The Zombies are Coming! October 5th

by | Sep 8, 2019

Mark your calendar for October 5, 2019, for the fourth Hyattsville Zombie Run 5K. The Halloween themed 5K race is USATF certified and timed, and the 1 Mile Kids’ Challenge and 1K Family Fun Run are opportunities for everyone to participate. Dress up as a zombie or any Halloween costume to add to the fun! All races will start and finish at Magruder Park.

This event is hosted by the Hyattsville Elementary School PTA and proceeds will support HES, including the purchase of art supplies, musical instruments, coats for students, field trips, teacher professional development, and more. This is the PTA’s biggest fundraiser of the year!

How can you be a part of this fun event?
—Run in the race!
—Volunteer to help!
—Make a donation!
—Sponsor a kid!

Become an individual fundraiser and help HES even more!

When your child registers to run in the Hyattsville Zombie Run, you can also set up a fundraising page that allows your friends and family to sponsor your child. Every dollar raised through this fundraising page goes directly to the HES PTA.

For every $10 your child raises by noon on October 4th, your child’s name will be entered into a raffle to be held on race day.

Prizes:
1st prize is a bike from Arrow Bicycle, valued up to $500! (prize is non-transferable)
Several other prizes will be awarded as well!

Special thanks to Arrow Bicycle for their generous support of this project to help all local Hyattsville schools.

How to do it:
—Sign up for the Zombie Run now here.
—When you register, it will ask if you would like to become a “Fundraiser”. Click on the Fundraiser banner.
—Follow the directions to complete the online form, making sure that you select Hyattsville Elementary School from the dropdown box under “Fundraiser Type.”
—Please include a personal message about why this is important to you and that the money raised will go to your school’s PTA. Upload a picture if you can!
—After you complete registration, you will receive an email with your unique website. Share this link with everyone you know and start training for race day!

NEIGHBORS—YOU MAY BE AFFECTED BY TRAFFIC RESTRICTIONS ON RACE DAY

Some roads will be closed and parking will be restricted along the race route on the morning of the race, from 6:00 to 11:00 am. To see which streets are affected, visit here.

The race day schedule is:

8:45   1K Family Fun Run
9:05   1 Mile Kids’ Challenge Run
9:30   5K Zombie Run

Questions about the Hyattsville Zombie Run? Visit our website or email Race Director Kevin Blackerby at hyattsville5k@gmail.com .

Upcoming Back to School Events

by | Aug 1, 2019

Take note of the following events coming soon!

  • Saturday Aug 17th, Kindergarten meet and greet at 10am, Robert J. King Memorial park (on Gallatin Street)
  • Thursday Aug 29th, 11:30am Kindergarten/Pre-K Orientation at Hyattsville Elementary School
  • Tuesday Sept 3rd, 7:45 am. First day of school coffee and PTA meeting
  • Thursday Sept 12th, Back to school night
  • Tuesday Sept 24th, 6:30 pm PTA Meeting
  • Saturday October 5th, Hyattsville Zombie Run

Time to Send Some Letters!

by | May 25, 2019

Dear Community,

Both Hyattsville Middle and Hyattsville Elementary have been identified in the latest amendment to the PGCPS Educational Facilities Master Plan for replacement in cycle 1. Hyattsville Middle will be part of a package of schools to be built using the new alternative construction financing model, with a request for proposals advertised this summer. Unfortunately, Hyattsville Elementary will be replaced later in cycle 1, with planning slated for 2023.

Nevertheless, this is a HUGE win for our school communities. Now we just need the Board of Education to approve the plan. The vote will take place at the June 6th board meeting, and we need them to hear from you on the importance of #followingtheplan!

Please customize and send the letter below to the ENTIRE board and Dr. Monica Goldson, interim CEO.

