Family Newsletter

Dear Hyde-Addison Community,

Be sure to carefully read the News & Updates section below. October is a very busy and exciting month, and we don't want you to miss out! Have a safe and fun weekend!

Here are a few reminders and highlights for the month:

• Unity Day (10/21): Wear orange in honor of Bullying Prevention month.
• Join us for Literacy Night on Thursday, 10/22.
• Come help us celebrate our classes on 10/23 for the Class Banner Celebration and Final Friday.
• Harvest Festival will take place on 10/29.

Standing Announcements:

• Planning to volunteer in the classroom or chaperone a field trip? You must first complete DCPS' volunteer clearance process. It takes just a few minutes and the clearance is good for two years. You can find out more information here: https://dcps.dc.gov/page/dcps-fingerprinting-background-check-and-id-badge-processes-and-requirements .
• Attendance: Every day counts! We appreciate your partnership to ensure students are in school every day, on time (in their line spots by 8:25), and ready to learn. We understand the importance of having memorable shared experiences as a family, but we strongly encourage you to consider scheduling family trips during scheduled DCPS breaks such as: Staff Development Days (Oct. 30 - Nov. 3), Thanksgiving Break (Nov 25 - 27), Winter Break (Dec. 21 - Jan 1), President's Day (Feb. 12 - 15), Spring Break (Mar. 22 - 26). Please note that family vacations do not count as excused absences.
• We continue to collect the SY26–27 DCPS Elementary Student Dismissal Authorization Form, which is required for every student. This will help us to ensure students are safely dismissed to the appropriate person.

From DCPS:

Java with Jackson: Coffee and Conversation with Chancellor Kim Jackson

Join Chancellor Jackson for Java with Jackson, a series of community conversations hosted at local coffee shops across the District. Families, educators, and community partners are invited to meet Chancellor Jackson, share experiences, ask questions, and help shape the future of DC Public Schools. Register here.

Dates & Locations:

• Thursday, October 29, 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. | Bread Furst, Ward 3

• Thursday, November 19, 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. | Ebenezer’s Coffee, Ward 5 & 6

Registration is not required, and attendees may join a coffee in any Ward, regardless of residence or the location of their school.

Warm regards,

Kim Bigelow

Interim Principal, Hyde-Addison Elementary School

Use the button below.

Classroom banners will be presented at our school-wide meeting on October 23, followed by our first Final Friday Celebration of Learning.

Each homeroom will host four Celebrations of Learning for families on October 23, January 22, April 2, and June 11. These celebrations will take place in lieu of our regular school-wide meeting format. We will begin together in the gym, as we do for a typical school-wide meeting. Students will then return to their classrooms while families remain for a few PTA announcements.

Families will be invited to visit their child’s homeroom from approximately 9:00–9:30 a.m. Students will demonstrate key learning or share work from one or two subject areas covered during the term. Families visiting multiple classrooms are welcome to switch rooms around 9:15 a.m.

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!

• 🍿 Outdoor Movie Night is POSTPONED: With rain and possible thunderstorms in the forecast tonight, our annual Movie Night will move to Thursday, October 29, from 6–8 p.m.

• What better way to kick off a fall long weekend than with the Fall Harvest Parade in the AM and an outdoor showing of Minions and Monsters in the PM?! We hope you’ll join us for a fun (and hopefully dry!) evening together! We're sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused.

  
  
• Bring your blankets, jackets and anything you need to get cozy on the hardtop. The event is free to attend, bring the whole family, but every child MUST be accompanied by an adult. The PTA will have concessions available for $1 per item, swag sales and families are also welcome to bring their own picnic food and drinks — just please, no glass. Add it to your personal calendar.
• 🚨 We will be piloting a new payment platform, Zeffy, at Outdoor Movie Night in an effort to eliminate third party service fees. During checkout you will see an optional 17% donation to Zeffy. We cannot remove this from the checkout form, but you can click on the dropdown menu, click "other" and change the amount to $0 to avoid the optional donation to Zeffy.

• 💙 New Swag Alert: We'll be debuting new Hyde Pride swag at Movie Night!
• Includes: blankets, adult and youth hoodies, adult tees and everyone's favorite tie-dye shirts restocked in youth sizing.
• Pre-order here for pick-up at Movie Night or purchase the night of!

• 🧋 Final Friday Happy Hour: Oct. 23rd 3:30-4:30PM | Tai Chi Bubble Tea (1 block from school). Come unwind with other Hyde families in the downstairs area. Supervised kids are welcome. They have games, TV, food and drinks. The PTA receives 20% of proceeds! Learn more here!

• 🏁 Time is Running Out--Join The Great Donation Race (GDR)! This is our largest fundraiser and primary annual direct appeal to Hyde-Addison families--it's live only through Oct. 31st! Our goal is to raise $60,000 and have 100% family participation. The suggested donation amount is $500/child, but donations of any size are appreciated and help fund field trips, classroom enrichment, teacher appreciation, community events, and more—and there are participation perks at every level! Anyone can contribute so tell grandparents, aunts/uncles and friends! Learn more here.
• ⭐ Want a Star on the Hyde Walk of Fame at Movie Night? All GDR contributions at the suggested amount or higher will get one!
• Click here to see last year's Movie Night Walk of Fame & event photos!
• 🍦 All classes that reach 100% participation OR the three classes with the highest participation win an ice cream party!
• The 3 classes currently in the lead: Ms. Taylor (92%), Mrs. Romano (77%) & Ms. Kenagy (48%) --> see Konstella for the full classroom participation breakdown!
• 🚨 Current School-Wide Participation: 32%
• 🌟 Participate here through 10/31: One-time Payment or 10 Monthly Payments
• 🕶️ Hyde Pride & Leading with Pride GDR Contributors: If you contributed at the suggested $500/student or leadership level ($1,000/student), please pick up your "Hyde Pride" swag sunglasses from the swag sales table at Outdoor Movie Night!

