IMPORTANT DATES
October 18 Professional Work Day - schools closed for students
October 23 Picture Retake Day for absentees and new students (more info below)
October 23 Sweet Frog Restaurant Night 3:00-9:00 pm
October 26 4:00-7:00 FRES PTA Fall Festival
October 30 7:00 PTA Halloween Movie Night
October 31 Professional Work and Development Day - schools closed for students
November 16 Joe Corbi’s Pick-Up 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
View the HCPSS Calendar in English
View the HCPSS Calendar in Spanish
View the HCPSS Calendar in Korean
View the HCPSS Calendar in Chinese
Forest Ridge Family and Friends,
On Wednesday, we had a wonderful time celebrating Unity Day, and it was amazing to see so many of our students and staff proudly wearing orange in support of kindness, inclusion, and the stand against bullying.
As part of our efforts to promote a bully-free school environment, Mrs. Taylor visited each lunch shift to talk with students about the importance of being kind and standing up to bullying. During these discussions, students filled out orange links, promising to be kind and to help stop bullying whenever they see it. These links will be displayed in the cafeteria as a daily reminder of our commitment to kindness and respect.
We encourage you to take a moment this weekend to talk with your children about what they learned and how we can all work together to create a positive and supportive school community.
Thank you for your continued support, and we hope everyone has a great weekend!
~ Mrs. Lannon & Ms. Pazornik
Picture Retake Day
Our fall picture retake day will be October 23, 8:45-10:00 a.m. All students who were absent on September 5 and those new to FRES since September 5 will be photographed. If parents did not like the original picture, they may have their student's picture retaken, but the entire original package of pictures needs to be returned. Please send a note to your child's teacher or call the FRES office at 410-880-5950 to request a picture payment envelope.
From the Reading Department
The Howard County Literacy Association invites students in grades 1-5 to submit their original poems and/or short stories to the annual writing contest called The Young Authors' Contest. All entries must have a completed YAC Cover Sheet submitted as a PDF or hardcopy. Submissions may be emailed to melissa_azzarello@hcpss.org or given to the homeroom teacher by December 20, 2024. Contact any member of the Reading Team (Camille Washington, Megan Ficther, or Melissa Azzarello) with questions. All Young Authors’ Contest information and entry forms are on the HCLA website.
Howard County Literacy Association welcomes parents as members. Visit the HCLA Welcome Page for information about joining.
From the Art Department
Our art teachers are working with your students to create artwork to be used for our "Art to Remember" fundraiser. See the flyers for more information. Ordering info will come home soon. Art to Remember Flyer English Art to Remember Flyer Spanish
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.
Fall Festival
Join us for our annual Fall Festival on Saturday, October 26th from 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm. Outside we will have fall themed games, a pie walk, pumpkins, crafts, music, candy, popcorn, food trucks and more. Venture inside to explore the "Haunted Hallways" of Forest Ridge Elementary. Costumes are welcome, but not required! Purchase tickets in advance for $4.00. They will be $5.00 the day of the event. Pie walk tickets are $1 each or 6 for $5. Admission tickets are only needed for children ages 3+. Adults are free. Tickets are available online here. Paper order forms were sent home this week for those preferring to pay by cash or check. Please return order forms by Thursday, 10/24.
Volunteers are vital to the success of our events!!! Please consider volunteering to help at the Fall Festival. Sign up here.
We will hold a pie walk during our annual Fall Festival and are seeking donations of pies. These can be store bought or homemade. If you are donating a homemade pie please include a label that lists the ingredients. Please sign up here to donate a pie.
What is a pie walk? A Pie Walk is a spin on the Cake Walk, a traditional carnival game and fundraiser that is a fun combination of a raffle and musical chairs. Guests buy tickets to participate. Numbered cards are arranged on a path. Ticketholders then walk around the path of cards in time to music, which plays for a duration and then stops. A number is then called out, and the person standing on the card with that number wins a pie of their choosing.
FRES PTA is now on Instagram. Follow us at fres_pta
PTA Committees
Committees are VITAL to the work of the Forest Ridge PTA! Committees make it possible for many people to carry out the mission of the PTA throughout the year and are a great way to get involved in a specific area of your interests or talents! Click here for more information about the 2024 - 2025 Committees. We hope you will sign up for at least one committee.
Join the Forest Ridge PTA!
ALL Forest Ridge families and staff are invited to join our PTA and get involved in the community support work that it does. There is no "wrong way to PTA" - however you can participate - a lot or a little or somewhere in-between - is welcome and celebrated!
To join online click MEMBERSHIP to pay by credit card. If you prefer to pay by cash or check complete this form and submit it with payment to your child’s teacher or the front office.
Stay Connected with the PTA
Website: www.frespta.org
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/FRESPTA
Instagram fres_pta
X @frespta
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.