Message from Dr. TRESler and Mr. Hiel:

Dear Retriever Families,

As we have shared in previous messages, our pre-kindergarten classroom will be completing the Maryland State Department (MSDE) accreditation process. Part of our quality pre-k program is the students’ access to the small playground and the materials in the fenced area in front of the school. An inspection of our playground and materials are included in the accreditation process. We know that many community members use our small playground on the evenings and weekends. We encourage you to use our large playground instead, if possible. If you are using the small playground, please limit use to supervised children under the age of eight. Please ensure that toys are used appropriately and gently. Do not allow children to pull on the shed doors. We appreciate everyone’s help in making sure our playground equipment and space is safe and available for our youngest learners each day.

We have enjoyed the new pre-k program since opening last year, and continue to learn from our youngest Retrievers! We look forward to celebrating their successful accreditation in December!

Warmly,
Dr. Tiffany TRESler, Principal
Kory Hiel, Assistant Principal

Upcoming Events

Please visit the TRES calendar webpage to view important upcoming dates.

• November 5 - Schools/Offices Closed, Election Day
• November 8 - Registration Opens @ 8:00 am for Fall Conferences (see below)
• November 8 - 1st Grade Field Trip, Robinson Nature Center
• November 8 - Report Cards Issued @ 4:00 pm
• November 11 - Veterans Day Celebration (see below)
• November 13 - World Kindness Day; Wear BLUE in celebration
• November 15 - Deadline for Memory Book Cover Art Contest (see below)
• November 18 - Visitors Welcomed for American Education Week (see below)
• November 18 - Turkey Trot Food Drive Begins; Continues thru 11/22 (see below)
• November 21 - Fall Picture Absentee/Retake Day (see below)

News and Information

Parent-Teacher Conference Registration Opens November 8
Registration opens at 8:00 a.m. on Friday, November 8th, for fall conferences, which will be held Monday, November. 25th, in person and Tuesday, November. 26th - Wednesday, November 27th, virtually. When scheduling conferences for multiple children, please allow one full conference time between your meetings to allow for transitions both in person and virtually. The conference scheduling window closes November 21st.

• Parents of students in grades kindergarten, first, second, third, and fifth should register for a conference with the homeroom teacher. Fourth grade parents should register for a conference with their child’s math teacher.  See directions how to register.
• If you would like to request a conference with a related arts teacher, please email that teacher directly.
• Related arts will be hosting one office hour during the conference window. The office hours are for general questions about the content area and expectations. Office hours should not be used for questions specific to your child. The office hours schedule will be shared with parents soon.
• If you would like a conference with Mrs. Weeks, our .5 G/T teacher, she will be available to meet with parents of CEU students from TRES on Monday, November 25th. She does not have a conference schedule available in Synergy, so please email her at heather_weeks@hcpss.org to set up a conference.

Please RSVP here by November 1 to join us for lunch on Veterans Day
We are celebrating Veterans Day on Monday, November, 11th, and are looking forward to thanking those who served our country! We will read information about Veterans Day on the morning announcements and students will have the opportunity to share with their classmates about the Veterans in their family. We are also welcoming our TRES family Veterans to lunch with their student(s)! Due to space, we are asking that only our TRES Veterans join us for lunch on this day.

If your child is sharing information about the Veterans in their family, please help them to create a mini-poster (8x10 or 11 x17). See Dr. Tresler's sample here. The students can do this electronically with Google Slide, Wixi (access under hcpss.me) or create a hand-drawn poster. Please note that these will be on display and may not be returned, so please do not use original photos. If you do not have access to a color printer, and your child creates via Google Slide or Wixi, please email to denise_snider@hcpss.org AND karen_johnson@hcpss.org. Include your child’s name and homeroom teacher, and email by Wednesday, November 6th, to ensure printing time.

TRES Memory Book Cover Art Contest; Entries Due by November 15
Original student artwork for the front and back cover of the 2024-2025 Memory Book is being accepted through November 15th.  Winners will be announced prior to winter break.  The theme for this year’s memory book is the Treasure Traits (respect, responsibility, integrity, and care). In order to be considered, artwork must meet the following criteria:

• Size 81/2 by 11
• Art should fill the entire paper or the majority of the paper
• Submissions should be original student work
• Writing should be proofread to ensure correct spelling
• Student name and teacher name should be written on the back of the submission

All entries should be turned in to the front office. Only entries that meet all of the criteria and theme will be considered.  Questions should be directed to Dr. Tresler at tiffany_tresler@hcpss.org.

American Education Week is November 18-22
We are excited to welcome parents to visit TRES during American Education Week. We invite  you to visit on Monday, November 18th, to kick-off the week. Due to space and school security, we ask that you follow these guidelines:

• Only parents/guardians are able to visit.
• Sign in at the front office with the Lobby Guard. Wear your sticker in a visible location at all times. You must bring a scannable driver’s license to use the Lobby Guard.
• Due to space, we ask that you limit your visit to one hour.  Ask your child  what part of the day they would like you to visit. The schedule is linked here.
• If you are joining for lunch, there may not be space for all parents to sit for our grades with larger numbers of students. Please ensure that all students have a place to sit to eat.
• All visitors must complete the visitor/volunteer training form prior to visiting. This is completed once per year.

