Help us celebrate Earth Day by getting outside! The FRES Green Team has created "Outdoor Classroom Day". Check out the flier linked HERE. (You must be logged into your child's Howard County account.) If weather and internet permit, why not have class outside? Happy Earth Day!

To our parents and families, the safety of our students and staff is a priority. We appreciate the calls and questions from parents regarding Covid-like symptoms. To ensure everyone's safety we are working together with the Howard County Health Department. Students that are returning to school following Covid-like illness and their contacts will need to provide proof of a negative PCR test. The negative test can be a lab result, text, or e-mail from a provider. If your child is experiencing any Covid-like symptoms, please keep them home!  Feel free to call the health room with any questions and/or concerns, at 410-888-8811.

• ONE of the following: cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, new loss of taste or smell
• TWO or more of the following: fever of 100.4 degrees or higher, chills or shaking chills, muscle aches, sore throat, headache, nausea and/or vomiting,diarrhea, fatigue, and congestion and/or runny nose

The weather is getting warmer, and students can go outside for recess and gym. Students that have seasonal allergies please contact their pediatrician and discuss allergy medication and/or treatment. Please send your student with a water bottle. Staying hydrated during the school day is important.
 

Lastly, please provide your student with a change of clothes. The health room no longer has clothes to distribute to students in case of an unfortunate event.

Media Matters and Tech Tidbits

• Media Minute: Good luck to our Battle of the Books team as they compete against other 5th graders across the county! We know that you have been working hard and we are so proud of you. 

• Is your child’s Chromebook glitchy, sometimes dropping the meet, the mic not working, or taking a long time for connection? Below are two suggestions that you can do to speed it up and prepare it for our final few months of school!

• Check to see if your child has added extensions (go to the three dots in the  upper right corner, down to More Tools, over to Extensions.)  Extensions may make the cursor leave fairy dust, look like a unicorn or emoji, or have a colorful background.  These should all be removed in order to free up space, eliminate distractions from the screen, and stop interruption of the Google Meet files.  Students have not been instructed to add any extensions to their Chromebooks, and we can not support the technology if there are extensions used that were placed there by students.

• If your child’s Chromebook is glitchy, please perform a Reset.  This is more than turning the Chromebook off then on again.  The directions for a Reset, which will put it back to factory settings and the initial HCPSS set up, can be found at this link: Chromebook Reset. Weekends are a great time to follow these steps so that the Chromebook is ready for Monday morning instruction.

• Please remind your child that Chromebooks are for instructional purposes only.  They should be used between 9:30 am - 4 pm only, then put away until the next school day.

Thank you for your support and assistance!
The Media/Tech Team
Clair Wise clair_wise@hcpss.org
Heather Tordella heather_tordella@hcpss.org
L'oreal Edmondson loreal_edmondson@hcpss.org

K-5 2021-22 New Student Registration and PreK Registration Open Now
Registration is online.  Visit www.hcpss.org/enroll for information and to register.  Note:  If your child is currently enrolled at FRES and will continue to attend next year, you do not need to re-register.  Your child will automatically be "rolled over" into the new school year.

Families are encouraged to visit the Grade K Family and Community Resources page for more information about the kindergarten instructional program and ways families can support their children at home.

The Prekindergarten Family and Community Resources page also contains resources for families and providers for children currently in their prekindergarten year.

Learning Together Program – Prekindergarten
The Forest Ridge Regional Early Childhood Center (RECC) Pre-Kindergarten programs are making preparations for classes for the upcoming 2021-22 school year.  These classes include children with and without disabilities. 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 1st or are already 4 may learn more about the program by reviewing the Learning Together Program (LTP) Flyer (English).  Applications will be accepted starting February 11, 2021 and priority will be given to applications received by April 1st.  

• Learning Together Program (LTP) Flyer (Chinese)

• Learning Together Program (LTP) Flyer (Korean)

• Learning Together Program (LTP) Flyer (Spanish)  

If you need assistance to complete the application, please contact Early Intervention Services at earlyinterventionservcies@hcpss.org or at 410-313-7017.

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 regardless of the learning model determined by HCPSS throughout the upcoming school year (virtual, hybrid, or in person).   If you have any additional questions, please contact Tricia Walls at tricia_walls@hcpss.org or 410-880-5950.

Please join us at our May PTA meeting on May 13th at 7pm. To logon, sign into your students account and join on Google Meet using keyword PVMSPTA.  Feel free to email us if you have any questions.

Mention FRES PTA when you order at Maiwand Kabob's Fulton location during operating hours on April 19 and we will receive a 10% donation back on your order!

