Greetings FRES Families,
Our newsletter this week is chocked full of tidbits to keep you updated about FRES Happenings. Should you have any questions, concerns, compliments, or comments... please contact us. Feel free to drop in, send an email, or call. Happy Reading!

REMINDERS:

NO SCHOOL MONDAY: A reminder that Monday is a professional learning day for our staff.  There is no school for students.  We'll see everyone on Tuesday!

HEALTH ROOM Hello from the Health Room. If your child has a medical condition, please let us know.  Also, if your child needs medication to be taken during the day, a parent/guardian must bring the medication to school, do not send them in your child's backpack.  Please contact the health room with questions regarding medication policies.
 

EMERGENCY CARD:  Family File: We have 393 students whose Emergency Information have been updated on their Family File.  This represents 55% of our student population. Each year we ask that you complete/update the online Emergency Card for your child(ren).  It is imperative, for the safety of your child, that all Emergency Cards are completed.  Help us reach 100%! Please complete the Emergency Card online as soon as possible at http://www.hcpss.org/connect.  The SUBMIT button must be clicked before it is considered complete.

For telephone assistance you may call the front office at 410-880-5950 and speak with Parris Muse or Rhonda Hill.

 

BAND INFORMATION: Thank you to all of the musicians that have enrolled in Band thus far! Too date, 115 of our grade 4 and grade 5 students combined have joined the Band! Wow!! Your child has one more opportunity to be a part of this incredible venture, helping us to place FRES on the musical map! Join today!  You can enroll your child in band online at http://mshogg-band.weebly.com/forest-ridge-es.html. If you have any questions, please feel free to email  natalie_hogg@hcpss.org.
 

ORCHESTRA Information:  Thank you to all of the musicians in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade that have enrolled in orchestra. I am looking forward to a fabulous year of music making!!!! This week all students received their orchestra folder with important information regarding the schedule, handbook, and instrument rentals. Please review this information with your student. Also, please be on the lookout for a "WELCOME" email from me (Mrs. De Orio) by Sunday night. If you do not receive this email, then please email me at patricia_deorio@hcpss.org to confirm that I have your correct email address in my contact list.

If your musician would still like to enroll in orchestra (violin, viola, cello, or bass) please have them sign up ASAP on my website http://mrsdeorio-orchestra.weebly.com/forest-ridge-orchestra.html We are looking for more 4th grade cellists, so if you have a 4th grader that would like to join (or switch) and play the cello, please contact me ASAP. I do have school instruments to borrow (free of charge) for any 4th grader that would like to play the cello.
 

PARCC ASSESSMENT RESULTS: Parents of students in 4th and 5th grade, please be aware that printed copies of your child’s 2015-2016 PARCC Assessment Results were distributed today.  Please check your child’s backpack for the score report.   These reports are reflective of your child’s performance on the 2016 PARCC assessment given last year.  As a reminder, students in grades 3-5 take PARCC each year in the spring.  PARCC tests measure how well students have learned grade level college and career standards in Mathematics and English/Language Arts.

PARCC reports will consist of two double sided pages – one for Mathematics and one for English/Language Arts.  The front page will highlight your child’s overall raw score in the specific content area.  The score will fall in one of five categories…
Level 5: Exceeded Expectations
Level 4: Met Expectations
Level 3: Approached Expectations
Level 2: Partially Meet Expectations
Level 1: Did Not Meet Expectations

Families will also have an opportunity to compare their child’s score to the school, county, and state averages.  On the back of the report, there will be a breakdown of student performance in broad areas of Mathematics and English/Language Arts.  Within each broad area, the report will identify your child’s performance as…
Met or Exceeded Expectation
Approached Expectations
Partially Met Expectations
If you are interested in ascertaining a more detailed explanation of PARCC scores, please explore understandthescore.org.

 

CURRENT EVENTS:

HVAC UPDATE: We experienced some relief from the temperatiure inconsistency in teams 4 & 5 on Friday. Our service technicians will be on site on Monday to complete the job.

VOLUNTEER TRAINING: All volunteers must complete volunteer confidentiality training each year before volunteering at school.  There is a certificate that must be turned in to the office before volunteering.  The training can be found at http://www.hcpss.org/parents/volunteer-information

STUDENT HELPERS: FRES is busy identifying student leaders in grades 2 -5 to assist in leading initiatives or operate in roles of responsibility in and around the school. To Date, we have identified Recess Coaches. These students will assist in delivering recess equipment to and from the blacktop daily. When operating in their role, they will be identified by the colored vests they will sport! Our first round of recess coaches are.... drum roll please...:

5th Grade
Abigail Albertorio
Nia George
Barnet Nkeh
Wyatt Willis
Kendall Williams

4th Grade
Samantha Chrzanowski
Justina Figel
Ari Goldberg
Chibudom Mbadugha
Faizan Zafar

3rd Grade
Kevin Haines
Elise Le
Logan Woodward
Boh Gwanyama
Francesco Pace

2nd Grade
Ayla Baig
Samuel Lee
Shaymis Moore
Rosselin Roque Chavez
Hazqeel Bhatti

Completion of the Howard County Library Summer Reading: Caleb Call, Colette Call, Megan Call, Antonia Chrzanowski, Samantha Chrzanowski, Grace Edmonsdson, Justina Figel, Amanda Giles, Evan Giles, Ethan Graves, Aiden Gregg, Ellie Hanfman, Samuel Lee, Jonas Kovaleski, Holly Loveless, Shaymis Moore, Vincent Nguyen, Elizabeth Renkevens, Suhaani Sahdev, Zack Steger, Maya Strothers, Sanaya Strothers, Jocelyn Taylor, Molly Zorn

Another FRES Star:   Tharuni Madhuri K,won the third prize in Telugu National Spell bee competition. It was held in Dallas, Texas last weekend. It is a competition for all the Telugu speaking kids in the US, Siliconandhra manabadi, http://manabadi.siliconandhra.org/
 

DID YOU KNOW?????

