SRES Informer
February 2020
Spring Ridge is a positive, collaborative environment where students are kind, confident problem solvers prepared for the future.
Email: deveda.coley@fcps.org
Website: https://education.fcps.org/sres/home
Location: 9051 Ridgefield Drive, Frederick, MD 21701, USA
Phone: 240-236-1600
Community Conversation
The Spring Ridge Elementary administrators and representatives from Frederick County Public Schools invite you to a community conversation about school improvement on Wednesday, February 26, 2020, from 5:30-6:30 pm. In order to best prepare for this meeting, we ask that you answer the questions on this survey by Monday, February 24.
Survey Link: https://forms.gle/bhb13pD1DhkoB7cx6
Important Dates for February
February:
7th: Report Cards go home
12th- Celebrate the 100th day of school
AM Pre-K Valentine's Day Party 10:30-11:30
13th- Arctic Fun and Family Game Night plus Food Bank (Healthy Market)
2nd quarter Roo Awards
- 9:20: 2nd and 3rd grade
- 10:00: K and 4th grade
- 10:40: 5th and 1st grade
14th--Class parties and 2-hour early dismissal
- Valentine Parties:
- PK--12:30-1:30
- K-- 12:45-1:45
- 1st--11:40-12:40
- 2nd--12:40-1:40
- 3rd--12:40-1:40
- 4th--12:50-1:35
- 5th--1:00-1:45
14th- Spirit Day-wear red
14th- Distribution of forms for Jump Rope for Heart
17th-Schools and Offices Closed-President's day
20th-PTA Meeting at 6:00-- will be rescheduled
21st- First day to receive any donations for Jump Rope for Heart
25th-Red Robin Night
26th- Community Conversation: 5:30-6:30 p.m. **** New******
28th-Wear your Roo Spirit Wear!!!
28th- Second day to receive any donations for Jump Rope for Heart
March:
4th- Jump Rope For Heart :Jumping event during specials and collection of all donations
International Night
Who: We need families to volunteer to display a country, culture and/or heritage. It can be from your family’s ancestry or heritage, a country you have visited or are interested in.
What: You will set up a display/poster board highlighting the country/culture. You can bring items to enhance the display such as: musical instruments, traditional clothing, craft items, and photos. You can also bring traditional food samples.
Why: There is an amazing diverse background at SRES and we want to celebrate it. Let’s give our kids a tour around the world!
How: If you are interested, please contact Maria Gonzalez as soon as possible at maria.srespta@yahoo.com .
When: Friday, March 13th, 2020 Time: 5:30 – 7:30pm
Where: Spring Ridge Elementary School
Kindergarten and Pre-K Registration Open Monday, March 16
For information please visit the website at: https://www.fcps.org/about/news/1674495/kindergarten-and-pre-k-registration-open-monday-march-16
We will have an evening dedicated to enrolling students. On April 7th from 5:00-7:00 pm Spring Ridge will be open for enrollment, Head Start will also be present.
Jump Rope for Heart
On Friday February 14th we began the “Kids Heart Challenge” campaign. All students received a paper with all the information. Please refer to the collection dates below.
Schedule of events:
* February 14th – Distribution of forms
* February 21st (Friday)– first day to receive any donations
* February 28th (Friday) – second day to receive any donations
* March 4th (Wednesday) – jumping event during specials and collection of all donations
* March 13th (Friday) – final day to receive any donations
* March 16th(Monday) – order all gifts (allow three to four weeks for delivery)
Thank you in advance for your participation.
PE Teachers Kinsey and Kendro
Spelling Bee Winners!
We would like to congratulate our SRES Spelling Bee Winner James Anzick who will be representing Spring Ridge Elementary School in the Frederick County Spelling Bee on March 14 at FCC. Also, congratulations to our alternate, Ripsi Kinzey who will also be attending the Spelling Bee! Thank you, James and Ripsi for representing SRES! We are very proud of you!
Kudos to all of the SRES Spelling Club Members for dedicating your time and energy! We had a great initial Bee season! Many have already asked when we will start preparing for next year! The participants were Ripsi Kinzey, Gassa, VaanDam Za, Meghan Karns, Rahniya Chester-Williams, Marjorie Barahona Madrid, James Anzick, Akeelah Fredericks, Brendan Quigley-Gentner, Tymir Webster, and Marjorie Gramajo-Gonzalez. Thank you to the following staff members for supporting our Roo Spellers, Mrs. Briscoe, Miss Stottlemyer, Miss Fox and Ms. Anzick! Thanks to our amazing administration for this learning opportunity! Miss Nori
Testing Season and SRES Testing Dates-UPDATE!
