Important Dates:
14 Indigenous Peoples' Day/Columbus Day - School is Open!
16 Chick-fil-A Spirit Day (Johns Hopkins Road location)
18 Professional Work Day (No school for students)
18 7:00-9:00 PTA Skate Night, Laurel Roller Skating Center
23 Spirit Night at Savage Library (see link below)
23 Staff Luncheon during all lunch periods
24 3rd Grade Field Trip
25 7:00 PTA Movie Night
26 7:00-9:00 PTA Halloween Dance
29 9:15 Fall Picture Retakes (see below)
4:30 to 9:00 Red Hot and Blue PTA Restaurant Night
Items of Note:
Student News...
Howard County Summer Reading Program
Congratulations to Madhav P! He completed the Howard County Library's Summer Reading program.
Keep up the great work!
MAP Testing Dates:
If your child is absent on the day that his/her class tests, a make-up test will be given. For more information regarding MAP testing, click here.
From Mr. Conroy and Ms. Pazornik
Dear FRES Community,
It was so wonderful to see so many of our male role models at our Watch DOGS kickoff last night! We had more than 70 families represented! Thanks to our staff who supported the evening. As always, Mrs. Schuck did a great job presenting and organizing the very successful evening.
This morning was our first Walk-to-School. Thanks to Mr. Cassard and Mr. Janasek for organizing the event and arranging such beautiful weather!
Enjoy your weekend!
Forest Ridge News...
October 23rd there will be a Spirit Night at Savage Library! See flyer for more information:
http://fres.hcpss.org/sites/default/files/Savage%20Library%20Spirit%20Night.pdf
Picture Re-take Day
Picture re-take day will be Tuesday, October 29. Our original picture day was September 10. Students new to our school since that date and those who were absent on September 10 will have their picture taken. Parents may have photos re-taken if they are not happy with the original picture. If you want your child's picture re-taken, you must return the entire original package of pictures. For more information, see the flyers below:
Forest Ridge-FALL 2019 Retake Day.pdf
Fall 2019 Flier-Envelope .pdf
The Great Kindness Challenge, October 28-31
Attention Parents/Guardians: Information came home this week about "The Great Kindness Challenge," a proactive and positive bullying prevention initiative that improves school climate and increases student engagement. Here's how we'll celebrate at school:
Monday (28th): Kicking Off Kindness - We will kick off our “Great Kindness Challenge” by wearing mis-match socks and/or shoes.
Tuesday (29th): Kindness Counts - We will show that kindness counts by wearing any clothing with numbers. (Examples: Sports jerseys, old team shirts, shirts with number graphics, etc.)
Wednesday (30th): Dreaming of Kindness - We will dream of kindness and make it our reality by wearing pajamas/comfy clothing to school.
Thursday (31th): Make Kindness a Pattern - We will pledge to make kindness a pattern this school year by wearing patterned clothing. (Examples: Polk-a-dots, stripes, plaid, etc.)
Grade 5 Oyster Reef Project
Grade 5 has a wonderful opportunity this year to be a part of a project to support our goals for a healthy environment. As a part of their curriculum this fall, 5th graders will learn about watershed systems, how pollution ends up in our Chesapeake Bay and oceans, and how to determine what makes a healthy stream. In accordance with that curriculum, 5th graders will have the opportunity to build oyster reef balls as a habitat to grow oysters – which act as filters for our bay.
Our Oyster Reef Project is scheduled for October 15 and 16 (with the 17th in reserve in case of inclement weather). Please dress your child appropriately for this hands-on activity that includes building molds and mixing ingredients for concrete. Are you available to volunteer some time for this event? If you have taken the volunteer training, you are welcome to join us in the oyster reef ball build. Check out the Signup Genius posted by Grade 5. Come join in on the fun and excitement of building environmental stewardship among our youth.
Digital Citizenship Week is October 14-18
Next week, and throughout the year, students in media and technology will be discussing digital citizenship. Recent statistics indicate that children are spending more time on the Internet than watching TV, and, as a parent, it can be difficult to know how to steer your child in the right direction as we step further into this digital age. Keeping up with new technology and apps, knowing what Internet sites are appropriate for the different age levels, and keeping your child safe on the Internet is overwhelming! To help guide you and answer some of your questions, a great website to visit is Common Sense https://www.commonsensemedia.org/, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of kids and families as we navigate the 21st century. This site gives reviews on current media such as apps, movies, and video games, as well as up-to-date research in current technology trends and tips to manage your child’s use of social media.
At HCPSS, students in grades PreK-5 have lessons on digital citizenship that will be taught throughout the year in media class and technology. You can view this curriculum here: Media and Tech. Ask your child about his/her digital citizenship lesson next week as a conversation starter - this is a great time to talk to your child about using the Internet and being safe and responsible online!
Free and Reduced Meals Program
HCPSS participates in the Free and Reduced Meals (FARMs) program. Students (PreK-12) who meet the federal income guidelines are eligible to receive free or reduced-price meals. Applications are available on-line or in paper form. A new application needs to be submitted each year. Please complete the application (Spanish and English) as soon as possible to avoid delays in your student receiving a meal. Go to http://www.hcpss.org/food-services/farms/
PTA News...
Greetings FRES families!
Hopefully you got a chance to get your Joe Corbi’s fundraiser orders in! I can’t wait for my order to come in (the week of November 4th)!
