the Forest Hills flyer

Forest Hills Families,

We are having a GREAT fall! Thank you to all that attended our Fall Open House & Family Track Day! We had a great turnout, and were excited to offer you a glimpse into your child's life at Forest Hills!

By now you should have received several important pieces of data to help you understand your child's current level of learning. You should have received:

1. iReady Beginning of Year Diagnostic Report

2. 1st Nine Week Report Card (also viewable in Power School Parent Portal)

3. 1st Nine Week Benchmark Scores

4. Graded paper folder with weekly test and daily grades (also viewable in Power School Parent Portal)

Should you have questions about any pieces of data listed above, please contact your child's teacher. Some questions have come up regarding unexcused tardies and absences on the 1st Nine Week Report Card. Please note that in Power School, all check-outs show up as "tardies." We also had an issue with absences not showing correctly on report cards. To view your child's correct and up-to-date attendance, please log in to the Power School Parent Portal. Should you need assistance accessing the Power School Parent Portal, please call (256) 768-2500 and one of our secretaries will assist you.

The month of November hosts some exciting events! We are looking forward to our Grandparents Thanksgiving Lunch, Veterans Day Program, & Boys' Glow Dance! More information is given below and was also sent home with your child. Please note that there will be a Girls' Dance on February 16th where girls may bring their dad or special person, so mark your calendars now!

Please be cognizant of checking your student out for non-emergency situations. We ask that on days of special events like Thanksgiving Lunch, Veterans Day Program, etc. that students stay for school the entire school day. We have a lot of learning to do this year, and every second counts! Unnecessary check-outs take away from your child's learning and also put strains on our front office.

Lastly, in the coming weeks, you will hear about the release of Alabama's Report Card Grade for each school in the state. This type of "grade" hasn't been released since 2019 due to the pandemic. Forest Hills has worked very hard to fill learning gaps among our students, and I have full faith that you will see that reflected in our upcoming report card grade. Whether you're a parent of a kindergartener or 12th grader, your child has somehow been impacted by the last 3 years of the pandemic. I'd encourage all parents to read this article with some great tips for supporting your child's learning moving forward!

As always, I'm here to support your child's education, and if there is any question or concern you might have, feel free to contact me!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Fowler, Principal

Each year, Florence City Schools seeks input from stakeholders (families, staff, & students). Your feedback is essential in planning for a successful school culture and climate. If you haven't had a chance to take the survey yet, please click HERE.

They’re more than just teachers. They’re counselors, coaches, mentors, and friends. They deserve a full month of gratitude from all of us. Give your own heartfelt thanks to the special teachers in you and your child's life or share some kind words on social media with #ThankALTeachers.

November 3rd & 4th

Please see the schedule below as a reminder of when we are expecting your child's grandparent to join us for their Thanksgiving lunch! The cost of the lunch is $4.00 and should be paid upon arrival to the cafeteria.

REMINDER: Any guests attending MUST be listed on your child's pickup list. Please call the school office (256-768-2500) if you are unsure.

On Thursday, November 10, 2022 at 1:00pm in our gym, Forest Hills students will host a Veterans Day program to honor our country's veterans. All students are welcome to invite a family member, friend or neighbor that is a veteran to this performance in the school gym. Families are also welcome to attend. Please feel free to contact the front office at (256) 768-2500 with any questions.

If you plan to attend the Glow Dance, please return the armband presale form that was attached to your child's invitation by November 10. Tickets are also available for purchase at the door.

Did you know that all students can access any of their FCS Student Online Resources from a personal device while at home?! This will be especially important for your child as we enter the fall/winter months and some students may need to miss school due to illness. Some of the popular resources your child may want to access at home include:

• Renaissance (AR)
• iReady
• Prodigy
• Explore Learning (Reflex)
• Flocabulary

There are many other awesome resources available to your child on the FCS Student Online Resources Page. To ensure your child can access these resources from home, your child MUST have his/her Clever Badge. All teachers sent these home earlier in the year (they should be in your child's binder or folder), but should your child misplace his/her Clever Badge, please contact your child's teacher and he/she can send home a new badge. See below for screenshots for logging into Clever! Click HERE for accessing FCS Student Online Resources.

