TRES Retriever Report November 14, 2025

Message from Dr. TRESler and Mr. Hiel:

Dear Retriever Families,

Due to school being closed on November 29th for the Thanksgiving holiday, our next Retriever Report will be sent out on Monday, December 1st.

We do not have a Bridge to Home Zones of Regulation resource to share with you this week, as teachers and students will use the next two weeks to revisit and reinforce the first three concepts. We will share information as we begin concept 4 on December 1st.

Since parent conferences are with homeroom teachers in November, February conferences will be with math teachers. You may have some questions about how to help your child in math or what your child is learning in math. Did you know that HCPSS has an online Family Math Support Center? It’s full of resources about what your child is learning and how you can support your child with their math learning at home. We encourage you to check it out.

We continue to be thankful to be a part of such a wonderful school community!

Warm Regards,
Dr. Tiffany TRESler, Principal
Kory Hiel, Assistant Principal

Upcoming Events

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

  • November 17-21 - American Education Week (see more below)
  • November 17-21 - Turkey Trot Canned Food Drive (see more below)
  • November 18 - Fall Picture/Absentee Retakes, 9:15am (see more below)
  • November 20: Parent Teacher Conference Scheduling Window Closes, 4pm
  • November 21 -  Memory Book Cover Art Entries Deadline
  • November 24 - Turkey Trot for students (see more below)
  • November 24-25 - Book Fair (see more below)
  • November 24-26 - Parent/Teacher Conferences (see more below)
  • November 24-25 - Early Dismissal 12:45pm
  • November 26-28 - Schools Closed
  • December 15 - Young Authors' Contest Submissions Due (see more below)

News and Information

Accessing Your Student’s MAP Test Results
Parents/Guardians can access student’s MAP test results following guidance provided HERE.

Housekeeping
LOST and FOUND has grown tremendously.  All items will be donated following the upcoming break at the end of this month.  Please have your student visit if they've lost any items, or stop by when visiting for conferences or book fair, and have a look.

REMINDER: Any students who arrive after the 9:15 a.m. bell must be accompanied into the office by a parent/guardian and signed in as late arrival.  Also please remember that 3:15 p.m. (or 12:15 p.m. on early dismissal days) is the cutoff for early dismissals.

Free Flu Shot Walk-In Clinic This Weekend
Please see the attached from Howard County Health Department.
HCHD open house (1).pdf 

Fall Picture Absentees and Retake Day is Next Tuesday, November 18th
School PIctures returns the morning of November 18 to photograph students who were absent or who would like photo retakes.  Please note the following:

  • Students who were absent need to bring printed/completed order form linked below. Please send in with payment November 18 if you are ordering portraits. No online ordering is available for this session.
  • 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.
  • If anyone would like additional portraits please visit www.schoolpix.com

TRES_SchoolPic_Flyer.jpg

Parent-Teacher Conference Registration Continues through November 20
Registration continues for fall conferences, which will be held Monday, November. 24th, in person and Tuesday, November 25th - Wednesday, November 26th, 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 20th.

  • Parents should schedule a parent conference with their child’s homeroom teacher only. The exception is 4th grade G/T math students. Parents of 4th grade G/T math students can also schedule with Mrs. Lebowitz. 5th grade G/T math students will have an opportunity to schedule during the February conference window.  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 from the teachers’ Canvas pages.

TRES Memory Book Cover Art Contest
Original student artwork for the front and back cover of the 2025-2026 Memory Book is being accepted through November 21, 2025.  Winners will be announced prior to winter break. The theme for this year’s memory book is learning together.

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 (spelling errors will disqualify the submission)
  • 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 17-21
We are excited to welcome parents to visit TRES during American Education Week. We invite  you to visit on Thursday, November 20th. 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 17-21
Join in this TRES annual tradition. All food collected will be delivered to the Oakland Mills High School Food Bank November 24th, 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)

TRES Scholastic Book Fair Coming November 24-25th
Following early dismissal for parent/teacher conferences Monday, November 24th and Tuesday, November 25th, TRES is hosting our annual Book Fair in the gym.  Please plan to stop by.

What: The Scholastic Book Fair is coming to TRES! We are so excited that we will be hosting the Book Fair during Fall Conferences. See the Book Fair Homepage here.
Where: The TRES Gym
When: Monday, November 24, 12:45 pm - 7:30 pm and Tuesday, November 25, 12:45 pm - 5 pm (conferences are virtual on Tuesday but the book fair will be open at school)
Why: The Book Fair is a great place to buy your favorite books and winter gifts. Profits from the sale are used to purchase new books and materials for the media center.
How to Pay: Credit card preferred. Cash, checks and Scholastic eWallet accepted as well.

Classroom Library Wish Lists: You can also purchase items from classroom library wish lists. This is a great way to support reading in the classroom.

Counselors' Corner - A Message from Mrs. Wolf and Ms. Diaz
The November TRESmission video has recently been seen by students across the building — and you can tune in together as a family to see/discuss Retriever Award recognition, the 4 TREaSured Traits, gratitude, and the fun aspects of hallway rewards currently underway.   

Also, thanks for wearing rainbow colors for yesterday's celebration of World Kindness Day.  Keep coloring the world with kindness!

Link to November TRESmission video (15 min)
Link to Kindness Coloring Pages for Kids

Young Authors' Contest
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 carefully read the Young Authors’ Contest Guidelines for information about the rules and guidelines. This document contains important contest information, such as word count limits, font requirements, and submission formats. All entries must have a completed YAC Cover Sheet, sent as a PDF. In order to type in the form, you will need to go to the “File” menu dropdown and select, “Make a copy.”

