To opt-in to receive HCPSS text messges, text "YES" to 67587.
January 17 Ms. Pazornik's Birthday! She would love to get some Happy Birthday emails from our FRES family!
January 18 Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Holiday - Schools and Offices Closed
January 20 6:30 PVMS Parent Information Night for Incoming 6th Grade Students (see info below)
January 21 6:30-8:00 PTA Virtual Bingo (advance registration required)
January 28 Family Book Club
January 29 Math Conference Scheduling Opens for Parents - stay tuned for more information
February 3 PTA Restaurant Night: Chipotle in Maple Lawn
Dear FRES Community,
This week we were so honored to recognize our African American scholars in 4th and 5th grade who have achieved outstanding academic success in the 2019-2020 school year. This year the Council of Elders held the annual event virtually.
Congratulations to our FRES students who received Awards of Academic Achievement last night from the Council of Elders of the Black Community of Howard County. Please join us in congratulating the following students:
Karsten A., Feyi A., Nathaniel A., Rayyan A., Cassandra A., Chloe A., Christel A., Aurelia A., Cory C., Gregory D., Faith F., Erin G., Camila G., Janel H., Sophia J., Olivia J., Rye J., Ryan J., Na’eem M., Taiwa N., Nadine N., Lewis N., Emmett O., David O., Oni R., Elijahn R., James R., Ayanna R., Zavier R., Dave S., Olulonimi S., Isaias T., Drew W., Noelle W., Aria W., Dominic W., and Chasity Y.
Related Arts
Please make sure your student(s) has all assignments for all Related Arts completed and submitted before the end of the semester (January 28). Please access the gradebook in Canvas to verify all assignments are turned in. If you have any questions about Related Arts grades or assignments please email or use Canvas Inbox to contact your child’s Related Arts teachers.
We hope everyone has a wonderful weekend,
Mr. Conroy and Ms. Pazornik
MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) Assessment - Please save the dates!
The winter at home MAP administration will be delivered to grades 1-5 on:
February 3 - Reading (9-11am)
February 10 - Math (9-11am)
First graders will also be included in this administration. Detailed information will be shared in the upcoming weeks for all participating grades.
PVMS New Student Orientation
Have a student who is new to HCPSS and/or Patuxent Valley Middle School? Please join us for the PVMS New Student Orientation occurring Wednesday, 1/20.
(This event welcomes rising Grade 6 students, new to PVMS Grade 7 and 8 students, and parents/guardians).
PVMS Sessions
(6:00-6:30 pm) Interested in hearing about our GT Program? Please join this virtual session using the Google Meet code pvmsgt.
(6:30-7:30 pm) During our PVMS Orientation, families will be introduced to staff, the middle school schedule, program requirements, supports for the middle school student, and important upcoming dates. Please join this virtual session using Google Meet code pvmsorientation.
Directions for joining
Log into hcpss. me using your student’s HCPSS username/password.
Select Google Meet from the menu.
Choose “join a meeting.”
Enter the Meet using the assigned code at the time indicated above.
If you have questions or need assistance, please email Samantha Armstead at samantha_armstead@hcpss.org. We look forward to meeting you. Hope to see you there.
From Our GT Teachers and the Green Team
The FRES Green Team is working hard to learn about our environment and what we can do to become good stewards of our environment. Check out the Green Team Newsletter here.
Inclement Weather Policy for 2020-21 School Year
As the weather gets colder, we begin to think about how inclement weather will be handled this year. Please take a look here to get familiar with this school year's inclement weather procedures.
From the Health Room
Check out this flyer about pediatric eye exams with one year of follow-up for uninsured or under-insured children.
Spanish Language and Culture Club - Live online Spanish classes available for young children.
Registration is open for Winter 2021!
Starting on January 19, children will benefit from live interaction through Zoom classes with native Spanish instructors. Students will explore the Spanish language and culture through immersion, music, and play.
NEW thematic units and adventures each week! Your children will be delighted to reconnect with their friends online and practice Spanish together. We will try to accommodate groups of friends from the same age, school, area, or neighborhood in the same class. Register here.
This month's PTA meeting was a presentation about the Maryland 529 Plan for college savings. We learned how students could qualify for two annual contributions from the state of up to $500 each. The slides are now available. There is also a webinar at 12 p.m. on Jan. 21st for anyone unable to attend or with additional questions. Register at https://maryland529.com/webinars
Virtual Bingo Night: We will have our first virtual bingo night for FRES students on Thursday, January 21, 6:30-8:00 p.m. Bingo cards will be emailed the day before the event. Students will have the opportunity to win a variety of fun prizes! Advance Registration is required by January 19.
Tutoring Help:
BioMonkey is a group of student volunteers from RHHS who are providing virtual tutoring. The organization’s mission is to bridge the gap in education by providing cost-free tutoring in the community. Their 100% virtual program is not only a cost-free service and a safe alternative to learning during the pandemic but is also run by highly motivated and responsible high schoolers who hope to inspire leadership among youth. Additionally, all tutors are screened to ensure that they are A-students in the subjects they teach and have previous tutoring experience, making them very qualified mentors. You may learn more about them at mybiomonkey.org .
Virtuassist is a FREE local program in which K-2 students can be paired with a high school volunteer. They will meet virtually, one-on-one for 30 minutes, up to twice a week. During these individual sessions, volunteers, aka Virtuassists, will be able to provide academic support, do a homework check-in, simply chit chat with your student, and much more! Your student will also be placed in a Virtupod, a group of 3-5 students, moderated by a Virtuassist, in which they will meet virtually every Wednesday and be able to freely talk with one another and do fun activities! Sign up and learn more about the program at: virtu-assist.org . If you have any questions, contact virtuassisthoco@gmail.com.
Membership: We are now at 78 members. If you have not yet joined, you can do so at www.frespta.org/membership and it's only $10!
Wellness Kits: If your child hasn't received one yet, it is still possible to arrange a time to pick one up at the school. Please send an email to Ms. Schuck to coordinate a time. We still have 200+ kits to distribute.
Green Committee: Christmas lights can be recycled at MOM's Market until January 31.
Save the Date:
Upcoming PTA Meetings: February 8, March 8, April 12, May 10, June 14. All meetings begin at 7 p.m. and have the passcode frespta.
Virtual Bingo Night will be held on January 21.
PTA Spirit Nights
Feb. 3 - Chipotle Maple Lawn
PTA Request: We are looking for a donation of a newspaper vending type box that we could use at FRES for picking up/dropping off items. If you have any ideas, please email me at president@frespta.org
Feedback: Please let us know if you have any questions, feedback, or suggestions either by email or via our suggestion box. Suggestions are anonymous, so if you would like a reply, please include your email address.
Thanks and have a great weekend!
Community News and Programs
Be sure to check out the Howard County Community News and Programs page here!