Important Dates
March 10 Daylight Saving Time Begins - Clocks "Spring Forward" One Hour!
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
March 27 Sweet Frog Fundraiser. View the flyer.
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 have been having a lot of fun at school this week with the kick-off of Reading Month! Be sure to ask your child about all the things we have been doing. Last night’s Reading Night at the Savage Library was a huge success with 120 students joining us to celebrate reading. Thanks to everyone who came out!
Ramadan, the holy month of fasting, starts at sundown on Sunday, March 10th and ends with Eid on April 10th, marking a sacred time for Muslims worldwide. It is a time for spiritual reflection, prayer, and self-discipline, observed by abstaining from food, drink, and other physical needs during daylight hours. Communities come together in solidarity and charity, emphasizing compassion and empathy towards those in need throughout the month-long observance.
As always, we provide an alternative location during lunch time for those students who will be fasting for Ramadan. Students will be going to the Media Center and will be able to read a book. If your child will need to spend their lunch time fasting during Ramadan and they would like to take advantage of an alternate location, please complete this Google Form. This will ensure that they can be in the Media Center during their lunch time. If you have more than one child who will be fasting, you should fill out a separate Google Form for each one.
Warm regards,
Mrs. Lannon & Ms. Pazornik
STAFF APPRECIATION
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!
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.
Participation in the STEM Fair is optional and all projects are completed with adult supervision at home. These projects should focus on a science, technology, engineering, or mathematical investigation relevant to your life at home or school. We are encouraging students to choose their projects based on their interests.
To participate, interested students should begin by signing up for the grade-level GT STEM Fair seminar held once a week during recess. During the seminar, Mr. Whiteford will support students in selecting STEM projects, identifying appropriate research resources, and public speaking. Permission slips for participation in the STEM Fair seminar were shared with students in grades 2 - 5. Additional slips can be requested from homeroom teachers or by contacting Mr. Whiteford. These permission slips should be signed and returned to HR teachers by Monday, March 18th.
If you have any questions about the STEM Fair, please reach Mr. Whiteford at Andrew_Whiteford@hcpss.org.
Read-a-thon – Update
Our read-a-thon is well under way this week. After the first week we read 12,489 minutes and raised $3,657. We hope you can sign your student up using the link below over the weekend.
Don’t forget to share with grandparents, and aunts and uncles.
https://www.read-a-thon.com/readers/r/3537343237
It only takes a minute or two, and your support will greatly assist us in meeting our financial goals.
5th Grade Families – Please Read
Attention 5th Grade Families! Would you like a keepsake to commemorate your child's last year of elementary school and help support the Art department and 5th grade? The Art department and PTA have teamed up to help raise funds through Art to Remember. Look for your child's personalized order form to be sent home soon!" View the flyer in English. View the flyer in Spanish.
Sweet Frog (Laurel) – March 27th, 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. View the flyer.
FRES PTA BOARD ELECTIONS
The current members of the PTA Board of Directors will end their 2 year term at the end of the 2023-2024 school year. As we prepare to elect a new board in June a minimum of 3 volunteers are needed to form a Nominating Committee to oversee the nomination and election process. It is required that you be a registered and paid member of the FRES PTA to serve on the Nominating Committee. If interested please email Barbara Gumes at ssgumes@gmail.com.
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 – May 4
Planning for the FRES Spring Carnival is in full swing. We are exploring the possibility of having vendor booths at this year’s carnival and are seeking potential vendor interest. If you are a small business, independent consultant or crafter interested in selling your items or advertising your service at the event please reach out to Carrie at carrie.picton@gmail.com. If we move forward with this, vendors will pay a small fee to the FRES PTA for their booth space.
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.
Columbia Area Mothers of Multiples (CAMOM) Spring Consignment Sale, Saturday, March 16th
Follow this link for more information: https://www.camom.org/consignment
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.