Welcome to Hillside Elementary!
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2014 Kindergarten/First Grade Roundup Week
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Extended Kindergarten Option Under Study For Next Year
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Mount Laurel Township School District is considering offering an Extended Kindergarten Option for the 2014-2015 School Year through our Community Education/Extended Day Care Program. This self-supporting program would be tuition-based and would be housed at each of our six elementary schools in the hours before and after our kindergarten sessions. The program will focus on center-based learning with an emphasis on social-emotional development. It will be taught by qualified teachers. In order to be eligible for the Extended Kindergarten Option, students must meet all eligibility requirements and be actively enrolled in Mount Laurel’s kindergarten program for the 2014-15 school year. Eligibility requirements include Mount Laurel residency, must be five years of age by October 1, and have current immunizations.
At this point, we are asking parents to submit this online form expressing a desire to learn more about the Extended Kindergarten Option so that we can determine whether interest is sufficient to meet minimum classroom requirements.If there is enough interest, we will move forward and send further information to all of those who have submitted a form within the next several weeks. |
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Low Cost Preschool Program Offered Next Year
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The Mount Laurel Township Public School District is offering a low cost preschool program for a limited number of typical four to five-year-old children for the 2014-2015 school year. Classes will be held in our district elementary school buildings. These Preschool Inclusion classes will enroll preschoolers with disabilities along with typically developing children in order to provide public school opportunities according to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
Selection for the program will be by lottery. Applications for this preschool program are available at all schools, the Hattie Britt Administration Office and the Child Study Team Office, in addition to the one found on this page.
The cost of this program will be $2,250 per year (September-June). A deposit of $550 is due upon acceptance in the program. Tuition payments are made in four installments of $425 each. |
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Emergency Phone Call Procedures Altered
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Our emergency phone service - SchoolMessenger - has certainly been tested this winter. Utilizing it, we are able to telephone some 5,000 parents and staff members within moments. We can also send e-mails and text messages to that same group simultaneously. Given our experience with the system and some of the feedback we have received, we have set some new perimeters for early morning notifications:
Effective immediately, we will not place telephone calls to homes before 5 a.m. We recognize that many of our parents need time to make child care arrangements on days when we are closed or have delayed openings; but we hear the voice of those who say a phone call at 4:30 a.m. is disruptive to the entire family's sleep.
Parents may still opt-out of phone calls all together in favor of text messages or e-mail. To do so, e-mail the Office of Communication Services with your name, students' names and the phone number you would like deleted from these calls. Add any cell phones you would like called or texted and your current e-mail address. Then, text the
word subscribe to the number 68453 from your cell phone. |
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Help Us Honor The Upstanders Among Us!
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We see it every day - the student who is consistently kind. Another who steps in when insults are hurled to stop potential hurt. That staff member who is always the first to volunteer or has an idea what can be done collectively to help the plight of another. They're Upstanders, and we have plenty of them. Now, a new program in our schools will honor our Upstanders. Find more information on our Upstander Campaign page. |
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School Performance 2012-13
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2012-2013 School Performance Report for Hillside School
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 The world-famous Harlem
Wizards will take on Mount Laurel Magic, a team of principals and
teachers from Mount Laurel Schools, on March 16 at Lenape High School to
benefit the Harrington/Hartford PTO. The game starts at 2 p.m. Doors
will open at 1:15 p.m. It is guaranteed to be an afternoon of amazing
basketball talent combined with hilarious comedy! There will be a
halftime show with fan interaction and a performance by the Mount Laurel
Cheer Association Lightning Team. Purchase tickets by using the Ticket Order Form here or by visiting the Harlem Wizards website.
Click the Buy Tickets tab and look for our game on March 16th. VIP and
Reserved tickets cannot be purchased online. Any questions, please
contact the Harrington/Hartford PTO. |
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Assessment of Student Skills
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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.
Tips for Parents To Help Students Prepare For TestingLearn more about the PAARC Test here. The Parents Section of our website includes a page of resources specifically geared to help parents prepare their children for testing. Access it here. |
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News From Our Schools ...
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Okay, So What Is The Common Core Really All About?
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Have You Visited Our Online Television Station Today?
Here's a link to What We See TV! |
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Student & Parent Info
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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
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Events Calendar
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March 10-14 - Kindergarten/First-Grade Round Up
March 13 - Hillside Hoops
March 25 - Board of Education Regular Meeting
March 26 - Bingo Night
March 15 - Board of Education Work Session
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. |
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How May We Help You?
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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 |
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Anti-Bullying
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NJ DOE Self-Assessment under the Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights District and School Grade Report
District Anti-Bullying Coordinator
Kelly Neiman
Mount Laurel Hartford School
397
Hartford Road
Mount Laurel, NJ 08054 Telephone - 856-231-5899
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