Family Newsletter

Dear Hyde-Addison ES Families,

Happy Spring Break! We look forward to welcoming all students back to school on April 20, 2026.

Although I attempt to demonstrate my appreciation for AP Payton each day, as National Assistant Principal Appreciation Week draws to an end, I would like to publicly extend my deepest gratitude to AP Payton, for her unwavering commitment to our school community. AP Payton leads with care, integrity, and a deep belief in every child’s potential. Her dedication to supporting students, families, and staff is evident in the relationships she builds and the systems she helps strengthen each day. Whether ensuring a smooth start to the school day, supporting instruction, or responding to the needs of our community, she approaches her work with excellence and heart. We are truly fortunate to have AP Payton as part of our Hyde-Addison ES community.

2026-2027 Enrollment Update

DCPS Goal for May 1st: 60%

Hyde-Addison ES Enrollment as of April 10th: 33.2%

Please be mindful that reenrolling by early April will significantly support our ability to maintain small class sizes. The school team will begin offering seats to students on the waitlist if current families do not reenroll and secure their placements. Any current Hyde-Addison ES families who enroll later in the season will be added to existing classes, which may result in increased class sizes.

As always, please feel free to email hyde.addison@k12.dc.gov with any school specific inquiries.

Warmest regards,
Dr. Calvin Hooks, Principal
Hyde-Addison Elementary School

Active Play wants to gauge interest in expanding the Spanish aftercare option for SY 26-27--possibly up to 5 days a week. Some existing and incoming families whose kids have attended Spanish pre-k are interested in finding ways to support language maintenance at our school. The PTA working with Active Play to assess these 3 vendors: Isabella & Ferdinand, Communikids, and Spanish123. Please fill out this quick survey to give your input on your interest and experience with these vendors: https://forms.gle/9gX6SHhkWFgiST7E8

Thank you and please let me know if you have any questions!

Hyde- Addison students will take the ELA DC CAPE on Tuesday, April 28-Thursday, April 30 and the MATH DC CAPE on Tuesday, May 5- Thursday, May 7.

We suggest the following tips to help prepare your student for DC CAPE:

• Help your child get a full night’s sleep so they feel rested and ready to learn.
• Make sure they eat a hearty breakfast or have them arrive at school by 8:10 to enjoy breakfast at school.
• Ensure they arrive to school on time (8:35am), so they can begin the day calmly and confidently.
• Offer a quick reminder to do their best – encouragement goes a long way!

On time arrival to school is critical to testing!

When students arrive late on testing days, they are unable to join their class for the scheduled assessment. During CAPE, any student who arrives after testing has begun will wait in the main office until the testing block is finished. Make‑up testing will occur later in the week during regular instructional time.

To encourage strong attendance, every student who arrives on time each day of testing will be entered into a daily raffle for a fun prize. Please help us set students up for success by ensuring they attend school and arrive on time throughout the testing window.

Welcome to "Hyde & Shine"—a section of our family newsletter dedicated to celebrating the amazing accomplishments of our students and the moments that make them proud!

PTA: 🌟 Happy National Assistant Principal Week, AP Payton! 🌟

Mark your calendars! When we return from Spring Break, get ready—our Silent Auction opens Wednesday, April 22 at 9 AM!

✨ Anyone can participate!
You do not need to: attend the gala, purchase a ticket or be a Hyde-Addison family.

This is a great opportunity to support our school from anywhere while getting things you want or need!

We have 100+ incredible items generously donated by our community, including:
🏡 NYC, lake + beach getaways
⚽ Camps, kids classes & zoo memberships
🧺 Class Baskets & Collaborative Art
🍎 TEACHER TIME!
🍽 Restaurants, fitness classes, sporting events, beauty, self-care & much more!

👉 Be sure to check Konstella the week we return from Spring Break for the silent auction link and full details.

Every bid helps support Hyde-Addison students, teachers, and programs—we can’t wait for you to take a look!

