Dear HPS Family, Friends, and Community,
The 2022-2023 School Year has been one of welcomed normalcy and progress! We welcomed normalcy in the sense that this was the first school year since 2018-2019 that has been entirely in-person and without any face mask requirement! That means that this year marks the very first time EVER that our current First, Second, and Third Grade students have had a full, in-person, "normal" school year in elementary school! And that means that this year marks the first time that our current Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Grade students have had a fully "normal" school year since First, Second, and Third Grade, respectively. That is a point really worth marveling, especially considering how well we've rebounded, which brings us to the point of welcomed progress!
We welcomed progress propelled by years of grassroots advocacy from our PTO and LSDMC members convincing the Cincinnati School Board to meaningfully invest in Hyde Park School. As a result, this year we have witnessed a massive building expansion project unfolding before our eyes and on schedule at a time when most construction projects are still backlogged from COVID. From the ground-breaking to the excavating to the roofed-structure now standing for all to see, Phase 1--which includes 8 new classrooms, a larger cafeteria, and the farewell to the trailer classrooms--is set to be complete by late Summer. Phase 2 will continue through the 2023-2024 school year and will include a new gymnasium among other new, needed, and well-deserved elements to Hyde Park School.
With our eyes on the prize of the finished project, we didn't allow ourselves to forget that "life is what happens while you're busy making other plans!" (John Lennon). So we still kept our nose to the grindstone, locked in, and focused on the here and now to make the best experience for students each and every day.
The HPS PTO funds, organizes, and implements dozens of events and initiatives throughout the year. And I will note, the funding is from YOU, our dear and valued Community, who generously supports our fundraising efforts. So we are excited to share exactly how we use these funds to bridge the Cincinnati Public School funding gap. The field trips, classroom supplies, technology upgrades, enrichment opportunities, and community-building events, that the HPS PTO implements and which will be specifically listed below, enhance the superior experience of our students at Hyde Park School.
So with thanks to you, here is a list of some of these HPS PTO events and initiatives:
Field Trips: The HPS PTO spent $44,000 on field trips this year so that all students in all grades from K-6 could attend multiple field trips throughout the year at no cost to the student/family! Some years the field trip budget does not allow for all costs to be completely covered, and grade levels may need to seek contributions from families to cover field trip costs, especially the cost of buses. In these instances, the PTO provides field trip scholarships to students in need. But this year, we did it! We were able to cover all costs of all field trips!! Some of the field trip locations have included COSI, Ft. Ancient, Camp Kern, the Nature Center, the Children's Theater, the Cincinnati Zoo, the Cincinnati Cyclones, the Cincinnati Art Museum, the Cincinnati Sign Museum, Market Madness at the University of Cincinnati, the Holocaust and Humanity Center at the Cincinnati Museum Center, iSpace, Sharon Woods, Gordon Farm, and King's Island.
Turf Field: The HPS PTO was able to resurface the lawn area on the Observatory side of the school into a brand new soccer turf field and running track lanes. Now, instead of a perpetually-muddy haven for mosquitos that became unusable after any sort of precipitation (read: the former state of the Observatory side of the school prior to the turf field), HPS has a gem! Indeed, the turf field is the the crown jewel of the playground, in constant use at recess, at dismissal, at night, and on the weekends.
Classroom/School-wide Supplies & Initiatives: The HPS PTO funds the Hyde Park Heroes initiative by supplying our Heroes with their monthly yard signs and prizes. The Hyde Park Heroes initiative is a way to engage and teach our students about valuable character traits. And it is a major point of pride, positive reinforcement, and community-engagement! The PTO also provides weekly prizes for Bucket Ticket winners, another coveted morale booster! Additionally, the PTO provides teachers with requested supplies to enhance the classroom experience and engages the broader community through monthly restaurant nights, programs like Kroger Rewards, and school spirit wear sales.
Extracurricular Activity Opportunities; and Student Scholarships: The HPS PTO organizes dozens of extracurricular activity opportunities throughout the year from cooking club, to karate, circus club, yoga, art club, acting club, indoor soccer, speed and agility training, and more. And this year, the PTO brought back the School Musical for the first time since the 2018-2019 school year! Additionally, the HPS funds scholarships for students to participate in extracurricular activities. No student was turned away from an extracurricular this year due to prohibitive cost, and we are very proud of this point.
Events by Month:
August:
New Family Social
Ice Cream Social
Lunch for teachers before school starts
Coffee & Kleenex for Kindergarten parents
September:
Glow Golf
Who Dey Pep Rally
Read-a-Thon Pep Rally
Book Drive
Popsicles at the Playground
Parent Grade Level Socials (raised nearly $7000)
Glow Golf
October:
Read-a-Thon (raised in excess of $25,000)
Book Character Parade
Lunch for teachers during parent-teacher conference day
November:
Pumpkin Chuck (raised in excess of $12,000)
Pie-in-the-Face Assembly
December:
Movie Night in the Gym
Staff Holiday Gift fund
The HPS Giving Tree (needs and wants of several families from our HPS Community were provided)
January:
Family Swim Night at UC
March:
Family Bowling at Stone Lanes
Lunch for teachers during parent-teacher conference day
April:
Spring Celebration (raised in excess of $55,000)
May:
Staff Appreciation Week (lunch, flowers, staff spirit wear gift, coffee/donuts, nacho bar)
School Musical Willy Wonka (microphones, sound crew, stage crew)
Field Day
Moving-On Ceremony for Sixth Grade
In close, thanks again to you, our unceasing and tireless supporters. Our continued progress, future ambitions, and most importantly our day-to-day ability to provide our children with the Happy Hyde Park School experience that we all love and value so much, depend on you. The HPS PTO's ability to provide these services, supplies, and opportunities all depend on your generosity of spirit and of resources. And you continue to rise to the occasion not only with your generosity in all capacities, but also with your trust that your resources will be put to good use.
Thank you for making Hyde Park School a high-achieving school of happy, compassionate, and engaged learners. Thank you for making HPS an active, welcoming, and inclusive community where everyone is valued.
On behalf of the HPS PTO and with warmth,
Michele Berry Godsey (Secretary 2019-2023; VP 2023-24)
Ashley Hammond (President 2022-23)
Hilary VanderMolen (VP 2022-23; President 2023-24)
Emily Ricciardi (Treasurer 2021-23)
Kevin VanderMolen (Vice Treasurer 2022-23; Treasurer 2023-24)
Ed Paff Jr. & Amy Lovelace (LSDMC Representatives 2021-2023)
