We develop compassionate, engaged students who are HAPPY to be at school!
*HPS Spirit Night at Urban Air TOMORROW (Nov. 7), 4-8pm*

*Hyde Park Helps Winter Drive Begins TOMORROW*

*No School Tuesday--VOTE!*
*No School Friday, Veterans' Day*
Upcoming Events
November: Native American Heritage Month
November 7, (4-8pm): HPS Spirit Night at Urban Air
November 7-18: Hyde Park Helps Winter Drive
November 8: No School, Election Day
November 11: No School, Veterans' Day
November 15: Last Day to Purchase HPS Spirit Wear for distribution before Winter Break
November 20: Hyde Park Helps Winter Shopping FREE
December 2: Free Family Movie Night at HPS, time & movie, TBA
December 7: Grades K-2 Winter Concert at Withrow HS
December 8: Grades 3-6 Winter Concert at Withrow HS
November Is Native American Heritage Month
"Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect." -Chief Seattle, Duwamish. Native American Heritage Month acknowledges the important contributions of American Indians and Alaskan Natives in the United States and celebrates their rich and diverse cultures, traditions, and history. Now is a great time to become more aware of the contributions people from this diverse community make to their communities.
Hyde Park School Spirit Night at Urban Air, TOMORROW, November 7 (4-8pm); 20% of Proceeds Donated to HPS PTO
With no school on Tuesday or Friday, our kids will be bouncing in and out of school. So why not have them bounce tomorrow night too?? November 7th is Spirit Night at Urban Air from 4-8pm. It's $19.99 for unlimited attractions with 20% being donated back to the HPS PTO! EVERYONE who mentions Hyde Park School when buying tickets will have 20% of their purchase count towards our fundraiser! Spread the word!!
A Record 347 Chucks, Thousands of Smiles, & Countless Memories!
Revel in the Pumpkin Chuck memories with these pictures from the day! Thanks to YOU; our sponsors; the surrounding community; and our tireless, hard-working, and dedicated Pumpkin Chuck Committee, including: Melissa DeMarcantonio (Head Honcho/Mother Chucker), Ashley Hammond, Hilary VanderMolen, Tricia Sundbeck, Alyse Averdick, Melanie Dorsey (Bake Sale Coordinator), Ed Paff, Emily Ricciardi (Tickets & Sales), Michele Godsey (Marketing), Jacquie Purcell (Volunteer Coordinator), Mike Lober (Master Chucker), Todd Jellison (Master Chucker), Dave Annett (Chucking DJ), and Matt Sample (Trebuchet Builder!!).
HPS Read-A-Thon Winners Announced! Congratulations to the Entire HPS Community!
THANK YOU to everyone who participated in and encouraged the students to read in the Read-A-Thon. This year we had more student participation than ever before, and we collected more than $25,000 in pledges! To top it off, many parents have remarked that their children made noticeable strides in their confidence and reading ability during the Read-A-Thon, and that standing alone is a huge success. Your support of this important initiative sets Hyde Park School apart from the rest. THANK YOU!

And here are the 2022 Read-A-Thon Winners!

The homerooms with the most minutes read and winners of a pizza party: Ms. Lorenz and Ms. Kohler of Team JRR Tolkein

The homerooms with the most average minutes read and winners of a pizza party: Ms. N. Roberts and Ms. Endres of Team Loren Long

Classes with the highest participation (most reading logs turned in) and winners of a Pajama Day & extra class reading time: Ms. Kohler, Ms. Lorenz, Ms. Witkowski, Ms. N. Roberts, Ms. Neaton, Ms. Fischer, Ms. Sims

Classroom Winners (Most Minutes Read):
Ms. Belcore
First Place: Sarah Harman
Runner up: Tyler DiLandro

