the Forest Hills Flyer

Forest Hills Families,

I hope everyone enjoyed Thanksgiving Break! December is packed full of fun and exciting events for our students! Be sure to arrive on time each morning so that students and families can spot our elf, Little J.R. during the month of December!

Throughout the month, classrooms will have holiday celebrations. Due to the heavy volume of guests on our campus and limited parking, we kindly request that no more than one guest attend per student. We also request that students remain in class after their class celebration and dismiss at normal time. When large groups of parents attempt to check their students out at one time, it causes problems in our office and disruptions to the learning environment.

With the cooler months among us, please be sure to label your child's coats, jackets, and hoodies. We've already had to donate over 100 lost clothing items. If you would like to visit our lost and found, please sign in at our office.

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

Sincerely,

Mrs. Fowler, Principal

#WeAreFalcons

At Forest Hills Elementary, we know that times can be challenging for families, especially when unexpected changes impact household budgets. We want to remind our families that help is available right here in our community.

If your family is experiencing food insecurity or needs support, please reach out. Our school works closely with local food banks and community partners who can provide assistance—no questions asked.

You can contact our school counselors or front office for more information on confidential support and next steps.

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.

Purchase the 25-26 yearbook using the website above or by returning the order form that was sent home with your child!

As Lifetouch heads into its 90th year, they are giving the Forest Hills community a Shutterfly Friends and Family code. This code can be used through the end of the year for 50% off site-wide to help them make something that means something this holiday season.

• Code: Lifetouch90
• Offer: 50% off site-wide
• Additional Info:
• Codes are good through 12/31/25 for 50% off of the regular list price
• Codes stack with free shipping codes or free offers, does NOT stack with other % or $ off codes
• Terms and Conditions:

Offer expires December 31, 2025 (11:59 P.M. PT). Offer is good for 50% off a regular-priced order of qualifying merchandise through shutterfly.com, tinyprints.com or the Shutterfly app. Not valid on sale prices, gift cards, cards sent using mailing services, designer review services, orders placed for in-store pick up, other products and prior purchases. Offer cannot be combined with other code-based %-off or $-off offers. Taxes and shipping will apply. Promo can only be redeemed once per account and/or billing address. Code can only be entered once. Offer cannot be redeemed for cash or cash equivalent. Shutterfly may modify or replace any part of these terms and conditions without notice at any time. Shutterfly may refuse or cancel orders due to promo and pricing errors, fraud, misuse, or unauthorized use. Valid while supplies last.

6th grade parents - please send a baby picture of your child for Awards Day to ktittle@florencek12.org. Be sure to include your child's name with the picture. It would be helpful to have these by Christmas break.

Kindergarteners have exciting activities coming up in the month of December! We will focus on the Christmas holiday, and make fun Christmas crafts to send home. We will also be learning about how different countries/cultures celebrate Christmas! Most classes will be participating in "Polar Express"/Pajama Day. Please check your child's weekly Newsletter to see the detail on this. Also, please be on the look out for information from your child's teacher about our "Class Christmas Celebrations".

In Reading, we will will be focusing on the letters: Hh, Tt, Nn, Ll, and High Frequency Words: at, to, as, have. We are also focusing on reading CVC words and journal writing. In Math, we will be focusing on 2D and 3D shapes, and using position words to describe the locations of objects. We are working very hard to get ready for our iReady Reading and Math Diagnostics in December, to show how much we have grown since the beginning of the year!

We are excited to end the year of 2025 strong, and gear up for a GREAT 2026!

As we head into December, our first graders have so much to look forward to!

In Open Court, we've been unlocking new sound spellings using our special vowel cards, and students are becoming more confident readers each day.

In math, we've been practicing strategies like doubles and finding "friendly" numbers to help solve three-addend equations and word problems.

As the holidays approach, students will participate in holidays around the world where they will learn about different customs and cultures celebrated during the holiday season around the world!

We've seen so much hard work and determination over the last few months, and look forward to winter diagnostics so we can celebrate the growth and progress your children have made in both reading and math!

Second graders have begun a new reading unit entitled, My Community at Work. This is such a wonderful time for students to learn their responsibilities and roles in our community. They are learning that not only can they learn from others, they can be teachers as well. We all have strengths and weaknesses, and it is amazing to help one another. In math, we are beginning 3 digit addition and subtraction. The students are so eager to learn. Through the month of December, we will be taking diagnostics and benchmarks. We are excited to see how much your child has grown. We hope you have a wonderful Holiday break.

The month of December will be festive and fun!! In reading we will be continuing our focus on “A Changing Nation”. Students will continue to learn how the United States has grown and changed throughout its over-200-year history. Students will read stories of our nation’s people to find out what makes Americans alike and different. In math students will continue to focus on three-digit addition and subtraction. We will also be solving multiple step word problems and continue working towards mastering their multiplication facts.

Lots of festive holiday activities will take place in December. Students will learn about “Christmas Around the World” by traveling to different classrooms to learn about different holiday traditions and customs in other places. We will also have several Christmas crafts and fun activities happening in our classrooms throughout the month of December. Students will end the semester by having a special Christmas breakfast.

