Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. never backed down in his forceful yet peaceful stand against racism. His courage inspired millions to believe in and strive for equality. But even now, from economic well-being to criminal justice issues, racial inequality is still very real in America. Here are some graphics from the Pew Research Center and the Bureau of Labor Statistics showing key disparities 50 years after MLK, Jr.s famous "I Have a Dream" Speech of August 28, 1963.

Add BJs to your Wednesday evening agenda! It's the next HPS Restaurant Night from 4-9pm! BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse will donate 20% of all food and soft drink sales to the HPS PTO during the fundraising window. Simply present the flyer below when ordering in-person; or if ordering online through the BJ's website or app enter code JAN384 at checkout.

The fundraiser applies to dine-in, carryout, and online orders through the BJ's website or app but DOES NOT include orders through third-party services (DoorDash, Uber Eats, Grub Hub).

HPS PTO is hosting a Family Swim at the University of Cincinnati Rec. Center on Sunday January 29 from 12-2pm. And don't worry, we've got you covered-- the AFC Championship game starts at 3pm, so the timing works! The cost is $6/person, and space is limited to the first 60 people to sign up. Register here to join the fun!

Believe it or not, Spring Sports Registration is already here! Registration is open now and will run through Sunday January 22 at 8pm.

In each sport, volunteers are needed to coach and manage the teams. Please consider signing up during the registration process to assist with planning! Click here to register for 2023 Spring Sports!

With colder temperatures hitting here and there throughout the Winter, indoor recess is inevitable. HPS is seeking to create several Board Game Carts that will travel to classrooms and provide good old-fashioned entertainment for the indoor recess days. If you have extra or otherwise unwanted board games and/or extra plastic containers to store games/game pieces when the cardboard boxes become too torn and weathered, we'd put them to good use at HPS! Please bring them to the Main Office or send them to school with your child (along with a note/post-it that the game is being donated to the school's indoor recess supply). Thank you!!

We've been waiting since 2020, and now, MOM PROM IS BACK!! This awesome event, Open to All of HPS, returns on February 3 from 6:30-8:30pm in the HPS Gym. And February 3 just happens to be National Bubble Gum Day! So break out your dancing shoes, and grab a pack of Bubblicious-- it's going to be a popping good time!! Tickets are $45/guardian & child with $5 for each additional child, or $35/guardian & child with $5 for each additional child for HPS Athletics Boosters members. Click here to buy tickets or scan the QR code in the graphic below!

HPS Kindergarten Information Night is set for February 16 at 6:00 pm in the HPS Gym. This meeting is for Parents of Incoming Kindergarteners for the 2023-2024 school year, so please spread the word through your network of families with preschoolers! *Please Note* in order to keep the meeting focused on informing the parents, this meeting is for parents/guardians only, not the incoming Kindergarteners. Socials for incoming families to meet one another and for the children to meet their teachers will take place in the Summer.

The HPS PTO met last week, and here are the minutes if you'd like to see what was discussed!

Stay tuned for information about an additional drama/performing arts extracurricular opportunity!! Performing Arts Inc. will host a "school musical club," which will begin the First Thursday in March and will culminate with club participants performing a school musical on May 6. This club may also need parent helpers to assist coordinating each session. If you are potentially interested in helping with school musical practices Thursdays after school beginning the first week of March through May 6, please contact Hilary VanderMolen at vp@hydeparkschoolpto.org.

Please contact the HPS Resource Coordinator, Alyse Averdick at averdia@cps-k12.org if you are interested in a scholarship for your child to participate in this, or any other extracurricular activity. The schedule of activities is listed in the graphics below. Visit https://www.hydeparkschoolpto.org/extracurricular-activities/ to register. Circus Club and Indoor Soccer still have openings.

Self-control is the ability to recognize and manage one’s own emotions, emotional responses, and behaviors. This set of skills may be the most important ones that children learn at school and at home. Here are some children's books that focus on self-control. Recent studies find that a child’s emotional intelligence, or “EQ”, is even more important than their “IQ” for future success and happiness. People learn better, feel better, and act kinder when their emotions are regulated. When humans feel strong emotions like anger or fear, the amygdala (part of the brain responsible for decision-making, memory, and emotional response) sends out a signal in the form of a neurochemical that throws our brains into survival mode. The higher-level, rational-thinking part of our brains shuts down, and reasoning, logic, the ability to plan, choose, or empathize all become inaccessible in that moment.  But life is oh so much smoother and sweeter when we can control our emotions! People learn better and act kinder when their emotions are regulated. And the good news is, self-regulation skills can be learned at any age! (Resource: sounddiscipline.org). *The December Hyde Park Heroes will be recognized in next week's Newsletter.

Thursday, March 2 from 5:30-7:30pm marks the long-awaited return of International Night at HPS!

If your family is interested in participating in International Night, click here to sign up as a presenter by February 1. If not, that's okay! Please save the date, and plan to attend! We'd love to have you explore the world with us at HPS!  

Two after school mini-courses to take place in January and February are being offered by Enriching Kidz. To register for either of the classes in the graphic below, please visit www.enrichingkidz.com.

Representatives from Camp Ernst and Gorman Heritage Farm will talk about the importance of summer camp at the event in the graphic below.

Join HPS at the UC Lady Bearcats basketball game on January 28 at 2pm, and help celebrate National Girls and Women in Sports Day! The Lady Bearcats face Wichita State at Fifth Third Arena, and tickets are just $5 per person. All HPS tickets will be grouped together. Stay after the game to meet some of the players, and get autographs from the team! Tickets will be distributed prior to the event. Please click here to purchase your tickets by January 20th!

The next HPS Spirit Wear Sale will take place from January 30 to February 3. Click here to browse the options, and make your purchase! Orders placed during the sale window will be delivered to your child's homeroom free of charge in time for Spring Sports Games!

The school supply of paper towels is running low, and a restock is needed before we reach E. If you're in a position that you can bring a roll or two to the Main Office (or send some to school with your student), it would be a great help! Thanks for your generosity!

The Eagles Girls Youth Lacrosse program site (eaglesyouthlacrosse.com) is the best way to learn more about the program (and to register for the 2023 season, which is OPEN NOW), but you can also check out the Facebook (Eagles Girls Youth Lacrosse), Twitter (@eaglegirlslax) and Instagram (eaglesgirlsyouthlacrosse) accounts.

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!