TRES Retriever Report October 27, 2023

Fri, 10/27/2023 - 2:34pm

Message from Dr. TRESler and Mr. Hiel:

Dear Retriever Families,

It’s hard to believe that the first quarter of the school year ends next Tuesday! As you can see from the upcoming events below, November is a busy time at TRES! We are excited to share that TRES has been selected to be visited by the Baltimore Ravens Caravan on Friday, November 3rd! They will be here for a positive school team-building pep rally for about 20 minutes. On this day, we encourage students to wear a shirt of their favorite sports team, or TRES spiritwear, or of course, purple.  We share with the students that one reason sports are fun is that there are so many different teams! At TRES, we are all different and all one team!

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

Upcoming Events

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

  • October 28 - PTA Trunk or Treat, 3-5pm
  • October 31 - Schools Close 3 Hours Early. End of 1st marking period.
  • November 3 - Wear Team Spirit for Ravens Visit
  • November 6 - Teacher Conference Registration Opens, 8am (see below)
  • November 8 - Report Cards Issued, 4pm
  • November 8 - PTA Meeting, 7pm
  • November 10 - Veterans Day Lunch at TRES for our TRES Family Veterans. 
  • November 16 - Visit TRES for American Education Week (see below)
  • November 16 - Teacher Conference Registration Closes, 4pm (see below)
  • November 17 - TRES Spirit Day
  • November 17 - Fall Picture MakeUps/Retakes
  • November 18 - PTA Retriever Run, 9am 
  • November 20 & 21 - Teacher Conferences (see below). Early Dismissal.
  • November 20 & 21 - Book Fair
  • November 20 - Turkey Trot and Food Drive (Click to Read More)
  • November 22 - Schools closed. Virtual Teacher Conferences.
  • November 23 & 24 - Schools/Offices Closed, Thanksgiving Holiday

News and Information

MAP Results Available To View
Parents can access their students’ MAP results following these directions. In addition, detailed home reports will be available to view at the same time as report cards November 8th.

Parent-Teacher Conference Registration Opens 11/6
Registration opens at 8 a.m. on Monday, November 6th, for fall conferences, which will be held Monday, November. 20th, in person and Tuesday, November. 21st - Wednesday, November 23rd, virtually. See directions how to register.

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. If you would like to request a conference with a related arts teacher, please email that teacher directly. If you would like a conference with Mrs. Weeks, our .5 G/T teacher, please follow these directions.

When scheduling conferences for multiple children, please allow one full conference time between your meetings to allow for transitions both in person and virtually.

American Education Week
As we recognize American Education Week November 13-17, we welcome parents and family members to visit TRES on Thursday, November 16th. Due to space and school security, we ask that you follow these guidelines:

  • Visitors are welcome all day.  Due to available space and parking, we ask that you limit your visit to 30 minutes.  Ask your child about what part of the day they would like you to visit.
  • Only adults are able to visit.
  • Sign in at the front office with Lobby Guard. Wear your sticker in a visible location at all times. You must bring a driver’s license to sign in.
  • If you are joining your child for lunch, there may not be space for all parents to sit especially in grades with larger numbers of students. Please ensure that all students have a place to sit to eat.

Parking Reminders:

  • No cars can be parked in the bus area from 8:30-9:00 a.m.
  • All cars must leave the bus area by 2:30 p.m.
  • Do not park in the fire lane or 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).

Students Invited to Participate in The Young Authors Contest
It’s back!! 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 rules and submission requirements. All entries must have a completed YAC Cover Sheet sent as a PDF. Submissions (and cover sheets) may be emailed to our TRES Reading Specialist, Lauren Rifkin at lauren_rifkin@hcpss.org by December 11, 2023. In order to allow time for judging to take place to submit our winning school entries to the HCPSS level of competition, late entries cannot be accepted. All TRES student participants and winners will be recognized at a spring Authors’ Tea. Please feel free to email Mrs. Rifkin with any questions. Young Authors’ Contest information can also be found on the HCLA website.

Howard County Literacy Association welcomes parents as members.  Visit the HCLA Welcome Page  for information about joining.  

