Important Dates
January 27 6:30 Health and Wellness Fair. View the flyer.
January 31 7:00 Culture Fest Planning Meeting
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 4:00 Staff Appreciation Dinner
February 16 Blaze Pizza Restaurant Night. View the flyer.
February 21 7:00 PTA Meeting
February 24 FRES PTA Culture Fest. View the flyer.
February 28 FRES Paint Night
March 16 Save the Date! FRES School-wide Reading Night - more 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.***
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!
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.
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:
Culture Fest Planning Meeting – January 31st 7:00 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!
Staff Appreciation Dinner – February 9th 4:00 p.m.
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
Blaze Pizza Laurel Restaurant Night – February 16th 5:00-9:00 p.m.
Come out to Blaze Pizza in the Laurel Town Center for this month’s restaurant fundraiser. FRES PTA will receive 20% back. Enter promo code 1037B for pick up, curbside, and carryout orders. Order at www.blazepizza.com
PTA Meeting – February 21st – 7:00 p.m.
Join us in the cafeteria to learn more about all the wonderful upcoming events we have planned this spring including Culture Fest, the Spring Carnival and Silent Auction. We are looking for a graphic designer to help create some flyers for our remaining events. If you have experience and the time please email contact@frespta.org for additional details.
CultureFest – February 24th 6:30 p.m.
Did you know that 28 different languages are spoken by our amazing families at FRES? Just imagine learning so much more about our wonderfully diverse community and experiencing the food, music, and more from so many countries! Would YOU and your student like to share your community with our FRES family? Registration deadline is February 15th.
To sign up to participate click here: https://frespta.ptboard.com/sgnvw?group=&signup=8Gsir6O-SDSAUlO1BS2rZnN___59WFs5tX___noYt6Om
To volunteer during the event, please click here. https://frespta.ptboard.com/sgnvw?group=&signup=8Gsir6O-SDSAUlO1BS2rZnN___59WFs5tX___noYwhXj
Please email Khaleda Hasan at kbhschools@gmail.com to join our committee or to share your ideas!
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 any 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.
https://ads.read-a-thon.com/options.php?id=53067
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
Kids on Campus – Summer Program
Looking for Summer Camp Ideas? Take a look at the offerings at Howard Community College this summer. Registration opens January 26th
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. 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/
AmazonSmile
Amazon will be terminating their AmazonSmile Program on February 20th. It is NOW even more important to register for grocery rewards.
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
These rewards help the PTA organize family events throughout the school year. Thank you for your support.
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.