It is hard to believe that it has been a year since we shuttered our schools for what was expected to be a temporary closure.  Together we have faced this challenge head-on and we appreciate your continued patience and support. Our goal remains a return to full-day, in-person instruction this school year; however, we must continue to take precautions to ensure a safe return for our students and staff.  Please be aware of the following important updates for mid-March:

Move to Remote Learning after Spring Break
With the recent increase in local cases and the potential for staff and student travel during the break, the Department of Health and our school physician have recommended a one-week remote instruction period after Spring Break (April 5-9). We recognize these remote periods are not optimum; however, when scheduled after the Thanksgiving and Winter Breaks, this action helped to limit the potential spread of the virus; thereby allowing schools to reopen and to remain open. We are very fortunate that none of our schools have experienced the two-week COVID closures that have impacted virtually every other school district in the county.   The Hopewell Valley YMCA will provide Out of School coverage for these days. Click here for more information and to register. We will assist working families for whom this one-week remote period is a hardship. Please contact your building principal for additional information.

Change in HVRSD Travel Policy 
Although the State of New Jersey continues to strongly discourage all non-essential interstate travel, the Board of Education has revised the mandatory 14-day travel quarantine to follow the New Jersey guidelines for unavoidable travel: 
Travelers and residents returning from any U.S. state or territory beyond the immediate region (New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Delaware) should self-quarantine at their home, hotel, or other temporary lodging following recommendations from the CDC:

  • If travel is unavoidable, travelers should consider getting tested with a viral test (not an antibody test) 1-3 days before the trip and again 3-5 days after the trip.
  • If travelers test positive, they should self-isolate for at least 10 days and should postpone travel during that time.
  • If travelers test negative, they should quarantine for a full 7 days after travel. Please continue to monitor for Covid-like symptoms for 14 days.
  • If testing is not available (or if the results are delayed), travelers should quarantine for 10 days after travel.

COVID Testing
In an effort to prevent the spread of COVID in and around our community, particularly around Spring Break, no cost COVID testing* will be available for students, staff, and community members prior to and after Spring Break on:

  • Wednesday, March 24, 2021, 12pm-5pm (3 days prior to Spring Break) and 
  • Friday, April 9th, 2021, 12pm-5pm (5 days after the break).

Location: Hopewell Valley Regional School District Central Office, 425 S. Main Street
Pennington NJ 08534. If you are interested, please sign up here.

If possible, please let your school nurse know if your child has been tested. 

Quarantine due to exposure
Given the increase in local cases, the Department of Health is requiring that we continue with a 14-day quarantine for individuals who have been exposed to a positive individual.  This will continue to be evaluated as our local and regional matrix changes.

If you are self-quarantining, have tested positive, or self-diagnosing without a test, please contact your school nurse so that we can track the potential impact in our schools. All information is confidential.

Parenting Conference / Student Mental Health
On Saturday, March 20, 2021, from 8:45am - 12:30pm, please join us for the Hopewell Valley Parenting Conference! Keynote Presentation by co-authors William R. Stixrud, Ph.D. and Ned Johnson of The Self-Driven Child; Virtual Exhibitor Spaces and interesting workshops. REGISTER TODAY!  There is no charge for this year's conference! Registration will close on March 18. Questions? Email hvparentingconference@gmail.com.

Please take the time to speak to your children about their mental wellness and any issues they may be facing.  As a district, we will continue our work with teachers, school counselors, and staff to support the mental health and wellness of our students. Our counseling departments have developed a list of resources for families. This, as well as additional information, is available from our district website. If you need any support, please reach out to your building principal or school counselor; we are here to help.