Important Dates
January 23 Professional Work Day - Schools closed for Students
January 24 Club and Candid Pictures Taken for the Yearbook
January 25 4:00-7:00 Crazy Mason Milkshake Bar Restaurant Night. View the flyer.
January 26 PVMS New Student Orientation Night: GT information Thurs., 1/26 at 6 pm
January 26 PVMS New Student Orientation Night: General Orientation Thurs., 1/26 at 6:30 pm
January 27 6:30 Health and Wellness Fair. View the flyer.
February 1 6:30 Beginning Orchestra Concert (Group 1)
February 1 7:30 Beginning Orchestra Concert (Group 2)
February 2 6:30 4th Grade Advanced Orchestra Concert
February 2 7:30 5th Grade Advanced Orchestra Concert
February 9th Staff Appreciation Dinner
February 24 FRES PTA Culture Fest
February 28 FRES Paint Night
March 16 Save the Date! FRES School-wide Reading Night - for information to come
View the HCPSS Calendar in English
View the HCPSS Calendar in Spanish
View the HCPSS Calendar in Korean
View the HCPSS Calendar in Chinese
***Want to receive HCPSS text messages regarding weather-related closing info, late bus info, etc.? You must opt-in. Text "YES" to 67587 from the device on which you would like to receive messages.***
Dear FRES Community,
We can’t believe we are halfway through the school year! Today marks the end of the 2nd marking period. We have had a great week here at FRES!
As a reminder, schools are closed for students on Monday, January 23, so that teachers can prepare report cards. Report cards will be available in HCPSS Connect on Tuesday, January 31. Enjoy your weekend!
Sincerely,
Mr. Conroy & Ms. Pazornik
From our Social Worker, Holly Flanagan
IMPORTANT NOTICE FOR THOSE WITH MEDICAL ASSISTANCE: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, medical assistance has been automatically renewed since March, 2020. However, automatic renewals will stop on April 30, 2023 so please call the Health Dept Insurance Line at (410) 313-5845 to renew. They will set up an appointment by phone for you to renew.
If you have questions, please contact our school social worker, Holly Flanagan, at Holly_Flanagan@hcpss.org or (443) 355-9893.
Weather Guidelines
Remember: Students go out for recess if the temperature including windchill is 20 degrees or higher. Also, if your student needs to stay inside during recess, you must provide a doctor's note. Thanks!
Upcoming Winter MAP Testing in Grades 1-5. El examen de MAP invierno 2023
Students in grades 1-5 will participate in the winter administration of Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) testing.
HCPSS/The Council of Elders of Howard County (TCOE) Community Academy: Healthy and Unhealthy Relationships
The Council of Elders of the Black Community of Howard County (TCOE), in collaboration with the Howard County Public School System, will host a TCOE Community Academy on Healthy and Unhealthy Relationships on Saturday, January 28th, 2023 from 9:00 - 10:30 am. The event will be virtual. The session will provide information regarding healthy and unhealthy relationships. Representatives from HCPSS, as well as Howard County community organizations, will provide resources and education on managing peer conflict, identifying abuse in teen relationships, and identifying skills and strategies to intervene if needed. View the flyer here.
Registration is required, and families can complete the registration linked here.
Road to Kindergarten for Families with Children Going to Kindergarten in Fall, 2023
Sessions are 6:30-7:30 and are offered on the following dates:
HCPSS Summer Programs Preview
The 2023 Summer Programs Preview, which contains descriptions of HCPSS’ four summer programs and enrollment information, is available to view and download from the Summer Programs web page. Online enrollment requests for currently enrolled HCPSS students will open Wednesday, February 1, 2023 at 6 p.m. for the following programs:
NOTE: Invitations for eligible HCPSS students for Academic Intervention and Extended School Year Special Education programs will come directly from the school or special education team during Spring 2023.
Contact the individual program offices with additional questions.
Help for FRES Families in Need
We are starting a community support group at school, called Feathers for Families! Here are ways you can help ALL YEAR ‘ROUND:
Spring Musical – Register Today!
Announcing this year's Spring Musical Drama Opportunity! The PTA has partnered with the Columbia Center for Theatrical Arts (CCTA) to bring High School Musical JR. to FRES students. View the flyer here. This enrichment class will meet weekly on Wednesdays after-school until 5:00 pm beginning February 15th (no class 3/15 & 4/5) and culminate with a full stage production with sets, costumes and sound on Wednesday, May 10th at 7 pm. Each class will be led by a qualified Professional Actor and a talented Musical Director from CCTA. Our negotiated great tuition rate for FRES students includes: a t-shirt, props, costumes, pizza party on performance day, and scene by scene multi-casting so that everyone has a chance to be a star. Register soon as the class will fill quickly! https://cctarts.org/elementary-after-school-program-2/.
Crazy Mason Milkshake Restaurant Night – January 25th
Come out to Crazy Mason Milkshake Bar in Old Ellicott City from 4pm – 7pm for this month’s restaurant night.
