It's time to turn up the volume! With $6,300 raised of the overall $29,000 goal, now is the time to READ and Make it Happen! In the Final 10 Days of the Read-A-Thon, we hope to raise the Fundraising Thermometer by 10% every day! Students can log reading time through October 25 and collect pledges through October 28!

All funds raised go directly toward student enrichment including Field Trips, which are an integral part of the HPS experience. This year we already have sent the 6th Grade to Camp Kern, the 5th Grade to Fernald Nature Preserve, the 4th Grade to Fort Ancient, the 2nd Grade to the Nature Center, the 1st Grade Bowling, and Kindergarten to The Children's Theater.

• Although we will collect pledges in person between October 26, 27, and 28, here is the website used to collect online pledges: https://app.99pledges.com/fund/hps2022. 

Please visit https://www.hydeparkschoolpto.org/read-a-thon/ for a complete explanation of all things Read-A-Thon!

Plan to be a part of the Restaurant Night This Tuesday, October 18 (4-8pm) at Chipotle on Paxton Ave. This crowd favorite is donating 1/3 of all proceeds to the HPS PTO so don't miss this one! Please note: orders placed through third party delivery services including Door Dash, Uber Eats, and Grub Hub do not qualify. Order must be placed in-person, or through Chipotle's app or website using code LAWHVJH.

The City will send a worker one morning to count pedestrians and determine if more than 20 people cross Erie Ave. between Madison and Edwards Roads per hour between ~7:00 am and 8:00 am. It is not known which day this count will take place. 

The Pumpkin Chuck is just around the corner! Tickets are on sale, volunteer and sponsorship signups are open, and we need all hands on deck to make this legendary Hyde Park School event a Smashing Success!

We are now seeking volunteers and sponsors, so please consider the options below! The options are plentiful and include running game booths, the bake sale, ticket sales, 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!

Game Sponsors ($100)*: The Wetzel Family, The Loveland Family, The Purcell Family, The Paff Family, and Northwood Cider Company

Chucking Sponsors ($50): The Haynes Family, the Leimbach Family, The Ballard-Reynolds Family, The Shikany Family, and Russell, Pattie, and Jeffrey Hahn

Presale Tickets: Pumpkin Chuck tickets are on sale here! Buy your tickets now and receive them in your child's Tuesday Folder the week before the event.

Volunteer Sign-ups are now open! Follow this link to find volunteer opportunities of all types needed to make this signature HPS event happen. Volunteer opportunities range from Standard Volunteers (operating game booths, ticket sales, the bake sale, or intaking pumpkins); Setup or Cleanup; Chuckers (operating the trebuchet/pumpkin launcher); and Supplies (lending pop-up tents, card tables, wagons, and other necessary supplies to be dropped off on November 4).

To add to the fun and fundraising, Game Sponsorships are available for $100 and Chucking (Event) Sponsorships are available for $50. This means individuals or groups can sponsor a game at the surrounding festival for $100, or individuals or groups can have your name(s) added to the fence surrounding the chucking zone for $50. The games are being established by a committee so sponsoring a game does not obligate you to work the game booth or create the game. With each sponsorship, you will receive game tickets and a ticket to chuck your pumpkin! To sign up for a sponsorship, click the following link and follow the prompts: https://www.hydeparkschoolpto.org/pumpkin-chuck-countdown/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgKRMn673rg; and

 https://www.dropbox.com/s/1kb2ct682w513j0/227966795_559129775243753_113357543273837645_n.mp4?dl=0.

You can contact Melissa DeMarcantonio at fundraising@hydeparkschoolpto.org for more details and to volunteer.

The HPS Parents Social Season will conclude with the Sixth Grade Last Hurrah this Saturday October 22 at 6:00pm at Casa de Beckman. You can purchase your tix here!

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.

Parent-Teacher conferences are being held on Thursday, October 27. In appreciation of our teachers, the PTO will cater a lunch for the staff. We are asking volunteers to provide individually packaged light snacks and treats to help our teachers stay energized through the late hours. Please sign-up here to donate a snack, and indicate in the comment section what specific items you will provide so that we can ensure variety.

Items can be dropped off either on the table outside the main office doors or by handing items to the staff in the car line on both Wednesday, October 26th and Thursday, October 27th. Thank you for your support!

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

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.*

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!