the Forest Hills Flyer

A Note from the Principal

Forest Hills Families,

Thank you for a fantastic first month of school! Our Back To School Bash scheduled for September 11th is an event you won't want to miss! If your child's class t-shirt isn't ready by the Bash, don't fret, they can wear Falcon gear or whatever they wish!

Reminders:

Please have your student to school no later than 7:30. Students are counted as tardy after 7:35 am and will be written up for tardiness to class. We don't wan this to happen!
DANGER: Do not drop students off in our parking lot. If you want to drop your child off, you must park in a parking space and walk them to a crosswalk where an adult is present.
The weather is beginning to cool off! Please label all of your child's jackets & hoodies.
Progress Reports go live in PowerSchool Parent Portal on Friday, 9/5. Please check your child's grades over the weekend and let your child's teacher know if you have any questions or concerns.

Update for Parents of 4th & 5th Graders:

All students attend a special enrichment class each day for 40 minutes. You've probably heard your child refer to this as their "special class!" Beginning with 4th & 5th graders last year, one of the specials classes visited is a Science Lab. Mrs. Karie Phillips & Mrs. Jill Kilburn have done an AMAZING job of utilizing our new science curriuclum (Inspire) to develop engaging and hands-on science lessons and labs! Please note that students will be receiving daily & test grades for this special class/Science Lab. This is sometimes an adjustmet for students as they have not received a grade in a special class prior to 4th grade. Students will need to study their vocabulary words and study guide weekly.

Healthy Homework & Study Habits:

Written homework assignments are rare at Forest Hills, however, we do expect students to study at home. We have developed some resources to help support healthy study habits at home. These resources were sent home in student folders this week. Please be sure to review the following resources below:

Healthy Homework & Study Habits
How to Study Spelling Words

If I can ever be of assistance to you, please call, email, or stop by! GO FALCONS! 💙

Sincerely,

Mrs. Fowler, Principal

#WeAreFalcons

Use the link below to add money to your child's lunch account. While breakfast and lunch are free for all students, this money can be used to buy extra food at lunch or ice cream. The cafeteria will begin serving ice cream on September 29. Your child will have the opportunity to purchase ice cream for $1.00 one day each week.

Add money to your child's lunch account!

Please join us in dressing up for Homecoming the week of September 15-19! Any student participating must adhere to the FCS dresscode. We hope to see everyone at the game on Friday night, September 19, at Braly Stadium. Kick-off is at 7:00pm. Tickets are $11/person and clear bags are required to enter the stadium.

Kindergarten

Kindergarteners are starting the month of September off strong with new literacy and math stations! Students are learning how to collaborate together in these groups. In Reading, we are working on letter identification, writing our names, rhyming, and identifying nouns. In Math, we are working on number identification, number writing, and counting objects with one-to-one correspondence. Our Unit studies in September include :Colors, Our 5 Senses, and Apples!

1st Grade

First grade students have done a wonderful job making new friends and building our classroom community.

This month, first graders are diving into reading strategies to help them spell, blend, and read new words with confidence. In math, we’re exploring different strategies and tools to solve addition and subtraction equations. It’s been so much fun watching their curiosity and problem-solving skills grow each day!

To keep the excitement for learning going at home, we encourage you to spend a few minutes each day reading with your child. Whether you take turns reading aloud, talk about the story, or enjoy a favorite book together, these moments make a big difference in building strong reading skills—and a love of learning.

We can’t wait to see where the rest of this school year takes us. Go Falcons

2nd Grade

Second grade is off to a fantastic start! Our students are already settling into routines and procedures and are doing a wonderful job. We are finishing up our reading unit on “Teamwork.” We have been exploring different kinds of teams and learning what it means to be a great team player. A weekly skills sheet will be sent home in your child’s folder. Please take some time to review the vocabulary and spelling words regularly to help your child prepare for upcoming assessments. In math, we are practicing strategies to mentally add and subtract and beginning to use those strategies to read bar graphs and pictographs. You’ll also notice green math pages in your child’s folder throughout the week—these are great resources to review at home. In addition, you can support your child by practicing telling time to the nearest 5 minutes on an analog clock, as well as practicing counting coins up to $1.00. Our students are eager and excited to learn, and we can’t wait to watch them grow throughout the year!

3rd Grade

We are off to a great start in 3rd grade!

In math, students have been learning about the meaning of multiplication. Please pay close attention to how we present multiplication as equal groups, repeated addition, and arrays. Students have learned so many strategies in order to multiply efficiently.

