We develop compassionate, engaged students who are HAPPY to be at school!
*Happy Halloween!*

*TODAY is the Last Day to Submit Read-A-Thon Pledges*

*No School on Tuesday, Nov. 2: Election Day*
Upcoming Events
October 31: Last Day to Submit Read-A-Thon Pledges
November 1-8: HPS Spirit Wear Sale
November 2: No School, Election Day
November 4: HPS PTO General Meeting, 6:30 pm (In-person in HPS picnic table area or cafeteria/gym; and online via Google Meets)
November 6: The HPS Pumpkin Chuck
November 11: No School, Veterans' Day
November 16, 4-8pm: HPS Restaurant Night at Chipotle on Paxton Ave.
November 24-26: No School, Thanksgiving Break
The Next PTO Meeting is This Thursday, Nov. 4 at 6:30 pm, Both In-Person & Virtual: Everyone is Welcome!
Join us for the next PTO General Meeting this Thursday November 4 at 6:30 pm! The meeting will take place both in-person in the HPS picnic table area (weather permitting) or in the cafeteria/gym; and virtually via Google Meets at this link: meet.google.com/tui-qqem-ahh. Everyone is welcome! Come hear the final plans for Pumpkin Chuck, the upcoming holiday service projects, and more!
TODAY is the LAST DAY to Submit Read-A-Thon Pledges
Thank you for your dedication and enthusiasm during the Read-A-Thon! We have raised more than $32,000 these past few weeks! We are blown away! If you have any remaining pledges to submit, today is the last day. You can submit them electronically at https://app.99pledges.com/fund/hps2021.
You're Gonna Wanna Hear This...You May Want to Sit Down...
It's been scientifically studied, peer reviewed, and now confirmed for publication: we actually DO have the best students, parents, teachers, and staff. This First Quarter, through the Grade-Level Parent Socials, the Book Fair, Read-A-Thon, Spirit Wear Sales, and Restaurant Nights, we have raised more than $41,000! Our hearts are swelling with gratitude! And that means that we are able to continue to enrich the students' and teachers' experiences at HPS through field trips, extra technology, book collections, supplies, equipment for the playground including the new additions to Harmony Park (pictured below), teacher appreciation lunches, student prizes rewarding hard work and positive behavior, and the list goes on. Thank you! We are so fortunate, and we don't take it for granted!
Order Your LIMITED-EDITION Pumpkin Chuck PomPom Beanies While Supplies Last
Commemorate the HPS signature Fall event with this fantastic, limited-edition, pompom beanie hat. Once they're gone, they're gone. So spare yourself of the FOMO thing. You'll look fantastic, you'll feel terrific, and gosh-darnit, you work hard-- you deserve those things! They're on sale right here. And speaking of terrific things, check out these Bob Ross dolls you can win as prizes at the Pumpkin Chuck. Bob was very calmly and soothingly testing the Pumpkin Chuck Photo Booth, and indeed, it's aces.
Just a Tiny Reminder About Your Pumpkins
With today being Halloween, don't let the sugar rush, the squirrel invasions, or anything you may have to drink cloud your judgment. Yelling through megaphone: You have to save your pumpkins until next weekend!! Don't get frustrated or disgusted and trash them. Persevere! There's a little event we're planning that centers around those orange gourds. Pumpkin fact according to Country Living: The thing we call a pumpkin is, in fact, a type of squash. But it's also a gourd because it's used as both an ingredient and as a decorative piece. Many squashes are gourds, but not all gourds are squashes. But your pumpkin gourds will definitely be squashed next weekend!
There's Still Time to Sign-Up as a Pumpkin Chuck Volunteer or Sponsor
The Countdown to the Pumpkin Chuck is ticking away! We're still seeking volunteers and sponsors, so please consider the options below and sign up to be a part of this event's Smashing Success! 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!

Volunteer Sign-ups:
Standard Volunteers (operating game booths, ticket sales, photo booth, set up, clean up): https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a0e4baaac2ba5fc1-2019

Muscle Work Volunteers (pumpkin launching and set up/clean up involving lifting hay bales, pumpkins): https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/70A0E4BAAAC2BA5FC1-muscle3


Sponsor Sign-ups:
To sign up for a sponsorship, click the following link and follow the prompts: https://www.hydeparkschoolpto.org/pumpkin-chuck-countdown/.
To add to the fun and fundraising, the PTO added sponsorships ($100/ea) this year for the games and targets! This means individuals or groups can sponsor a target for pumpkins to hit or a game at the surrounding festival for $100. 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!
HPS Spirit Wear Sale Redux: November 1 through 8
If you missed the last sale window, you're in luck. From tomorrow, November 1, through November 8, you can order additional HPS Spirit Wear here. We hope to receive orders by December 17 for homeroom delivery.
Students Dazzle Their Adoring Crowd at the Inaugural HPS Halloween Book Character Parade
On Friday morning, the HPS Students and Staff paraded around the school celebrating a successful end to the Read-A-Thon and dazzling the crowd with their book character costumes!
The HPS Pumpkin Chuck Returns on November 6: Learn About the Famed HPS Event
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: 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