• 🔍 Lice Treatment Kits: The Hyde-Addison PTA is offering FREE over-the-counter lice treatment kits to families experiencing financial hardship. If your child currently has lice and the over-the-counter treatment kit(s) are cost prohibitive, you may anonymously request one kit per person for anyone living in your household, including parents/guardians and siblings. No questions asked. Click here for more information & to request a kit --> please read the form information entirely.

• 👉 Stay Connected with Your PTA:
• Join Konstella (and your classroom(s)!)
• Follow Us on Instagram
• Visit Our Website
• Check out the PTA Bulletin Board inside the school lobby
• Email us

With the holiday season fast approaching, we acknowledge that some families may require additional assistance. To indicate if you would benefit from some support, kindly click on the link provided below.

Holiday Outreach - Parent Referral SY2627

While completing the form does not guarantee selection, we aim to support as many families as possible. This information will only be shared with our Student Support Team.

At Hyde‑Addison, kindness is our jam—and this October, we’re turning that kindness into action. As we raise awareness around standing up against bullying, we’re also spreading warmth through our Winter Warmth Drive.

From October 12–30th, we’re collecting brand‑new hats, socks, gloves, and scarves for children who need a little extra coziness this season.

Join us in showing what it means to uplift others, support our community, and lead with love.

Save the date for our 2nd Annual Turkey Trot on Tuesday, November 24! We look forward to celebrating together before the break.

More details coming in November! 🍂

As we move into cold and flu season, let’s work together to keep our school community healthy!

The attached graphic shares five ways to support children’s health. Please also remind your child to cover their nose and mouth with a tissue or their elbow when coughing or sneezing, throw used tissues away, and wash their hands afterward.

If your child is unwell, please keep them home so they can rest and recover. Thank you for helping us care for one another! 💙

We are pleased to report that the spring DCPS Panorama Survey results have arrived. Please see several key data points below. When officially published by the district, family facing data will be available on the OSSE school report card, at schoolreportcard.dc.gov, in the school climate section.

The event is designed for families with children ages 3 and up, and The Tunnel's scarier experience is ideal for ages 8 and up. Costumes are encouraged, especially on Halloween!

Dates: Friday, Oct. 30, 5–9 PM; Saturday, Oct. 31, 12–4 PM; Sunday, Nov. 1, 5–9 PM

Location: Woman’s Club of Chevy Chase, 7931 Connecticut Avenue, Chevy Chase, MD

Tickets and details: www.MysteryMansion.org

The SY26–27 Family Handbook is available below. Please take time to review it for important information about school policies, procedures, expectations, and resources for the upcoming school year.

The current DCPS policy prohibits 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. Personal electronic communication devices include some wearable devices such as smart watches or Bluetooth headphones, laptops, tablets, and other future personal electronic communication devices.

For more information, please click the link below:

DCPS Student Cell Phone and Personal Electronic Device policy

We encourage all families who are interested in volunteering or serving as chaperones on school field trips to complete the volunteer clearance process as early as possible. Processing times can vary, and completing the requirements in advance will ensure you are eligible to participate in upcoming school events and excursions.

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.

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.

At DC Public Schools (DCPS), we are committed to the safety and security of our students. Beginning in School Year (SY) 2026–2027, all students in grades PreK–5 will be required to have a completed and signed Elementary Student Dismissal Authorization Form on file.

The Elementary Student Dismissal Authorization Form has two parts:

• Part 1: Authorization to Release (Required for all students in PreK–5)
  This section asks you to list the adults who are authorized to pick up your child, if needed, during the school day or at dismissal.

  
  

• Part 2: Permission to Self-Dismiss (Required only if applicable for students in grades K–5)
  This section allows you to give permission for your child to self-dismiss—either alone or with an older, authorized child-- at the end of the school day. Please note that only students in grades K-5 are eligible to self-dismiss, and DCPS recommends students in K-3 dismiss with an older, authorized student rather than alone. Pre-K3 and Pre-K4 students should be picked up by a parent or authorized adult and may not be released to another elementary-age child.

You can learn more about the form, including recommendations for completing it, on the DCPS website. You may download a fillable version of the form online or pick up a paper copy from our main office at any time.

Required Task: Please complete a separate form for each child and submit completed forms to the main office or via email to hyde.addison@k12.dc.gov by the first day of school:

• Monday, August 24, 2026, for students in grades K–5

• Thursday, August 27, 2026, for Pre-K3 and Pre-K4 students

  
  

Thank you for helping us keep your child safe and accounted for each day.

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.)

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.

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

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.

Oct. 30: PD for Staff / No School for Students

Nov. 2: Half-Day Records & Half-Day Wellness / No School for Students

Nov. 3: No School for Students or Teacher

Nov. 11: Holiday for Students, Teachers, and Staff

Nov. 25-27: Thanksgiving Break / fNo School for Students or Teachers

First Tuesday of Each Month: LSAT