Forest School News (12.7.25)

💌 Forest Winter Card Contest Submissions

This year, nearly 80 students across D62 submitted artwork for the Winter Card Contest. Eight of those submissions came from Forest! We’re so proud of our creative Falcons.

Forest’s entries will be highlighted in this week’s video announcements and will also be incorporated into two upcoming service projects: classrooms will have the option to make holiday cards for local veterans and Student Council will create cards for community organizations.

Enjoy the beautiful submissions from Forest students below!

Clara | Grade 4

Jack | Grade K

Brady | Grade 3

Iqra | Grade K

Scarlett | Grade 3

Sema | Grade 4

Lily | Grade 4

Zach | Grade 1

🧤 Lost & Found Items

Forest's Lost & Found is already overflowing, especially with winter gear now in the mix. One way to help is to please take a moment to label your child’s belongings with their first and last name or first name and last initial. This includes water bottles, lunch boxes, jackets, sweaters, hats, and even gloves when possible.

Clear labeling will help us quickly return items to the right student and keeps our Lost & Found from piling up. Thank you for your help!

🥾 Forest Winter Gear Drive

Forest's Winter Gear Drive is here! We are looking for coats, snow pants, hats, gloves, and boots in all sizes for kids (4T through Adult Large).

You can collect any old gear and drop it off in Forest office, the vestibule inside Door 1, or send them with your student(s) to drop off in Ms. Biancalana's office (Room 135) anytime between now and winter break! Please wash or clean any items prior to drop off. Items collected will be shared with Forest families. Any remaining items will be distributed to other schools in D62 or donated to the Self-Help Closet of Des Plaines.

Monthly Attendance Notification Update

We are committed to keeping you informed about your children's progress and attendance! Starting this month, you will begin receiving monthly attendance updates for your children via email and text message. This new communication aims to ensure you have timely updates regarding any absences.

Please remember that if you opt out of text messages about attendance from Infinite Campus, you will be opting out of all IC communications sent via text, including important notices about fees, lunch balances, grades, and teacher messages. To ensure you receive all essential school updates, we strongly encourage staying opted-in!

Thank you for your partnership in making sure your student is present and ready to learn!

🙂 1/13: January PTC Meeting

There will be no December PTC meeting.
Our next meeting will be on Tuesday, January 13th.

🎄 Thank You!

Thank you to the students and families who made ornaments to decorate the Forest tree in Metropolitan Square.

A special thank you to Evelyn Ronkowski for organizing Ornament Decorating!

🍟 12/9: Dine & Share at Wendy's

The next Dine and Share is at Wendy's in Des Plaines on Tuesday, December 9th. Stop by anytime and 30% of your total will be donated back to the PTC. See the flyer for the details.

👛 12/12 & 12/15: PTC Holiday Shop

The Annual PTC Holiday Shop is next week!! The Holiday Shop is a fun way for students to shop for family members and experience the spirit of giving while learning to earn, budget, and save! Our shop will be open on Friday, 12/12 and Monday, 12/15 during the school day (with Tuesday morning as a make-up day for absent students only). Each class will have the opportunity to visit one time.

Your student will have a variety of delightful gifts to choose from (mugs, magnets, toys, tools, jewelry, and much more!), all ranging in price from $0.50 to $8 (the majority are $5 or less). Envelopes to plan spending came home this week (tax is included in all prices, cash only). Please take some time to fill out the envelope with your child and send it back with cash on his/her shopping day (see your teacher's newsletter). Please do not send more than $20-$30 with your students to shop. This is an amazing opportunity to empower your student to choose, purchase, and give gifts to their loved ones!

If you have any questions about volunteering you can reach out to Stephanie Statema (stephanie.statema@gmail.com) or Christine Ashby (Soapsuds85@gmail.com).

🏒 2/15: Chicago Wolves Game

The Forest PTC is going to the Wolves Game! Join us Sunday, February 15th as the Wolves take on the Colorado Eagles. Tickets are now on sale and can be purchased at this link.

😎 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 December 8

12/8-12/12: Winter i-Ready Assessments (Reading & Math)
12/9: Dine & Share at Wendy's - ALL DAY at 1595 Lee St. location
12/10: 5th Grade Band & Orchestra Concert @ 6:30 PM at Algonquin Middle School
12/11: FREE Winter Wonderland (arts, crafts, games) from 4-6 PM @ Maine East High School
12/12: PTC Holiday Shop during the school day

Week of December 15

12/15: PTC Holiday Shop during the school day
12/15: Board of Education meeting at 7:00 PM
12/17: Pick-up News Years Eve Craft Kits at DPPL all day - FREE while supplies last
12/19: Winter Classroom Parties (Grades 1-5)
12/19: i-Ready Family Reports sent home in backpacks

Week of December 22

12/22-12/26: No School - Winter Break! - School resumes January 6th
12/26: Drop-in Craft (all ages) from 10:30-11:30 AM and 4:00-5:00 PM at DPPL
12/27: Eat pizza and watch Home Alone from 2:00-4:00 PM at DPPL (ages 9-12)

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, Forest, and the Des Plaines community have so many wonderful resources available for families. If you are experiencing financial hardship, food insecurity, looking for community resources, or exploring opportunities for parent learning, we are here for you!

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 with you about any resources needed. Responses are kept confidential and will only be seen by the SEL team unless you specify otherwise.

D62 Student Handbook