We are excited to welcome students and families to the 2022-2023 school year! We have been through a lot over the past two years and we are a resilient learning community and family. We are delighted that you will be a part of our amazing learning community this year as we return for the new school year.

This promises to be a year filled with phenomenal learning experiences. As we embark on this learning adventure, we pledge to students and parents that this will be a year of rigorous, relevant and engaging work in our classrooms, along with special events and activities. We invite and encourage families to work in partnership with us and to join us for school activities and events whenever possible. We value your involvement and support in your child's education.

We also value the communication connection and partnership between home and school and encourage you to contact us when the need arises and to stay in the know about your child's studies, assignments, assessments and school activities.

For families that are new to Copper Hill Elementary, we want you to know that you are coming to a wonderful place to learn and grow! Copper Hill Elementary has an incredible and caring staff and is the perfect place to do the most important work in the world!

This year our Cougars are BRAVE, SMART, KIND, and READY! Ready to take on new academic challenges, make new friends, and ready for FUN!

Any questions, or concerns, do not hesitate to reach out.

With great excitement,

Jesse Lockett & Amy Switkes

We are excited to welcome many new staff members to our Copper Hill Community; teaching assistants, teachers, and staff.

My name is Kristine Bryer and I am very excited to be transitioning to a teaching position with the Copper Hill Preschool team. Although I am new to the position, I am not new Copper Hill or Preschool. I started with the district as a TA with Jen Corban’s Project Happy class in 2007 and have been fortunate to have worked mostly with our preschool students ever since. I graduated from Drew University with an Economics degree and Fairleigh Dickinson with a Master’s of Paralegal Studies certification. After many years of working in the legal department of AT&T, I decided to pursue a career in education by completing TCNJ’s MAT program. My husband and I have lived in Hunterdon County since 1988. We raised our daughter Katie in our home in Kingwood Township, where we currently live with our cat Bixby.

Dear Copper Hill Elementary Community,

I am very excited about joining the teaching staff at Copper Hill as a teacher in PreK! I began

teaching at Desmares in 2008 in First Grade and after three years, taught Kindergarten for the

next 11 years. It has been a long-term goal of mine to teach PreK and am thrilled to be able to

have this opportunity in our district at Copper Hill.

My husband and I have two daughters, one of which we just helped move to Fayetteville, AR so

that she can begin her graduate studies doing bat research. Our other daughter is an artist and

conservation advocate and works and lives in Philadelphia. We live in nearby Skillman, NJ and

love hiking and biking in the beautiful surrounding Sourland Mountain area. Looking forward to

meeting everyone and teaching at Copper Hill Elementary!

In 2012, my husband and I moved into Hunterdon county, residing in the Borough of Flemington. During this time, we welcomed two beautiful children, a boy and a girl that are both thriving in our school district. Having been a part of the Copper Hill community for over 5 years as both a parent and teaching assistant, I am thrilled to have accepted a position as a preschool teacher! With my background and degree from Kean University in elementary education and early childhood, and my past decade of teaching experience, I have gained many new skills that I’m excited to apply in my classroom.

My name is Miss Samantha LaBrake and I am so excited to be teaching Kindergarten this year! I am coming from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia where I taught first grade. Kindergarten is such an exciting year and I cannot wait to welcome the students! Personally, I am getting married in March and I love bright colors, the beach, and spending time with my family. Thank you for having me!

Hi! My name is Dana Kotlarchick and I am excited to be joining the Copper Hill team! Having been a part of the Copper Hill community as a parent for the last three years, I am very much looking forward to entering my new role as a first grade teacher. I graduated from The College of New Jersey with a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education in 2009. Following graduation, I worked as a first grade teacher in Middlesex, NJ for three years. I then spent time at home raising my two boys who will be entering 1st and 3rd grades this coming September. This past year, I spent time substitute teaching at Copper Hill and have gotten to know staff and students. I am very much looking forward to a wonderful school year and meeting my new first grade friends!

My name is Ciara Gaertner and I am so excited to start my first year at Copper Hill as a second grade teacher. Second grade has always been my favorite grade. Last year I taught fifth grade in a different school district. I graduated from The College of New Jersey with a degree in Elementary Education and History as well as a minor in Deaf Studies. I cannot wait to get to know you all and have a wonderful school year together!

Mrs. Ostasiewski is ecstatic to be joining Copper Hill as a third grade teacher! She is joining us from Desmares, where she also taught third grade. This is her thirteenth year teaching. To her, the most rewarding part of teaching is the joyful look on a child's face when they understand something new. When not teaching, Mrs. Ostasiewski enjoys reading, spending time at the beach, gardening, and traveling.

My name is Ms. Ferreira and I teach 4th grade. I taught 4th grade for two years and also spent a year teaching Kindergarten. I have a Masters degree in Elementary Education with two certifications: K-6 and TOSD. Working with children has been something I have always loved and have done for many years. I live with my fiancé and our dog, Pongo. Reading and watching tv are some of my favorite things to do in my free time. I am so excited to be part of the community and am looking forward to a great school year!