If you'd like to volunteer or be a sponsor please see the options listed in the previous section of this Newsletter called "Pumpkin Chuck Sign-ups."
Seeking Disinfecting Wipes!
The staff ever-diligent with the COVID-19 health and safety protocol, HPS is close to exhausting its supply of Disinfecting Wipes! If you're out and about and are in the position to buy some extra, the HPS staff would greatly appreciate your donation, which you can drop off to the Main Office. Thank you for your support!
HPS Dojo Karate Students Practice Super Self-Control as Super Heroes!
Congratulations on a job well done to the HPS Dojo Karate Students who practiced a super hero skill (self control) while dressed as super heroes!
HPS Athletics: Booster Membership Drive
The Hyde Park Athletic Boosters is open to and seeking new members. Here is a note from them highlighting their mission and significant accomplishments:
The Hyde Park Athletic Boosters was founded in 2018 and has some amazing accomplishments due to your donations:
  • Reduced registration costs for all sports
  • Introduced 3 new programs –Volleyball, Softball, and Running Club
  • Supplies for the Gym facelift in the Summer 2020
  • Bought new uniforms at no cost to participants
  • Provided gym space for basketball
  • Donated to Mr. Schwab to purchase equipment
  • Bought new basketball hoops for the gym
Did you know that the School District and our School DO NOT provide any funding for your HPS sports programs? So…if your little athlete is playing basketball, softball, volleyball, football, or soccer – all the expenses related to those sports (balls, goals, nets, referee fees, pinnies, jerseys, goalie gloves, league fees, tournament fees, court time, etc…) are ALL paid exclusively with your DONATIONS and from the various Booster fundraisers throughout the year.
This annual membership is important to keep our programs affordable for families and allows us to provide financial scholarships to Hyde Park students and families. You will also receive early access and discounts for our fun events.
Please join us in supporting athletics for another year by donating at HERE!
Join our Facebook Group at HPS Athletic Boosters to keep up with the news and timelines for registrations!
FACE It: We Love Mrs. Best! Show Her the Love by Bringing Magazines with HUGE FACES!
When FACED with a request, we rise to the challenge! Our beloved Art Teacher, Mrs. Best, has a very specific request, and surely, we can FACE the task: bring her magazines. BUT... NOT just ANY magazines. Magazines with pictures of HUGE FACES! Yes, big, whopping, colossal, gigantic, extra large FACES like the ones shown in the pics below. Why the obsession with massive FACES? It's the Halloween Season and all, but it's nothing freaky. She's hoping to make adorable FACE projects like you see in the example below. Any donations can be dropped off to the Main Office with Mrs. Best's name on the bag or stack of magazines. Thank you! And just one more thing..... A horse walked into a bar, and the bartender asked, "Why the long FACE?" (Ok, ok, I'll see myself out....)
Save the Date: November 16 is the Next HPS Restaurant Night, at Chipotle
The next HPS Restaurant Night is at Chipotle on Paxton Ave on Tuesday November 16 from 4-8 pm. This crowd-favorite reaps huge reward: the HPS PTO will receive 33% of all proceeds! If ordering online use the code TAY4HHC before checkout in the promo field. This promo does not apply to DoorDash orders.
Parent Volunteer Needed to Assist the Positive Behavior Intervention Support (PBIS) Team
The Positive Behavior Intervention Support (PBIS) Team needs your help! This school year HPS is passing out paper bucket tickets that students can enter into a raffle for prizes every Friday. Students earn these tickets by showing Hyde Park School expectations such as respecting self, respecting others, and respecting property. We are trying to get as much student buy in as possible, which translates to a high need for printed bucket tickets! We need a parent volunteer to come in on a Monday, Wednesday, or Friday per the signup link below to print and cut bucket tickets using a template. More bucket tickets means more opportunities to recognize students for all the awesome things they do during the school day! Please use this link to sign up as a volunteer: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050b4aa8a722a4f58-bucket
Seeking Kindergarten Lunch & Recess Volunteers
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. And while the added bonus of visiting your special Kindergartener is undeniable, please make sure you assist and monitor all the Kindergarteners in the cafeteria and on the playground. You can sign up using this link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/508084CA4AE2FA3FB6-20212022
Need a New HPS Mask Lanyard?
As we hang on to our masks a little longer for safety's sake, do you need a safe place to hang yours during a mask break? If so, you can purchase a HPS mask lanyard from the HPS PTO website!
Vintage HPS Spirit Wear is Calling Your Name!
Vintage HPS Spirit Wear is on sale, and it's calling your name! Everything is now only $5!! Click here to find the limited sizes and styles, still available now but not for long! Local orders from the vintage catalogue will be delivered to your child's homeroom. Please contact Leah Wyrabkiewicz (leahnally@yahoo.com) with any questions.
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!
If you have information that you would like included in a future newsletter, please send to president@hydeparkschoolpto.org (content included at PTO discretion).