Scholastic Book Fair 11/20 & 11/21
The Scholastic Book Fair is coming to TRES! The Book Fair will be open on Fall Conference Days: Monday, November 20th, and Tuesday, November 21st, in the TRES Gym. 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 and to host a spring author visit. You can also purchase items for teacher wish lists for classroom libraries. This is a wonderful way to support reading in the classroom.

  • Credit card preferred. Cash, checks and Scholastic eWallet accepted as well.
  • Visit the Book Fair Homepage
  • Monday, November 20 - 12:45 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
  • Tuesday, November 21 -12:45 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Online Ordering for TRES 2023-2024 Yearbook Is Now Open
Students brought home fliers this week with information regarding ordering TRES yearbooks this year. See TRES 2023-2024 Yearbooks.  Please visit HERE to order.

Please note:

  • Ordering is available through March 22, 2024.  No orders can be accepted after this date. Please be sure to place your order if you would like a yearbook for your child.
  • This year all purchases will be assessed a $1.99 charge that the vendor must pay for credit card transactions.
  • Yearbooks will be distributed toward the end of the school year, once they have finished in production and are received at TRES.

Read And Earn A Sweet Treat
Nothing Bundt Cakes, located at 10730 Little Patuxent Parkway in Columbia, is offering a special incentive for students.  “Books and Bundts” is a youth reading program through which students can earn a free Bundtlet and an award certificate for each month they read 400+ minutes. Students should track their progress on the attached form below and bring the completed tracker to the store to receive their sweet treat.  Happy reading!

Books & Bundts.PDF 

Tracker.PDF 

Volunteer Training Required for Volunteers and Visitors
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.  Please visit HERE for more information.  Thank you in advance for your gifts of service and time.

TRES PTA

Join the TRES PTA today! Learn more and sign up at Givebacks (memberhub.com). The PTA provides student enrichment, staff appreciation/teacher grants, and events (Dance, Trunk or Treat, Retriever Run, Culture Night, Bingo, Financial Literacy, and Retriever Rally). Without your yearly support, these events would not be possible. Joining does not require any time commitment.

Upcoming PTA Events:

  • Saturday, October 28 - Trunk or Treat, 3:00-5:00 p.m.: This is a school-wide event open to all TRES students and their families. Park at Folly Quarter MS and walk over to the TRES parking lot.
  • October 30 thru November 16 - Square One Art: Students have created unique artwork that can be ordered through Square One.  Look for the catalogs coming home soon.  Get ready for the holidays, and order your child's art on a variety or products. Enter your child's access code or use the search button.
  • Wednesday, November 1 - National Reflections Art Contest Submission Deadline: Students can choose to create an original piece of artwork based on this year’s theme, “I am Hopeful Because…” in one or more of the following categories: Dance Choreography, Visual Arts, Music Composition, and Photography. All artwork will be created at home and submitted electronically. See https://www.trespta.com/reflections.html. Results will be announced November 8.
  • November 1 thru November 22 - Giving Tree: Support families in our community by participating in the annual TRES Giving Tree. This year our Giving Tree is helping our community members at TRES & Bryant Woods Elementary School by providing wrapped gifts and gift cards. Look for a sign-up coming soon!
  • Tuesday, November 7, & Wednesday, November 8: TWO NIGHTS – Cilantro's Neighborhood Cantina Restaurant Fundraiser
  • Wednesday, November 8 - PTA Meeting: 7pm, TRES Cafeteria
  • Friday, November 17– TRES Spirit Day: Wear TRES colors or purchase spirit wear HERE.
  • Saturday, November 18 - Retriever Run 5k and 1 Mile Fun Run: 9:00am. REGISTER HERE.

Volunteers Needed for Walking Wednesday: Walking Wednesdays is a PTA-sponsored walking/running program that gets our K-5th graders' hearts beating faster as they run/walk for prizes during recess. This is 100% volunteer led and a great opportunity to encourage our children to be active as well as set goals and meet them. Please sign up HERE.

Community News and Events

Please see the attached flier for entertaining and educational After School classes offered by Howard County Recreation & Parks here at TRES. Two new classes are being offered beginning in November. 
TRES Fall After School Flyer.pdf 

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.