Mar. 1, 2019 Forest Ridge Forerunner

Fri, 03/01/2019 - 10:40am

For PTA News, Upcoming Event Dates, Counselor's Corner, and Community News, click here.

Forest Ridge Forerunner - School News...

Important Things to Know:
  • The office phones are answered 8:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Friday.
  • Students should arrive to school by 9:10 a.m. so that they are able to put their things away and be ready to start the day when the bell rings at 9:15.
  • Students go out for recess when the temperature with wind chill is 20 degrees or more.  Please make sure your child is dressed appropriately for the weather.
  • To get text alerts from FRES or HCPSS, you must opt in to receive those alerts. Text "YES" to 67587 from the cell number that is on file in HCPSS/Connect.
  • If your child's dismissal changes, due to a change in transportation, an after school class, etc., please email the teacher, and copy Dr. Varlack, Ms. Pazornik, Ms. Traini, Mrs. Jackson, and Mrs. Farrell.  All the emails can be found in the "Our Staff" section of our website.  We want to make sure the message is received!
  • If you recieved a Federal Impact Aid form, please return it ASAP.  Thanks!

A Message from Ms. Pazornik, our Assistant Principal

Hello FRES families and community,

We came so close to finally having a full week of school with no delays, cancellations or early closings.  Our students have done a nice job adjusting to the many changes that our weather has caused. We are all hopeful that March brings us some nicer weather.  On that note, did you know that the county has posted the revised schedule for the remainder of the year? As of Wednesday, February 20th, Howard County Public Schools will have closed due to inclement weather five days this school year:November 15, January 14 & 30, February 11 & 20. That is one day more than the four inclement weather days identified on the 2018-2019 academic calendar. The last day of school is currently scheduled to be Friday, June 21, with the final three days dismissing three hours early. The Board of Education will have discussions on how to account for the fifth inclement weather day used, and any necessary subsequent days, at a future public meeting. Maryland state law requires schools to be in session for a minimum of 180 days each year, and waivers to this requirement must be approved by the Maryland State Board. These are not automatically granted even when a State of Emergency is in effect. HCPSS will continue to update parents, staff and students on any future adjustments made to the academic calendar. The current HCPSS calendar is available online.

Did you know that New Kindergarten and First Grade Registration begins Monday, March 11 through Friday, March 15 at Forest Ridge Elementary School?  Children who will be five years old as of September 1, 2019 must enroll in Kindergarten for the 2019-2020 school year.

Registration will take place daily from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in the FRES office area.

No appointment is necessary.

You will need to bring the following documents (if you haven’t already uploaded them during online registration):

  1. Birth certificate, birth registration or passport showing parental relationship.

  2. Current immunization record - must be a print out from the pediatrician and signed.

  3. Deed or lease to your home

  4. Current utility bill

  5. Photo ID of registering parent/guardian - this MUST be shown at time of registration.

Please visit the Howard County Public School System website (https://www.hcpss.org/enroll/) for complete information about enrollment and registration. You can follow steps 1-4 at home and online before finalizing the process in step 5.  Be sure to select the 2019-2020 school year.

Did you know that March is National Reading Month?  Here is a list of some of the activities our students will be participating in this month:

March 1st - Reading Month Kick Off: Drop Everything and Read/ Read In

Week 1 (March 4 - 8) - Grade level competition begins

Week 2 (March 11 - 15) - FRES Parent CRASH Course (3/12 @ 6:00 - 7:00) and Grade Swap Reading

Week 3 (March 18 - 22) - Semi-final round of reading competition & Celebrity Readers in Media Classes

Week 4 (March 25 - 29) - Championship of reading competition and March Madness Reading Night (3/28 @ 6:00 - 7:30)

Did you know that five of our FRES students competed this past Saturday in the Howard County Unheard Perspectives Showcase?  This program is sponsored by the HCPSS Elementary Social Studies office, the Gifted and Talented Education Program and the Black Student Achievement Program.  This program gives students an opportunity to research and learn about a famous African American innovator. Congratulations to the following students for their participation:

Lucas T., Darshan B., Molly Z., Ava V., & Mira H.