We’re so close! We need 5 Family Sponsors by this Saturday to unlock an additional $1,000 donation for our school from a generous group of Hyde families.

A $500 Family Sponsorship includes:
🎟 2 Gala Tickets (use or share)
🎟 5 Tombola Tickets
✨ Name on the Thank You Reel (optional)

💛 This is an easy way to double your impact while supporting Hyde-Addison students, teachers, and programs.

🎶 Jazz After Dark Gala | April 25 | 7–10 PM

👉 Don’t wait—help us get to 5 and unlock the match!

Secure your Family Sponsorship or gala tickets here: https://hae.schoolauction.net/jazzafterdark/register/ticket_sales

We need all hands on deck to help make our gala a success—from start to finish!

Set Up:
🗓 Fri, Apr 24 | 4:00–6:00 PM (tables, décor, etc.)
🗓 Sat, Apr 25 | 5:00–7:00 PM (final touches, vendors, food & beverage)

Clean Up:
🗓 Sat, Apr 25 | 10:00–11:00 PM
(We have just one hour to break down—trash, décor, tables, and more!)

Every bit of help makes a big difference in maximizing what we can give back to our school—we truly appreciate it!

👉 Sign up here: https://www.konstella.com/app/school/5f3ec103b63aaba471bba1f9/signups/69c58ca11fba942af6caa2b8

Your child has a chance to team up with Mr. Parrish and be PE Teacher for the Day!

🎟 Raffle tickets are just $1 each (cash only)
➡️ Any grade level can participate!
➡️ Buy as many as you’d like to increase your chances!

📍 Tickets sold by Ms. Roth at the security desk

🕗 Every morning, 8:10–8:30 AM
📅 Through Friday, April 24

🎉 The winner will be announced LIVE at the school-wide meeting on April 24

💛 Best part? 100% of proceeds go back to Hyde-Addison!

👉 Don’t miss your chance—who wouldn’t want to run PE for the day?!

As we enter enrollment season, we want to ensure all families can access the Aspen Parent Portal. Please take a moment to confirm your access by following the steps below.

How to Log On

Your initial log-in information for the Parent Portal will come via email. If you haven’t received your username and password, please email hyde.addison@k12.dc.gov to make sure that we have your correct email address and have granted you Parent Portal access in the system.

User Guides

• Aspen Parent Portal Guide (English)
• Aspen Parent Portal FAQ (English and Spanish)

Instructional Videos

These instructional videos will guide you through the ins and outs of the Aspen Parent Portal.

• Parent University: Aspen Parent Portal
• How to Log on and Navigate Parent Portal

Below you will find the 2026 Chancellor’s Family Notification Letter regarding state-mandated assessments. This letter includes a message from Chancellor Ferebee about mandated assessments, the DCPS assessment windows, and links to helpful resources for families.

Hi Families,

Great news—Champions Back-to-School Enrollment opens Tuesday, March 24! Enrollment is quick and done online at DiscoverChampions.com.

Current families: Log in and click “Add a Program.”
New families: Follow the flyer instructions to get started. (See below)

Questions? Contact Ms. Funmi at ch002523@discoverchampions.com or Ebony Tucker at ebony.tucker@discoverchampions.com.

We can’t wait for another great year!

Hyde Families,

Registration for our final "summer" enrichment season opens this Monday at 9:00 AM! To assist with your planning, you can explore the full catalog, detailed course descriptions, and the registration link directly on our website here.

Key Dates & Information:

• Registration Opens: Monday, March 9th at 9:00 AM
• Cancellation Notices: We will notify parents of any class cancellations by April 10th.
• Registration Closes: Friday, April 17th

Please note that registration will remain open throughout Spring Break. However, classes with insufficient enrollment will be canceled the week prior, so we strongly encourage you to register early to secure a spot in your preferred programs. If you have any questions, need assistance with registration, or have any concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We’re here to help! Thank you and we look forward to having your child join us this summer!

