Forest School News

A big thank you to all of our families who attended fall conferences! We appreciate the time you took to meet with our teachers, discuss your child's progress, and collaborate with us to support your child's learning. Your partnership is invaluable; together we can continue to ensure a successful school year for all of our students!

We have several exciting fall events coming up! Be sure to continue reading for details about Halloween celebrations, the Fall Fest, the D62 Spelling Bee, and more! We look forward to seeing you at these events.

• 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.

As we continue further into the fall season, please remember that colder weather is upon us. Make sure your children are bundled up with coats, hats, and/or gloves so that they stay warm during outdoor recess, arrival, and dismissal. If you are in need of any cold weather gear, please join us on October 30 from 6:00-7:00 PM for the Winter Gear Drive and Swap here at Forest!

Wednesday, October 30 - Regular School Day

• Kindergarten will celebrate in their classrooms during their regular AM or PM class.

Thursday, October 31 - No school for Kindergarten / Early Dismissal @ 12:00 PM for Grades K-5

• 10:30 AM - Parade: Students in grades 1-5 will participate in an outdoor parade (weather pending) from 10:30-11:00 AM. Families are encouraged to find a spot along the parade route (pictured) to enjoy the parade! If you are planning to attend, please plan to arrive no earlier than 10:15 AM. In the event of inclement weather, the outdoor parade will be canceled.
• 11:00 AM - Class Parties: After the parade, students will head back to their classrooms to enjoy fun and games with their teacher, peers, and PTC volunteers.
• 12:00 PM - Dismissal: All students in grades 1-5 will dismiss at 12:00 PM.

If your family does not want your child to participate in the Halloween activities, please email Ms. Soike (soikea@d62.org) and Ms. Reiner (reinert@d62.org) so that we can create alternate activities for them.

Students are invited to come to school in their costumes. For the safety of all students, costumes must meet the guidelines listed below. If an inappropriate item is brought to school and/or an inappropriate costume is worn, the student will need to remove the item and/or may need to call home for a change of clothing.

Costume Guidelines:

• All costumes must meet the D62 Dress Code rules, based on the Student Handbook.
• No weapons. This includes swords, guns, clubs, lasers, etc.
• No blood or gore.
• Masks may be worn during the parade if they allow for students to have a clear line of vision.
• Face paint may be worn, but we must be able to identify the student easily.
• Costumes should not portray a stereotypical image of any group of people or culture, or be offensive to any racial, ethnic, or religious group.

Per the D62 Student Handbook, students and families are not allowed to bring and distribute food treats for any occasion during the school day. However, if you would like to send something with your child to pass out, you could send non-edible treats such as stickers, pencils, erasers, or books. Please consult your child's classroom teacher about if you have any questions and to ensure you send enough for each child in the class.

The D62 Education Foundation is hosting a Spelling Bee on Wednesday, November 6th at the Des Plaines Theater! There are different grade level competitions and prizes! They would love to pack the theater with families, teachers, and principals cheering the kids on. Please refer to the graphic for more information and sign up online.

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.

Thanks to all who came to the PTC meeting last week. We had a special guest, District 62 Superintendent, Dr. Mike Amadei! He answered questions and gave updates about the district. We are grateful for his time and glad our community got a chance to talk with him.

Mrs. Klemundt is our October Staff Spotlight winner! Her interview and picture will be up on the website and Facebook soon. Thanks for all you do, Mrs. Klemundt! You can nominate a staff member anytime by emailing Kristin Vana at vanakristin@gmail.com explaining why that staff member deserves to be recognized. Winners are randomly chosen at PTC Meetings.

Our October Dine and Share is Forever Boba! Stop in from October 9th through October 23rd and 15% of your orders will be donated to the Forest PTC! See the flyer for more details.

Fall Fest Art Contest! Calling all monsters, I mean artists! There will be an art contest happening during Fall Fest. Students can submit their spooky and not so spooky creations for a chance to win a prize. Any student interested in participating should have their art turned in to the office by October 16th. Please see the flyer for more details.

Fall Fest is coming up on October 18th! We have so much fun planned! See the flyer for more information and how to register. The deadline to register early has been extended to Tuesday, October 15th. If you'd like to volunteer, you can sign up here.

Are you the parent of a former Falcon who might want to volunteer? They can volunteer to help run the games! We would like to have enough volunteers to put two former Falcons at each game. Volunteering is always more fun with a friend! We will also have a few adults to support them. We would be happy to sign off on volunteer hours if they need them. Have them bring anything they need signed with them to Fall Fest.

The PTC will be partnering with the Forest SEL team for a Winter Gear Drive and Swap. 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.

Our Fall Pool Party will be on Friday, November 15th at Prairie Lakes Aquatic Center! Tickets go on sale Wednesday, October 30th at 7:00pm. Please see the flyer for more details.

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 child's classroom.

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

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

10/16: Parent Education - Teens' Mental Health and Brain from 6:30-8:00 PM at Maine West

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

10/21-10/25: Winter Gear Drop Off from 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM at Forest

10/21: Permission Slips for 2nd Grade Sports Club sent home

10/21: Board of Education meeting at 7:00 PM

10/22: Band Rehearsals begin from 8:00-8:45 AM

10/23: Orchestra Rehearsals begin from 8:00-8:45 AM

10/23: PTC Dine N Share with Forever Boba Tea ends

10/24: Fall Picture Retake Day

10/24: Chorus Club Field Trip to the Des Plaines Choral Festival at Maine West

10/26: Spartan Basketball Fundamentals Clinic (grades 3-8) from 10:00-11:30 AM

10/26: Free Kids Yoga from 10:00-11:00 AM - Email Amy Kendal for info (only 10 spots available)

10/26: Prairie Lakes Trunk or Treat from 12:00-3:00 PM

10/29: 5th Grade Field Trip to the Chicago Wolves Game

10/30: Forest Winter Gear Drive from 6:00-7:00 PM

10/30: Halloween Celebrations for Kindergarten only

10/31: EARLY DISMISSAL at 12:00 PM for Grades 1-5 / NO SCHOOL for Kindergarten

10/31: Halloween Celebrations for Grades 1-5

11/1: Native American Heritage Month begins

11/1: Permission Slips for 2nd Grade Sports Club due

11/2: Spartan Basketball Fundamentals Clinic (grades 3-8) from 10:00-11:30 AM

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