Testing Dates have been determined for 2020 state testing at SRES. Please mark your calendars and inform families, as appropriate. The earlier we can get these dates out, the better!! These will also be posted in our parent newsletter.
MSAA-Students on Alternative Curriculum
March 9-May 8
MISA--5th Grade ONLY (Change from the County)
March March 23, 24, 26, 27
M-CAP--3rd, 4th, and 5th
ELA- 4/29, 4/30, 5/5, 5/6
Math- 5/13, 5/14, 5/19, 5/20
Spirit Days
Spirit Day Schedule: https://docs.google.com/document/d/14rvdAUgctHRtLiIEMU4e2Ka-xsnhM4RMssR2PDnW_kg/edit?usp=sharing
Safety First!!
Staff Celebrations
Congrats to Ms. Tracy Spingola!!! She is being filmed as a teacher representative talking about reading instruction!! Tracy is an awesome teacher and her hard work has been noticed by county staff!!! Kudos!! We are so proud!!!!
Each month we will have staff members highlighted that have shown exceptional work and going above and beyond for the Spring Ridge School and Community! Our February staff member of the month is Denise Constantine. This month we are also recognizing Samantha Richards and Erin Murphy as our staff members for Quarter 2!
Samantha Richards
Mrs. Richards has worked with FCPS for 8 years. This is her second year as a primary teacher within the Pyramid program at Spring Ridge Elementary School.
She started at FCPS as a special education assistant and followed her dream to become a special education teacher. She enjoys working with students who need her the most! Mrs. Richards has 2 dogs, Ruger and Remi, who I talk about a lot (She has plenty of pictures and is more than happy to share them if you ask!). She is currently pursuing a Master's Degree in Special Education so she can continue my journey to further her knowledge in special education.
One of her favorite quotes is: "Believe you can and you're halfway there." - Theodore Roosevelt.
Erin Murphy
This Mrs. Murphy's 3rd year with the SRES family. While at Spring Ridge she has worked as a 4th grade Pyramid teacher, 2nd grade teacher, and a Special Education teacher.
One of her many favorite quotes: "Those who dare to fail miserably can achieve greatly." -John F. Kennedy
Mrs. Murphy is am a proud mom of 3 adult children and grandmother of 6 furry babies. This is her 25th year teaching with FCPS. She has enjoyed working in 5 different communities throughout her career and getting to know all corners of Frederick County. Her career has spanned grade levels 2-5, specialized programs, special education and a plethora of leadership roles. She has aspirations to continue her leadership with FCPS to help build our student successes and close the achievement gap. In her typical character, she's a planner. Therefore, in her future retirement, she plans on returning to local schools to continue supporting our communities and students as a volunteer.
Denise Constantine
This is Mrs. Constantine's second year at Spring Ridge Elementary School. She currently works as an SEIA in our 3 year old pre-k classroom. Mrs. Constantine started in FCPS as a substitue before taking a position with us at Spring Ridge. Prior to that she was a stay at home mom of three for 24 years. When her youngest was ready for college she thought about what she wanted to do. Having been home with her children for all those years, volunteering in their classrooms, field trips and being homeroom mom the only thing that came to mind was to get a job with a school. Last year was her first full year and she absolutely fell in love with the job. She shared that "This job is truly the most rewarding a job could ever be. I am so thankful that SRES gave me the opportunity."
PATHs Program
3. Say the problem and how you feel. Children are encouraged to use this as a strategy if they get angry or upset. Please talk to your child about their PATHS lessons and reference the grade level newsletters for the topics being instructed.
Elementary Magnet Application
The Elementary Magnet Program Application season is now upon us! This program is designed for academically gifted students in grades 3 – 5 with superior performance in both language arts and mathematics.
Application information is now available online at this link: https://pubforms.fcps.org/view.php?id=51492
Students in grades 2-4 may be nominated for the 2020-2021 Elementary Magnet Program by completing an online application between January 24 and February 28, 2020.
Parents and teachers are encouraged to review information, including some characteristics of gifted students. All information may be found:
- via this flyer.
- online via https://www.fcps.org/academics/elemmagnetprg.
- via information at your school’s front office
Attendance
Congratulations to our 1st graders with the highest attendance rate for 96.0% for the month of January! 4th grade was close behind with a rate of 95.3%!
