The HPS Parents Social Season begins this weekend with the Third Grade Throwback on August 27, 6:30pm at The Amos Digs! You can purchase your tix here! Information on the remaining Grade Level Parent Socials, including a link to purchase tickets, can be found further down in this Newsletter.

Thank you for supporting Hyde Park School! If you are unable to attend this fundraiser and would prefer to make a donation, we have also provided that option on the ticket page.

A parent orientation is scheduled for each grade level to meet your child's teacher, learn about expectations and plans for the year, and ask questions. Here is the schedule:

Kindergarten: August 22, 5:30pm

1st: August 23, 6:30pm

2nd: August 25, 6:30pm

3rd: August 25, 5:30pm

4th: August 23, 5:30pm

5th & 6th: August 24, 5:30pm

Glow Golf is back on September 9!! It's a ParTee, and we don't use that phrase lightly--yes, beer is included!! Get your tickets here! Spaces are limited! This is a 6-person scramble (group number subject to change). Groups will play all 9 holes on a Par 3 course. The event runs from 7-10:30pm at Reeves Golf Course, and the cost is $55/person. No golf experience is necessary! This is a social event! If you would like to request who is on your team, please let us know and we will try our best to accommodate. You can email team requests to Hilary VanderMolen at hm.vandermolen@gmail.com. Buy your tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/glow-golf-tickets-396658886407

Our HPS Room Parents provide a channel of communication between parents and teachers. These parents are a part of the classroom environment in the following areas: organizing class parties, aiding in thanking and celebrating the teachers, and assisting in any teacher special requests. In sum, Room Parents are the frontline for parents and teachers alike!

Grade 2: Carroll (Assistant Room Parent)

Grade 3: Wood (Lead Room Parent)

Grade 4 Gallup (Lead & Assistant)

Grade 4: Kohler (Assistant)

Grade 4: Witkowski (Lead)

Grade 5: Fischer (Lead & Assistant)

Grade 6: Dibowski (Lead)

Grade 6: Ries (Lead)

To sign up, click here. Thank you for stepping up to fill these important roles!

Lunch time involves a learning curve, and our youngest students are in need of some assistance during lunchtime! Tasks like opening cheese sticks yogurt lids, and even putting straws in drink boxes can be challenging to little hands. If you could spare an hour of your time, please join our lunch and recess period to help make the most of this important hour of their day! Click here to sign up. This signup link will be included in this Newsletter each week for you to access.

Very important: It has been noted after the first two days of school that at least one Lunch Duty Volunteer should be the last one out of the cafeteria, acting as the Caboose to the line out to the playground. With the constructions site blocked off, the short trek to the playground from the cafeteria is closed, and Kindergarteners are walking around 75% of the building to reach the playground. During the first two days of school, there were some students straggling behind the line. If the Parent Volunteer hadn't been last in line, it is possible that some students would have lost sight of the line in front of them and not known where to go/how to reach the playground and would have found themselves amidst the trailers and cars in the parking lot without any other students or teachers in sight. This is why it's crucial for the Parent Lunch Duty Volunteer to be last coming out of the cafeteria and last in line to the playground to ensure that the tail end of the line and any stragglers safely reach the playground. THANK YOU!

*Please note (and, yes, it goes without saying, but) by signing up for this opportunity, you will be signing up to assist all Kindergarteners with their lunch and to help monitor all students on the playground during recess, not just your child.*

Get ready for some Tom & Chee on August 30! It's the first HPS Restaurant Night of the year! Mention Hyde Park School as you order, and the HPS PTO will receive a portion of all sales during the fundraiser hours. Stay tuned for the timeframe. Please note: Orders must be placed in person, via their website, or app. Sales through third-party delivery services such as DoorDash and UberEats do not qualify for the fundraiser.

After-school programs and extracurricular activities provide a richer environment to help students learn and grow. At Hyde Park School, the PTO implements a variety of programs and activities so that students can explore and develop new interests such as Karate, cooking, Yoga, Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts, acting, circus tricks, and more! Be on the lookout for information about Extracurriculars in an upcoming Tuesday Folder. Sign-ups will open soon!