Sincerely,

Active Play

Details

• August 4th-6th, from 8:30am-12:30pm
• Summer Bridge enrollment opens March 27th, and your student MUST be signed up to participate
• Hardy Bridge Sign Up

Hardy Summer Math and ELA assignments are linked below. Hardy Middle School asks that students complete these assignments prior to the start of the school year, as they will help inform course placements.

Thank you!

On April 25, the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies will host its 5th Annual Spring Block Party on 26th Street NW in Georgetown. This year’s event will feature the local indie-folk band, The Variables.

We would be delighted to see you there!

WHAT: Girls Spring Flag Football!

WHO: 3rd-5th grade girls – all skill levels

WHERE: Eliot Hine MS

WHEN: Sundays April 12th - May 17th from 2:30-4:00 pm.

COST: FREE if you use the code FREECHGIRLSFLAG

REGISTER HERE by Tuesday, April 7th!

We need your help stocking up for Tombola—a longstanding Hyde tradition and the most thrilling game at our Jazz After Dark Gala! How tombola works: You buy a raffle ticket, you get a number, and if it matches an item on the table, it's yours to take home!

But here’s the deal—we need bottles and jars of all sizes and price ranges to make this game extra special. Various beverages, olive oil, sauces, honey, and jam make great prizes. If it comes in a bottle or jar, and isn’t your child’s glitter slime experiment, we’ll take it!

Donations will be collected at drop off and pick up on Friday, April 24 (the day before the gala). To coordinate another timeframe, please email pta.hydeaddison@gmail.com. Let’s make this game shine brighter than our jazz quartet's trumpet!

Each May the PTA holds elections for Executive Board members for the following school year. We encourage anyone interested in stepping up and joining our dynamic group of volunteers to reach out! All parents or guardians of a student currently enrolled in the school are eligible. A full list of offices and their descriptions can be found in the current bylaws here.

Please click here to complete the nominations form or email pta.hydeaddison@gmail.com by Sunday, April 26 if you'd like to nominate yourself or another parent/guardian for any of these roles! Elections will run online for approximately one week beginning on or around May 1.

Join the Hyde-Addison PTA and fellow Hyde families for youth night at Audi Field--a fun evening at a Washington Spirit soccer game — our Southwest Playdate of the season!

📅 Saturday, May 30
⏰ 6:30 PM Kickoff
📍 Audi Field – Section 115
100 Potomac Ave SW, Washington, DC

Watch the Washington Spirit take on Seattle Reign while connecting with other Hyde families for a great night of professional soccer in DC.

🎟 Early Bird Tickets: $25 per person
• Early bird pricing available for the first 50 tickets sold
• After that, ticket prices may increase — buy early!

BUY YOUR TICKETS HERE: https://app.moonclerk.com/pay/5cy7uy0r8qoa

⭐ Bonus for Kids:
The first 20 kids’ tickets purchased will receive access to a pre-game field experience starting at 5:00 PM.

Important Notes:
• Parking is not included
• Seats are together in Section 115

If your family needs financial assistance, please contact:
📧 hyde.addison@k12.dc.gov

Ticket sales are officially live for the Hyde-Addison PTA’s annual spring gala, Jazz After Dark, taking place Saturday, April 25 from 7–10 PM at St. John’s Episcopal Church (across the street from school). Lock in your sitter now and grab your tickets before the event sells out because we can’t wait to celebrate with you!

Our incredible team of parent volunteers has been meeting every week to plan an unforgettable evening for the Hyde-Addison community. Here’s a sneak peek at what’s coming together:

🎶 LIVE JAZZ BAND ANNOUNCED!
We’re thrilled to share that Donvonte McCoy & CP Time will be performing live at the gala! This outstanding DC jazz band has played on Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center, and we’re so excited they’ll be bringing their music to our community for this special night. Check them out here!

🍸 Great Food
🏷️ Live + silent auctions with exciting items
🎷 A lively night of music, community, and celebration in support of our school
🏫 All funds raised go directly to the Hyde-Addison PTA to support teachers, classroom resources, enrichment programs, and student opportunities.

📅 Saturday, April 25 | 7–10 PM
📍 St. John’s Episcopal Church
🎟 $100 per person
👥 Adults only

🎟 Secure your tickets here: https://hae.schoolauction.net/jazzafterdark/register/ticket_sales

⭐ Check out our website for more info: hydeaddisonpta.org/jazzafterdark

Planning is in full swing for our Annual Spring Gala, and we’re so grateful to the community members and businesses who have already stepped up to support this special event!

✨ We’ve already secured sponsors for some of our biggest moments of the night — including the live band and dance floor. ✨

Now we’re looking to round out the experience with a few more fun and creative sponsorships:

🍸 Specialty Drink Sponsor
🍰 Dessert Table Sponsor
🎟 Tombola
…and more!

👉 Have a small business? Want to promote your brand to our community?
👉 Want to team up with friends, other families or community members to sponsor together?

There are many flexible ways to get involved, and every contribution directly supports Hyde-Addison students, teachers, and programs.

👉 Explore sponsorship options and find the right fit: HydeAddisonPTA.org/sponsorjazzafterdark

👉 Ready to jump in? Confirm your sponsorship here: https://hae.schoolauction.net/jazzafterdark/register/ticket_sales

Thank you for helping us make this a truly memorable night for our community!

Thank you again for making our first-ever Hyde-Addison Read-A-Thon such a success! With over 93,000 minutes read, more than half the school participating and $15,114.75 raised for our school ($20,153 raised overall), we are so proud of our community.

As we look ahead to next year, we’d love your feedback. Whether your family participated or not, your input will help us improve the experience and make this an even stronger tradition at Hyde-Addison.

👉 Please take 2–3 minutes to complete our survey here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScRgICkm-qM-KbvZ4wQ5A7Zp7DE05XaxuNmi1VGxyiEjGwRfQ/viewform?usp=publish-editor

Thank you for helping us continue to build a joyful, literacy-focused community at Hyde-Addison! 💙📖

The lost & found pile is already growing! Help keep track of water bottles, jackets, and more by labeling everything. Through Mabel’s Labels, you can purchase durable, waterproof labels in fun designs — and 20% of proceeds go directly to Hyde-Addison!

👉 Visit campaigns.mabelslabels.com, search for Hyde-Addison PTA (Washington), and start shopping.

We also have ongoing restaurant fundraisers each week at Georgetown favorites:
🍕 Manny & Olga’s Mondays (1641 Wisconsin Ave NW)
🍗 Wingo’s Wednesdays (3207 O Street NW)

✨ 25% of your order comes back to Hyde — just mention Hyde-Addison at checkout! No online delivery apps- in-person dining or takeout only!

For more information and a full catalog of our ongoing fundraisers, visit our website:https://hydeaddisonpta.org/ongoing-fundraisers. Thank you for supporting our school community!

With back-to-school around the corner, we have an easy way to help you avoid the lost & found and support our school at the same time!

Mabel's Labels are waterproof, dishwasher and washing machine-safe, durable, and come in a wide variety of sizes, colors and kid-favorite graphics. They're perfect for water bottles, lunchboxes, headphones, jackets and more!

Extra Perk! 20% of every purchase goes right back to Hyde-Addison to support our students and staff.

How to order:

1. Go to campaigns.mabelslabels.com.
2. Search for and select "Hyde-Addison PTA (Washington)"
3. Start shopping! It's that easy!

We’re excited to share that our Minted fundraiser is back! When you use code FUNDRAISEHYDEADDISON, you’ll save 20% on your order—and Minted will donate 10% back to the Hyde-Addison PTA.

This code works all year long, so whether you’re ordering holiday cards, change of address cards, baby announcements, graduation invitations or announcements or personalized gifts, every purchase gives back to our school!

Minted offers beautiful, high-quality designs, easy address collection, and free recipient address printing on envelopes, making any large send-out a breeze.