In Reading, we have been focusing on making inferences, cause and effect, fact and opinion, and main idea and details. These skills will be continually taught throughout the school year. Remember that you can access our weekly story at home through the McGraw-Hill app on Clever. Also, don’t forget to read the weekly fluency passage with your child three times a week.

In Language, students have learned about nouns, verbs, subjects and predicates, as well as synonyms and antonyms. Students are also working very hard on their cursive handwriting. You can always practice cursive at home if your child is struggling. There are so many great resources online for cursive handwriting.

We have ordered our class t-shirts and expect them to arrive very soon! We are also planning a field trip for October, so look for more information coming soon!

4th Grade

The 4th grade students have jumped right into all things place value with greater numbers in math. They have used their learning of place value to rename numbers, round numbers as well as add and subtract using the standard algorithm. In reading, students are reading stories about people who make a positive difference in their community or country. Students are having great conversations on these topics.

5th Grade

Fifth grade had a fantastic first month of school! It has been wonderful getting to know your children and watching them dive into this new school year. Academically we have hit the ground running! In math, we have been sharpening our number sense and tackling multi-digit multiplication and division. In reading, we've been exploring different genres and practicing our close reading skills to better understand the stories and texts we are reading. Students have been working on writing skills and relating it to their reading text. In science, students on working on Unit 1, Investigate Matter. Students got to experience their first experiment and enjoyed the hands on learning. We are excited to continue seeing what students are able to learn and discover in the coming months.

6th Grade

6th Grade is off to a great start at FHES! Students are adjusting to new and challenging curriculms, multiple class changes, and different elective options. Teachers and students are happy to have a 6th grade unit that will prepare them for the transition into middle school next year.

Have you heard about Wait Until 8th?

As a school community, we all want what’s best for our children—socially, emotionally, and academically. With the rapid rise of smartphones in childhood, many families are asking tough questions about how early is too early, and how we can collectively protect childhood in a digital age.

That’s why I want to share a resource called the Wait Until 8th pledge.

What Is the Wait Until 8th Pledge?

The Wait Until 8th pledge empowers parents to delay giving their children a smartphone until at least the end of 8th grade. It helps parents do this together—reducing the pressure and isolation many feel when trying to go against the norm alone. Over 115,000 families across the country have already joined this growing movement.

You can learn more or take the pledge here: www.waituntil8th.org

Why This Matters

We now know far more about the effects of early smartphone use than we did a decade ago. Research shows that excessive smartphone use is linked to:

Increased anxiety, depression, and loneliness
Exposure to cyberbullying, explicit content, and online predators
Reduced academic performance, focus, and sleep quality
Signs of addiction, including phone dependency and emotional dysregulation

Many parents feel uneasy about giving their child a smartphone so early—but they also feel like they don’t have a choice, because “everyone else is.” The Wait Until 8th pledge offers a way to hold off—together—and help create a healthier norm.

Key Points About the Pledge

The pledge is for smartphones only. Families can stay connected using basic phones or limited-function smartwatches—without the risks and distractions of a smartphone.
It’s easier to wait when you’re not alone. Many parents give in early because they think “everyone else has one.” Wait Until 8th helps shift that norm by building community.
The pledge becomes active when 10+ families in the same grade sign on. At that point, parents receive a list of others waiting too from their child’s grade, with updates shared as more join.

Learn more

We’re sharing this with our community as an opportunity for reflection and dialogue—not to dictate how families should parent, but to offer a powerful tool that many may find helpful. If you’re interested in learning more, visiting www.waituntil8th.org is a great first step.

Thank you for all you do to support your child’s growth and well-being. We’re grateful to partner with you in creating a school culture that helps students thrive—in and out of the classroom.

Update for Walkers!

Beginning Wednesday, September 10th, we will have a staff member on duty as a crossing guard from 7:00-7:30 am at the intersection by the school parking lot entrance and Forest Hills Baptist Church. The crossing guard will hold traffic so that students can safely walk onto campus. We will also have a crossing guard help students across the intersection shortly after dismissal each afternoon (estimated time between 2:35 & 2:40). Parents are encouraged to meet their walkers at the Forest Hills Baptist Church parking lot. Please know that if you choose to let your child walk home after being released to the church parking lot, dismissal traffic will still be flowing, so parents should advise their students to use caution if walking home. We will also have a staff member continue to release other walkers to the track area, but this will now be occuring between 2:35 & 2:40. Please remember that parents MUST sign the waiver below before a child is permitted to be a walker.

Permission & Waiver to Walk Home

If you live within 2 miles of the school and would like for your student to walk home in the afternoon, please contact your child's teacher and request a waiver be sent home. Students will not be allowed to walk home without a signed waiver on file in our office.