Family Newsletter

Dear Hyde-Addison ES Families,

Thank you for all of the kind gestures during Principal Appreciation Day! We look forward to celebrating all of our team during Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week, starting on Monday.

Each spring, there is considerable discussion about placing students in classes for the next school year. The instructional staff and administration spend many hours forming well-balanced classes in which students will have an opportunity to learn and grow in their academic and social skills. When classes are structured, we follow a clear set of guidelines. Classes are formed into deliberate heterogeneous groups with the following in mind:

• Gender and racial balance

• A full range of aptitudes, achievement levels, and learning styles, across the classes, at each grade level, and within each class

• An equitable number of students in each class, within a grade level, as applicable

Upon considering those factors, the team builds classes of students and attempts are made to match pupil and teacher personality and style. Quite understandably, those decisions are based upon observations made by the teachers during the course of the year. While we review additional input about your child’s individual learning needs, such as your feedback, any such input will be considered in the context of the guidelines above. With this understanding, if you still have a personal request, for your child only (please no cohort or grouping requests), you may email hyde.addison@k12.dc.gov by May 26, 2023, to ensure it is taken into consideration, as final decisions are made by school administration.

For resources and information about the District of Columbia Government’s coronavirus (COVID-19) response and recovery efforts, please visit coronavirus.dc.gov. Please visit dcpsreopenstrong.com for DCPS updates and resources.

Kindest Regards,

Dr. Calvin Hooks, Principal

Hyde-Addison Elementary School

100% of students in Ms. Shields' and Ms. Gross' homeroom have re-enrolled or shared their plans for next year with the school! Thank you for your help ensuring we can keep our kindergarten classes small. Families, (click here to enroll) or attend another school in the fall (let us know you don't plan to return).

As we prepare to launch into school year 2023-24, we would like to invite new and returning families to join us for the engagement opportunities outlined below. Together, we will share important information, ask questions, and build connections as a school community.

We are now accepting nominations for parents/guardians to serve on the Local School Advisory Team (LSAT) for school year 2022-23. Nominations will be open through May 26. Meetings are monthly and we welcome parents to consider nominating themselves. We are looking for at least 4 nominations.

More information and a 3 question nomination form can be found HERE!

The first week of PARCC testing was a huge success for students! Thank you for helping to get them here on time, be present every day, and for cheering them on as they persevere.

Let us know you're coming here!

In order for the school team to ensure the safety of students during dismissal processes, the policy is that Parents/Guardians arrive at the main entrance of the school building before 2:50pm if they need to pick up their child for early dismissal. This provides enough time for our staff to communicate, for students to gather their belongings, and for us to supervise them safely exiting with the appropriate adult before we prepare to do the same for the general dismissal students, who begin transitioning shortly thereafter.

Trouble accessing the link to class photos from Freed Photography? CLICK HERE

DCPS has updated the calendars for SY 2023-24 and SY 2024-2025 to align with the new Election Modernization Amendment Act of 2021 requirement that schools close on primary election days. In SY 23-24, you will see the following changes:

• The first day of school for K-12 students is Monday, August 28, 2023, and the first day for Pre-K students is Thursday, August 31, 2023.
• Tuesday, January 2, 2024, is now a PD Day for staff. Students will return from winter break on Wednesday, January 3, 2024.
• Schools will be closed for teachers and students on Tuesday, June 4, 2024, for DC’s primary election day.

To review the updated calendars, including changes for SY 24-25, please visit dcps.dc.gov/page/dcps-calendars.

Please review the message from Chancellor Ferebee regarding the DCPS PARCC & DC Science test window and links to helpful resources for families.

• English
• Amharic
• Chinese
• French
• Spanish
• Vietnamese

You can find information about summer learning opportunities that DCPS is hosting, here: DC Public Schools Family Guide to Summer Learning 2023 - DCPS Strong

No student will be allowed to leave school alone or with a sibling until the DCPS self-dismissal form has been signed and returned to the main office or emailed to hyde.addison@k12.dc.gov. Please note that PreK3 and PreK4 students are not eligible. Please contact hyde.addison@k12.dc.gov with any questions.

If you would like a Kids Ride Free Card for your student, please fill out this short form. They will be sent home in students' backpacks on Mondays.

Bylaws: The PTA Executive Board has been hard at work behind the scenes to review the PTA's bylaws, which were last updated in 2019. Our goal is to provide more opportunities for parent engagement by establishing standing and special committees (i.e. auction, fall festival, etc.), create more transparency, and develop a succession plan, especially for the roles of president and treasurer. We hope to share the updated draft early next week so it can be voted on during the PTA General Meeting on May 23! If you have any questions/comments, please don't hesitate to email us at pta.hydeaddison@gmail.com. We hope to see you online on May 23!

Officer Elections: Each May the PTA holds elections for Exec Board members for the following school year. We are especially seeking volunteers for the following roles for the 2023-2024 school year: Vice President, Co-Chair Treasurer, Secretary, Co-Chair VP for Fundraiser, VP for Room Parent Engagement, and VP for Outside of School Care and Enrichment (formerly VP of Aftercare). A full list of offices and their descriptions can be found in the current bylaws here. Please email pta.hydeaddison@gmail.com by Sunday, May 14 if you'd like to nominate yourself or another parent for any of these roles! Elections will run online from May 15 to May 29.

There are 56 total staff members at Hyde-Addison including teachers, admin, custodial services, cafeteria workers, student services and security guards. We want to make sure all of the wonderful staff that care for our children feel appreciated and recognized for their contributions.

The PTA is raising funds to provide a grab and go breakfast on Monday, stock the snack cart with special treats on Wednesday and provide every staff member with a giftcard on Friday. The amount raised will dictate how much we are able to give but we hope to give at least $50 gift cards to each staff member. This effort is in addition to the personalized plans your room parents are making for your classroom teachers. Please send contributions via Venmo to @HydeAddisonPTA (with a comment “TSAW”) or contact me directly if you would like to contribute via cash/check. Thank you! You can track anonymous donations here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1DlkhDcKsqq9uUC3a8g2CYW98cKEuEn8vuJAOxoDN2Cs/edit

Please mark your calendar; you won't want to miss it. More details will follow.

Has your child grown like a weed with all of this warm weather or are you planning to do some Spring cleaning during the upcoming break? Hyde's online swag store is always open and stocked with t-shirts for your growing children!

https://app.moonclerk.com/pay/5/xyi2heuy0xn

School mental health services and supports are an effective means of addressing the mental health needs of children and improving the learning environment. Click here if you would like to refer a student for mental health or counseling support provided by Ms. Stovall. Referrals will be processed by the Mental Health Team and staff will receive communication and updates regarding services.

May 1-May 19: PARCC testing window for 3rd-5th graders (on time arrival and attendance are important!)

May 29: DCPS Closed, No School for Students

First Tuesday of the Month: LSAT Meeting

Fourth Tuesday of the Month: PTA General Body Meeting on Zoom

Last Friday of the Month: Equity and Anti-Racism Task Force Meeting on Microsoft Teams

For copies of previous Hyde-Addison ES newsletters, please visit the Hyde-Addison ES website at https://hydeaddisondc.org/updates2233

Email: hyde.addison@k12.dc.gov
Website: https://www.hydeaddisondc.org
Location: 3219 O St NW, Washington, DC 20007
Phone: 202-282-0170
Facebook: facebook.com/hydeaddison/
Twitter: @DrCalvinRHooks