Did you know that parents can update their child’s family file at any point during the year?  Now would be a great time to go on and check to be sure nothing has changed. To review your child’s family file, go to https://www.hcpss.org/connect/.

Did you know that HCPSS has a Field Trip policy?  The purpose of this policy is to provide guidelines to plan, approve, and conduct student field trips off school grounds and within the United States.  

Here are some highlights of this policy:

  1. All field trips require a Teacher-In-Charge.

  2. The provisions of this policy apply to all field trips organized and coordinated by HCPSS Teachers-In-Charge.

  3. Field trips will be a natural outgrowth of the HCPSS curricular programs and will align with school system goals and objectives.

  4. Field trips will be conducted in accordance with rules, regulations, and policies related to the health, safety, and well-being of students, employees, and chaperones.

  5. Field trips require approval through the administrative approval process.

  6. Transportation for field trips will be provided by an authorized public carrier in accordance with HCPSS transportation procedures.

  7. Health services staff will ensure that all field trips comply with current school health services requirements from the Maryland Board of Nursing, the Maryland State Department of Education School Health Services, and the HCPSS Health Services Requirements and Procedures.

  8. Chaperones will be screened and required to read, sign, and return the Chaperone Responsibility Form prior to participating in a field trip.

  9. Parents, chaperones, and students will receive, at minimum, information including:

    1. Expectations for conduct consistent with all HCPSS policies, local, state and federal laws.

    2. Safety, emergency, and security procedures.

    3. Logistics and specific itineraries.

    4. Health and medical provisions, as appropriate.

  10. Students suspended or expelled at the start of a field trip will be excluded from the entire field trip.

  11. The HCPSS reserves the right to cancel a trip at any time to ensure the safety of students and staff members. If such a cancellation occurs, the school system is not responsible for any financial loss incurred by the parent of students participating on the trip.

  12. All students participating in field trips are required to have the written consent of their parents.

  13. Chaperones may not bring other children on a field trip. Students not part of the designated class or group are not permitted on a field trip.

  14. The HCPSS does not sponsor student travel outside the United States.
    To read the entire policy, click here.  Have a wonderful weekend!

From Mrs. Morris, Our Cluster Nurse in the Health Room

  1. Parents, please put a change of clothes in your child's backpack for unexpected needs.
  2. If your child was given clothing from the health room, please launder and return to the health room as soon as possible.
  3. Please let the health room know if your child is absent due to a high fever.

Box Tops News!
We are thrilled to announce that Forest Ridge will be receiving a $2,000 cash prize after a FRES parent won the Weis Markets “Box Tops for Education Return-to-School Sweepstakes” contest! Second grade parent Diane Warner entered the January contest online; one grand prize was awarded for each of 13 Weis Market districts around the Mid-Atlantic area. FRES won 20,000 Bonus Box Tops, equal to $2,000. We thank the Warner family for entering this contest and for bringing this wonderful surprise to our school! Noelle Warner (2-Wright) and family have been submitting Box Tops for years and we really appreciate their support. Thank you also to Weis Markets and General Mills for this generous prize! The funds will arrive at FRES in our May Box Tops check. As always, these Box Tops proceeds will go directly to the school. Stay tuned for updates on what the funds will be spent on…later this spring! FRES Administration is currently considering and researching options.

Winter FRES Parent CRASH Course is Coming...
Here at Forest Ridge, parents are essential to "Cultivating Reading At School and Home."  Come join us to learn ways to keep reading fun at home!  We will host our winter literacy parent workshops on Tuesday, March 12th from 6pm-7pm.  The PTA meeting for the month is immediately following.  Daycare and light refreshments will be provided.  Keep an eye out for the full invite with the RSVP for session options coming next week.  You may contact Ms. Nikia Darden at nikia_darden@hcpss.org or Mr. Matthew Vaughn-Smith at matthew_vaughn-smith@hcpss.org with any questions.

