Important Dates
February 24 3:00-5:00 p.m. FRES Culture Fest
February 24 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Hammond High School Green Fest (see below under Community News for more info)
February 28 Sweet Frog Restaurant Night. View the flyer.
March 4 Read-a-Thon Begins
March 5 PTA Meeting
March 7 Class & optional individual pictures (see below for more info)
March 7 5:00-8:00 FRES Spirit Night at Savage Library
March 13 Professional Work & Wellness Day - schools dismiss 3 hours early (12:55)
March 20 6:30-7:45 Family Reading Night at FRES
March 23-Apr. 1 Spring Break! Schools closed
April 2 Students and staff return
View the HCPSS Calendar in English
View the HCPSS Calendar in Spanish
View the HCPSS Calendar in Korean
View the HCPSS Calendar in Chinese
School Spirit Days for 23/24
We are excited to share our school spirit days calendar for the 23/24 school year! We hope this helps families plan ahead. There may be spirit days that pop up here and there based on activities that are going on in the building, but this calendar is what we will be following. You may want to print it out, put the dates on your personal calendar, hang it on the fridge - whatever works for you to remember these fun days!
Dear FRES community,
We've had yet another fantastic week at school! This morning, our students were treated to an engaging assembly sponsored by our incredible PTA. The Mad Science assembly program was a resounding success, captivating our students and leaving a lasting impression. None of this would have been possible without the invaluable support of our dedicated parents and the PTA. Don't forget to ask your child about their experience when they return home.
Throughout February, we've been honoring Black History Month in various ways. One enjoyable initiative has been a door decorating event among staff, aimed at highlighting significant ideas, historical figures, or the essence of Black History Month itself. If you happen to be in the building, be sure to take a moment to appreciate these creative displays!
As we have shared previously, National Staff Employee Appreciation Week is Feb. 26 - March 1, but we plan to celebrate our staff the entire month of March because - well they deserve it and more! We have been working hard to make it a great month for our staff but we could use your help. Don’t forget to fill out the “Thank a Teacher” Google Form. So far we have 164 entries, but our goal is to have at least one for every staff person, so keep them coming! We also have some items that we need for various treats and projects that we have planned for them throughout the month. If you are interested in helping us out, please use THIS AMAZON WISH LIST. We also need some items that cannot be found on Amazon. You can sign up for those items by going HERE. We thank you in advance!
On Wednesday, February 28th we will be holding our next School Spirit Day! That day is Tie Dye Day! We look forward to seeing everyone in their tie dye!
Warm regards,
Mrs. Lannon & Ms. Pazornik
Class Picture Day is Coming March 7! View the pricing flyer here.
Picture Day is coming soon! To order spring photos, you must return the flyer/order envelope on Picture Day. Online pre-ordering is NOT available for spring photos – the envelope must be returned on Picture Day.
Class group photos will be taken on Picture Day for all students. For individual portraits, only students who bring in their envelopes on Picture Day will be photographed. Please look for the flyer/order envelope that will be sent home with your child soon!
We look forward to seeing your smiles soon on Picture Day!
2024-2025 Kindergarten Registration is OPEN!
Registration for the upcoming school year, 2024-25 is now available. All registrations will be completed online, https://www.hcpss.org/enroll/ After submission, the registration will be reviewed, and the registrar will reach out to you to schedule an in-person appointment to complete the registration. Please upload the required documentation if able. Kindergarten is a mandatory grade in Maryland. Children must be 5 years old by September 1 in order to enroll in Kindergarten. Every child who is 5 years old by September 1 must be enrolled in a Kindergarten program this fall or have an approved waiver on file. (Waiver form for the 2024-25 school year will be available March 1st) Parents or guardians are to register their child at the serving school for their residence.
Current HCPSS families may log into their Parent CONNECT account and select Online Registration once in their parent account to begin the registration process for their new family member. Please exclude all current students, they do not need to be re-registered. This includes students currently enrolled in a HCPSS PreK program. The student will automatically be enrolled for Kindergarten. For all new students, new documents must be submitted. We can not use documents submitted for a previous student enrollment.
New families to HCPSS, please click the following link to begin the registration process.
Helpful tips:
Informational links:
Getting Ready for Kindergarten
PreKindergarten Programs Registration begins March 11, 2024
Please do not hesitate to contact the school office if you have any questions, 410-880-5950.
Thank a Staff Member
In March, we're celebrating National Staff Appreciation Week with a month-long tribute to our hardworking teachers and staff. Join us by writing thank you notes or messages using our convenient Google Form. Handwritten notes can be submitted to Mrs. Lannon or Ms. Pazornik. Let's create a collection of encouragement for our staff, culminating in a presentation on March 19th. Please submit your letters by March 18th for inclusion in this heartfelt gesture. Thank you for expressing appreciation for our remarkable educators and staff!
Donations of Empty Voss Water Bottles Needed
We will be doing an activity with staff and are in need of empty Voss water bottles. If you have any, please drop them off at the front office or send them in with your child. Thanks.
Culture Fest – February 24th 3pm – 5pm
Join us tomorrow, Saturday, February 24th, as we celebrate the different cultures that represent FRES. Come sample foods from different countries, learn about different festivals, holidays, and cultures. Come see our very own FRES students perform. We will have a henna table, and much more! To sign up click here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050849AAA82DA6F58-47196606-2024
Sweet Frog (Laurel) – February 28th, 3pm-9pm
Meet your family, friends, and neighbors every 4th Wednesday of the month from January to May, at Sweet Frog in Laurel for a sweet treat from 3pm – 9pm. FRES PTA will receive 25% of your order.
StemTree Robotics & Coding Coming to FRES!
Beginning March 4th and running for six sessions, this PTA sponsored enrichment class will meet immediately after school until 5 pm on Mondays (no class on school holidays). Instruction and materials provided by StemTree Learning Center of Columbia. Registration now open at this link.
PTA Meeting – March 5th
Join us for our March PTA Meeting at 7pm in the library. We have lots of fun events (Silent Auction, Carnival) coming up and would love your help in planning them!
Read-a-thon – March 4th
March is national reading month. To celebrate FRES will be participating in a Read-a-thon.
Read-a-thons actually get your reader excited about reading and give friends and family the opportunity to encourage your child to read even more.
Our Read-a-thon starts Monday March 4, 2024.
About one week before our Read-a-thon starts we will send home instructions on how to activate your reader's personal page. This is where you will be able to view and record their progress.
Silent Auction – April 26-28
Our online silent auction will be on PTboard again this year. If you would like to help source items for the auction or have a basket to donate to please contact@frespta.org.
Spring Carnival – Save the date
Saturday, May 4th we will have our annual spring carnival. If you are interested in helping to plan this fun event, please reach out to Barbara Gumes at ssgumes@gmail.com
WatchD.O.G.S Sign up
Here is the calendar of remaining dates available. Please sign up to volunteer today!
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090A4EA8AB2CAAFC1-watch3#/
Want to stay up to date on PTA information? Follow us on facebook at Forest Ridge Elementary PTA (FRES) or visit our website at www.frespta.org for more information.
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.