Ms. Dibowski
First Place: Savannah Hay
Runner Up: Dexter Morin

Ms. Bidlingmeyer
First Place: Kyra Paul
Runner Up: Miriam Monroe

Ms. Lavelle
First Place: Ausar Mazloomi
Runner Up: Ben Van Fleet

Ms. Boada
First Place: Scarlett Fallang
Runner Up: Nakota Hoehn

Ms. Wood
First Place: Joanna Brownlee
Runner Up: Lila Hughes

Ms. A Roberts
First Place: Jacob Bell
Runner Up: Russell Jellison

Ms. Snyder
First Place: Hadley Gregoire
Runner Up: Teddy Amos

Mr. Barker
First Place: Amelia Han
Runner Up: Maddie Hillenmeyer

Ms.Carroll
First Place: Blaise Haber
Runner Up: Simon Lucas

Ms. Kohler
First Place: Charlie Miller
Runner Up: Clara Ogrin-Cotarlan

Ms. Lorenz
First Place: Knox Hammond
Runner Up: Jude Boldt

Ms. Quaspers
First Place: Parker Williams
Runner Up: Claire VanderMolen

Ms. Witowski
First Place: Arlo Leslie
Runner Up: Hannah Eisenstein

Ms. Endres
First Place: Emme Williams
Runner Up: Ajay Hill

Ms. N Roberts (2nd grade)
First Place: Ella Hammond
Runner Up: Quinlan Sicnolf

Mr. Cassidy
First Place: Aiden Richardson
Runner Up: Alex Hindery

Ms. Neaton
First Place: Aueen Mazloomi
Runner Up: Merritt Sicnolf

Ms. Forman
First Place: Maeve VanderMolen
Runners Up: Walter and Louie Godsey

Mr. Gallup
First Place: Faryan Mazloomi
Runner Up: Nick Jellison

Ms. Fischer
First Place: Laney Cruz Moore
Runner Up: Hunter Faris

Ms. Sims
First Place: Kahlan Bradley
Runner Up: Grace Nolan

Ms. Ries
First Place: Eliot Hanneken
Runner Up: Charlie Hogan

Ms. Scott
First Place: Desmond Moore
Runner Up: Parker Haynes

Thank you again for all your support!
November Hyde Park Hero Trait: Gratitude
This month, the Hyde Park Hero Character Trait is Gratitude. With the lead up to Thanksgiving and the Holiday Season, what a perfect time to reflect on Gratitude! Here are some children's books and reflections centered on Gratitude.
The Hyde Park Helps Winter Drive Begins TOMORROW!
From November 7 through 18, we will be collecting clothing (gently used or new in all sizes from Infant to Adult), toiletries, and cleaning supplies for the Hyde Park Helps Winter Drive. Beginning tomorrow, bins will be placed at Doors 1 and 2, and on each level of the school to collect donations.

On November 20, a Winter Shopping FREE will take place where all donated items along with food donations collected by the HPS Student Council will be distributed to our Hyde Park family and community members in need.
Congratulations to the October Hyde Park Heroes!
Here are your October Hyde Park Heroes! These students were chosen for demonstrating Bravery. We will be filled with pride when we see your signs around the neighborhood! Congratulations to:

Hakim Murray
Cohen Randolph
Merritt Sicnolf
Saanvika Mudupu
Dibora Teshome
Aleksandr Sascha Lysak
Nika Mandic
Joshua Snyder
Simone Orkin
Rofida Marzouk
Evelyn McCure
Cece Thurman
Miles Grover
Quincy Kunkel
Lily Annett
Savannah Adcock
Caitlyn Riddle
Winnie Graham
Callianne Deal
Mae Zink
Ravi Logue
James Murrison
Alyssa Tinsley
Claire VanderMolen
Evan Cassidy
Will Meisman
Save the Date: December 2, HPS PTO Will Host a Free Family Movie Night!
Just bring your pillows, blankets, and/or sleeping bags to get comfy on the floor, we'll take care of the rest, including the popcorn! The movie and start time will be announced ahead of time in an upcoming edition of this Newsletter.
Winter Concerts Are Back In-Person Next Month! Save the Dates December 7 & 8!
That's right! The Holiday Season just got warmer and fuzzier because we'll get to see our kids sing in-person next month! Winter Concerts are back!! Grades K-2 will perform in December 7 at 6:30pm. Grades 3-6 will perform December 8 at 6:30pm. Both concerts will take place at Withrow High School.
The HPS Spirit Wear Has Been Delivered, But If You Missed the Sale, Here's Your Second Chance
Major fashion statements were made last week as students and staff sported their brand new spirit wear! If you missed the sale, check out the styles here, and place your order by November 15. Orders will be distributed to your student's homeroom before Winter Break.
HPS Athletics is Seeking Volunteers to Fill Positions Held by Parents of Soon-to-be-Graduating HPS Students
Leo says it simply and most eloquently: "We Want You!!" But what's more, We Need You!! Sad but true, reality is setting in: our longstanding leaders of the HPS Athletics Program will be retiring from the ranks as their students near the end of their careers at HPS. The positions of Athletic Director, Head and Assistant Sports Coordinators, Equipment & Uniform Managers, Booster Positions (Presidents, VP, Secretary, Communications Director, and Fundraising Chair) are some of the many volunteers positions held mostly by Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Grade Parents. The same holds true for coaches. So the time has come for the fresh faces of the K-3 Parents to come forward to learn the ropes. To learn more about the positions and to volunteer, please contact Mike Brugh at michaelbrugh@outlook.com
Seeking Kindergarten Lunch & Recess Volunteers
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.

