• To opt-in to HCPSS Text messages, text "YES" to 67587 from the device on which you would like to receive messages.
• Be sure to click on the "Calendar" link at the top of our website for important dates throughout the school year.

Important Dates
September 21 & 22 - MCAP ELA/L Testing for 4th & 5th Grade Students (see below)
September 29 & 30 - MCAP Math Testing for 4th & 5th Grade Students (see below)

From Our Administrators...

Dear FRES Community,

It was wonderful seeing so many parents at our Back to School NIghts this week!  If you were unable to attend, please reach out to your child’s teacher so they can share the information with you via email.  

Just a reminder that we will begin MCAP Testing this week for students in Grades 4 & 5.  If your child has headphones, please send them in with him or her.  

Early Fall MCAP Testing for Grades 4 and 5
As part of continued COVID-19 recovery efforts, the Maryland State Department of Education is conducting an early fall student assessment.   The Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program (MCAP) is the overarching term used for all state assessments. 

MSDE will administer assessments in the Early Fall for English Language Arts/Literacy (ELA/L) and Mathematics, as well as the Alternate Assessments in ELA and Mathematics for all 4th and 5th grade students.  

Students will participate in two 60-minute ELA/L units and two 30-minute Math units over the course of three school days.  Please see the schedule below: 

• September 21st and 22nd 

  • Fall MCAP ELA/L Testing for 4th Graders, 9:30 am

  • Fall MCAP ELA/L Testing for 5th Graders 1:45 pm

• September 29th and 30th

  • Fall MCAP Math Testing for 4th Graders, 9:30 am

  • Fall MCAP Math Testing for 5th Graders, 1:45 pm

For more information about the MCAP assessments, please refer to the following documents in English and Spanish. 

• MCAP Early Fall Overview- English

• MCAP Early Fall Overview- Spanish 

Mr. Conroy and Ms. Pazornik

Forest Ridge News...

Student Belongings - We have already had several items that are lost.  Please label all backpacks, lunch boxes, jackets, etc. so that we can get them back to the correct student.  

From the Health Room

• The Health Room is looking for a few volunteers to help with Vision & Hearing Screenings on 9/28/21 and 10/4/21.  We are just looking for a few volunteers to help bring students to and from their classrooms and help with crowd control.  All volunteers must show proof of Covid-19 Vaccination or a negative PCR Covid test within 7 days prior to volunteering.  If interested, please contact the Health Room at 410-888-8811 or email our Cluster Nurse at Kerri_Lewis@HCPSS.org.
• Covid-19 Self Screenings:  All parents/guardians are to perform a COVID-19 health check every day before your student leaves home. Students are not to come to school if they are experiencing any symptom(s) associated with COVID-19 or other communicable disease.

SuperSquads Cheerleading is Back!
Who:  Students in Grades 2-5
Where: Forest Ridge Elementary School
When:  Mondays, starting on 9/27
Cost:  $168.00
To register, please visit www.supersquads.org
View the flyer here

Girls on the Run for Girls in Grades 3, 4, and 5 is Back!
Registration opened on August 22.  The 9-week season starts the week of September 19 and extends through the week of November 14, meeting on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 4:00-5:15 p.m. at FRES.  For registration, please visit www.gotrcentralmd.org.

Family File
Thank you to everyone who has updated their student’s 2021-2022 emergency information using the Family File.  Currently we have 70% of our students completed. This needs to be done each year, even if nothing has changed. The following video walks you through the process of completing the Family File. 

You can access the Family File by logging in to the HCPSS Connect at www.hcpss.org/connect/. Once you have logged into the HCPSS Connect, select the Family File tab on the left-hand side, and then select the blue underlined "Family File" towards the center of your screen. Once logged in, parents/guardians will be asked to provide, update, or confirm the following information:

• Student Information
• Parent/guardian Contact Information
• Emergency Contacts
• Medical Information
• Media Release (photo approval)
• Data Confidentiality
• PTA/PTSA Directory
• Unscheduled Early Closing Procedures

Please note, if the section you are looking at is not allowing you to move forward, then there is a question/checkbox on that page that may still need to be addressed. Please make sure to read the prompts at the top of each tab, and click to expand each section. To access our quick help guides, CLICK HERE.

Parents who have forgotten their login credentials may click the “Forgot Password” link on the sign-in page.  Your user name is your email address.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: A change of address may not be made through the Family File. If you have recently moved, please contact Mrs. Jackson at rebecca_jackson@hcpss.org, Ms. Traini at christin_traini@hcpss.org, or Ms. Williams at chantel_williams@hcpss.org for further assistance.

In the Community...

New HCPSS Community News and Programs Site: 
In response to community requests for resources, HCPSS’ new Community News and Programs website makes it easy for families to find educational and recreational resources, events and after-school programs beyond the school day by non-profit organizations.

Community organizations requesting their announcements be shared in school newsletters should visit community-programs.hcpss.org for more information. Questions should be directed to the Public Information Office at publicinfo@hcpss.org.

Receive HC DrugFree's Free Newsletter: To receive HC DrugFree's free electronic newsletter packed with information for parents and opportunities for students, go to https://hcdrugfree.org/enews-signup/