Wednesday, September 23: Pre-K - 2 Back to School Night 6:30 - 8:00
Thursday, September 24: Grades 3 - 5 Back to School Night 6:30 - 8:00
Monday, September 28: Schools and Offices Closed
Wednesday, September 30: GT Information Night 5:00
Dear FRES Community,
We all survived our first full week of Virtual Learning! It was a great week and both our staff and students (and parents) worked incredibly hard. Administrators were able to get into all classes and check in with the staff and students.
We also wanted to thank all our families who attended our first Virtual Wellness Night. A special thank you to the PTA for sponsoring this evening. The parent session was recorded and we hope to make it available shortly. We would like to thank our community presenters:
Denise Giuliano, NAMI
Joseline Castanos, NAMI
Tasha Walls, Center for Children
Pamela Blackwall, National Family Resiliency Center
Carolyn Wohnsigl, National Family Resiliency Center
Satyam, Renaissance Yoga
We would also like to thank the staff who helped with the student activities:
Amanda Williams
Sam Cassard
Heather Tordella
L’oreal Edmondson
Melissa Azzarello
Trish DeOrio
Michelle Robinson
Finally, a huge thank you to Alyssa Schuck, Ivye Pazornik, and the PTA for all the behind the scenes work to make this event happen.
GT Orientation
Want to find out more about the GT program at Forest Ridge? There will be a google meet on September 30th at 5:00 p.m. Check out the FRES calendar for the link to get into that meeting. Hope to see you there!
Fall GT Seminar Offerings
FRES GT fall seminar opportunities are becoming available soon! Please take a look at the choices offered on the google form and then make your grade appropriate choices. Please note that you will need to be logged into your child’s HCPSS account to access the google form. Questions? Please email susan_hogan@hcpss.org or kimberly_clawson@hcpss.org.
Primary Talent Development Goes Virtual!
Primary Talent Development ( PTD) provides activities for kindergarten and first grade students to help develop their creative and analytical thinking skills.
While we remain virtual, there will be one lesson per month with the first quarter being asynchronous. Look for this month's lesson link in your Monday morning announcement. You can also find the link on your homeroom teacher's ELA page.
Please note that PTD lessons are optional. If interested, check out the first lesson on Monday, September 21st.
Every year HCPSS parents must complete a Family File for each child. HCPSS utilizes Family File for parents/guardians to complete emergency information. Parents/guardians must verify and/or update information for each child, and can do so by logging in to HCPSS Connect and selecting the Family File tab on the left and then clicking on Family File.
Spanish Directions:
https://www.hcpss.org/f/connect/family-file-user-instructions-spanish.pdf
Once logged in, you will be asked to update or provide the following information:
Student Information
Parent/Guardian Contact
Emergency Contacts
Medical Information
Arrival/Dismissal Procedures
Photo Approval
Data Confidentiality
PTA/PTSA Directory
Are you looking for additional learning resources? Well, the state of Maryland has created a list of free learning resources from ebooks to math to even learning a language. To learn more and for a complete list of the resources, view the attached flyer.
The Student Technology Resources Canvas page includes guides, resources, and videos for HCPSS student technology. Below are some direct links for commonly used resources:
Canvas Orientation includes information on how to navigate Canvas.
Google Meet includes a video overview of how to login.
Chromebook provides a variety of resources for using a HCPSS Chromebook.
Password and Username Self-Service allows families to request a password reset or student's username.
The HCPSS.me website also includes user directions.
If you experience issues after reviewing these resources, please complete FRES Tech Help Form and one of our staff members will reach out to you as soon as possible. If you cannot access the online form, please call 410-880-5950 to leave a message. A staff member will attempt to resolve this issue, and if unsuccessful, will provide directions for exchanging the broken device for a working one at the school system's Online Technology Center.
Forest Ridge Elementary has a new email address dedicated to reporting your student’s absences. If your child will miss class for any reason, please use FRESAbsence@hcpss.org to inform us.
This mailbox will be monitored by front office staff so please include the following information:
Your child’s first and last name
Grade
Homeroom teacher
The dates your child is absent
The reason for the absence (if it is an illness, please list the symptoms so we can inform the health room)
Forest Ridge will be serving lunch during the designated lunch time in the schedule. It will be served at the front of the building. If you need to access other schools for lunch service, here is the link.
The Maryland Department of Human Services is the state’s human service provider. The agency provides a wide range of services that are administered by local departments of social services in each of the 24 local jurisdictions across the state. These services assist low-income individuals and families in their communities. See below flyer and share.
Supporting Maryland's Families in Need - English
Supporting Maryland's Families in Need - Spanish
Adhere to HCPSS Policy 8080 Responsible Use Technology and Social Media and other relevant HCPSS policies.