Parking Reminders:

• No cars can be parked in the bus area from 8:45-9:30 a.m.
• All cars must leave the bus area by 2:50 p.m.
• Do not park in the fire lane and car riders pick up/drop off area.
• Do not park in reserved spots or spots with cones.
• Please be considerate of our neighbors and do not park in their yards.
• Parking available in the overflow lot (grass lot).

Turkey Trot Canned Food Drive November 18-22
Join in this TRES annual tradition. All food collected will be delivered to the Oakland Mills High School Food Bank November 25th, following the Turkey Trot scheduled that morning. Please follow the grade-level wish list below:

• Pre-K/Kindergarten - Peanut butter/jelly (plastic bottles/jars preferred)
• 1st grade - Canned fruit/fruit cups/applesauce
• 2nd grade - Canned soup and/or vegetables
• 3rd grade - Canned meat (tuna, chicken, salmon, ham)
• 4th grade - Juice/shelf-stable milk (either individual serving or full size bottle/carton)
• 5th grade - Canned pasta (Chef Boyardee/spaghetti-o’s)/pasta sauce (plastic bottles/jars preferred)

Fall Picture Absentees and Retake Day November 21
School PIctures returns the morning of November 21 to photograph students who were absent or who would like photo retakes.  Please note the following:

• Students who were absent will receive a photo envelope to bring home. Please send in with them November 21 if you are ordering portraits.
• If you are requesting a retake, the entire original portrait package must be returned; please have your child bring the portrait package to the photographer on retake day.
• Photographers are scheduled to be here until 10:00 a.m. or when they finish retakes, whichever comes first.

Counselors' Corner - A Message from Mrs. Wolf and Ms. Diaz
With the start of the new month, students are watching the newest "Goodbye October, Hello November" TRESmission video installment.  Feel free to watch together as a family to celebrate Retriever Award recipients, hear common language for strategies/initiatives, and learn more about World Kindness Day, to be celebrated on Wednesday, November 13th.  Wear BLUE that day and let's ALL make kindness the norm!  

Updated link with staff sharing our 4 TREaSured Traits
52 Random Acts of Kindness You Can Do as a Family

It’s Young Authors’ Time!
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. Please see the attached Young Authors’ Contest Guidelines for information about the rules and guidelines. All entries must be typed and sent as a Word document, with a completed YAC Cover Sheet sent as a PDF. Submissions and questions may be emailed to Lauren Rifkin at lauren_rifkin@hcpss.org by December 20, 2024.  All Young Authors’ Contest information can be found on the HCLA website.

All students who participate will be invited to a Young Authors’ Tea in the spring, where they will have a chance to celebrate their story/poem and be recognized for their hard work!

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

Volunteer Training Required for all Visitors and Volunteers - Must Complete Every Year
NEW THIS YEAR, COMPLETE THIS GOOGLE DOC (no paperwork required). Anyone volunteering at school in any capacity, and parents joining their children for lunch, are required to complete volunteer training prior to their first visit every school year. Thank you in advance for your gifts of service and time.

TRES PTA

Join the TRES PTA today! Sign up at Givebacks (memberhub.com). Learn more about what PTA does by visiting our website, https://www.trespta.com/, which includes a Google Calendar feature to easily add all events to your phone. TRES PTA is seeking a second PTACHC Delegate; email TRESPTA1@gmail.com if interested.

• TODAY, Friday, Nov. 1st, Veterans Day lunch registration deadline. TRES family Veterans are invited to lunch with their students on Veterans Day -  Monday, November 11th. Register here. 
• Monday, Nov. 4th, Reflections Arts Competition Submission Deadline. Students can create original art including dance choreography, visual arts, music composition, photography, film production, or literature based on the theme “Accepting Imperfection.” All works are created at home and submitted electronically. See PTA Reflections webpage HERE.
• Retriever Run: The STEAMazing Race, Saturday, Nov. 16th, 11:00am-2:00pm Register for the Retriever Run: The STEAMazing Race HERE! For more information, see the flyer. After the 1-mile fun run/walk, participants can attend a STEAM Spectacular (see the flyer), including a performance by Eric Energy. This year’s registration giveaway includes custom Treasure and TRES Paw Print Crocs Charms (see the flyer).
• Wednesday, Dec. 4th, 3:45-4:45pm, TGA Tennis & Golf Winter Session After School Classes Begin. Spring class registration is now open for Golf, Tennis, and Pickleball on Fridays. Register HERE. 10% of the registration fees will be donated to the PTA. 
• Purchase your TRES spirit wear HERE.

Community News and Events

The HCPSS 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.