HPS Socials are fundraiser parties, activities, and special events planned and hosted by parents, teachers/staff, or the PTO. And HPS Social Season is about to begin! Starting next week and extending into the Fall, each grade level will have an Adults-Only Themed Parent Social. You can purchase your tix here! Attending your Grade Level Parent Social is a great way to mix, mingle, and have fun with other parents and families - all while raising money for our school! All proceeds go to the HPS PTO, which uses all funds to directly support our students and teachers by providing classroom materials and funding for opportunities both inside and outside of the classroom (such as Field Trips!)

Kindergarten Parent Social: September 17 (Theme: College Night)

1st Grade Parent Social: October 1 (Theme: TBA)

2nd Grade Parent Social: October 8 (Theme: TBA)

3rd Grade Parent Social: August 27 (Theme: Third Grade Throwback)

4th Grade Parent Social: September 24 (Theme: 90s)

5th Grade Parent Social: September 23 (Theme: Back to School)

6th Grade Parent Social: October 22 (Theme: Fowling-- Football + Bowling)

Click this link for more information and to purchase tickets! Thank you for supporting Hyde Park School! If you are unable to attend this fundraiser and would prefer to make a donation, we have also provided that option on the ticket page. 

The Countdown to the Pumpkin Chuck is underway! The Pumpkin Chuck is one of HPS's biggest school-wide events of the year! It is the definition of a FUNdraiser, and YOU can help make it happen!

If you're new to HPS or haven't participated in the past and are confused with all this Pumpkin Chuck talk here's a run down of the Gourdy Details: just imagine it's a crisp November day right after Halloween. You pluck your now semi-rotting but beautifully carved pumpkin from the squirrels who had been feasting on it. Close your eyes now, and imagine that same pumpkin being chucked through the air via a professionally-engineered catapult (we like to call it a trebuchet) across the HPS parking lot and splatting into pumpkin mush on said parking lot, perhaps even hitting a target on its way through the air. Wipe the tear from your eye and further imagine some music, baked goods, and other cool booths to complete the surrounding ambiance--and that is the HPS Pumpkin Chuck in a nutshell (or a pumpkin seed). Still not sure what the pumpkin chuck is? Check out this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgKRMn673rg

Not sure what a “target” is? Watch this Minion get crushed by a flying pumpkin: https://www.dropbox.com/s/1kb2ct682w513j0/227966795_559129775243753_113357543273837645_n.mp4?dl=0

Yes, the Pumpkin Chuck is a big event, and we need all hands on deck! We will be seeking volunteers and sponsors, so please consider the options below to be a part of this event's Smashing Success! Signups will begin soon. The options are plentiful and include running game booths, the bake sale, ticket sales, the photo booth, set up, clean up, and, yes, even the prestigious position of pumpkin chucker (aka operating the trebuchet/launcher). The shifts are broken up into hour-long slots so you can help for a bit and then spend the rest of the time chucking your hearts out. Kids are welcome to sign up for a game booth slot with a parent (just indicate parent/child pair in the comments). One small job for you, one giant chuck for HPS!

Standard Volunteers (operating game booths, ticket sales, photo booth, set up, clean up)

Muscle Work Volunteers (pumpkin launching and set up/clean up involving lifting hay bales, pumpkins)

We will also be seeking event sponsors, game sponsors, and target sponsors. So keep this opportunity in mind for the near future! This means individuals or groups can sponsor a target for pumpkins to hit or a game at the surrounding festival for a monetary donation. Targets can be provided by the PTO or created by the sponsor, and the games are being established by a committee. Sponsoring a game does not obligate you to work the game booth or create the game. With each sponsorship, you will receive 10 game tickets and a ticket to chuck your pumpkin!

Streamline your life by using this link to upload all HPS Events to your calendar: HPS Events Calendar. Throughout the year, this link will be updated with other events like socials, movie nights, family swims, playground dates, and more!