ANIMALS ON SCHOOL PROPERTY
Animals in schools or offices, leashed or not, present safety, environmental, and liability issues. Students and staff may be exposed to potential physical hazards, such as bites, and/or allergy related health problems. As a result, animals are prohibited within HCPSS buildings. Animals are also prohibited on school system property during arrival, dismissal, recess or other HCPSS sponsored outdoor activities. Service animals or service animals in training per MD Annotated Code Section 7-705 (Service Animals) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) as well as animals approved for instructional purposes are exempt from this prohibition.

STUDENT ATTENDANCE:  
Students are expected to be in school each day that school is in session.  Policy 9010 outlines this requirement.

Lawful absence – An excused absence for any portion of the day under the following conditions (COMAR 13A.08.01.03):
1. Death in the immediate family
2. Illness of the student
3. Court summons
4. Hazardous weather conditions
5. Work approved or sponsored by the school
6. Observance of a religious holiday
7. State emergency
8. Suspension
9. Lack of authorized transportation
10. Other emergency or set of circumstances which, in the judgment of the Superintendent or designee, constitutes a good and sufficient cause for absence from school.

PTA NEWS

From the President...
It was AWESOME to see so many people at our first PTA meeting on Tuesday!  Lots of new faces mixed with FRES veterans!  If you missed meeting with us, we would love to have you join us in October for our next meeting.  As you can see below, our PTA is already active and rolling along.  Check out all of the upcoming activities to get connected and be a part of our amazing community. Especially our Wellness Walk and Ice Cream social coming up on the 13th.  It is all FREE! Just come, walk and eat.  What could be better than that?!

Have You Joined the PTA?
The FRES PTA needs your support to make the 2016-17 school year another awesome success story! Please join the PTA during our annual membership drive to ensure we can continue the programs, activities and events we have planned. Our membership drive runs through October. Members will be entered in a drawing for a free gift, and classes with the most PTA memberships will earn a special prize. Join or renew your membership today! www.frespta.org/membership  

Wellness Walk & Ice Cream Social –Tuesday, Sept. 13
FRES PTA invites you to join fellow FRES families for an evening of walking and ice cream. Come to the bus loop at 6 p.m. and enjoy walking and talking with FRES teachers and staff before moving to the cafeteria at 6:30 for an ice cream sundae. If it’s raining or questionable weather, come at 6:30 for ice cream. We do need parent volunteers for this event. Sign up to volunteer!
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a0b4bafa822a02-icecream1

KidStuff Fundraiser Kicks Off this Week
By now every family, should have received a KidStuff book that went home with students this week. The fundraiser will run until Sept. 19, and each KidStuff book cost $25. Save at Macy’s, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Weis, Michael’s, Sears and more! Most coupons are valid from Sept. 1, 2016 through Dec. 31, 2017. To purchase the book, all you have to do is place your $25 payment of cash or a check made payable to FRES PTA inside the enclosed bag, and send it to school with your child by Sept. 19. Our school PTA will earn 50 percent of the sales from each book or $12.50. To purchase additional books, please complete the forms provided. For questions, please contact fundraising@frespta.org. Thank you for your support!

Spots Are Still Available for PTA After School Classes
Registration is still under way for PTA fall AfterschoolActivitiesBW.pdf We have spots available for each class. Please don’t hesitate! Sign up quickly if you don’t want to miss out. Classes with low enrollment numbers will have to be canceled. Here is our fall list of our offerings.

Monday
Chess Club – Register online now!
Schoolhouse Theater Arts (Grades 2-5)

Tuesday
Little Builders (Grades K-2) – Register online now!
Spanish (Grades 3-5) – Register online now!

Wednesday
KidzArt – Register online now!
Don’t wait. Classes begin next week!

Thursday
Little Builders (Grades 3-5) – Register online now!
Spanish (Grades K-2) – Register online now!

Friday
Mad Science – Register online now!

Volunteer & Earn Class Discounts
Interested in being a parent volunteer and earning a class discount for your student? Parent volunteers meet the students in the classroom after school and must attend every class. Sign up, and your child can receive a class discount —on average 50 percent off the price! For questions about the classes or details on how to be a parent volunteer, contact vp2@frespta.org.
 

COMMUNITY NEWS:

The Glenelg United Methodist Church  (GUMC) food pantry is open every 3rd Saturday of the month from 9a -11am. We serve those in need of grocery assistance in Howard County.  

Southern Howard County Civic Association, Inc. is hosting its Annual Community Picnic
September 11, 2016 from 1 pm - 4 pm
High Ridge Park Pavilion
1000 Superior Avenue
North Laurel,  Md   20723

 

Le’Chic Academy Foundation: IS YOUR CHILD CREATIVE ENOUGH TO WIN CASH, LAPTOPS, & OTHER PRIZES BY USING HIS OR HER UNIQUE ENTREPRENEUR OR STEM IDEA?  Le’Chic Academy Foundation  invites boys and girls (Ages 5-18), to participate in our annual Young Entrepreneur’s Shark Tank Competition (Oct. 8, 2016 from 12:00PM -3:00PM)  and “Biz Kidz” Vendor Exhibit Fair (Nov. 5, 2016 from 12:00PM -3:00PM).  For online registration and detailed information, please call 410.530.4876 or visit www.lechicacademy.com.