Submission Deadline is TODAY for FRES Culture Fest 2021: Through Culture Fest over the past few years, FRES PTA celebrated the many cultures that make our FRES community diverse and strong. Due to the pandemic, this year FRES PTA is teaming up with Bushy Park ES PTA to join them for their county-wide virtual International Night over Zoom!! Mark your calendars for April 23, 2021 from 7pm - 8pm! There are many ways to participate and highlight your culture or country of origin!  You can make a slideshow about your country/culture or record a dance or special talent unique to your culture.  You can share recipes or crafts to represent your country/culture.  You can even recommend children's books that highlight your culture/country. To sign up or see more ways to participate, see: https://www.smore.com/fsr28 For more information, contact Khaleda Hasan at kbhschools@gmail.com.

Grocery Rewards NEW Deadline: Weis Markets has announced that grocery rewards will be retroactive. You can take the barcode into the store and they will link it to your savings card, but the barcode must be scanned by April 30, 2021. Don't miss out! We are also participating in Amazon Smile, Harris Teeter (requires annual renewal), BoxTops, and Coke Rewards. Please visit https://frespta.org/ways-to-support/grocery-storeshopping-programs/ for more information on these programs that provide financial support to FRES based on purchases you already make. 

EXTENDED! Casting for the Virtual FRES Variety Show – Send Us Your Video Auditions: Mark your calendars for the virtual PTA Variety Show Thursday, May 20, 2021! We are seeking talented FRES performers to cast in the show. Tryouts are open to all FRES students in any performance area, including singers, dancers, musicians, comedians, magicians, poets, solo artists and groups – the list is endless. Send in your video auditions to fresptao@frespta.org. Video auditions should be two minutes or less and will be accepted now through Friday, April 30, 2021. Questions? Contact Tangie Smith at tangelats@gmail.com

Your 5th grader still has a chance to submit their own artwork to be used for the front and/or back covers of the yearbook, see the flyer for instructions! Covers are designed by 5th grade students only. Please note with any back cover entries, do not write inside the "21" as it will contain student names. All completed art should be submitted to the front office by April 30, 2021. Submissions can also be emailed to fresyearbook@hcpss.org  The winners will be selected at the May PTA meeting.

Baby Picture Gallery: Stroll down memory lane!
Each year 5th grade students are invited to participate in a Baby Picture Gallery!  If you would like to submit a baby picture (kindergarden or younger) of your 5th grader, please email photos to fresyearbook@hcpss.org. Please format your submission so that it shows your child's face clearly in a 1 inch by 1 inch square. Your submission must include the student's name. This section is voluntary and absolutely free. Baby Picture Gallery submissions are due Friday, April 30, 2021.

Dedications: Send a special message! Family and friends can send their 5th grader a message wishing them success in middle school!  This section normally has a fee to help offset the cost of the yearbook, however, this year we are offering a free 25 word dedication. Space is limited. Dedication submissions are also due Friday, April 30, 2021. Please send submissions to fresyearbook@hcpss.org

 

ALL students can submit yearbook photos to fresyearbook@hcpss.org.

Indoor Recess Materials Drive: If you've started spring cleaning and have found extra coloring books, activity books, or individual brain teasers or games, please consider donating them to FRES for students to use during indoor recess since they will be maintaining physical distancing. Items can be dropped off in the front door vestibule area and will be quarantined before use. We are also collecting new individual containers of Play-Doh.

Wish Lists: FRES PTA has compiled an Amazon Wish List to help make the transition to hybrid school as easy as possible for teachers and students. The wishlist can be found at http://tiny.cc/freswishlist and can be directly shipped to the school. You can also purchase from another store and drop items off at FRES. Teachers may have classroom-specific wish lists. Some supplies have already begun arriving. Thank you for your support!

Communication: There are several ways to receive communications including www.frespta.org, the FRES PTA Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/FRESPTA/, and Twitter @frespta. There is also a group that was formed for discussion and support and is for current FRES families.

Membership: It's not too late to join the PTA. Your membership will be valid until September 2021. Visit www.frespta.org/membership and it's only one $10 payment.

Volunteers Needed: We are looking for volunteers and leaders for several committees. Please check out the list and comment with your name and email address so we can contact you with more information. 

Save the Date:

• Upcoming General PTA Meeting: May 10 and June 14 at 7 p.m. Passcode: frespta
• Spirit Nights: April 19 - Maiwand Kabob, Maple Lawn, May 3 - Sweet Frog, Maryland City
• Culture Fest - April 23, 2021 from 7pm - 8pm
• Smart Talk Internet Safety Night - April 29 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. 

Feedback: Please let us know if you have any questions, feedback, or suggestions either by email or via our suggestion box. Suggestions are anonymous, so if you would like a reply, please include your email address. 

Please email Korin Sharp at president@frespta.org if you have any questions on this week’s update. Thanks and have a great weekend!