*IMPORTANT NEW INFORMATION*: To allow for more eating time, Kindergarteners now will be having recess BEFORE lunch. This means if you are the Lunch/Recess Duty Volunteer, you should check-in at the Main Office, then report to the Playground instead of the Cafeteria. Then, following recess, you will help escort the Kindergarteners to the Cafeteria where you will assist them as they eat lunch. Please act as the Caboose for the line, ensuring that the very last students and any stragglers make it safely into the Cafeteria.

*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.*
Make Life Easy: Upload All HPS Events to Your Own Calendar
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!
Follow HPS PTO on Instagram & Facebook
Make HPS PTO part of your daily feed on Instagram @HydeParkSchoolPTO and Facebook (facebook.com/HydeParkSchoolPTO). Just another way to make communicating ideas and keeping track of HPS events more convenient!
HPS PTO Linktree: The Link to All Links!
No more FOMO! This HPS PTO Linktree is the link to all important links! So if you'd rather have one link to check than many (hmmm, it's a real toss-up), just check this link: https://linktr.ee/hydeparkschoolpto.
Amazon Smile
AmazonSmile is a simple way for you to support Hyde Park School every time you shop at no cost to you. When you shop at smile.amazon.com, you’ll find the exact same low prices, vast selection and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate 0.5% of the purchase price to HPS. Please choose Hyde Park School PTO Inc. as your recipient.

AmazonSmile customers can now support Hyde Park School PTO in the Amazon shopping app on iOS and Android mobile phones! Simply follow these instructions to turn on AmazonSmile and start generating donations.

  1. Open the Amazon Shopping app on your device
  2. Go into the main menu of the Amazon Shopping app and tap into 'Settings'
  3. Tap 'AmazonSmile' and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process
Kroger Community Rewards
Earn 4% of your purchase for Hyde Park School. Don't worry...you still keep all of your points. Register online at www.krogercommunityrewards.com and select “Hyde Park School PTO Inc” from the list.
Box Tops for Education
Many people don't even realize just how easy the Box Tops for Education Program is now that it has gone virtual. No more clipping and collecting a pile of Box Tops. Just download the Box Tops App, scan your grocery receipt, instantly identify Box Tops products, and automatically add cash to our school’s earnings online. You can also email your online receipts to earn credit. Box Tops are still worth 10¢ each for your school. This may not sound like much, but it adds up to hundreds of dollars!
Meet the HPS PTO Board Officers for 2022-2023
Here are the HPS PTO Executive Board Officers for the 2022-2023 school year:

President: Ashley Hammond
Vice President: Hilary VanderMolen
Treasurer: Emily Ricciardi
Vice Treasurer: Kevin VanderMolen
Secretary: Michele Berry Godsey
LSDMC Representatives: Ed Paff and Amy Lovelace
If you have information that you would like included in a future newsletter, please send to president@hydeparkschoolpto.org (content included at PTO discretion).