of the Get Fired Up for Literacy program. This is a reading contest for all Mount Laurel public school students in grades 1-4. The contest will begin Saturday, December 21, and will end Sunday, January 5.

One student from each grade of the combined six Mount Laurel elementary schools (grades 1 through 4) who reads and logs the most minutes within the above-mentioned two-week period will be deemed a winner. This means there will be four winners per school, and a total of 24 backpacks awarded as prizes throughout the Mount Laurel School District.

The Mount Laurel Fire Department will randomly draw one grand prize winner per school of the four winners mentioned above. The grand prize winner will receive a ride to school in a fire truck. Finally, each student who participates and reads a minimum of 60 minutes will receive a certificate. Note: Previous grand prize winners are not eligible for fire truck rides. The winners will be posted Monday, January 13, 2014, and the fire truck rides will be given the week of February 10, 2014.

Students wishing to participate may register here.

This file provides a reading log to keep track of your hours read.

Okay, So What Is The Common Core Really All About?

Mount Laurel Schools participate in the Common Core State Standards, along with other New Jersey Schools. New Jersey is one of 45 states across the country now taking part in this important initiative. Educational standards help teachers ensure their students have the skills and knowledge they need to be successful by providing clear goals for student learning. Learn more about the Common Core Standards and what they mean specifically for your child at each grade level on our Common Core Standards webpage.

Have You Visited Our Online Television Station Today?

If you have not been to What We See TV! lately, why not take a look to see if there's anything you have missed? We have new videos going up all of the time. Look in our Featured section for the newest additions to our video library. These provide a vivid look at some of the many wonderful and enriching events that are going on in all of our schools each day.

Here's a link to What We See TV!

Student & Parent Info

School Hours:
Grades 1-4: 9 a.m. - 3:25 p.m.
Kindergarten A.M.: 9 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Kindergarten P.M.: 12:55 p.m. - 3:25 p.m.

Early dismissal grades 1-4: 1 p.m.
* On half-days, P.M. Kindergarten begins at 10:30 a.m. and dismisses at 1 p.m.

Hillside School's Anti-Bullying Specialist is Brenda Betley, 1370 Hainesport-Mount Laurel Road, 856-235-1341

Events Calendar

December 9-13 - Book Fair

December 10 - Family Book Fair Night

December 20 - Holiday Sing-A-Long

December 23 to January 1 - School Closed - Winter Recess

Happy New Year!

January 2 - School Reopens

January 10 - Theater Week Performance

January 20 - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day - School Closed

January 31/February 1 - Mom/Son Wiffle Ball Night

Parents: Looking for a program to keep your children safe while surfing the Internet? The program we use here in school is now available to you at home. Here's more information.

How May We Help You?

Just looking for a quick and basic guide to specific information about our schools? The links below will provide you with a basic fact sheet on the topics listed. Don't see something you wish was here? Just yell! We'll get it up right away for you.

Registering a child new to the district
Kindergarten registration
Job Opportunities - Certified
Job Opportunities - Support and Substitute
2013-14 School Calendar
School Locations and Contact Info
Map of our schools and sending areas

Local Weather

Current Conditions:

Forecast: