Family Newsletter

Dear Hyde-Addison ES Families,

Please be reminded that there is no school for students on Monday, January 26, 2026, due to a DCPS Staff Professional Development Day.

Additionally, as we prepare for possible inclement weather, please be mindful that Hyde-Addison ES follows DCPS closing guidance for any weather related closures or delays. The operating status for DCPS is typically posted online at dcps.dc.gov, on "@dcpublicschools" social media accounts, and with local news outlets. Please see additional links below.

DCPS Inclement Weather Guidance

District Snow Team

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

Hardy Middle School Open House Dates for SY 2025-2026

During the 2025-2026 school year, Hardy MS will be hosting several Open Houses for families with prospective students.

SY 2025-2026 Open House Dates:
January 28, 2026 from 5-7pm
February 5, 2026 from 10-11:15am

Please take a moment to check our Lost & Found for any missing items. All unclaimed items must be claimed by January 30, 2026. After this date, the remaining items will be donated. Thank you for helping us keep our space organized!

The PTA is collecting fun prize donations through January 30th—drop items in the PTA box at the front office and help us spread the Bingo love on February 7th!

We’re looking for volunteers to support setup, concessions, and clean up on Saturday, Feb. 7. Even one hour makes a big difference!

🛠 Set Up (12–1 PM): 0/5 filled
🍿 Concessions (1–2 PM): 0/2 filled
🍿 Concessions (2–3 PM): 0/2 filled
🧹 Clean Up (3–4 PM): 0/4 filled

It’s a fun, festive way to support our school and be part of a community event the kids love. Please consider signing up if you’re able—thank you for helping us spread the love!

👉 Sign up here: https://www.konstella.com/app/school/5f3ec103b63aaba471bba1f9/signups/696ab166f6ba5b2d3ab90f51

We are excited to celebrate our outstanding students for their hard work and achievement in this year’s Spelling Bee!

🥇 1st Place: Esme (Cates)
🥈 2nd Place: Josephine (Walter/Lee)
🥉 3rd Place: Abigail (Roth/Spikes)

🌟 Alternates:

• Dida (Spikes/Roth)

• Xavier (Washington)

• Lucy (Cates)

• Amaani (Walter/Lee)

  
  

Congratulations to all of our participants. We are so proud of you!

Hello Champions and Interested Families!

Starting February 2, Champions, our before and after-school program, will launch a new system to help families handle schedules and payments more easily.

The current family portal will be unavailable starting January 26. Before January 21, please check your child’s schedule for the weeks of January 26 and February 2 before the portal shuts down so you’re only charged for the days you need.

Keep an eye out for more information or contact your site director with questions.

Sincerely,

Funmi Akintunde

Site Director Hyde-Addison

Cell: 202-733-7411

To support families with long-term planning, we have attached the academic calendars through the 2028–2029 school year. We are sharing these calendars in advance to help with scheduling travel, appointments, and other commitments.

This school year, one of the most common factors contributing to chronic absenteeism has been extended travel during the school year. Having access to future calendars may help families plan trips during scheduled breaks whenever possible, supporting consistent student attendance and learning.

Thank you for your partnership and continued support in helping our students be present and engaged every day. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out.

View the academic calendars for School Years 2026 through 2029 below.

If you need help or have questions, email: ch002523@discoverchampions.com

To enroll your child in Champions aftercare for SY25-26:

1. Create a parent portal [STEP 1]

   a. Your parent portal will give you access to billing, scheduling and many more things that will assist you.

   Link: https://connect.klcschoolpartnerships.com/

   
   

2. Fill out the attached Enrollment Packets [STEP 2]

1. Ensure to have your REQUESTED SCHEDULE completed.

2. Ensure you fill out all 3 OSSE forms.

3. Ensure you fill out a separate form for each of your students.

4. Ensure there is contact information for primary and secondary payer (email and number).

5. Ensure you are putting your child/children grade on the enrollment form.

6. When finished please email a copy to CH002523@DISCOVERCHAMPIONS.COM.

Active Play has a combination of parent donations and Active Play scholarships for enrichment programs at Hyde that Active Play would love to put to use. Please contact Active Play if you are in need of support. sarah@activeplayllc.com

Join the Hyde-Addison PTA for Valentine’s Family Bingo, a fun-filled afternoon with prizes, surprises, and lots of smiles.

🗓 Saturday, February 7th
⏰ 1–4 PM
📍 St. John’s Episcopal Church
🎟 $3 per ticket (includes bingo card + snack pack!)

Get your tickets here: https://app.moonclerk.com/pay/23c4newyatwi

If you and your family would like to attend and ticket cost is of concern, please email hyde.addison@k12.dc.gov.

Bring the whole family and come ready for a sweet afternoon together! 💕

The Hyde-Addison PTA is thrilled to announce the theme of our 2026 Spring Gala—

✨ Jazz After Dark ✨
📅 Saturday, April 25, 2026
🕖 7:00 PM
📍 St. John’s Episcopal Church (across the street from Hyde-Addison)
👗 Cocktail Attire

Join us for an elegant evening of music, community, and celebration in support of our school. This is an adults-only event so make sure to book your babysitters now! More details—including tickets, sponsorships, and event highlights—coming soon. We can’t wait to celebrate with you!

‼️The next Gala Planning Meeting will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 13th at 8 PM (virtual). All are welcome to join the committee and attend; please see Konstella for the Zoom link!‼️

Have you caught up on all things PTA yet? 👀📬

Our Mid-Year PTA Newsletter is out—and we want to hear from YOU!
✨ See what we’ve accomplished so far
📊 Learn how funds are being used
📝 Take our mid-year survey to help guide what’s next

Read the Newsletter here: https://app.smore.com/n/2yu8a

Take the Survey here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfzwiEx_8FFSkLD_haohryxUEdDBL3HSdOwVXHVDty7yuZDGQ/viewform

Your feedback truly helps shape our school community 💙

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.

January 26: End of Term / Half-Day PD & Half-Day Records Day / No School for Students

February 13: PD for Staff / No School for Students

February 16: Holiday for Students, Teachers, and Staff

First Tuesday of Each Month: LSAT