The funds we raise throughout the year enable us to sponsor free events, such as the Ice Cream Social/Wellness Walk, Culture Fest, and Field Day. It also allows us to plan larger paid-entry events, such as the Halloween Dance and Spring Carnival, which can require large deposits for vendors and ultimately don’t pull in revenue, but strengthen our school’s sense of community.
Additionally, the PTA supports our FRES students by covering $4 per student for field trips to lower the overall costs for all families, with the purchase of first day gifts (rainbow highlighter), with summer activity worksheet prizes, with supports for PBIS initiatives, and more. We also are proud to support our teachers and staff by organizing luncheons throughout the year, offering small teacher reimbursements for school/classroom supplies, and offering team support ($60) that they can use to organize K-5, related arts, and ESOL team activities. The PTA budgets for known programming and supports at the beginning of the school year, but the more we raise throughout the year, the more new programming we can incorporate!! We appreciate all of the parental/guardian support, whether it’s financial or volunteering!
Thank you to everyone who filled out the volunteer interest forms! Committee Heads have been notified of your interest and you should be hearing from them soon.
We had such a great turn-out at our Second Annual Pizza Kick-off of our Watch D.O.G.S. program at FRES. It was awesome to see so many new faces along with many familiar ones. We look forward to a GREAT year of Dads and other male role models supporting our school in such a terrific way. If you did not make it to the kick off, don't worry, you can still participate. In the following weeks, we will provide links to complete Howard County Trainings for Confidentiality and Reporting Child Abuse as well as the link that can be used to sign yourself up. Thanks again to all the men and children who made last night such a success!
Have a great weekend!
Khaleda Hasan, FRES PTA President
More from the PTA
After School Enrichment Activities
Holiday Shoppe
For MANY years our PTA has sponsored a Holiday Shoppe! This is not a fundraiser and is strictly a fun service for children to shop for loved ones during the holidays without spending much money. Items are priced VERY reasonably ($0.50-$10). Thank you to everyone who has already signed up to help! We still need more volunteers to be able hold this event. We understand that MANY parents have to work, but are seeing if there are any parents, grandparents, aunts or uncles, willing to help. If we do not have enough volunteers we will need to cancel the shipment of gifts before they send it in one week.
Please check out the Sign Up Genius to see when you can help. The shoppe will be open Tuesday, 12/3 through Thursday, 12/5 during all recess times. If you have any questions contact Jen Renkevens at vp1@frespta.org.
Skate Night
School will be closed next Friday, October 18th but you can still join us at Laurel Roller Skating Center on Rt. 1 and Brewers Court. Skate from 7 – 10 pm for $9, which includes skate rental. Say you’re with FRES to get the special price. All participants who use the FRES special price must sign a waiver at the door.
Movie Night
On Friday, October 25th, from 7 to 9pm in the cafeteria, we will show Coco! Doors open at 6:45pm. There is no cost to watch the movie. Concessions will be sold (hot dogs, nachos, popcorn, candy, water, soda, Gatorade) for $1 each. Thank you to all who signed up to volunteer, the turn-out was awesome! Volunteers will receive an email in the coming week with more details.
Box Tops Fall Incentive Contest Deadline: October 25
Students will earn a small incentive prize for any Box Tops turned in by Friday, October 25th. For every 5 Box Tops, your child's name will be placed in a drawing for one of six gift cards to Five Below. (One winner per grade.) Please send unexpired Box Tops in a baggie or envelope clearly labeled with your child's name, grade, and teacher's name, or use any collection sheet. Any Box Tops sent in so far this school year count toward the contest! Each is worth 10 cents for FRES, and they add up fast! Visit http://www.btfe.com/ to see products where you can find Box Tops.
New: Download and use the Box Tops app and have it count toward our FRES contests too! Buy Box Tops products and scan your store receipt within 14 days. To let us know about your digital earnings for our FRES contests, you can now "Give Credit" within the app upon scanning (please include name, teacher, and grade when prompted). Or you can take a screen shot or forward the email(s) showing earnings to our brand new email account: BoxTops@frespta.org. Earnings from earlier this school year will count (summer too), so send that information! Thank you for your support!
Dad’s Club
The PTA will be organizing more sporting events in order to provide opportunities for families to get together outside of school and enjoy a night or day out with friends. So far we have two dates on the calendar and will be working on more as the new year rolls around. The first game will be the Maryland Terrapins Women's Basketball team taking on the Loyola Greyhounds on Sunday, December 8 at 1:00p. The second game will be the Washington Wizards taking on the Denver Nuggets on Saturday, January 4 at 8:00p. More details on both games will be sent home through your children and also through the PTA messages as the information is finalized. We hope that you will be able to join us at one of these fun activities!
Community News...
Daycare Provider in Our District
Christine's Family Daycare
Food Truck Friday Flyers
Attached are the flyers for Food Truck Fridays for October and November:
Emerson Food Truck Fridays -October 2019 Schedule-1.png
Emerson Food Truck Fridays -November 2019 Schedule.png
From the Hammond High School Homecoming Committee
The Hammond High School Homecoming Parade will take place October 12, at 10 am.
STEAM Night at the Museum
Ralph Waldo Emerson Poetry Award
Check out the flyer here:Poetry Contest Entry Form.pdf
