Family Newsletter

Dear Hyde-Addison ES Families,

Thank you to everyone who attended Back to School “Night”! The great turnout was appreciated. Your continued grace and understanding, as we refine best practices and share DCPS updates, has also been appreciated. As expected, in such unprecedented times, there are some challenges. But, our students have proven their resilience, an ability to navigate technology and the aptitude to advocate for support, when needed. Their fortitude will continue to develop over time, as we grant them opportunities to explore, learn and grow.

DCPS wants to make sure every student can use their technology device to learn at home. Follow this link for easy-to-follow directions about how to “Log On, Get Ready, and Go!” Families can visit backtoschool.dc.gov for answers to common questions and to review user guides for DCPS devices. If you would like to talk to someone at the DCPS help desk, call 202-442-5885. Families can attend free trainings each week, with Microsoft, on how to use Teams and the Surface device. Details are here. Parents may also visit dcpsreopenstrong.com for resources.

Additionally, if your child is doing some amazing work in the area of social justice, equity or anti-racism and you would like to have their story shared with the Hyde-Addison ES community, please email me a picture and a brief blurb describing their efforts. You may also send me a link to a short video. Their story just might be shared during a School-Wide Meeting or in an upcoming Equity and Anti-Racism Task Force Newsletter.

Please keep you and your loved ones safe. For resources and information about the District of Columbia Government’s coronavirus (COVID-19) response and recovery efforts, please visit coronavirus.dc.gov.

Kindest Regards,

Dr. Calvin Hooks, Principal

Hyde-Addison Elementary Schools

We have received Eureka Math books for Kindergarten-5th grade and began passing them out last Wednesday. Every child (K-5th) has important math materials that their family needs to pick up in order to support student learning!

Likewise, if your child is in grades K-2 and does not have their Fundations Phonics boards (magnetic letter pieces and a workbook), please come to get them during the listed times.

Please bring a bag, as most grades have 5 books or more. Classroom teachers will give students guidance on next steps. Any questions are best directed to hyde.addison@k12.dc.gov for pick-up and classroom teachers for instruction.

We are excited to announce that all of the information you need for Wonderful Wednesdays is now available on the Canvas course called Hyde-Addison Resource Hub, including Wonder Club information.

You can get to this page through your child's homeroom Canvas. It has already been hyperlinked either on the daily schedule homepage or embedded in the specific Wednesday page (sometimes both)! Another way to find the Hyde-Addison Resource Hub Canvas page is to click on the dashboard icon which will show you both of the courses your child is enrolled in. This is shown in the image below.

The Hyde-Addison Resource Hub on Canvas is where you can find all of the following:

• The student roster for each Wonder Club and the contact information for each of those teachers
• Previously recorded SEL and Mindfulness Workshops and the link for the upcoming workshop which is open to all students on Wednesdays at 9:00
• Previously recorded Virtual Field Trips and the link for the upcoming workshop which is open to all students on Wednesdays at 1:00
• Wonder Clubs for K-5 students (you will receive an email with your child's Wonder Club assignment on Tuesday)
• Optional School-Wide Meeting at 3:00 to celebrate our core values with students and families (note: this week we are having Back to School night instead of our School-Wide Meeting)

If your child's displayed name on Teams is a nickname or if it says "guest", that means they are not logged in through Office 365. This is causing issues for teachers when they try to call students into meetings (like Wonder Clubs) or engage with them using specific Teams features that DCPS has purchased.

We urge you to take 2 minues and log in by going to portal.office.com and entering your child's log in credentials- which are the same login credentials for almost every online system.

Log-In Credentials

Username: studentID#@students.k12.dc.us
Password: mmddyy (child's DOB)

As a reminder, students and staff must follow the DCPS Student and Staff Technology and Acceptable Use Policy. Student safety is our priority. Please support your child in understanding that it is against DCPS policy for them to be in any Microsoft Teams meeting space, without the supervision of a DCPS staff member. This also applies to the use of any chat features, outside of the class or staff member led group or session. Students are prohibited from starting, organizing or participating in any live meetings on Microsoft Teams or any DCPS platform, not led by a staff member. This is for your child’s protection. They must adhere to all DCPS student internet safety policies. Your partnership in reinforcing these expectations is of the utmost importance.

Please also ensure anyone that is on camera during live lessons are fully clothed to ensure student safety.

Hello from the Hyde-Addison PTA!

ROOM PARENTS.

Are you interested in being a Room Parent for the 2020-2021 school year? To sign up as a Room Parent for your child's classroom, please reach out to Nicole Smith-McDermott, the VP for Room Parent Engagement, or register and sign up in Konstella.

The image to the right shows which slots are still available for room parents (Note: This year we would like to attain a minimum of 3 room parents both for 4th and 5th grade)

If you have any questions, please contact Nicole Smith-McDermott: nsmithmcdermott@yahoo.com.

Thank you for supporting our teachers at Hyde-Addison!

VIRTUAL EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES.

The PTA is happy to announce that extracurricular activities for Hyde-Addison students are being offered virtually this semester through Kaizen Sports, our partner last year for enrichment activities. Classes include Karate, Ballet, Chess, Spanish, Mandarin, French, Pottery, Hip Hop, and more! Please register as soon as possible at the site below. We hope to conclude registration by this Friday, Sept. 11, to get in as many classes as possible. Since only classes that meet the minimum will be held, if there's a class you are interested in, please sign up today to ensure that the class is held!

____________________

HYDE-ADDISON FAMILIES.

To stay informed about all these events and initiatives, make sure to sign up for Konstella, a new, secure, and private communication platform to replace the Hyde-Addison Families listserv on Groups.io. If you've received an invitation, click on that link, and if you haven't (or can't find it), join here. Again, registration isn't mandatory to receive PTA communications you've been getting through the listserv, but registration for the website or mobile app, however, is necessary to:

• Message other families in your class, committee, or social group (very handy for questions like, "How do we get into that class? I can't find the link!");
• Access the family directory (opt-in, as in, users can provide as much or little as their contact information) to help families get in touch with each other; and
• Form or join social groups (there are already several for COVID-responsible, socially distanced meetups outdoors).

Please register today, check this out for more details, and send us your feedback (ideally by private message through Konstella)!

For families that are looking for affordable internet, please click the link below for more information. https://www.techtogetherdc.com/internetforall

For tech support, families can visit http://dcps.tech/help or call the DCPS hotline at 202-442-5885. Please note that teachers are not available to help troubleshoot technology during the day because they are leading instruction.

The Hyde-Addison Family Handbook for Virtual Learning, which was also shared in a previous email this week, is attached below for your reference along with the DCPS Grading Guidance and Attendance Policy.

• 9/25: Equity and Anti-Racism and Hybrid Learning Task Force Meetings

For copies of previous Hyde-Addison ES announcements and updates, please visit the Hyde-Addison ES website at https://www.hydeaddisondc.org/updates.

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