Hidden River Newsletter

This Week:

Mon., Sept. 14th - Fall Sports Start (Athletes MUST have all forms in and a ride home to stay for practice)

Mon., Sept. 14th - Optional Family Sports Meeting at 4:30pm in the Library

Wed., Sept. 16th - Coffee with the Principal 8:15-9:00am

Thurs., Sept. 17th - Bus Safety Evacuation Drill (Morning Route)

Next Week (9/21-9/25)

Mon., Sept. 21st - NO SCHOOL (Staff PD Day)

Thurs., Sept. 24th - Picture Day (More info below)

Picture Day: You can place your order on mylifetouch.com using your Picture Day ID: EVTQF7HCF. Order before midnight on Picture Day to get FREE shipping! Your student can also bring their completed flyer with cash or check on Picture Day. Orders after Picture Day must be placed online on mylifetouch.com

Coffee with the Principal: Looking for an informal way to connect with school leadership and engage with our school community? Join us for our upcoming Coffee with the Principal on Wednesday from 8:15-9:00am! Coffee with the Principal provides families with a warm, welcoming drop-in space to meet with school administration and available staff. These informal gatherings offer a great opportunity to ask questions, hear school updates, share ideas, and build strong connections across our school community. Whether you can stay for the full time or just stop by briefly, we would love to see you there! We will meet on the Cambridge Green space weather permitting.

Parent/Guardian Drop off and Pick-up: Both drop-off and pick-up are located on Cambridge Street. Please only use Cambridge St as it is the safest way for students to access pick-up/drop-off without crossing into traffic. We have significantly more families picking up students than available waiting spots so please be patient and keep the flow of traffic moving.

Safety Drills: The safety and well-being of our students and staff are always our top priorities. Hidden River Staff reviewed safety procedures with students last week and will do so again this week. Next week will conduct our first set of school-wide safety drills. We will be practicing a Fire Evacuation Drill, Lockdown Drill, Secure Drill, and a Hold Drill (Standard Response Protocols). If your student mentions participating in a drill at school, we encourage you to ask them about their experience. Reassure them that practicing safety routines is a normal part of the school year, and thank them for doing their part to keep our school community safe. Please let administration know if you have any questions.

6th Grade Families ONLY: You're Invited to APTT Night! Hidden River’s 6th grade teachers are excited to invite you to our first APTT Night on Tuesday, September 29th, from 5:30 - 6:45 PM.

What is APTT? APTT stands for Academic Parent-Teacher Teams. It’s a way of holding conferences that lets families and teachers work together to support student academic success.

Important Details:

-Your 6th grader should attend with you (and bring their iPad)

-Childcare available for younger children (ages 18 months through 5th grade)

-Interpreters available

6th Grade Families: Please RSVP here — even if you can’t attend! If you have questions, please reach out to your student's Foundation's teacher or Hidden River's APTT Champion, Olivia Wilsson, at olivia.wilsson@spps.org or (651) 744-5519.

Otter Families,

We are excited to officially kick off our Fall Sports Season on Monday, Sept 14, 2026! We are looking forward to seeing our student-athletes back in action, working hard, building friendships, and representing our school with pride.

Please remember that there will be tryouts for ALL sports. Every team will have practice/tryouts on the green space of Hidden River. Tryouts give our coaches an opportunity to see students’ skills, effort, teamwork, attitude, and willingness to learn. We encourage every student who is interested to come ready to work hard, have fun, and give their best effort. Students should bring appropriate athletic clothing, shoes, a water bottle, and any other equipment required for their sport. Don’t forget water bottles.Families, please talk with your student-athlete about the importance of attending tryouts and practices on time. Being part of a school team is a commitment, and we expect our athletes to show good sportsmanship, respect their coaches and teammates, and stay focused on their academics.

Important Dates:

• Practice (tryouts) ends at 4:30pm Monday (9/14)

• Fall Sports Family Meeting (optional) 9/14/26 at 4:30pm at Hidden River Middle in Library

• Tryouts 9/14/26-9/22/26

• Registration Last Day 9/18/26

• Final Cuts 9/22/26

*If your athlete (girl) is cut they will have the option to join Girl’s on the Run.

Registration Link

Sports Physical Form

**Athletic Department is having a Family Sports Meeting Monday at 4:30pm. This meeting is NOT Mandatory but all new and returning families are welcomed to join. Meeting will be held in the Library at Hidden River Middle School. Practice (tryouts) will end early so athletes and coaches can join. The meeting is an opportunity for families to ask questions, meet coaches, and get updated information about the season. Information about Girls on the Run and EDL (Extended Day Learning) will also be shared at this optional meeting so feel free to join the meeting if you have EDL or GOTR questions.

If you have any questions please feel free to reach out.

AD’S: Ms. Nell (lenell.binford@spps.org), Ms. Haukom (katrina.haukom@spps.org)

GO Otters

Starting on October 19th we will be offering EDL classes after school Mondays and/or Wednesdays 3-5pm. Registration for EDL is now open! Use this link to register.

Classes that will be offered depend on staff availability and student interest. Some classes we are hoping to offer this year include:

• Yearbook
• Fun “FACS”: Cooking
• Math Team Fall /Cribbage Spring
• Lego League Fall/D&D Spring
• Girls on the Run
• Boys of Hope
• Girls Taking Action
• Drama
• Newspaper
• Choir
• Chess

On the registration form, you will be able to pick your first and second choices. Note, some classes are only offered on certain days of the week.

Material donations such as board games, craft supplies, etc. or monetary donations are always welcome to provide materials for the classes. The Fun "FACS": Cooking class specifically is looking for material donations of cooking utensils and kitchen supplies as well as grocery store gift cards to make that class possible!

If you have any questions about EDL please contact me at: katrina.haukom@spps.org

-Katrina Haukom (katrina.haukom@spps.org)

During the first weeks of school Hidden River staff are focused on teaching students classroom routines and school-wide expectations. All students were assigned a locker last week and are expected to use it daily to store backpacks, bags, jackets, etc. Student should carry their binders/iPad to each class with them to be prepared for learning. We ask families purchase their own binders this school year, however we do have a limited supply for those who need it. Personal electronics are to be stored away during the school day (door to door no device). Our Otters have done an excellent job already of keeping their devices away for the day. Your support in following our school-wide expectations is critical to student success. Please review our student expectations here with your student and please reach out to Administration if you have any questions.