Forest Family News

Family-Teacher Conferences are just around the corner! We strive to have 100% of our Forest families visit us during Fall Conferences. If you have not already done so, please visit Forest Conference Links to sign up for a conference time with your child's teacher(s).

Fall Conference Schedule

• Thursday, October 10 from 12:00-3:00 PM and 4:00-8:00 PM
• Friday, October 11 from 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM

• Cars are expected to pull all the way up to the stop sign. 🛑
• Students are expected to get in and out of the car independently on the curb (passenger) side.
• Family members must stay inside the vehicle at all times. 🚗

• ✅ Parking is permitted/allowed on 5th Avenue between Forest School and Algonquin Middle School.
• 🚫 Parking is NOT permitted/NOT allowed in the Forest Staff Parking Lots or on 5th Avenue in front of Forest. The Des Plaines Police Department will begin ticketing those who are parked or idling in an area where parking is not permitted.

We love to see so many students and families connecting after school at the playground! Forest has an incredible community. To increase student and family safety at dismissal, please refrain from using the blacktop area while there are still one or more buses in the bus lane. Once all of the buses have left, families are welcome to use the entire blacktop area in addition to the playground and field.

School starts promptly at 9:00 AM. Please drop your students off prior to 9:00 AM so they have time to get into school, unpack their bags, go to the restroom if needed, etc.

Students who are lined up on the blacktop begin entering the school at 8:57 AM. If you are arriving after 8:57 AM, we recommend you drop off at Door 1. Please DO NOT enter the bus lane to drop off at any time.

Over the last several weeks, it has been brought to our attention that people have been bringing their dogs onto school grounds during times such as arrival and dismissal. As partners in education, we as that you please DO NOT bring your dogs on school property during school day hours, including arrival and dismissal. The only exception would be identified service dogs. For more information, please refer to the D62 Dogs on Property letter.

District 62's vision is to educate resilient, lifelong learners who think critically and solve problems collaboratively, which encompasses academics and social emotional learning. This fall, D62 students will participate in a survey to help us better understand their SEL skills in the same way we screen for academic performance. This survey is called the Social, Academic, and Emotional Behavior Risk Screener (SAEBRS). Please review the SAEBRS Family Letter (also available in Spanish / Polish / Russian).

If you have any questions regarding the SAEBRS Survey or if you do not want your child to be included in the SAEBRS survey, please contact Ms. Soike by 3:00 PM on October 4.

As we wrap up the last day of September and the weather begins to cool, it's time to start thinking about the D62 Winter Card Contest! All D62 students (K-8) are invited to enter the 2024 Winter Card Contest. The deadline to submit an entry is October 15, 2024. Refer to the District 62 Winter Card Contest web page and the flyer below for more information.

If your family is in need of additional resources (i.e. food, clothing, community resources, etc.), please fill out this form. The responses to this form are confidential, and will only be seen by the SEL team unless you specify otherwise.

Have you heard of MaineStay Youth & Family Services? There are a ton of excellent opportunities for your students to connect with others. Please CLICK HERE to check out the upcoming Family Fun Nights and recurring events for October and November, including:

• Seeds of Friendship: Fostering Health Relationships Among Girls
• Family Fun Nights
• Social Wellness Nights
• Cooking Class
• Art in the Town
• Family Connections: A Play-Based Parenting Program
• Parenting Class
• Tutoring
• Trunk or Treat
• Bluey's Big Feelings Fun: Emotion Regulation Group
• Kids Fall Fest
• Youth Mentoring

• Who? All Families
• What? SEL Parent Night
• When? Tuesday, October 8 from 6:00-7:00 PM -- This is right before the PTC meeting at 7:00 PM!
• Where? Forest Elementary School
• Why? Come meet our social worker, Ms. Biancalana, and our school psychologist, Ms. McInerney, during our SEL Parent Night sessions. The first session will be about anti-bullying, which is our school's Second Step focus for the month of October. Please join us to learn more about anti-bullying from our team while having the opportunity to connect with other Forest families.
• Interested? Please ⭐ RSVP to the SEL Parent Night ⭐ session so we know how many families to plan for and so that we can arrange the space to accommodate everyone.

Fall Fest: The PTC is excited to announce that Fall Fest is coming on Friday, October 18th 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.

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! If you would like to sign up to volunteer in your child's classroom or you would like more information, you can email Kristin Vana at vanakristin@gmail.com or Jami Kolonski at jamikolonski@gmail.com. Please include your name, your child's name, and their classroom teacher.

Winter Gear Drive: The PTC will be partnering with the Forest SEL team for a Winter Gear Drive. You can drop off gently used winter gear such as coats, snow pants, hats, gloves, and boots in the vestibule at Forest between October 21st and October 25th. Families can then "shop" for new sizes in the TILE room at Forest on October 30th from 6:00pm to 7:00pm.

Forest Spirit Wear: Spirit Wear is a great way for your family to show their Forest pride. Spirit Wear is available to purchase on our website, and it will be delivered straight to your childs' classroom.

Next PTC Meeting: Our next PTC meeting will be on Tuesday, October 8th at 7:00pm at Forest School. Babysitting is provided for children 3 years old and above. Our guest speaker will be District 62 Superintendent, Dr. Mike Amadei. We hope to see you there!

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 our website: https://forest-ptc.square.site

• If interested, there is an application in Infinite Campus' Parent Portal to apply for free and reduced lunch. The application must be submitted within 30 days of school, so if you are interested, please apply now. This must be re-submitted at the beginning of each school year. Only one application is needed per household. Click here for more information

9/30: Developmental Screenings (1 month to 5 years old) at the Des Plaines Public Library from 9:30 AM - 12:00 PM

9/30: Fire Prevention Assembly for Grades K-2 in the morning

10/1: Law Enforcement Safety Drill for K-5 students

10/2: Custodian Appreciation Day

10/3: Fire Prevention Assembly for PM Kindergarten

10/4: AMS Boys Club visits Forest to lead an activity with September's PBIS Classroom Winner

10/8: SEL Parent Night (Anti-Bullying) from 6:00-7:00 PM at Forest

10/8: PTC Meeting from 7:00-8:00 PM at Forest

10/10: NO SCHOOL -- Family-Teacher Conferences from 12:00-3:00 PM & 4:00-8:00 PM

10/11: NO SCHOOL -- Family-Teacher Conferences from 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM

10/12: Free Kids Yoga from 10:00-11:00 AM - Email Amy Kendal for info (only 10 spots available)

10/14: NO SCHOOL - Indigenous Peoples' Day

10/15: Deadline to submit a Winter Card Contest entry - Bring to Mrs. Powell in the office!

10/18: Fall Fest from 6:00-8:00 PM at Forest

10/19: City of Des Plaines Harvest Hoot from 12:00-4:00 PM at Oakton College

10/19: Des Plaines Park District Floating Pumpkin Patch from 1:00-3:30 PM at Prairie Lakes

Website: http://forest.d62.org

Address: 1375 South 5th Avenue Des Plaines, IL 60018

Phone: (847) 824-1380

Facebook: Forest Facebook

Principal: Ms. Amber Soike

Assistant Principal: Ms. Traci Reiner