Forest School News (10.12.25)

🦅 Forest Office Update

You might notice a different face if you step into the Forest front office! While Mrs. Powell is out for a while, Forest is happy to welcome Ms. Avina, a former D62 administrative assistant who supported the Plainfield community for well over a decade before retiring. I'm so glad she’s joining us to help keep things running smoothly and to welcome students and families each day. Please give her a warm welcome and stop in to say hello!

🎃 October 30-31: Halloween Activities

For planning purpose, please see the schedule below for this year's Halloween activities at Forest!

Thursday, October 30th

10:00 a.m. - AM Kindergarten Parade (through the school)
10:30 a.m. - AM Kindergarten Party
2:00 p.m. - PM Kindergarten Parade (through the school)
2:30 p.m. - PM Kindergarten Party

Friday, October 31st

NO SCHOOL FOR KINDERGARTEN
10:00 a.m. - Halloween Sing Along (for students and staff only)
10:30 a.m. - Halloween Parade (outdoors, weather permitting) - Families are invited!
11:00 a.m. - Halloween Parties
12:00 p.m. - EARLY DISMISSAL

If you would like to opt your child out of any Halloween activities, please email Ms. Soike by Tuesday, October 28th at 3:30 PM so that there is time to plan and prepare alternate activities.

⛄ DUE 10/15: D62 Winter Card Contest

The 2025 D62 Winter Card Contest is here! All D62 students (K-8) are invited to enter the 2025 Winter Card Contest. The deadline to submit an entry is October 15, 2025. Refer to the District 62 Winter Card Contest web page and the flyer below for more information.

🌎 10/25: District 62 BPAC Meeting

BPAC is a bilingual group that supports the multilingual students and families of D62. Come meet other bilingual families and get information to support you and your child! This month's topics include:

Understanding report card grades
Getting to know the steering committee and officers, and
Time to discuss the current school year with other parents.

Click here to see the flyer in other languages.

📲 10/27: Family Workshop - Screen Time & Technology

SEPAC is hosting a virtual family workshop on Monday, October 27 at 6:30 PM. Join the virtual Zoom presentation to learn how technology affects childrens' mood, sleep, and focus and how your own habits play a role. Get practiceal tips to set healthy limits, spot red flags, and support balanced screen use at home.

⭐ This virtual session is open to all families.

💻 Zoom in English with Jacqueline Rhew, Co-founder of the Center for Emotional Wellness

💻 Zoom in Spanish with Steve Knope, Counselor at the Center for Emotional Wellness

🛝 10/15: Right at School Promotion

Right At School is offering a special promotion for Des Plaines families by providing 50% off through October 31st for any new families who register by October 15th.

English

Spanish

🙂 October PTC Meeting

The October PTC meeting is coming up on Tuesday, October 14th at 7:00pm at Forest. Babysitting will be provided for children 3 years and older. We hope to see you there!

💡 Staff Spotlight

Want to recognize a teacher or staff member for doing a great job? Nominate them for Staff Spotlight!

Staff Spotlight is a way to recognize any Forest staff member that makes students feel welcomed, cared for, and supported. Let us know the name of the staff member and what they did/are doing for their student or family at Forest. Any staff member can be recognized, so in addition to classroom teachers, don't forget paraprofessionals, custodians, interventionists, and more!

Nominees stay in the drawing month to month. You can nominate a staff member by emailing Jami Kolonski or Michelle Marlega explaining why that staff member deserves to be recognized. Winners are randomly chosen at our monthly PTC Meetings.

🎨 10/15: Fall Fest Art Contest DUE

Calling all student artists! The Fall Fest Art Contest will be held again this year. Students K-5th can submit artwork to the Main Office until This Wednesday, October 15th to be displayed during Fall Fest. The 1st and 2nd place winners will win a prize!

🎃 10/17: Fall Fest

Fall Fest is coming on Friday, October 17th from 6:00pm to 8:00pm! There will be lots of fun for the entire family! Please see the flyer for more details about the event and how to register. The deadline for early registration is Tuesday, October 14th.

We are looking for volunteers to help at Fall Fest. If you would like to volunteer you can sign up here.

