Message from Dr. TRESler and Mr. Hiel:

Dear Retriever Families,

Report cards for the second marking period will be available for parents to view on HCPSS Connect on January 30th.  As a reminder, you can view the resources and guides to understanding your child’s report card on the HCPSS website. Should you have questions about your child’s report card that are not answered on the parent guides, please contact the teacher for that class. Information is included in this newsletter about scheduling for the February parent/teacher conferences as well.

We are looking forward to a great upcoming third marking period at TRES!

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.

• January 22 - Schools Closed; Professional Work Day
• January 23 - Folly Quarter Middle School Rising 6th Grade Orientation, 6-7pm 
• January 24 - Chorus Winter Concert, 7pm
• January 26 - TRES Spirit Day
• January 30 - Report cards available in HCPSS Connect at 4pm
• January 30 - Beginning Orchestra & Band Concert, 6:30pm
• February 7 - Early Dismissal; Parent/Teacher Conferences
• February 8 - Early Dismissal; Parent/Teacher Conferences
• February 9 - Schools Closed; Staff Professional Learning Day
• February 13 - Vision and Hearing Screening (see below)
• February 15 - Cardboard Challenge, 6:30-8pm
• February 16 - TRES Spirit Day
• March 22 - Yearbook Order Deadline (see below)

News and Information

Parent-Teacher Conferences February 7th and 8th

• All elementary schools will close 3 hours early on Wednesday, February 7 and Thursday, February 8, for parent-teacher conferences.
• Due to the limited number of available time spots, we ask that you schedule a conference if you have a concern or have questions specific to your child’s progress.
• On Wednesday, February 7th, afternoon conferences (1:00-3:30 p.m.) will be in person only.  Teachers will hold all afternoon conferences in person at their schools and parents may only attend their scheduled conferences on this day in person.
• On Wednesday, February 7th, evening conferences (3:30-6:30 p.m.) will be virtual only.  If teachers choose to hold conferences on Wednesday evening, parents will only be able to attend evening conferences virtually.
• On Thursday, February 8th, afternoon conferences (1:00-3:30 p.m.) will be virtual only.  If teachers choose to hold conferences on Thursday afternoon, parents will only be able to attend conferences on this day virtually.  
• Scheduling opens in Synergy on Monday, January 22nd, at 8:00 a.m. and closes at 4:00 p.m. on February 2nd.
• Fourth grade teachers are scheduling conferences with homeroom teachers (if conference is needed).
• All other grades (K, 1, 2, 3, 5) are scheduling conferences for math teachers (if conference is needed).
• Click here for directions to schedule a conference. We ask that you leave at least 15 minutes between sibling conferences to allow for transition time.
• If you would like to conference with a related arts teacher or Heather Weeks, please email the teacher to set-up a conference.

Vision & Hearing Screening
Initial screening:  Tuesday, 2/13/2024
Re-screening:  Tuesday, 2/20/2024
The Howard County Health Department (HCHD) will be performing Vision Screenings for all Pre-Kindergarten students and Vision & Hearing screenings for all Kindergarten and First Grade students. The HCHD will also be screening students in grades 2-5 who have been referred by teachers, and newly enrolled students from out of state who do not have a record of prior vision & hearing screening within the last 12 months. If parents/guardians wish to opt out, please contact school nurse Kelly Weiss (kelly_weiss@hcpss.org) in writing.

Deadline To Order Your TRES 2023-2024 Yearbook is March 22
See TRES 2023-2024 Yearbooks.  Please visit HERE to order (only online orders accepted).

• You can order through March 22, 2024.  No orders will 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.

HCPSS and The Council of Elders (TCOE) Community Academy - Processes for Parent Empowerment
The next HCPSS and The Council of Elders (TCOE) Community Academy will take place on January 27 from 9:00 – 10:30 a.m. Parents and families are invited to attend a virtual session regarding parent advocacy. Topics include: Bullying, Parent Concerns, Special Education, and Advanced Placement. Representatives from HCPSS will provide resources. To register, please complete this Registration Form.  More information can be found HERE.

National Pan-Hellenic Council of Howard County Black History Expo 2024
The annual Black History Expo sponsored by the National Panhellenic Council of Howard County and the Howard County Public School System will be held on February 17 at Long Reach HS from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The theme of this year’s event is “African Americans and the Arts.”

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

Upcoming PTA Events:

• Fridays, January 26th and February 16th – TRES Spirit Day: Wear TRES colors or purchase spirit wear here. 
• Wednesday, February 21st at 7pm - VIRTUAL PTA Meeting (meet.google.com/bpg-xeoe-pud)
• Friday, February 23rd from 6:30-8:30pm – Culture Night: Please save the date for an exciting celebration of cultures represented at TRES and in our community! We are looking for participants to perform, provide a food dish, or host an activity. Sign up at: http://tinyurl.com/2024-Culture-Night 
• Monday, February 26th – Walker's Restaurant Night

New Event Dates:       

• Friday, March 15th – Financial Fun Night
• Friday, April 12th – Bingo
• Friday, May 17th – Retriever Rally

Collecting Photos for Yearbook: Email any photos for yearbook consideration to tresyearbookphoto@gmail.com. When you email images, please include some context in the message, including name of people in the picture, grade level(s), and event.

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.