Dr. Alvin Thornton, Chair, alvin.thornton@pgcps.org
Edward Burroughs, Vice Chair, edward3.burroughs@pgcps.org
David Murray, District 1, david.murray@pgcps.org
Joshua Thomas, District 2, joshua.thomas@pgcps.org
Pamela Boozer-Strother, District 3, pamela.boozerstrother@pgcps.org
Patricia Eubanks, District 4, patricia.eubanks@pgcps.org
Raaheela Ahmed, District 5, raaheela.ahmed@pgcps.org
Belinda Queen, District 6, belinda.queen@pgcps.org
K. Alexander Wallace, District 7, kalexander.wallace@pgcps.org
Sonya Williams, District 9, sonya3.williams@pgcps.org
Paul Monteiro, appointed, paul.monteiro@pgcps.org
Sandra Shephard, appointed, sandra.shephard@pgcps.org
Curtis Valentine, appointed, curtis.valentine@pgcps.org
Amanya Paige, student member, Amanya.Paige@pgcps.org

Dr. Monica Goldson, interim CEO, ceo@pgcps.org

Thank you for your support!

Hyattsville Elementary School PTA and Hyattsville Middle School PTSO

********
Subject line: Keep Hyattsville Middle and Elementary in the FY20 EFMP Amendment!

alvin.thornton@pgcps.org
edward3.burroughs@pgcps.org
david.murray@pgcps.org
joshua.thomas@pgcps.org
pamela.boozerstrother@pgcps.org
patricia.eubanks@pgcps.org
raaheela.ahmed@pgcps.org
belinda.queen@pgcps.org
kalexander.wallace@pgcps.org
sonya3.williams@pgcps.org
paul.monteiro@pgcps.org
sandra.shephard@pgcps.org
curtis.valentine@pgcps.org
Amanya.Paige@pgcps.org
ceo@pgcps.org

Dear Board of Education Member,

I am a [insert personal information here: concerned community member, parent of a student at, etc.]. I am writing to request that Hyattsville Elementary School and Hyattsville Middle School remain in Phase 1 of the FY20 amendments to the 2017 Educational Facilities Master Plan, and that Phase 1 remain as proposed—although we do ask that planning for Hyattsville Elementary School begin sooner than 2023. These neighborhood public schools serve a diverse community and are both Title 1 with large populations of English-language learners.

The Educational Facilities Master Plan is the result of a comprehensive, objective look at the school system’s facilities and projected growth data. Those studies have objectively determined that the greatest need for modernization and new construction is in the northern part of the county.

Consider Hyattsville Elementary, built in 1935 and updated in 1979 for 406 students on two acres of land. There are now 521 students, which has required the placement of five temporaries on the already too-small playground (if you count a blacktop open area and one play structure as a ‘playground’).
Consider Hyattsville Middle, built in 1938 and expanded in 1973, with a state-rated capacity of 829 but currently housing 940 students—and that is with a partial realignment of the 6th grades from the feeder elementary schools. This incomplete realignment has led to educational inequities for students in the community as the Creative and Performing Arts program at Hyattsville Middle is only available to 7th and 8th graders and capped at 200 students.

In both buildings, the overcrowding has stressed already failing spaces. The bathrooms and public spaces are not adequate for the number of students. The necessary use of ‘temporaries’ (not so temporary as they have been in place for many years now) requires students to go in and out of the main building in all types of weather and poses a safety issue during lockdowns.

The outdoor spaces and recreational fields are limited. Deferred maintenance and system failures render classrooms unsafe with mold, mildew, burst pipes during cold weather, and serious HVAC issues that include classrooms that are stifling hot all year long or simply have no working air or heat. Nevertheless, with no extra space available, students and staff are forced to remain in those classrooms. Not only do these persistent issues detract from learning, but they also pose health threats.

Thanks to the innovative new approaches to tackling this backlog developed by the PGCPS capital programs office and our elected officials, we FINALLY have the opportunity to get the educational facilities our children deserve.

The Educational Facilities Master Plan and its FY 20 amendment are not based on politics. They are based on the data. Your decision to approve the FY 20 amendment should also be based on that data.

The Hyattsville Middle and Elementary School communities have been anxiously waiting for years to have safe, functional facilities. We look forward to finally getting them. Thank you for your service and your commitment to our children and staff.

Regards,

NAME
CITY