Each November, Florence City Schools participates in a Mac-N-Cheese Drive to support our local Salvation Army. Each of the schools in FCS compete to see who can bring in the MOST mac-n-cheese. Forest Hills is the current reigning winner, so help us keep the title and support our community by bringing in all the mac!! Donations may be dropped off November 1st-30th.

Publix Partners helps you support your favorite school every time you shop. Publix donate a portion of your eligible purchases to the school of your choice. Please enroll at www.publix.com/partners , select Forest Hills Elementary and enter your phone number at checkout. It is as simple as that.

We appreciate your continued support.

As you know, the Alabama Literacy Act requires that all students be reading on grade level by the end of 3rd grade to be promoted to 4th grade. Below are some EXCELLENT family resources that have been provided by the Alabama Reading Initiative. I have also linked these resources to our website. Click HERE to read more about the Alabama Literacy Act.

The state of Alabama's new Multi-Tiered Systems of Support Framework (MTSS) is a model to support the "whole child." Refer to the image below for the framework. In its recent newsletter (see chart below), MTSS released some easy steps to follow when challenges or stress may arise. Try some of these easy steps!

• Save the date! Students will take the ACAP (Alabama Comprehensive Assessment Program) in grades 2nd, 3rd, and 4th during the month of April. Students will not be pre-approved for any absences on these dates. Please mark your calendars for the schedule below:
• Tuesday, April 11th-ELA
• Wednesday, April 12th-ELA
• Thursday, April 20th-Science (4th grade only)
• Tuesday, April 25th-Math
• Test security measures ban any electronic devices during testing. Such devices include smart watches, cellphones, tablets, etc. Any violation of this test security policy will be considered an FCS Code of Conduct Class III offense and warrant suspension from school. Thank you for ensuring your child does not bring a digital device to school during ACAP testing! **Please note that any digital device from home mentioned above is not allowed during any school day throughout the school year.**

November 1 - Ist Grade Field Trip (Hammond, Almon, Witt, Bosler, Franck)

November 1 - Show Choir Rehearsal 2:30-4pm

November 3 - Grandparents Thanksgiving Lunch

November 4 - Grandparents Thanksgiving Lunch

November 4 - Track Day

November 4 - Very Special Arts Festival

November 7 - Robotics Practice 2:30-4pm (Wilson, Boozer, Allen)

November 8 - Show Choir Rehearsal 2:30-4pm

November 10 - Fall Picture Make-Up Day

November 10 - Progress Reports

November 10 - Track Day

November 10 - Veterans Day Program 1:00pm

November 11 - Veteran's Day Holiday - NO SCHOOL

November 14 - Robotics Practice 2:30-4pm (Russell, Keenum, Brewer, Mininger)

November 15 - Show Choir Rehearsal 2:30-4pm

November 17 - 2nd Grade Field Trip

November 17 - Boy Glow Dance 6:00pm

November 18 - 3rd Grade Field Trip

November 18 - Hat Day (please bring $1)

November 18 - Track Day

November 21-25 - Thanksgiving Break - NO SCHOOL

November 28-December 2 - Salvation Army Mac-n-Cheese Drive

November 28 - Robotics Practice 2:30-4pm (Wilson, Boozer, Allen)

November 29 - Show Choir Rehearsal 2:30-4pm

December 1 - Show Choir Travel Day

December 1 - PTO Meeting in Cafeteria 8:00am

Email: cncarter@florencek12.org
Website: https://www.florencek12.org/Domain/12
Location: 101 Stovall Drive, Florence, AL, USA
Phone: 256-768-2500
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Forest-Hills-Elementary-School-188669637616/
Twitter: @ForestHillsEle

Laurie Fowler - Principal

lfowler@florencek12.org

Clarke Jackson - Assistant Principal

hjackson@florencek12.org

Konnie Lee - Assistant Principal

kllee@florencek12.org

Charly Carter - Secretary

cncarter@florencek12.org

Jennifer Jones - Bookkeeper

(256) 768-2510

Sherry McCutchon - Nurse

(256) 768-2519

Cafeteria

(256) 768-2509

Social Media Accounts

Follow us on Facebook here and Florence City Schools here

Follow us on Twitter here and Florence City Schools here

Follow us on Instagram here and Florence City Schools here

Follow the PTO on Facebook here