Submissions may be emailed to Lauren Rifkin, Reading Specialist, at lauren_rifkin@hcpss.org by December 15, 2025. Feel free to email Mrs. Rifkin with any questions. All Young Authors’ Contest information can be found on the HCLA website. Howard County Literacy Association welcomes parents as members. Visit the HCLA Welcome Page for information about joining.

Weather Guidelines / Recess
With the approaching colder weather, please make sure students wear clothing appropriate for forecasted conditions. Generally, students will be outside for recess when the temperature combined with the wind chill is not less than 20 degrees Fahrenheit or the heat index reading is less than 95 degrees. The decision to go out or stay in for recess is the decision of the administrator at individual schools. On rare occasions due to extreme weather, a decision may be made at the school system level. The following factors are considered in determining if recess is to be held outside:

  • Temperature and humidity
  • Wind chill
  • Heat index and air quality
  • Age of students
  • Length of time outdoors
  • Adequacy of the children’s clothing
  • Condition of the playground
  • Falling precipitation (more than a sprinkle or mist)
  • Thunder and lightning

Children with certain health conditions may need special accommodations during extremely hot or cold weather. Parents of those children should provide medical documentation and may be consulted to determine if other arrangements are necessary.

Dismissal and Attendance Notification Information
Please read HERE for important information regarding school notification of dismissal changes and student absences.

Volunteer Training Required Every Year for all Visitors and Volunteers - Take 5 Minutes to Complete Now and You're Set for the 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.

School Schedule
The TRES Daily Schedule including arrival and dismissal times, and lunch/recess times for all grades, can be found on our school website under the “ABOUT” tab. 

TRES PTA

JOIN THE TRES PTA TODAY! Join by January 1st for a chance at winning five hours of care from Brandon Dean childcare. (Everyone who has already joined will be entered and entries can win once.) Congratulations to Daniel Habersat for winning the November drawing for the Dream Auto Detailing certificate.

PTA TRES Directory: All PTA members now have access to a TRES Directory that can be used to plan events, playdates, and more. Email TRESPTA1@gmail.com if you have not received the directory.

Join or donate HERE.

Thank you to Rosie’s Delicatessen and West Friendship Dunkin Donuts for donating to the Veterans Day lunch!

NEW UPCOMING PTA EVENTS AND INFORMATION: TRES PTA NEWSLETTER and TRES PTA EVENTS CALENDAR 25-26

  • November 10th-25th, Giving Tree Holiday Drive
    • Let's make the holidays extra special for local families in need! This year we’d sincerely appreciate your support in the form of gift cards, in the hope of helping families in need to purchase food and gifts to celebrate their holiday traditions. A small number of hoped-for items have also been added to our Wish List.
    • For every $25 in gift cards or wish list items received, we’ll add a leaf to our tree and hope to watch it bloom this fall! Giving Tree Website
    • Gift card suggested retailers: Walmart, Target, local grocery stores. $25 increments preferred.  Gift cards may be dropped off to Carolyn in the front office, mailed directly to the school (TRES PTA, 13400 Triadelphia Road, Ellicott City, MD 21042), or contact the Community Outreach chairs to schedule pick up (katelmccall@gmail.com or lehigh.mearns@gmail.com).
    • See: Giving Tree Wish List and Giving Tree Flyer        
  • November 19th, Reflections Art Competition Submission DEADLINE EXTENDED
    • Reflections is a national arts contest where students submit artwork (in visual arts, literature, photography, music composition, dance choreography and/or film production). See PTA Reflections website
    • This year’s theme is “I Belong!” We are looking for judges with background or experience in these mediums to virtually judge TRES students' artwork. Please email tres.reflections@gmail.com to participate.
  • Wednesdays through November 19th: Walking Wednesday
  • December 3rd from 7am-7pm, Rosie’s Delicatessen Fundraiser.
  • SAVE THE DATE! December 5th-Cultural Night, 6:30-8:30PM
    • TRES students and their families can celebrate our diverse community with an evening full of student-led performances, including dance, music, and more. Thank you to Nora’s Kabob and Blowfish Poke for sponsoring!
    • If you plan to attend — or create a heritage table — please make sure to register in advance here: Cultural Night RSVP
    • See: Cultural Night Flyer
    • Cultural Night will feature the conclusion of a week-long TRES Silent Auction! Bid online at the TRES PTA Silent Auction webpage on baskets with generous donations from over 30 local businesses. Bidding begins November 28 at 8 PM and ends December 5 at 9 PM. See: Silent Auction Flyer
  • Seeking PTA Sponsors: The TRES PTA is looking for businesses or individual sponsors to augment our operating budget. If interested, email TRESPTA1@gmail.com.  See: TRES PTA Sponsor Letter
  • TRES Spiritwear: Order HERE

Stay in Touch: Visit www.trespta.com or follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/trespta.

Community News and Events

Homewood Center Holiday Treasure Sale
Please consider helping Homewood students share and experience the holiday joy of giving. Your generosity provides students the opportunity to "purchase" items for their families and loved ones. You can help by purchasing items from the wish lists below or bringing NEW, or LIKE NEW, unwrapped items to Homewood by December 10th.

Homewood Treasure Sale Amazon Wish List
Homewood Treasure Sale Target Wish List

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.