Thank you for considering supporting Hyde-Addison while checking a few things off your to-do list! Happy Shopping! --> https://www.minted.com

If your child needs to take medication or requires medical treatment during school hours, please have your medical provider complete the appropriate forms, which may include the Medication and Treatment Authorization Forms, the Asthma Action Plan and the Action Plan for Anaphylaxis. Please email forms to hyde.Addison@k12.dc.gov and ask them to be submitted to the nurse. We will confirm receipt.

If your child needs a dietary accommodation, your provider should also complete the Dietary Accommodations Form. Please submit the completed form to dietary.forms@k12.dc.gov and cc hyde.addison@k12.dc.gov.

Attendance is a top priority for both DCPS and Hyde-Addison ES, as consistent, on-time attendance is essential to student achievement, growth, and overall success. We encourage families to review the DCPS Academic Calendar below or directly on the dcps.dc.gov website, to plan vacations, appointments, and events in a way that supports uninterrupted learning throughout the school year.

During the school year, please notify the school every time your student is absent. Excuse notes must be emailed to hyde.addison@k12.dc.gov within 5 school days after the student’s return to school for the absence to be excused, in alignment with DCPS Attendance policies. (Classroom teachers cannot excuse absences.)

All students in grades Kindergarten–5 must have a signed permission form on file each school year in order to:

• Be dismissed to the Jelleff aftercare program

• Walk home

• Take public transportation home alone

• Leave with an underaged sibling

No student will be permitted to leave school alone or with an underaged sibling until the attached form is signed and returned to the main office or emailed to hyde.addison@k12.dc.gov.

All volunteers, including parents, must complete the DCPS Clearance process before volunteer services can be provided. Please send a proof of your completed clearance status to hyde.addison@k12.dc.gov.

DCPS is pleased to announce the release of the SY 25-26 Feeder, Middle School, and High School Booklets. These comprehensive booklets provide essential information including school overviews, programming details, geographic and programmatic feeder patterns, and much more.

Please find attached a message from DC Public Schools Chancellor Dr. Lewis D. Ferebee regarding changes to sibling phase-in policies for students enrolling in 9th grade in School Year 2026-2027 and later.

Continuing this school year, Hyde-Addison’s cell phone policy will remain in effect. If families choose to send their child to school with a cell phone or other personal technology, it must be kept in the student’s backpack and turned off or set to airplane mode for the duration of the school day as referenced in the Family Handbook.

Beginning in the 2025–26 school year, a new DCPS policy will prohibit students from accessing a cell phone or personal electronic communication device during the bell-to-bell school day while on DCPS school grounds, aligning with our school’s current cell phone policy.

DCPS Student Cell Phone and Personal Electronic Device policy

To ensure students and families receive the appropriate technological support, DCPS IT and OCTO will provide dedicated assistance.

For students and families:

• OCTO Student & Family Call Center – Assists parents and students with technical and password issues. Contact number is: (202) 442-5885 (Option 1).

DCPS is committed to creating a discrimination-free environment for all students. To meet this commitment, DCPS is focused on creating an environment in which we eliminate opportunity gaps, interrupt institutional bias, and remove barriers to academic and social success, particularly for students of color. Please review the following policies regarding anti-discrimination within DCPS.

DCPS Anti-Discrimination Policy

The Family Handbook for the 2025–2026 school year is attached below for your review. Please take a moment to read through it to familiarize yourself with important school policies and procedures.

When you receive the Family Newsletter by email each Friday, as well as most other school-wide communications, you will have the option to view it in a web browser. Accessing the newsletter this way allows for automatic translation into over 20 languages and provides enhanced accessibility features, including high-contrast display settings and adjustable font sizes for improved visibility.

All Family Newsletters will also be archived on the Hyde-Addison website https://hydeaddisondc.org/home throughout the year for your ongoing reference.

April 13-17 (Spring Break): No School for Students or Teachers

May 25: Holiday for Students, Teachers, and Staff

Jun 16: No School for Students or Teachers

Jun 18: Last Day for Students / End of Term

First Tuesday of Each Month: LSAT