IMPORTANT DATES
March 14 Professional Work and Wellness Day - schools close 3 hours early (12:15)
March 20 6:30 PTA General Membership Meeting – FRES Media Center
March 26 6:15-7:45 Health & Wellness Fair
March 31 Full day for students (originally a workday for staff, but now a snow day make-up day)
April 12-21 Spring Break! Schools closed
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. FRES parents will need to opt-in from the phone that receives messages on the number we have on file for them. Text YES to 67587.
- Will your child be absent? Email fresabsence@hcpss.org.
From Our Administrators...
Dear Forest Ridge Families,
Thank you to everyone who joined us for last night’s Paint Night! It was wonderful to see so many families come together to get creative and have fun. A huge thank you to our amazing art teachers, Mrs. Allen and Ms. Frere, for all the time and effort they put into making the night such a success. We truly appreciate their dedication to bringing the arts to life in our school!
On a more serious note, we need to address ongoing safety concerns in the car loop. Unfortunately, too many drivers are not following our established procedures, and this is leading to dangerous situations. We have seen repeated instances of cars running over traffic cones—cones that we must continually replace, costing the school valuable resources. More importantly, disregarding the rules puts our students, staff, and other families at risk.
We are asking—once again—for everyone to follow the procedures, exercise patience, and treat our staff with respect. These expectations are not new, nor are they optional. They exist for one reason: to keep everyone safe, including your children. Let’s work together to ensure a smooth and secure dismissal process for all.
On a brighter note, we have another fun event coming up! Save the date for our Math Night on Tuesday, April 1st at 6:00 PM. It will be a great opportunity for families to engage in hands-on math activities and discover the joy of learning together. We can’t wait to see you there!
Thank you for being part of our wonderful school community. Your support means everything!
Warmly,
Mrs. Lannon & Ms. Pazornik
Forest Ridge News...
Girls on the Run Registration is Open!
Registration for Girls on the Run Spring 2025 Season is open! Girls on the Run® inspires participants in grades 3-5 to be joyful, healthy, and confident by using running to teach valuable life skills. Volunteer coaches facilitate lessons that blend physical activity with life skill development, including managing emotions, fostering friendships, and expressing empathy. At the end of the season, the team completes a Community Impact Project and a 5K together, which provides a tangible sense of accomplishment and sets a confident mindset into motion. Forest Ridge GOTR will meet on Tuesday and Thursday from 3:15pm - 4:45pm starting March 18. The season-ending 5K for Howard County will be on Saturday, May 31 at 8:00 a.m. The program registration fee is $185, which includes lessons, all program materials, 5K and program shirts, a water bottle, and more. Financial assistance is available! Visit www.gotrcentralmd.org to register. Questions? Call 443-864-8593.
A Message from the Health Room
Parents/guardians are asked to please notify the school health room if your child is diagnosed with a communicable disease (i.e. Flu, strep, COVID, RSV, norovirus, pink eye). We continue to track illness cases so that we can make the necessary reports to the Howard County Health Department in the event of an outbreak. If you have your child tested for illness and they have a positive result, please email our school nurse, Mrs. Lewis, at kerri_lewis@hcpss.org and make her aware. Thank you for your support in keeping our students healthy!
Incoming Kindergarten Registration
Kindergarten registration for the 2025-2026 school year is open now! Families of children who will be five years old by September 1, 2025, should enroll their child in kindergarten or submit a kindergarten waiver. Please share with your neighbors! Families can find more information about enrolling children in kindergarten, as well as resources to support kindergarten readiness, the kindergarten waiver, and more on the HCPSS website here: https://www.hcpss.org/enroll/kindergarten/
Howard County Recreation & Parks Spring Flier
Check out the offerings being held at Forest Ridge here. Follow this link if you want to register.
Hammond High School Green Fest!
What: Exciting eco-friendly activities for kids and adults
Information on environmental initiatives
Prizes and Giveaways
When: Saturday, March 22
Where: Hammond High School
8800 Guilford Road
Columbia, MD 21046
View the flyer.
Learning Together Program
The FRES Early Childhood classes are making preparations for the 2025-26 school year and are accepting applications for general education students to participate as peers through the Learning Together Program (LTP). These classes include general education and special education students. The program’s focus is helping all children develop communication, literacy, math, problem solving, motor, and social skills. Parents of children who will be 3 by September 1, 2025, applications are available now.
In alignment with Maryland’s Blueprint for the Future, new LTP applications for students turning 4 by September 1 will not be available. HCPSS continues to offer Prekindergarten for income eligible children who will be 4 years old by September 1. For additional information contact the school or visit: https://www.hcpss.org/schools/pre-k-programs/ .
HCPSS is committed to providing instruction based on the statewide Early Learning Standards which are in alignment with Kindergarten Readiness. The fees listed in the application will be collected monthly. If you have any additional questions , please contact Jen Black at jennifer_black@hcpss.org or (410) 880-5950.
From the ChildFind Office
Attention Parents of Rising Kindergarteners: Don't Wait for Summer to Address Developmental Concerns!
If you have concerns about your child's development - whether it's their speech, motor skills, social skills or learning - it's important to act now. Waiting until the summer for a referral can delay crucial support that your child may need before starting kindergarten.Contact us today to schedule a screening. Let's work together to ensure your child has the best possible start in kindergarten! Call 410-313-7046 or email ChildFind@hcpss.org
WatchDOGS Sign Up Link
Interested in being a WatchDOG? Sign up here.
