TRES Retriever Report September 20, 2024

Wed, 09/25/2024 - 3:00pm

Message from Dr. TRESler and Mr. Hiel:

Dear Retriever Families,

It was great to see our 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 5th grade families at Back to School Night last week! As we shared during our presentation, you can view our new vision, mission, and core values, along with our school improvement plan snapshot on our TRES website. We look forward to partnering with you this year to honor our commitments to students! Please save the date for Monday, October 14th at 6:00 p.m. to join us for a family night event. The teacher leadership team is working with us to plan academic and social/emotional activities and information for parents and students. Stay tuned for more information as our plans evolve. We hope that you will be able to join us!

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

Upcoming Events

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

  • October 3 - Schools/Offices Closed
  • October 10 - Fall Picture Day. Look for fliers coming home next week.
  • October 14 - Kindergarten Field Trip, Sharps Farm
  • October 14 - Family Night, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
  • October 18 - Schools Closed for Students

News and Information

HCPSS Partnerships Snapshot
The HCPSS Partnerships 2023-2024 Annual Snapshot has just been released. The snapshot includes a link to school system partners including each school’s partners, as well as system wide, curricular, and program office partnerships. The snapshot highlights how partners play a vital role in encouraging students to reach their full potential.

PTA Sponsors/Donors Providing Class Shirts to All Students at No Cost. Parents of Students in Grades 1-5 Please Complete This Form by October 1st
NEW! Through the generosity of 2024 PTA sponsors and donors, all TRES students will receive class shirts provided by the PTA at no cost. These shirts can be worn during the Retriever Run: The STEAMazing Race (November 16th), Field Day (May), and Spirit Days. For each TRES student, complete the class shirt size Google Form HERE. If you have multiple students at TRES, complete a form for each student. Please visit the TRES PTA website, www.trespta.com, for more information on our sponsors and to support these local businesses.

Note: Pre-K students have been provided with their shirts. Kindergarten shirt distribution is in progress. If your kindergartener has not received their shirt, please email Ebbie Hodnett, VP of Social Events, at eslacum@gmail.com. Fifth grade shirts will have a special design featuring student signatures.

HCPSS Parent Academy Kickoff September 25
HCPSS parents, guardians and family members are invited to join HCPSS Superintendent Willliam J. Barnes, school system leaders and community organizations for this valuable information night to prepare for a successful academic year. The event will also feature various workshop topics which provide access to resources and support.

The 2024-2025 Parent Academy Kick-Off will be held Wednesday, September 25, from 6-8:30 p.m at Wilde Lake High School, 5460 Trumpeter Road, Columbia. Dinner will be provided from 5:15-6 p.m. Registration is encouraged.  Please contact 410-313-1293 for more information.

Workshop topics include:

  • College and Career Readiness/Career Exploration
  • Maryland’s Blueprint for the Future
  • Navigating the School System for Student Success
  • Mental Health
  • Advanced Programs K-12
  • Social Media Safety & Security
  • Elementary ELA, Reading, and the Library
  • Math Programs
  • Financial Literacy
  • Immigration Law
  • Early Childhood Programs

Registration for Girls on the Run's Fall 2024 Season is now open and will continue to be open through the first week of the season! Join the team here at TRES!
Girls on the Run® inspires participants in grades 3-5 to be joyful, healthy, and confident by using running to teach valuable life skills. Volunteer coaches facilitate lessons that blend physical activity with life skill development, including managing emotions, fostering friendships, and expressing empathy. At the end of the season, the team completes a Community Impact Project and a 5K together, which provides a tangible sense of accomplishment and sets a confident mindset into motion. Triadelphia Ridge ES will meet Tuesday and Thursday 3:45 to 5pm starting September 24th. The season-ending 5K for Howard County will be on Saturday, December 7, at 8:30am. The program registration fee is $185, which includes lessons, all program materials, 5K and program shirts, a water bottle, and more. Financial assistance is available! Visit www.gotrcentralmd.org for a list of program sites and to register. Questions? Call 443-864-8593. Head Coach Tarleen Weston is still looking for an assistant coach this season. If you are interested in volunteering, please reach out to her at 443-253-3393 or Susan Michel at  443-864-8593.

Counselor's Corner - A Message from Mrs. Wolf and Ms. Diaz

We are thrilled to see consistent positive effort and energy from students around the building! As school-wide routines and rituals are established, we have now begun Friday Retriever Awards, lunch/recess team incentives are in place, students are individually being spotted with Treasure Tickets, and teams are moving forward with prize cart preparations.  Thank you for periodically checking in with your student(s) on how they feel things are going at school, especially with regard to their performance with our 4 TREaSured Traits of:  RESPECT, RESPONSIBILITY, INTEGRITY, and CARE.  

Click here to see our first TRESmission video of the year. Students have already viewed this 13 minute video which features ways to be successful at TRES.  View/enjoy together as a family and as a springboard to further conversation!

Click here for ideas on how to generate discussion/dialogue with your student at home. There is a great list of open-ended after-school sentence starters that will encourage increased communication.

Click here if you want to learn a little more about your TRES Wolf/Diaz counseling team.

Keep taking care of each other, TRES! 

Volunteer Training Required - Complete Now and Be Ready for the 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. Thank you in advance for your gifts of service and time.