Follow the school’s values - Focus, Respect, Effort, and Safety
Students will only be permitted into a Google Meet session with an HCPSS email account. All students can be identified through their HCPSS email account.
Inappropriate/offensive/threatening comments, misrepresentation of identity, and/or disruptive participants (invited or uninvited) during Google Meet sessions will not be tolerated.
Sharing login information violates the confidentiality rights of other students and places them at risk of having to witness disruptive behaviors from students who are not members of the class or school community.
Students who are disruptive and/or “trespass” Google Meet sessions will be immediately reported to administration and will receive appropriate consequences in accordance with the HCPSS Code of Conduct. Consequences may result in temporary or permanent loss of technology access, which will also result in a student's inability to participate in Google Meet sessions; arrangement for receiving instruction and assignments will be established by administration communicated and arranged with parents.
Additional information can be found in the Safety Measures During the Google Meet Session on 20-21 HCPSS Virtual Teaching and Learning Page
After school cheerleading (virtual while schools are closed) starts soon for the Fall Semester! Contact www.supersquads.org, supersquadsinfo@verizon.net or 410-796-2244 to join!
Jigna Bhatt(Just Like Mom Daycare)
Loving and caring Just like mom
Licensed day care in Stone Lake community
Care available for toddler
No virtual learning pod
Jignabhatt@gmail.com
301-776-8624 Home
301-377-4317 Cell
www.justlikemom.org
Lic# 16-0504
From the PTA President, Korin Sharp
Thanks to everyone who participated in the Virtual Wellness Night! Hopefully everyone learned something useful and the students had fun. We will have the recording up shortly for those who missed it. This event was hosted by our PTA Wellness Committee and funded by a grant from TikTok through the National PTA. Please stay tuned for more info on wellness kit distribution, prize winners, and future committee events.
Thank you also to those who attended our first PTA meeting. Meeting materials can be found here.
Website: The new FRES PTA website www.frespta.org has a translation feature. See attached screenshot. Please ask if there is a need for a language that is not listed.
Committees: We are still looking for co-chairs and members for most of the PTA committees. Please consider volunteering a few hours of your time each month. We especially need help on the Membership and Fundraising committees. No experience necessary. More info can be found here.
Membership: We are now primarily using MemberHub for processing memberships and donations. Please visit www.frespta.org/join to join. Membership dues are $10 for one membership or $16 for two members in the same household, plus a small processing fee. Of these membership dues, $2.25 goes to the National PTA and $2.00 goes to the Maryland PTA. In addition to their resources and support, we also get access to some fun discounts.
Upcoming Events:
SPECIAL MEETING Announcement - 7-7:30 p.m. FRIDAY, September 25th to vote on the budget. All members from the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 school years are eligible to vote. Meeting will be socially distant and held on Chaton Rd. It is important to have a quorum. Maryland PTA does not permit voting via virtual meeting.
Future General PTA Meetings: October 12, November 9, December 14, January 11, February 8, March 8, April 12, May 10, June 14
Communication: There will be several ways to receive communications including school communications, www.frespta.org, the FRES PTA Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/FRESPTA/, and Twitter @frespta. Last year, there was a group formed for discussion and support. That can be found at https://www.facebook.com/groups/2135313649893726/ and is for current FRES families. New this year, we will also be utilizing Band groups. These can be accessed via web or mobile app. Join via the following links:
All FRES Families https://band.us/n/a7a143d9Lac5h
HS Class of 2035 https://band.us/n/afa64fd4L4ecD
HS Class of 2034 https://band.us/n/a7aa42d9KeGff
HS Class of 2033 https://band.us/n/a7ae4ddeK4h2g
HS Class of 2032 https://band.us/n/a1ae4dd9K2i1f
HS Class of 2031 https://band.us/n/a6ac41d3K9j1A
HS Class of 2030 https://band.us/n/a9a04ad0M3g4N
HS Class of 2029 https://band.us/n/aaac42d9K7R1c
HS Class of 2028 https://band.us/n/aba74cdbKbodG
Grocery Rewards: NEW Weis now has a rewards program.
IT’S EASY!
1. REGISTER *Your school’s barcode only needs to be scanned one time to register.
2. SCAN your Weis Club Card each time you shop on participating products.
3. EARN cash for your school based upon your qualifying purchases.
We are also participating in Amazon Smile, Harris Teeter (requires annual renewal), BoxTops, and Coke Rewards. Please visit https://frespta.org/ways-to-support/grocery-storeshopping-programs/ for more information on these programs that provide financial support to FRES based on purchases you already make.
Questions and Suggestions: Please email contact@frespta.org with any questions, feedback, or suggestions or contact me directly at president@frespta.org
Have a great weekend!
Korin Sharp, FRES PTA President