Green School News
Our ongoing efforts to educate students, staff, and the community about plastic pollution continue.  As part of the staff's environmental education professional development, Pat Hersey, one of the co-founders of Less Plastic Please, an environmental advocacy non-profit, came to Forest Ridge on February 27 to  give a whole staff presentation about the the problems with single-use plastic, the extent of plastic pollution, and pending legislation in Maryland and the county.

One of the questions Ms. Hersey answered was as follows:

"Is it true that putting plastic in the microwave or dishwasher is dangerous? Things like Tupperware, Tervis cups and the like."
The answer:

"Tupperware and Tervis are both made from the plastic resin #7, polycarbonate. Polycarbonate leaches BPA, a powerful endocrine disrupter.   Going back to the analogy of plastic being spaghetti and the additive is the sauce, it is easy to see how the chemicals leach out since the chemicals just slide around the plastic.  All plastic leaches chemicals over time, but three things increase the leaching: heat, oil, and acid.  It is best not to put plastic in a dishwasher, microwave or leave water bottles in hot cars.  Did you ever have plastic stained with pasta sauce after heating? Some sauce became embedded into the plastic, and some plastic leached into the sauce. You have two culprits: heat and acid.
Best practice:
1) Avoid heating anything in plastic. If you must store food in plastic, wait until food is cooled.  
2) Avoid oil (salad dressing) or acid (tomatoes/tomato products) in plastic.
3) Discard any old plastic containers.
Ideal:
Not to use plastic for food containers.
FYI:
"BPA-free" does not mean it is safe. The plastic industry just adds a substitute, like BPS. Recent studies show BPS is as bad, if not worse, than BPA."

Do you have questions about plastics? Less Plastic Please will answer them for you. Please email your questions to judith_major@hcpss.org, and we will share your question and answer through our Green School webpage.

Change Matters
Thank you for your generosity!   Our Change Matters money was picked up on Wednesday.  It will be counted and the total reported to us.  Stay tuned for more information.

Summer Camp
Looking for a fun and active camp this summer for your son and/or daughter?  Come out to Reservoir High School for Rankers Sports camp with Howard County teachers/coaches Phil Ranker (phys ed), Erika Lupo (phys ed) and Tom Dougherty (math).  We play many different sports throughout the week including: capture the football, soccer, basketball, volleyball, tseg ball, tag games, tennis, scooter games and many many more. If your child likes PE class, they will absolutely LOVE this camp.  Dates for camp: July 1-5 (no camp on July 4-prorated cost) and July 15-19.  Half day and full day options are available.  Please email phillip_ranker@hcpss.org or visit www.rankerssportscamp.weebly.com for any questions. 

The Kids Heart Challenge is Underway!
Help us in reaching our goal to raise $9,000 for the American Heart Association.  Information on how to sign up online or collect donations in an envelope went home in your folders, but here is an easier way to go straight to our school's donation site! http://www2.heart.org/goto/forestridge

Mary Poppins, Jr., at Murray Hill Middle School - View the Flyer
 
Watch DOGS
Our Watch DOGS dad this week was Mr. Schlesiger.  Thank you so much!  If you are interested in supporting this awesome program by signing up for a day, or even part of a day, we are looking for YOU!! Simply copy the links included and paste them into your browser.   Keep in mind, you will also need to complete the Howard County child abuse and confidentiality training online, complete the certificate for each, and turn it in. Those links are also provided below.  Finally, to help make the Watch DOGS stand out while you are here, we encourage you to purchase a Watch DOGS t-shirt.  When you arrive at the school, you will be able to purchase one for $12 sizes S-XL, $14 for 2XL and $16 for 3XL  If we are out of that size we will order and and it will be sent home with your child as soon as it comes in.   You are also welcome to send in your money ahead of time and we will send your shirt home with your child right away.  Send your payment in an envelope with your name, child's name, teacher, and your shirt size.  If you have any questions don't hesitate to contact Craig Dorsey at dorseypremier@gmail.com or Jen Renkevens at trenkev@juno.com.

For Child Abuse- https://www.hcpss.org/f/employees/childabuse_ppt.pdf

From Howard County Recreation and Parks:
For Complete information on Before & After School classes, including how to Register, please go to  www.howardcountymd.gov/afterschool