Did you know…
- If a child misses 10% or more (18+) school days, they are considered to be “chronically absent”?
Did you know…
- Last year, we had 45 students with over 18 missed school days?
You can help us by…
Sending your child to school each day. Their presence not only helps us build relationships with them but also provides them with direct instruction that will benefit their understanding of academic concepts. Attendance is one of the key components on the Maryland State Report Card. By sending your child to school each day, you are helping us reach our goals:
- To increase our overall attendance from 95.3% to 96% by the end of the school year so that a higher number of students capitalize on the great instruction provided by our staff daily!
- To decrease the number of students with chronic absenteeism from 45 to 30- chronic attendance often continues throughout school years!! We want to provide assistance to students now so that absenteeism does not continue.
- To become a five-star school-- we have high expectations for all things at SRES--being a 5-star school is one of those high expectations we have for ourselves. We all want a 5-star school in our community!!
Thank you for your continued support in guaranteeing your child’s success!
Cold and Flu Season is Here
Sneezing, stuffy and runny nose? You might have a cold. Colds are one of the most frequent reasons for missed school and work. Every year, adults have an average of 2 to 3 colds, and children have even more.
Antibiotics do not work against viruses that cause colds and will not help you feel better. There is no cure for a cold. It will get better on its own—without antibiotics.
Below are some ways you can feel better while your body fights off a cold:
- Get plenty of rest
- Drink plenty of fluids
- Use a clean humidifier or cool mist vaporizer
- Suck on lozenges or cough drops
You can help prevent colds by doing your best to stay healthy and keep others healthy, including:
- Wash your hands
- Avoid close contact with people who have colds or other upper respiratory infections.
- Cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
Please be sure to send your child with appropriate winter gear. Students will be going out to recess unless the windchill is below 25 degrees at the start of each grade's recess.
Order your yearbook today!
Reminders
Going Green: At the PTA meeting, I had a parent ask if we could "Go Green" and stop sending home papers when we send it out electronically. This seemed like a GREAT suggestions. As a first step to "Going Green", we are putting out a survey to see if any families would be willing to get this newsletter and the grade level newsletters electronically only. Please fill-out the survey if that would work for you. Thank you! Link for Going Green
Morning Procedures: Our front office is open from 8:30-4:30. For student safety students should not arrive prior to 8:45, as we do not have staff to supervise students or to let them in the building. This is inclusive of car riders and walkers.
Lunch visits: Please note that if you would like to come for lunch with your child you have the option to eat at the table with the student or utilize the front table closest to the stage/cafeteria line. Your child may bring one friend to eat with you if you select to eat at the separate table. We love having visitors for lunch!!!
FCPS Weather Policy
Occasionally, inclement weather and other safety or health conditions require FCPS to close, delay opening or dismiss early.
Closing and delay decisions involve careful evaluation of a variety of factors in a short time period. Whenever possible, decisions are made by 5 a.m. for morning closings and delays and by 10 a.m. for early closings, and announced soon after.
Because weather can change quickly and forecasts aren't always certain, it's rarely possible to determine delays or closings the night before. But we always make the decision as soon as we can be sure of the weather and travel conditions, and we begin communicating the decision right away.
FCPS doesn't usually announce that schools are open or operating on schedule, only that they are closed, delayed or dismissing early. If we haven't announced otherwise, schools are open on time.
Regardless of what FCPS decides, if you believe weather conditions are hazardous or unsafe, you have the right to keep your child home from school. Student absences because of hazardous weather conditions are lawful and excused.
How to Find Out
FCPS notifies about 30 local and regional TV and radio stations plus our own media outlets about systemwide school delays and closings. It is not possible to guarantee that the news media will announce this information promptly or accurately. For the fastest, most reliable information, check the following:
- www.fcps.org
- Social Media: FCPS on Twitter and FCPS on Facebook
- Email/Text Messages: Sign up for FindOutFirst email and emergency-only text messages
- FCPS TV: Comcast Channel 18 (Frederick area)
Note: FCPS social media and fcps.org are the fastest ways to get emergency notices. Email and text notices can take longer because of the volume of messages that require acceptance from a wide variety of Internet Service Providers.
All FindOutFirst (FOF) emergency notices come from FCPS Public Affairs Department. Emergencies include schools closing due to weather, power outages or the like. SMS text messages are sent only when schools are unexpectedly closing. FOF does not typically send email about lockdowns, most of which are precautionary and brief. In your FOF profile, you must select your child's school to get news of emergencies pertaining only to that school.
