November 13, 2020 Forest Ridge Forerunner

Fri, 11/13/2020 - 9:22am

To opt-in to receive HCPSS text messges, text "YES" to 67587.
 

Important Dates

November 13          Parent Conferences Sign-up begins in the Parent Portal

November 16          Quarter 1 Report Cards Issued

November 16-20    American Education Week

November 23          Parent Conferences, schools close 3 hours early

November 24          Parent Conferences, schools close 3 hours early

November 25          Parent Conferences- schools closed for students

From our Administration...

Click here to read our American Education Week letter.

Report Cards Issued Online on November 16th
The end of the 1st quarter was Friday, November 6​th and report cards will be issued on Monday, November 16​. ​Parents/guardians may view/download report cards by taking the following steps:

  1. Log in to HCPSS Connect Synergy

  2. Select More Options from the left panel

  3. Select Report Cards from the middle

  4. Select the report card you wish to access

Parents of students receiving special education services can expect to receive their child's IEP progress report ​no later than Friday, November 20 through email. If you have any questions about your child's progress ​or what to expect as we fulfill requirements for progress reporting, ​you may contact your child's case manager.

Sign-up for Virtual Parent Teacher Conferences--Begins November 13th
Fall Parent Teacher Conferences will take place on November 23 - 25th. November 23rd and 24th are half days for students and conferences will take place in the afternoon. Many teachers will also host conferences on the evenings of the 23rd and 24th.  Teachers who do not host evening conferences will offer conferences on the 25th. There is no school for students on the 25th.

This fall, you may sign up for a conference with your child's ELA teacher. The conference window opens up on Wednesday, November 13th and will be open through Thursday, November 19th.  The conferences will be 20 minutes each. Some non-homeroom teachers may have office hours or conferences available for the parents/guardians of the students they work with. More information will come from those individuals to the impacted families via Canvas within the next week or so.

To sign up for a conference, please login to HCPSS Connect and click on "Conferences" in the navigation pane. Refer to the Quick Reference Guide for more information and detailed steps to sign up for a conference.

Fall MAP Reports Available in Synergy
For students in grades 2 - 5 that took the MAP assessment this Fall, the MAP Home Reports are now available to be viewed in Synergy. The pdf is located in the same location that you would view your child's report card. For more information about the assessment and for details on how to access the reports, visit this website: https://help.hcpss.org/grades-testing/fall-2020-MAP-scores

Forest Ridge News...

Don't forget to check out the latest news from Mrs. Schuck, our School Counselor

From the Health Room
Check out this flyer about pediatric eye exams with one year of follow-up for uninsured or under-insured children.

Media Matters and Tech Tidbits

  • Google Play- Last week, you received an email about Google Play Parent Opt In apps. These apps will be used during Instructional Technology for our computational thinking units. They allow students to engage in hands-on learning involving coding and programming.  Please know that these apps have been chosen and approved because they follow all data privacy policies. Students will not be able to download any apps of their choosing. We have created a HCPSS Google Play store to provide approved educational apps to enhance learning. If you have not done so, please take time to follow the directions here to Opt In Google Apps directions page to access HCPSS Connect and give consent to opt in. 

  • Family Coding Night - December 1st, 7 pm  Mark your calendars and join us for a nation-wide family coding night, more details coming soon!

  • Juggling screen time and family time is a real struggle these days.  Getting into the daily routine of logging out and putting your Chromebook away after school hours may help your child view the device as a tool for learning, especially with our Intermediate students.

School Meals
A stopgap U.S. government funding bill signed into law last Thursday, which includes almost $8 billion in nutrition assistance, allows USDA to extend the meal waivers, previously due to expire at the end of December, through the end of the 2020-2021 school year. Thus, HCPSS will be able to provide meals at no cost to any HCPSS student, and all children 18 and under, through the entire school year, assuming continued availability of USDA funding.  
 
Beginning Monday, October 12, HCPSS will add a snack and dinner to each weekday meal, in addition to breakfast and lunch already being served. Additionally, weekend meals will be included with meals provided on Fridays, and in pre-ordered meals picked up on Thursdays.
 
HCPSS also has adjusted the pre-order process. Meals for multiple days need to be pre-ordered at least two days in advance for pickup on Mondays and Thursdays. Pre-order meal pickups will be offered only on those two days, to enable Food and Nutrition Services to improve service and efficiency while balancing staffing and food resources.
 

From the PTA...

We had a great turnout at our November PTA meeting. If you missed it, you can still catch up by viewing our meeting padlet. We have also launched our Fall Fundraiser with See's Candies. Here is information to share or visit tiny.cc/frescandy  Prices are the same as retail and there is flat rate shipping available or free shipping on orders $70+. Ordering is open through Dec. 4.  Products will be shipped directly to recipients. FRES PTA will receive approximately 20% of sales. If you haven't yet tried See's Candy, you are in for a treat!

Reflections Arts Competition: The Reflections Arts Competition is now open through Dec. 4! Students in PreK-12 can submit a work of art in categories such as visual art, music, and more, under the theme "I Matter Because." Prizes will be awarded. Here is more information. You can also visit www.pta.org/reflections. Please email treasurer@frespta.org with any questions. 

Wellness Kits: If your child hasn't received one yet, it is still possible to arrange a time to pick one up at the school during free breakfast or lunch pick up. Please send an email to Ms. Schuck to coordinate a time.

Upcoming PTA Meetings: (Via Zoom) December 14, January 11, February 8, March 8, April 12, May 10, June 14

Volunteer Opportunity Spotlight: 

1. Do you like to write? We are looking for volunteers to help with short grant applications for National PTA. Grant applications are due Nov. 20. 

2. Do you like planning events? The Wellness Committee could use help with a virtual bingo night.

3. Do you like facilitating discussions? We are also looking for volunteers to help set up social Google Meets, like lunch bunches, a game, trivia, or discussion, to help students get to know their classmates outside of class time. We can help provide the ideas!

If you wish to volunteer for any of these opportunities, please email president@frespta.org for more information.

Membership Update: We are now up to 74 members! FRES families, staff, and community members can join at www.frespta.org/join Only $10 per year for an individual or $16 for a pair.

After School Enrichment: KidzArt has opened registration for their next session and Abrakadoodle has shared their new schedule. Both of these organizations were partners of our after school enrichment program and we hope you will consider them if you are looking for additional art activities for your students.

Community Update: If you or someone you know could use a free Thanksgiving basket, register here.

Feedback: Please let us know if you have any questions, feedback, or suggestions. 

Thanks and have a wonderful weekend!

Korin Sharp