Click here to see their menu: https://www.thecrazymason.com/our-locations/old-ellicott-city-baltimore/
As a bonus the mason jars will have our FRES logo on them and they also package them up to go, so you can enjoy the goodness at home. Please visit the event facebook page at: https://fb.me/e/5eN8oAond?mibextid=RQdjqZ for more information.
Health and Wellness Fair - Friday, January 27 from 6:30-8:00pm
FRES PTA wants to support our amazing families and community at our Health and Wellness Fair on Friday, January 27. Bring your whole family, help yourself to some food, and then send the kids off to the Media Center for a movie and babysitting.
Then head back to the cafeteria! We will have representatives from the following organizations and businesses to share with us their expertise, some are offering some raffle prizes and fun interactive ways to help address the stressors of life!
Things to do:
People to Talk to:
Please email Pratima Lele at pratimalele@gmail.com if you want to help set up on the day of or are willing to assist in creating signs and advertising. Spread the word! To sign up to volunteer, click here: https://frespta.ptboard.com/sgnvw
Culture Fest Planning Meeting – January 31st 7 p.m.
Culture Fest is fast approaching. Do you know of a local organization that can perform at Culture Fest? Do you have a cultural talent that you would like to share with the FRES community? We want to hear from you! Email Khaleda Hasan at kbhschools@gmail.com to join our committee or to share your ideas! Culture Fest will be held on February 24th at 6:30-8:30pm.
Staff Appreciation Dinner – February 9th 4pm
Visit our PT Board sign up for the upcoming staff appreciation dinner. We hope you can contribute in some way to show our teachers how much we appreciate all that they do. https://frespta.ptboard.com/sgnvw
Family Paint Night – February 28th 6:30 p.m.
Join Ms. Allen from the Art Department and the FRES PTA for a family paint night. Each canvas is $12 and the proceeds from this event will go directly to the Art Department. Each attendee will be painting a snowy penguin scene. To register for this event please click here https://frespta.ptboard.com/formvw?store=3253&form=5 Registration deadline is Friday, February 17th.
To help prepare for this event, if anyone has old newspapers they would like to donate please drop them off at a PTA event or the front office before 2/17.
Read-A-Thon – Is coming!!
Our Read-A-Thon fundraiser is fast approaching. As part of our Read-A-Thon, we have an exciting opportunity for local businesses. If you own, know, or manage a business, consider sponsoring our Read-A-Thon.
Thousands of people will know you’re supporting literacy at our school. Bring traffic to your site through both digital and optional printed content while supporting the school and local community.
There are a limited number of digital and printed spots available, including one Literacy Champion sponsorship.
Click here to reserve your sponsorship spot today. Questions? Email FRES PTA at contact@frespta.org.
Watch D.O.G.S.
Calling all dads, grandparents, male role models. Sign up today to spend a day or half day with not only your child but the amazing students of FRES. Unsure what this entails, click here to read our FAQ.
Our calendar for the rest of the year is available. If you would like to sign up, please click here: https://www.signupgenius.com/index.cfm?go=s.signup&urlid=4090a4ea8ab2caafc1-watch3&view=standard
If you have any questions or need to purchase a shirt, please reach out to Mrs. Norris at Alyssa_Norris@hcpss.org
Before and After School Programs
Registration is open for before and after school programs being offered at FRES in February & March by the Howard County Parks & Rec Department! Offered classes include: chess, art, music, basketball, and golf! To find out more details, please review the flier. To create a Parks & Rec account and register, please visit: https://www.howardcountymd.gov/recreation-parks/programs
Amazon Wish List
The PTA has received the following Amazon Wish List from the Related Arts Departments. If you are inclined, please look, and see how we can help the wonderful teachers of FRES.
https://frespta.org/ways-to-support/amazon-wish-lists/
Amazon will be terminating their AmazonSmile Program on February 20th. It is NOW even more important to register for grocery rewards to help the FRES PTA.
Weis Rewards:
https://weis4school.com/index.php?vica=ctl_schools&vicb=showSchoolPdf&vicc=h&id=86331
Harris Teeter:
https://tie.harristeeter.com/together-in-education#/app/cms
HCPSS Community News and Programs Site:
In response to community requests for resources, HCPSS’ new Community News and Programs website makes it easy for families to find educational and recreational resources, events and after-school programs beyond the school day by non-profit organizations. Community organizations requesting their announcements be shared in school newsletters should visit community-programs.hcpss.org for more information. Questions should be directed to the Public Information Office at publicinfo@hcpss.org.
HC Drug Free Events
Receive HC DrugFree's Free Newsletter: To receive HC DrugFree's free electronic newsletter packed with information for parents and opportunities for students, go to https://hcdrugfree.org/enews-signup/
Stay Informed about What’s Happening in Howard County: Sign up for HC DrugFree’s newsletter at https://hcdrugfree.org/enews-signup/ to get updates on events as well as information to keep your family safe and informed.