Half-Day PreKindergarten Schedule* On days when school opens 2 hours late, morning and afternoon pre-k* students attend 1½-hour sessions. Breakfast is served in morning classes, which start 2 hours late and dismiss 1 hour later than usual. Afternoon classes start 1 hour late and dismiss at the regular time.
Early Dismissal When schools close 2 hours early due to inclement weather, morning half-day pre-k* students remain at school for dismissal with full-day students. Lunches are served. Afternoon half-day pre-k* and CTC programs are canceled; CTC students remain at their home schools. Flexible Evening HS and Heather Ridge Twilight programs are canceled.
When schools close 3 to 3.5 hours early due to inclement weather, morning half-day pre-k* students remain at school for dismissal with full-day students, morning CTC students follow normal schedules, afternoon pre-k*, CTC, Flexible Evening HS and Heather Ridge Twilight programs are canceled.
After-School and Weekend Activities Generally, when schools are closed due to inclement weather, school-sponsored after-school and evening activities are canceled or postponed. On non-school days when the Snow Emergency Plan is in effect in Frederick County, all FCPS programs and activities are canceled or postponed. To find out if the plan is in effect, please monitor local radio stations or visit the Maryland Department of Transportation website.
CAREER DAY HELP WANTED
Are you a parent/guardian of a student at Spring Ridge Elementary or do you belong to the Spring Ridge community? Do you have an awesome career that you want to share with the students? We need your help!
Spring Ridge’s Career Day will be on Wednesday, May 27th from 1:30-3:30 p.m. At the current time this career day will be for students in grades 3-5, however, we welcome and would love parents/guardians with children in all grades to volunteer as a career presenter! We are seeking parents, guardians and community members willing to be a career resource and present at our Career Day for our students. If you are interested please see the link below to fill out a quick survey by April 14th, 2020. We will contact all prospective speakers with more information after that date. If you have any questions, please contact Jesse Trombatore, school counselor, at 240-236-1542 or Jessica.m.johnson@fcps.org.
You can find the survey online at the link below:
https://forms.gle/AwezA9KBhyUfSEdb7
Thank you!!
The School Store is Open!
Every Tuesday before school students can purchase school supplies. All items are $1 or less.
If you would like to volunteer to help with the school store, sign up using this link:
Bus Delay Information
Family Handbook
Handbook Link : Open in Google docs to have the best view of this document.
Board Approved LOU Redistricting Attendance Boundaries
The Board of Education approved revisions to existing attendance boundaries, establishing attendance areas for the new Sugarloaf and Blue Heron elementary schools. In addition, the Board approved other adjustments to existing elementary, middle and high school attendance areas to establish feeder patterns for the new schools and to address school capacity issues.
Changes to the Centerville, Urbana, Green Valley and Twin Ridge elementary schools will go into effect for the 2020-2021 school year. Changes to the Liberty, New Market, Deer Crossing, Oakdale and Spring Ridge elementary schools attendance areas will go into effect for the 2021-2022 school year. All changes to the middle and high school attendance areas will go into effect for the 2020-2021 school year. See the changes to the elementary, middle and high school attendance areas below.
For detailed approved attendance boundary maps, please see the interactive map below.
In addition to revising existing attendance boundaries, the Board of Education also voted to:
- Modify Planning Block (PB) 187 to include the two parcels inadvertently excluded;
- Develop a process for existing PB 86 and 177 residents to request an out of district transfer until the student completes middle and high school;
- Move PB 56 from the LHS back to UHS attendance area;
- Allow grandfathering of rising 8th, 10th, 11th, and 12th graders to remain at their current school. Grandfathering of siblings not identified in one of the four grades are excluded;
- Implement the plan for welcoming new students who will be transitioning from one school to another.
To read the Board's decision, go to: http://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/fcps/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=BGSRAB6C8177.
FCPS sent a letter to all families impacted by the redistricting in November.
Answers to frequently asked questions regarding the BOE redistricting decision can be found here. Additional questions regarding the redistricting decisions can be directed to LOUredistrict@fcps.org.
Interactive Map
Suggestions to Keep Children Healthy!!
Important Message about Internet Safety
FCPS posts Internet safety resources online at:
PTA
2019-2020 Officers
President: Bethany Lord
Vice President: Lauren Stanczyk
Treasurer: Crystal Tressler
Recording Secretary: Caitlyn Reed