Feb. 14, 2020 Forest Ridge Forerunner

Fri, 02/14/2020 - 2:28pm

Important Dates:

February
17  Presidents' Day - Schools and Offices Closed
20  FRES Science Fair - 6:30 p.m.
21  PTA Ice Skating Night
26  PTA Blaze Pizza Fundraising Night, 4:00-8:00 p.m.
March
3    Class pictures and optional individual pictures. Learn more
3    PTA Meeting - 7:00 p.m.
9-13 Kids Heart Challenge
9-13 Kindergarten Registration for 20-21 School Year!
8    Daylight Saving Time Starts (spring forward 1 hour)
13  PTA Movie Night - 7:00 p.m.
31  Reading Rumble - 6:30 p.m.

Items of Note:

  • HCPSS has implemented a new color coded system for inclement weather alerts.  If inclement weather threatens, please check the status of Howard County Public Schools here.
  • To receive text messages from FRES or HCPSS, you must opt in.  Please text "YES" to 67587 to receive text messages.
  • The last Chick-fil-A Spirit Day this year will be on March 18.  Proceeds will help to defray the cost of 4th and 5th grade field trips.
  • Students go out for recess if the temperature including wind chill is 20 degrees or higher.  Please be sure your child is prepared for the cold.

From the FRES Administration...

Dear Parents,

It was wonderful to see so many of our parents at conferences this week.  Thanks for taking the time out of your schedule to meet with our staff and learn more about their math instruction.  We also wanted to thank the PTA for the delicious dinner this evening. Our staff loved all the food and especially the “Knock Out” prize box with gift cards and school supplies.  Thank you for the donations!

Student News...
Congratulations to the following students!  They were our Eagle Egg Winners this week:

K- Sarah K., 1- Arianna N., 2- Jessica P., 3- Lia K., 4- Jack C., 5- Molly Z.

Great job!

Forest Ridge News...

Kindergarten Registration
Hello parents of students who live in our district and will be 5 by September 1, 2020! Kindergarten registration for the 20-21 school year is open online!  In-person registration is March 9-13, 10:00-2:00; no appointment is necessary.  Learn more.

Parents, We Need Your Help
Recently, we have had requests to distribute birthday party invitations to children's classmates.  We apologize, we are not able to accommodate these requests. The PTA provides a directory to all of its members, and we ask that you utilize this directory to obtain contact information for classmates.  Thank you for your help!

Class Picture Day with Optional Individual Pictures
March 3 is class picture day.  There will be optional individual pictures taken as well.  Students new to FRES since our picture make-up day on October 27 will have their picture taken for the yearbook, even if pictures are not ordered.  See the attached flyer for packages and pricing.

From the Media Center
Poster Contest: A Story Called Kindness 

Basic Info:
Create an original artwork illustrating acts of kindness. Use your imagination, creativity, and artistic talent to illustrate a scene from your life story where you’ve shown someone kindness or offered a helping hand.

Start by asking yourself a few questions:

  • How has someone shown an act of kindness towards you or helped you when you were in need?
  • How have you shown someone an act of kindness or helped someone in need?
  • What does it mean to “pay it forward?”

For more information, click here.

Watch DOGS
Many thanks to Mr. Shackelford, who came in this week to serve as our Watch DOG!

Attention Parents of Fifth Grade Students
All current Forest Ridge 5th graders are districted to Patuxent Valley Middle School.  We assume they will attend PVMS unless we hear otherwise.  If you have not already done so, please contact Mrs. Jackson (rebecca_jackson@hcpss.org) if your child will not be attending PVMS.  It's very important that we have this information to ensure a smooth transition to middle school.

Change Matters Fundraiser
During the week of February 19th-February 27th, our school is proudly participating in an educational fundraising campaign called -- Change Matters -- to benefit Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center -- Howard County’s only 24-hour homeless shelter and crisis center.

Since 2008 Change Matters has been teaching children about homelessness in Howard County, the services Grassroots provides, and reminding students that they are never too young to make a difference in the lives of people who need help. 

To kick off our campaign week, Kim Steffens, an authorized representative of Grassroots, will present the campaign to Kindergarten –grade 5 students during lunch shifts on Wednesday February 19th..

Your child will be asked to share information with you about Change Matters and ask your permission to donate change. There will be a Change Matters collection jar for each grade during our campaign week and your donation will go directly to Grassroots services. 

If you are able to donate, please send the change in your child’s lunch bag or backpack during this campaign week February 20th-February 27th. 

From the PE Department
The Kids Heart Challenge is a great opportunity for your children to help kids with sick hearts while earning cool prizes!  Our PE team will be putting together some awesome activities during school the week of March 9th-13th to celebrate our school's donation to the American Heart Association.  Last year we raised $12,000!!!  All students will be participating in school, but signing up and raising donations is optional.  If your child would like to help kids in need and earn thank-you-gifts, check out the link below for our FRES fundraising site!

https://www2.heart.org/site/TR?fr_id=4817&pg=company&company_id=244900

March 13th is the last day to donate! 

Green School Info
Straw Free Friday has begun! Fourth grade students on the Green Team know how great an impact just a small act like skipping the straw can have on our environment. Their research has shown that plastic straws do not decompose, they just break down into tiny pieces and eventually end up floating around in our oceans like pieces in a snow globe.  These students lead the charge to help FRES become better stewards of our environment. You too can make a difference by skipping the straw!

Lights Out! Small groups of students under Mrs. Dixit’s charge are acting as energy monitors for the Ridge. Are your lights off when you are out of the classroom or office? This is another small change of habit that can have a great impact on energy conservation. These students will be wearing badges and checking up on how consistent we are about turning off the lights. Do your part. Be an energy saver!