From the PTA...Get More PTA Info at the PTA Website
READ-A-THON STARTED MARCH 1ST
We're thrilled that our Read-A-Thon is underway! This annual event not only raises funds that support our school, it motivates our students to READ!!! 100 students that have already created their personal reader pages and logged reading minutes and donations.
If you haven't already, please take a moment to activate your child’s personal reader page by clicking on the following link: https://www.read-a-thon.com/readers/r/3339353533
It only takes a minute or two, and your support will greatly assist us in meeting both our fundraising goal and our student reading goal! Our 2-week goal was 150,000 minutes read and we just extended our event by another week so let’s see if we can exceed our new goal of 225,000 minutes read!!! Don't forget to include any minutes you read to and with your child! More information is available on the PTA Website https://frespta.org/its-time-for-the-forest-ridge-elementary-school-read-a-thon/
PTA MEETING – THURSDAY 3/20 6:30 pm – 7:45 pm
Join us for our March PTA Meeting at 6:30 pm in the media center. There’s a lot happening and we would love your help in planning our spring events including the Health & Wellness Fair, Silent Auction, Spring Carnival, Staff Appreciation Week and Fifth Grade Activities.
HEALTH & WELLNESS FAIR - Wednesday, March 26th 6:15 pm-7:45 pm
FRES PTA invites our amazing families and community to our Health and Wellness Fair on Wednesday, March 26th. Bring your whole family and learn more about the many resources available to the community in Howard County and beyond. More details to come!
SILENT AUCTION – COMING IN APRIL!!!
The PTA will host a silent auction via Givebacks this year. We are currently seeking donations for the auction. If you would like to help source items for the auction, make a donation or know an individual or business who would be willing to make a donation please contact president@frespta.org or 443-300-8463. A sign up for basket donations will be available soon.
SPRING CARNIVAL – SATURDAY 5/3
This year we will celebrate “Carnival Around the World” on Saturday, May 3rd, combining elements of our annual Culture Fest with our Carnival. If you are interested in helping with the planning of this event please contact president@frespta.org.
In the Community...
Spring Break Basketball Camp
Check out this new opportunity for a spring break basketball camp.
STEM Village Summer Camp. View the flyer.
NEW! Refer a Friend and Get Free Aftercare!
STEMVillage Leadership Summer Camp offers rising 3rd–6th graders an opportunity to dive into STEM and leadership. Through hands-on projects and fun challenges, campers boost their critical thinking, creativity, emotional intelligence, and public speaking—all while making lasting summer memories.
This summer, we’re hosting two sessions:
Session 1 (July 7–11, 2025):
Explore simple machines and design bottle rockets
Sharpen public speaking skills with interactive presentations and group STEM pitches
Session 2 (July 28–August 1, 2025):
Tackle problem-solving challenges like egg drops and bridge-building competitions
Enhance collaboration and innovation through teamwork exercises
Special Offer: Refer a friend, and if they sign up, you’ll receive free aftercare!
Early bird pricing is just $350 per week—now extended to March 14, 2025 due to popular demand.
Don’t miss this chance for a summer full of STEM fun, leadership development, and extra aftercare benefits. For more details and to register, visit tinyurl.com/stemvillage25. Spaces are limited—sign up now!
Young Panthers Training Session is here!
This session is for students wanting to work on their fundamental skills in basketball. Each session is filled with fun ways to work on passing, dribbling, shooting, & and of course defense skills. Register your child to be the first to know when we will have our sessions!
LIFE Elite Athletics is an organization that caters to youth and young adults. We foster the development of leadership qualities through a commitment to education and community involvement. We aim to provide our constituents with versatile experiences through scholastic empowerment, athletic conditioning, and cultural exposure. We believe in guiding our youth to "Seeing Obstacles as Lessons Understanding Trials Induce Opportunities for Next Steps" (SOLUTIONS) mentality.
We create opportunities for youth and young adults to achieve their dreams by providing them with resources, instilling work ethic, and building the confidence needed to be successful adults.
Teaching the game of basketball is an avenue used to achieve said goals. We believe in using basketball as a tool to prepare the players for real life; by instilling discipline, dedication, teamwork, leadership to name a few. In addition, we work on the fundamentals of basketball and enhance the basketball IQ of each player. Lastly, we aim to win, to build confidence in our kids, and learn from losses.
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 Updates
- Free Parenting/Grandparenting Classes - Open to parents, guardians and grandparents residing in Howard County or with school-age children/grandchildren residing in the County. Evidence-based, interactive prevention program that provides families with the skills and knowledge to reduce the risk that their children will use drugs and alcohol or engage in other dangerous behaviors. The curriculum was written for families with children 9-14 years olds, but we believe it is appropriate for K-12 families. Class dates: March 18, 21, 25, 28 and April 1 from Noon to 1:30 p.m. on Zoom. Visit HC DrugFree’s website for more information and register at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Spring2025GGC
- Drive-Thru Medication and Sharps Disposal – Saturday, April 26 in the Wilde Lake Village Center Parking Lot near the Swim Center from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Safely dispose of prescription and over-the-counter medication, EpiPens and other sharps, vitamins, pet meds, vape devices, inhalers, and more! Need student, adult, and medically-trained adult volunteers. Giving away 100 medication lockboxes.
For more information: https://hcdrugfree.org/drug-take-back-day-1/
To sign up to volunteer: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/4-26-25TakeBack - Teen Advisory Council - Open to Howard County students in grades 8-12. Earn Community Service Hours and make meaningful contributions to the community. Next meeting: Monday May 19, 2025, from 5:30-7:00pm on Zoom. For more information, visit: https://hcdrugfree.org/teen-advisory-council/
- 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.