February 3, 2023 Forest Ridge Forerunner

Fri, 02/03/2023 - 3:26pm
  • To opt-in to HCPSS Text messages, text "YES" to 67587 from the device on which you would like to receive messages.
  • Be sure to click on the "Calendar" link at the top of our website for important dates throughout the school year.
  • View the breakfast and lunch menus here.  Please keep in mind that items on the menus are subject to availability.
  • Will your child be absent?  Email fresabsence@hcpss.org.

Important Dates
February 9                 Schools close 3 hours early for parent/teacher conferences - check out the Lost & Found!
February 9                 4:00 Staff Appreciation Dinner
February 10               Schools close 3 hours early for parent/teacher conferences
February 16               Blaze Pizza Restaurant Night. View the flyer.
February 20               Presidents Day - Schools and offices closed
February 21               7:00 PTA Meeting
February 24               FRES PTA Culture Fest.  View the flyer.
February 28               FRES Paint Night
February 28               Save the Date!  11:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. Red Hot & Blue Restaurant Day
March 16                    Save the Date!  FRES School-wide Reading Night

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 Administrators...

Dear FRES Community,

We have had a fantastic week here at FRES!  We had two great Orchestra concerts this week and were able to observe the hard work of our students.  Thanks to Mrs. DeOrio for all of her efforts to get our students ready to perform!  Today, we celebrated our students' positive behavior for the second quarter with our Club Day PBIS Celebration.  Our students were able to choose from a variety of different clubs and spent the last hour of the day participating in these activities.  

We look forward to being able to share the progress our students have been making in math during our Parent/Teacher conferences this coming week.  

We will have our lost and found available for parents to go through and claim during conferences on Thursday afternoon and evening.  Even if you are not holding a conference, please feel free to come to school and look through the items.  Please note:  Items not picked up by next Friday, February 10 will be placed in the Planet Aid box.

In addition, we have received a number of new Covid Tests and will have them available during conferences.  If you are not coming to the building, but would like for us to send one home with your student, please call the front office.

We hope everyone has a great weekend and stay warm!

Mr. Conroy and Ms. Pazornik

Forest Ridge News...

Red Hot & Blue Fundraiser to Benefit 4th Grade Field Trip!
Mark your calendars!  4th grade is planning a big field trip this spring to complement the 4th grade curriculum.  To help bring down the price, we are holding a fundraiser at Red Hot & Blue in Laurel.  Here's the information:
Tuesday, Feb. 28 11:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. 
677 Main Street, Laurel
301-953-1943
Carryout or dine in; Door Dash or Uber Eats is also an option.
No flyer needed, just mention Forest Ridge when ordering!

Is Your Child Missing a Coat, Hat, Gloves, Water Bottle, or Anything Else? 
We will have our lost and found available for parents to go through and claim during conferences on Thursday afternoon and evening.  Even if you are not holding a conference, please feel free to come to school and look through the items.  Please note:  Items not picked up by next Friday, February 10 will be placed in the Planet Aid box.

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. 

After April 30th, you will have to go in person to the Health Department 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!

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:

  • Donate non-perishable food and toiletries (boxed and labeled “Feathers for Families”)
  • Donate clothing or shoes (bagged or boxed, labeled “Feathers for Families”)
  • Donate small toy/game/fun items for kids
  • Donate monetary amounts (listed above)

From the PTA...Get More PTA Info at the PTA Website

Staff Appreciation Dinner – February 9th 4:00 p.m.
We still need your help in providing dinner to our wonderful teachers and staff.  We hope you can contribute in some way to show our teachers and staff how much we appreciate all that they do.  https://frespta.ptboard.com/sgnvw

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.  Classes start February 15th.  Please see attached flyer for more details.  Register soon as the class will fill quickly! https://cctarts.org/elementary-after-school-program-2/ 

Blaze Pizza Laurel Restaurant Night – February 16th 5:00 p.m. – 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 p.m.
Join us in the cafeteria to learn more about all the wonderful upcoming events we have planned this spring. 

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 an old newspapers they would like to donate please drop them off at a PTA event or the front office before 2/17.

Red Hot & Blue Laurel – 4th Grade Restaurant Fundraiser – February 28th
Come out and support our local Laurel Red Hot & Blue location with an ALL DAY (11:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.) restaurant fundraiser.  Carryout, and dine-in orders will qualify for a percentage back to our 4th graders.  This will help fund their upcoming spring field trip. More details to follow.

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

Other ways to help, you can donate to My Coke Rewards – If you send in your bottle caps and codes to school we will even enter them in for you.  Don’t forget your Box Tops, those can be submitted via your receipt and their app.

These rewards help the PTA organize family events, and other activities throughout the school year.  Thank you for your support.

In the Community...

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.