🥳 Room Helpers Needed for Classroom Parties

Twice a year the Hospitality Team organizes classroom parties. Room Helpers plan activities with other volunteers and coordinate with the classroom teacher. The PTC has a variety of different ideas for games and activities to share!

The following classrooms still need additional volunteers:

Kindergarten: Mrs. Bergstrom's PM needs 1-2
3rd Grade: Mrs. Kusner needs 1
5th Grade: Mrs. Klemundt needs 1

If you would like to sign up to volunteer in your child's classroom or you would like more information, you can email Jami Kolonski or Michelle Marlega. Please include your name, your child's name, and their classroom teacher.

😎 Join the PTC!

Do the events above sound fun but don't line up with your schedule? Or would you like to learn more about what we can do for our students? Please consider joining the PTC! Membership gives you our meeting minutes and the first opportunity to volunteer at school events! You can join us here: Membership Form. You can also check out the Forest PTC Website.

💚 Forest Spirit Wear

Spirit Wear featuring the new Falcon logo is now available on our website.

Upcoming Events - Please save the dates!

Week of October 13

10/13: NO SCHOOL - State Holiday
10/14: PTC Meeting at 7:00 PM
10/14: DUE - Fall Fest Art Contest submissions
10/15: DUE - Winter Card Contest submissions
10/16: Makerspace Club begins from 3:30-4:30 PM
10/16: BPAC Family Night from 6:00-8:00 PM at Westerhold Early Learning Center
10/17: Fall Fest from 6:00-8:00 PM at Forest
10/18: Encore Explorers Fine Arts Workshops (Grades 4-8) at Maine East from 8:30-12:30 PM
10/18: DPPD Fishing Derby (Ages 15 & under) from 10:00-12:00 at Lake Park
10/18: Des Plaines Harvest Hoot from 12:00-4:00 PM at Oakton College -- *FREE*
10/18: DPPD Floating Pumpkin Patch (ages 1-12) from 1:00-4:00 PM at Prairie Lakes
10/19: Des Plaines Community Band Fall Performance from 3:00-5:00 PM at Prairie Lakes

Week of October 20

10/20: Board of Education meeting at North Elementary School at 7:00 PM
10/21: The Maker's Place (ages 9-12) from 4:00-5:00 PM at the Des Plaines Public Library
10/22: Family Storytime from 7:00-8:00 PM at the Des Plaines Public Library
10/23: Fall Picture Retakes
10/24: SAEBRS Letters emailed to families
10/25: Des Plaines Park District Trunk or Treat from 12:00-3:00 PM at Prairie Lakes

Week of October 27

10/27: Screen Time Family Workshop from 6:30-7:30 PM - Join virtually! - All are welcome!
10/30: Chorus Field Trip to Maine West for Des Plaines Choral Festival
10/30: AM Kindergarten Halloween parade at 10:00 AM & Halloween party at 10:30 AM
10/30: PM Kindergarten Halloween parade at 2:00 PM & Halloween party at 2:30 PM
10/30: Choir Performance at Des Plaines Choral Festival from 6:30-8:30 PM
10/31: NO SCHOOL FOR KINDERGARTEN
10/31: Halloween Sing Along from 10:00-10:30 AM (for students and staff only)
10/31: Grades 1-5 Halloween parade at 10:30 AM and Halloween parties at 11:00 AM
10/31: EARLY DISMISSAL at 12:00 PM (for all students in grades K-5)

Subscribe to the Forest Family Google Calendar

Subscribe to the District 62 Google Calendar

District 62 Community Partnerships & Resources - A full list of D62 community partnerships.
Virtual Bulletin Board - View community flyers on the D62 website. Updated regularly.
MaineStay Youth & Family Services - Click on the MaineStay tab for Youth Programs.
MaineStay Fall 2025 Catalog - Click to learn more about a range of fall events and activities.
Self-Help Closet & Pantry of Des Plaines - Learn more about available community resources.
Community Backpack Project - Weekly backpack program - Contact Forest if interested.
Des Plaines Public Library - A calendar of events at your local public library.

💟 In Need of Resources?

District 62 has so many wonderful resources available for families. To help the Forest SEL Team better understand what resources to connect you with, please fill out the Forest Family Resources form for us to follow up and share any resources needed! Responses are kept confidential unless you give permission otherwise.

D62 Student Handbook