Bird Habitat! Did you know FRES has a bird habitat? Check outside the 5th grade classrooms by the pond. PTA is partnering with our 5th grade Green Team to bring additional plants to the bird habitat. The students are measuring area and testing ph levels in preparation for these plants. In addition, another bird feeder will be added to the habitat. Go 5th grade Green Team and PTA!

PTA News...

Good afternoon FRES families!

Hope everyone’s had a great week so far.  Thank you to all the families who participated in and attended Culture Fest last Friday!!  This year we had over 35+ families representing different countries and cultures!  It all came together with the hard work and support of the PTA Culture Fest Committee (especially Aubree L. and Mark M.), teachers, staff, volunteers, and administration.  We had several VIP guests, including Dr. Varlack (our retired principal), Miss International Junior Miss DC (and former FRES alum) Sinava Roberts, District 3 County Councilwoman Christiana Mercer Rigby, Area Superintendent Paul Saunderson, BOE Cluster Rep Vicky Cutroneo, BOE member Sabina Taj, and most importantly our many FRES families!

Thank you to parents who attended Tuesday’s PTA meeting!  We had several important items on the agenda, one of which was the Yearbook Cover Design Contest!  Congratulations to 5th graders Sarah R. (front cover design) and Ian H. (back cover design) for winning the most votes!

The PTA has put out a call for PTA members to serve on the Nominating Committee to help recruit a slate of candidates for next year’s PTA Board.  Please contact me at president@frespta.org by Tuesday, March 3.  Please note that you cannot serve on the Nominating Committee if you’d like to be considered as a candidate for serving on the PTA Board.  We are also looking for PTA members to review and update our PTA Bylaws (as is routinely done every 3 years).  Contact me at president@frespta.org by Feb. 28 if interested.

During the parent information session portion of the PTA meeting, we discussed several options for summer camps both in and around Howard County.  If you missed the meeting, you can still check out the slides by clicking Summer Camps.

Yesterday, the Staff Appreciation committee planned a wonderful “Breakfast After Dark” themed dinner for our teachers and staff while they stayed late into the evening for parent teacher conferences.  Thank you to all the families who donated!

Have a great long weekend!!

Khaleda Hasan, FRES PTA President

More from the PTA

After School Enrichment Activities
FRES PTA partnered with the Columbia Center for Theatrical Arts (CCTA) to bring an after school drama club and student production of Aladdin Jr!  Thanks to a generous private donation, support from the PTA and the FRES community through ticket sales and concessions, the cost to participate was only $40.  All grades K-5 were invited to participate and the club was so popular that we reached maximum enrollment within nearly a week and have several waitlist registrants!  We invite all FRES families to come out and enjoy the final production on Friday, May 8.  Mark your calendars and look out for more details on purchasing tickets for the show.  This year’s ticket and concessions sales will be applied to next year’s Drama Club program. If you have questions, please contact Korin Sharp at iamkorin@gmail.com or Monaca Noble at kojothecat@gmail.com.

Dad’s Club
There will be planning at least one more sporting event planned by the Dad’s Club.  If have ideas for future events or would like to help coordinate events, please contact Ed Chrzanowski at edmund_chrzanowski@hcpss.org

Ice-skating Night
Our next event is ice skating at the Gardens Ice House on Friday, February 21 .  For this event tickets are $8, skates included.  You can purchase wrist bands directly from the PTA - look for the PTA table to the left of the check-in counter.  Cash only please - if you forget there is an on-site ATM.

Mark Your Calendars for the PTA Variety Show on Friday, March 27!
Variety Show applications were due today: Friday, Feb. 14, 2020.  Sorry, no applications can be accepted after today.  Auditions are Tuesday, March 3 and Wednesday, March 4 immediately after school.  Find out more details about the show on our website.

Restaurant Night
Mark your calendars for Restaurant Night at Blaze Pizza in Laurel on Wednesday, Feb. 26 from 4-8pm.  We should all enjoy a night off from cooking at least once a month!  And what better way than to have the PTA receive 20% of the proceeds while you hang out with FRES friends?
 

Community News...

Super STEAM Saturday

Description: Enjoy hands-on robotics, LEGO, experiments and more! Preregistration encouraged to save your space. Registration/Info: 410-313-0458.

Date: Saturday, March 7, 2020

Time: 10:00am-1:00pm

Location: North Laurel Community Center (9411 Whiskey Bottom Road Laurel MD, 20723)

Course Number: RP4411.601

Registration Link: https://apm.activecommunities.com/howardcounty/Activity_Search/new-super-steam-saturday/91930

See the flyer here

Learning Together Program – Prekindergarten
Howard County Regional Early Childhood Center (RECC) prekindergarten programs are making preparations for classes for the 2020-2021 school year.  These classes include children with and without disabilities. The program’s focus is helping all children develop communication, literacy, math, problem solving, motor, and social skills.   Parents of children who will be 3 by September 1st or 4 by September 1st may obtain an application packet at the Gorman Crossing Elementary school office for an application package beginning January 31, 2020.  All classes are part time programs.  The application package will give detailed information regarding prices, locations and hours available for this county-wide program.

All applications must be returned by February 28, 2020.   A limited number of openings are available for children without disabilities.  Children are selected based upon screening information given on the application form, completion of the “Ages and Stages Questionnaires,” and observations of the child’s participation in a playgroup.                                     

If you have any questions, please contact Rae Ann Kaylie at rae_kaylie@hcpss.org

Office phones answered M-Th 8:30-4:15; Fri 8:30-4:00
Community News and Programs
Please visit the Community News and Programs webpage for all announcements of upcoming events and programs sponsored by non-profit organizations. Organizations requesting distribution to Public Information at 410-313-6682 or publicinfo@hcpss.org.

Have a wonderful weekend!