Forest School News (4.21.25)

• 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 the weather is beginning to warm up, we love to see so many students and families connecting after school at the playground! We also need to make sure that everyone is safe. 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.

Just a reminder that D62 Board Policy states that all personal electronic devices must be kept powered off and out of sight during the regular school day. Students should not be texting or calling anyone, even parents, from school. This includes texting from a phone, watch or any other mobile device. Student can keep their devices in their lockers or wear them if they are turned off!

Information about this can be found on page 31 of the 24-25 Student Handbook under "Mobile Phones/Messaging Devices/Wearable Computing Devices" and states:

Board Policy 7:190, Student Behavior, provides that “All electronic devices must be kept powered-off and out of sight during the regular school day unless: (a) the supervising teacher grants permission; (b) use of the device is provided in a student’s individualized education program (IEP) or health plan; or (c) it is needed in an emergency that threatens the safety of students, staff, or other individuals.”

Parents are requested to use the main office to communicate with their child during the school day, not through personal electronic devices. In turn, when students need to contact families, they should use the main office or get permission to use their personal devices.

• Who? Incoming kindergarten students and their families
• What? Kindergarten Information Night
• When? Tuesday, April 29th from 6:00-7:00 PM
• Where? Forest Elementary School
• Why? Come meet Forest's kindergarten teachers and learn about the kindergarten school year
• Childcare? Yes, childcare will be available!

All K-5 Forest students participate in benchmark assessments three times per school year. Students in grades K-2 take the Fastbridge assessment in both reading and math. Students in grades 3-5 take the NWEA MAP assessment in both reading and math. Check below to see the upcoming assessment windows!

Grades K-2: Fastbridge Testing

• Kindergarten -- April 29, May 5-8
• 1st Grade -- April 28-30
• 2nd Grade -- May 6-7

Grades 3-5: NWEA MAP Testing

• 3rd Grade -- April 28-29
• 4th Grade -- April 28-29
• 5th Grade -- May 6-7

How to Register

Online registration for all families, including incoming students, beginning Friday, March 7 fore the 2025-2026 school year. We ask that you register your child(ren) by Wednesday, April 30. District 62 will begin collecting next year's fees during registration. All of next year's fees remain unchanged.

Helpful Links for 2025-2026 Registration

• Kindergarten Registration
• New Student Enrollment
• Annual Online Registration (for existing families)

Upcoming D62 Registration Events

District 62 will host a series of events to support families with the registration process at Algonquin Middle School at the following dates and times:

• Thursday, May 22 from 5:30-7:30 PM
• Tuesday, August 5 from 5:30-7:30 PM

Current Forest fifth graders and their families are invited to the AMS Open House event on May 6. See the flyer below for more details!

Did you know that the District 62 website has a Virtual Bulletin Board? Check out the community flyers that are updated regularly. When you go to the Virtual Bulletin Board, be sure to click the flyer or link to get more information about whichever community flyer(s) you're interested in!

The current community flyers are for:

• Baby Talk Mini Star Program
• Des Plaines Youth Baseball - Registration is open!
• New Girl Scout Troop for Girls with Disabilities in D62
• Join Girl Scouts of America
• Fairy Fest at Arndt Park Fieldhouse
• Floating Egg Hunt at Prairie Lakes Aquatic Center
• Craft Fair at Orchard Place School
• H2O Middle School Pool Party
• Des Plaines Community Concert Band
• MaineStay Youth and Family Services - Counseling available for all ages!
• Maine Township Youth Pride Program

Our next Dine and Share will be at Brunch City Cafe this coming Wednesday, April 23rd. Stop by to dine in, or place an order to carry out, and 15% of sales from the Forest community will be donated back to the Forest PTC. See the flyer for all of the details.

Talent Show is coming this week! Tech Rehearsal is coming up on Tuesday, April 22nd, and Talent Show day is Friday, April 25th. We can't wait to see the students shine.

Save the date for the sweetest event of the year! The Capannari Scoop It Up Day for Forest is Thursday, May 1st from 3-9pm. We will have some celebrity scoopers and greeters there from 4-6pm. We hope to see you there!

Staff Appreciation Week is coming up May 5th - 9th! The PTC will be celebrating the wonderful Forest staff, and we need your help. The Hospitality team is looking for food, drinks, and other items to compliment the meals being catered. They are also looking for gift cards ($10 increments) to be used to distribute to each staff member in the building. If you are interested in donating you can see the list of items needed here.

It's already time to start thinking about school supplies for next year! We're using a school supply kit company again to help make your life easier. Please see the flyer for information on how to purchase a kit for your student(s), or click this link. The deadline to purchase supplies is June 1st.

This Week:

• 4/21-4/23: Illinois Science Assessment (ISA) Testing (Grade 5 only)
• 4/21: Board of Education Meeting at 7:00 PM
• 4/22: Hearing & Vision screenings during the school day
• 4/22: School Bus Driver Appreciation Day
• 4/22: Mental Health Club begins at 8:00 AM
• 4/22: AMS Representatives visit with 5th Graders at Forest in the afternoon
• 4/22: Talent Show Tech Rehearsal from 3:30-7:00 PM -- Students only please!
• 4/23: Administrative Professionals Appreciation Day
• 4/23: PTC Dine N Share at Brunch City Cafe from 7:00 AM - 2:30 PM
• 4/23: 5th Grade Sports Club begins from 3:30-4:30 PM
• 4/23: Community Resource Fair at Maine West from 5:30-7:30 PM
• 4/23: 5th Grade Band & Orchestra Concert from 6:30-7:30 PM at AMS
• 4/24-4/25: ISA Testing Make-ups
• 4/24: AMS Cultural Fair at AMS from 6:00-7:30 PM
• 4/25: Trimester 3 Progress Reports sent home
• 4/25: Talent Show - Performance for students and staff during the school day
• 4/25: Talent Show - Performance for families from 6:30-7:30 PM
• 4/26: Earth Day Celebration at Arndt Park from 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM
• 4/27: Grand Opening of The Canvas at Des Plaines Public Library from 2:00-4:00 PM

Next Week:

• 4/29: Kindergarten Information Night from 6:00-7:00 PM at Forest for incoming students
• 4/30: 4th Grade Field Trip to the Des Plaines Theater
• 5/1: Capannari's Coolest School Event from 3:00-9:00 PM
• 5/2: School Lunch Hero Day
• 5/3: Pirates and Princesses Aquatic Event from 1:00-3:00 PM at Prairie Lakes Aquatic Center

In Two Weeks:

• 5/5-5/9: Staff Appreciation Week
• 5/6: AMS Open House for Incoming 6th Graders at AMS from 5:30-7:00 PM
• 5/7: School Nurse Day
• 5/7: Go Green Des Plaines Sustainability Fest at the Des Plaines Theater from 5:00-8:00 PM
• 5/9: NO SCHOOL - Professional Learning Day
• 5/10: D62 Special Olympics beginning at 8:00 AM at Prospect High School in Mt. Prospect

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