We would like to thank parents for the support you have given your child this first semester. We hope everyone has a healthy and happy holiday season.

We will be diving into different heritages as we start Unit 3 in our Reading series this month. This is a great opportunity for families to have conversations about their heritage.

The fraction unit is up next in Math. Any time you can relate fractions to real-life experiences (cooking, crafting, construction, etc...), it is a great benefit to your child's understanding of fractions. As always…keep practicing those multiplication facts!

We cannot believe we are almost half way through the year! Time is flying by!

In math, we are continuing adding and subtracting fractions and will start multiplying fractions when we return from Winter Break. We will take our math diagnostic on December 9 and we are looking forward to seeing how much growth our students have made!

In ELA/Reading, students have been busy learning word parts such as Greek and Latin roots. When we put photo (light) and graph (to write) together and learn what the separate parts mean, our words really come to life. We are very excited about our research paper on cycles in nature. Each student will be picking a cycle to research and write about. The students love this activity, it doesn't even feel like they are taking the end of Unit writing test. This will be the summative assignment for our informative writing unit. Next, we will be writing narrative stories that include characters, plots, dialogue and their own voice( personal writing style) will really shine. Students will take the ELA diagnostic the week we return from Thanksgiving break.

In science, students will be learning about Food Webs, finishing up Energy in the Ecosystem and taking our science benchmark.

Class parties for 5th grade will be on December 17th. Please be on the lookout for more information to come soon!

Students completed an intensive unit in math focused on understanding ratios. This concept forms the foundation for proportional reasoning and future algebraic thinking. Key topics included defining ratios, ration notation, equivalent ratios, and real-world application.

In Science, students explored the fundamental process of how energy moves through systems, specifically focusing on thermal energy transfer and its massive impact on global weather patterns.

Students studied the three primary methods of thermal energy transfer:

• Conduction: Heat transfer through direct contact.

• Convection: Heat transfer through the cyclical movement of fluids (liquids or gases).

• Radiation: Heat transfer through electromagnetic waves.

This knowledge was then scaled up to a planetary level, investigating the uneven heating of Earth's surfaces. Students learned that variations in solar energy absorption across land, water, and different latitudes create temperature differences that drive atmospheric and oceanic circulation, ultimately generating local and global weather phenomena.

In writing, students focused on the structure and execution of argumentative writing. The goal was to move beyond simple opinion statements toward constructing well-supported, persuasive arguments.

Our Reading unit centered on deep textual analysis and comprehension strategies essential for understanding complex texts. Students practiced summarizing texts, making inferences, and characterization.

In History, the class took a deep dive into two pivotal decades of American history: the 1920s and the 1930s.

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.

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.

Please scan the QR code below to learn about all of the support services our counselors offer to students at Forest Hills.

Don't forget ALL Kids is here to help make sure your kids aren’t sidelined this season because they don’t have health insurance!! ALL Kids offers low cost healthcare coverage to eligible children in Alabama that can keep your team covered and in the game. Coverage includes regular checkups, immunizations, doctor and dentist visits, hospital care, mental health services, prescriptions AND MORE--APPLY FOR ALL KIDS TODAY!!

https://www.alabamapublichealth.gov/allkids/apply.html

December 1 - Yearbook Sales Begin

December 2 - 5/6 Music Ensemble Rehearsal 2:30-4:00pm

December 3-4 - ELA iReady Diagnostic

December 4 - Robotics Practice 2:30-4:00pm

December 5 - Deadline for 1st semester AR

December 9-10 - Math iReady Diagnostic

December 9 - 5/6 Music Ensemble Rehearsal 2:30-4:00pm

December 11-12 - 4th/5th Grade Science Benchmarks

December 11 - Robotics Practice 2:30-4:00pm

December 15 - Math Benchmark

December 16 - Reading Benchmark

December 16 - 4th Grade Recorder Holiday Concert 6:00pm

December 16 - 5th/6th Music Ensemble Holiday Concert 6:00pm

December 18 - 24-25 Yearbook Signing Party (bring last year's yearbook to school)

December 18 - Early Dismissal 12:00pm

December 19 - January 6 - Winter Break (no school for students)

January 7 - Students Return

Email: lfowler@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/profile.php?id=100057754536339
Twitter: @ForestHillsEle

Laurie Fowler - Principal

lfowler@florencek12.org

Jon Ray Russell - Assistant Principal

jrrussell@florencek12.org

Konnie Lee - Assistant Principal

kllee@florencek12.org

Shelia Holt - Assistant Principal

smholt@florence12.org

Charly Carter - Secretary

cncarter@florencek12.org

Emily Scruggs - Attendance

ekscruggs@florencek12.org

Andrea Hutcheson - Bookkeeper

adhutcheson@florencek12.org

(256) 768-2510

Allison Scott - PTO President

fcsfhespto@gmail.com

Ali Jones - 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