In order to establish routines during lunch periods, we will welcome parent/family lunch visits beginning October 1.  Kindergarten asks that you wait until November 1. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.

Change of Address 
Please remember that families are required by Policy 9000 to notify us/HCPSS if you move to a new home address. Current residency documentation must be updated each time residency changes. Please call our front office if you anticipate moving or have recently moved and have not notified us.

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

TRES PTA

Join the TRES PTA today! Sign up at Givebacks (memberhub.com). The PTA supports student enrichment, staff appreciation/teacher grants, and social events Without your yearly support, these events would not be possible. Joining does not require attending meetings or volunteering (see this flyer.) Learn more about what PTA does by visiting our newly redesigned 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.

Order Your Free Class Shirt (Grades 1-5) by Oct. 1st! Through the generosity of 2024 PTA sponsors and donors, all TRES students will receive class shirts provided by the PTA at no cost. These shirts can be worn during the Retriever Run: The STEAMazing Race (Nov. 16th), Field Day (May), and Spirit Days. For each student, complete the class shirt size Google Form HERE. Please visit the Retriever Run website for more information on our sponsors and to support these local businesses.

A huge thank you to the Back-to-School Picnic and Bingo PTA Chairs Emma Fleihman and Amy Story! The event was a great success, and we are truly thankful for all of their work over the summer to make this event possible.

Upcoming PTA Events:

  • Tuesday, September 24th, 3:45 – 5:00pm – KidzArt After School Classes Begin. KidzArt is a FUN, art-enrichment program. Within each session, students will explore a variety of artist grade materials, such as oil and chalk pastels, watercolor, charcoal, clay, copper, textured papers and much more. KidzArtists will bring home a new masterpiece each week with kid-tested and educationally rich curriculum that NEVER REPEAT! Register here: ACTIVE | KidzArt Maryland
  • Tuesday, Sept. 24th, 3:45  –  5:00pm, Girls on the Run Begins. Blend physical activity with life skill development for girls in third, fourth, and fifth grades. Learn more, register a student, or apply to help coach HERE.  
  • Wednesday, September 25th - Walking Wednesdays Begins. 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; please sign up HERE. **If you’re signing up before 9/15, please limit yourself to two time slots per child to allow others the opportunity to volunteer.
  • Wednesday, September 25th, 7pm, PTA Meeting (Cafeteria). NEW! The PTA will be offering childcare in the gym at no cost for a limited number of children. Pre-registration is required, and a signup site will be available closer to the meeting.  Pre-registration is required; sign up for child care HERE.
  • Friday, September 27th, 6:30-8:00pm, iCode Columbia STEM Workshop at TRES (Media Center). Explore fun and educational coding programs. Registration is required for this STEM Coding Workshop with proceeds benefiting the TRES PTA. A parent/guardian must attend with their child. For information, see the flyer. Register HERE.
  • Monday, Sept. 30th - Deadline to Stock the Teacher's Lounge. Please help us stock the TRES Teachers’ Lounge with goodies to show them our appreciation for all they do for our kids! Amazon Link HERE. Please select Catherine Loomis’s address at checkout.
  • DEADLINE EXTENDED - 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.
  • Tuesday, October 1st - Deadline for Class Shirt Sizes (Grades 1-5). See information in school newsletter above.
  • Friday, October 4th, 3:45-5:15pm, KidzArt Fall Workshop at TRES (Art Room). This 75-minute workshop will be led by Mrs. Ebbie, KidzArt owner and TRES parent, and will feature a fun, fall-themed drawing. All materials are included. Students will have a 15-minute snack/bathroom break. Parents will pick up and sign out from the front of the school at 5:15pm. 20% of every registration will go directly to the PTA! We will also be collecting additional donations at registration that will go 100% to the PTA. Thank you for your support! Register here: ACTIVE | KidzArt Maryland
  • TWO DAYS - Wednesday, Oct. 16th and Thursday, Oct. 17th, Nora's Kabob Ellicott City Restaurant Fundraisers. Order from Nora's Kabob at their Ellicott City location (9338 Baltimore National Pike) to support the PTA. See their website. Mention TRES and Nora's will donate 10% of sales to the TRES PTA. PLUS, they'll make a second donation that matches the total raised from this restaurant night. See the flyer here
  • Save the Date! Saturday, October 26th, 2:30 - 4:30pm, Boo Bash & Trunk or Treat. Get ready for a spooktacular time at Boo Bash, our annual TRES Trunk or Treat event (see flyer)! Adorn your costumes and explore an enchanted lineup of themed trunks as you trick or treat along the trail. Join us for an event full of magical adventures and hauntingly good fun! NEW: A Boo-tiful pumpkin contest (see the flyer), a BOO-tastic magic show, StoryBOOk walk, and more! Sign up HERE to volunteer or donate.
  • Retriever Run: The STEAMazing Race, November 16th, 11:00am-2:00pm is seeking sponsors! If interested, email TRESPTA1@gmail.com. Register for the Retriever Run: The STEAMazing Race HERE! 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).
  • Purchase your TRES spirit wear HERE.
  • Thanks to Cilantro’s Neighborhood Cantina for hosting the first restaurant night this year and to all TRES families who attended.

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.