Hello families! My name is Lisa Fuchs and I am so excited to be joining the Copper Hill community this year as one of your child’s school counselors. I have over 12 years of experience in teaching special education and school counseling. My husband and I have lived in Flemington since 2013. We can often be found carting our two very active daughters around town to their extracurricular activities. If you happen to spot us, please feel free to say hello! While I’m sad to be saying goodbye to my poolside summer days, I am eager to meet your children and get to know them throughout this school year. As your child’s counselor, it is my role to assist in developing their social, emotional, and academic skills. I’m looking forward to collaborating with our wonderful community of students, staff, and parents to have a successful school year

Ms. Yuzon is a resident of Raritan Township. She has two children, a Senior and a Freshman attending HCRHS, both went through Flemington Raritan School District. She has over 20 years of nursing experience ranging from Medical ICU, Pharmacovigilance Coordinator, and Director of Nursing/owner of a home care agency. She began as a substitute school nurse in our district for two years before becoming a permanent district float nurse in early 2022. We are excited to have Ms. Yuzon support our students and families!

Hola Cougars!!! My name is Mrs. Morales. I am honored to teach World Language/ESL at Copperhill Elementary. I graduated with honors from Montclair State University with a bachelors in Family and Child Studies back in 2006. Since then I have been in the education field and I love it! I started my career at the Pre-K level over at The Children’s Corner in Basking Ridge, NJ. I worked my way to the elementary and middle school levels teaching second, seventh and eighth grade at Abundant Life Academy in Nutley NJ. I have taught at the sixth grade level too over at McKinley Elementary in Newark, NJ. Recently I have taught third grade over at Robert Hunter Elementary right here in Flemington. In total I have over 14 years of experience and I am excited to continue my journey with the Copperhill family. We will have so much fun learning Spanish in class!

Please join us in welcoming our new teaching assistants to the Copper Hill team!

Rachel Laritz

Jaime Stevens

Nancy Tompkins

Gemina Gabriel

Elaine Cochran

Noha Aboushanb

Engy Makary

Dylan Perhach

Julianna Rambaransingh

9/6/22- First Day of School for Students

9/16/22- Ice Pop Social 5:30 p.m.

9/22/22- PTO Community Meeting

9/26/22- School Closed, Rosh Hashanah

9/27, 9/28, 9/30- Picture Days (Schedule to Follow)

9/29/22- Early Dismissal, Back to School Night

• If your child is ABSENT or TARDY for any reason, please call the Copper Hill ATTENDANCE LINE by dialing 908-284-7665 or report an absence online here. Leave a message detailing the nature of the absence, your child’s name and his/her teacher’s name. Messages may be left at any time of night or morning and are retrieved on a daily basis.
• If your child needs to be DISMISSED EARLY, please send a note to school with your child in the morning, listing the time for pick-up and the reason. Children leaving school prior to 3:25 pm will be marked as an early dismissal. Please note, three tardies or early dismissals count as one absence.
• If your child normally rides the bus but will need to be PICKED UP at dismissal time, please send a note with your child that morning.
• Please DO NOT leave information regarding your child’s change in dismissal on a teacher’s e-mail or voicemail. They often do not have an opportunity to check their e-mail during the day and your message may not be communicated.

IMPORTANT: PLEASE SEND A NOTE WITH YOUR CHILD IN THE MORNING FOR ANY CHANGE IN YOUR CHILD'S ROUTINE.

• Parent drop-off and pick-up at gym entrance

• YMCA before-care at gym overhang

• Buses drop-off at blacktop by playground

• Van drop-off at front entrance

• Preschool drop-off at preschool entrance

• Do not hold any doors for visitors.
• Use the crosswalks in the parking lot.
• Obey the 15 mph speed limit in our parking lot.
• Student drop off begins at 8:45 am. Please wait at the stop sign, until being waved on by one of our staff members wearing bright green vests.
• When exiting the drop off area, please be aware of buses that may still be entering the back parking lot or leaving the school.
• If you are dropping your child off after 8:55 am, please park your car in the main parking lot and walk your child into the building and check in with the main office.
• DO NOT park your vehicle in the front driveway of the building.
• For the safety and security of our staff and students, monthly fire and security drills are conducted.

Breakfast and lunch are no longer free!

• Breakfast and lunch options are available for all students this year. Please visit Maschio's website for updated menus and other important information.
• Kindergarten Parents: Please pack your child's lunch during the month of September as we allow our students time to get acclimated to our lunch routines and procedures. Please prepare your child for lunch by helping them open containers.
• For safety purposes, please refrain from sending in glass bottles or glass tupperware.

Please visit the Copper Hill PTO website for announcements, upcoming events, forms, and payments.

2022-2023 PTO Executive Board

Co-President Jacque Beason

Co-President Lauren Levin

Co-Vice President Alyssa Kayser

Co-Vice President Caitlin Ryan Persche

Treasurer Katherine Sun

Secretary Christina Eliades