Forest School News (12.14.25

Dear Forest Families,

As we head into our final week of school before winter break, I want to thank you for being such a supportive, caring, and dedicated school community. Our Forest students have grown so much already this school yea, not only academically, but socially and behaviorally as well. Thank you for all that you do to support your children at home. It truly makes a difference and their growth has been wonderful to see!

A few important reminders as we head into this week:

• Friday, December 19 is the last day of school before break and is an early dismissal day at 3:15 PM.

• School resumes on Tuesday, January 6.

• Family newsletters will pause over winter break, with the next Forest School News arriving on Sunday, January 4.

Wishing your family a warm, restful, and joyful winter break and holiday season. I look forward to welcoming our Forest Falcons back in the new year! ❄️🦅

Sincerely,

Ms. Soike

It's the week before winter break! A group of Forest teachers organized a spirit week for the Forest community to participate in. If you're volunteering at Forest this week for the Holiday Shop or winter parties, please feel free to join in on the fun!

Last week, all K-5 students took the winter i-Ready Diagnostic assessment in both reading and math. If your child was absent or did not yet finish one of their assessments, they'll have the opportunity to take or finish their assessment(s) this week.

On Friday, December 19th, i-Ready Family Reports will be sent home with all students in backpacks. If your child took both the fall and winter diagnostic assessments, you'll be able to see their growth from fall to winter in both reading and math.

Need help understanding your child's i-Ready scores and growth? Check out the resources below:

• Understanding Your Child's i-Ready Diagnostic Results (English)
• Understanding Your Child's i-Ready Diagnostic Results (Spanish)
• i-Ready Family Center website (can be translated to many languages)

We are committed to keeping you informed about your children's progress and attendance! Starting this month, you will begin receiving monthly attendance updates for your children via email and text message. This new communication aims to ensure you have timely updates regarding any absences.

Please remember that if you opt out of text messages about attendance from Infinite Campus, you will be opting out of all IC communications sent via text, including important notices about fees, lunch balances, grades, and teacher messages. To ensure you receive all essential school updates, we strongly encourage staying opted-in!

Thank you for your partnership in making sure your student is present and ready to learn!

The Holiday Shop is a fun way for students to shop for family members and experience the spirit of giving while learning to earn, budget, and save! Our shop was open on Friday, 12/12 and will be open again on Monday, 12/15 during the school day (with Tuesday morning as a make-up day for absent students only). Each class will have the opportunity to visit one time.

Your student will have a variety of delightful gifts to choose from (mugs, magnets, toys, tools, jewelry, and much more!), all ranging in price from $0.50 to $8 (the majority are $5 or less). Envelopes to plan spending came home last week (tax is included in all prices, cash only). Please take some time to fill out the envelope with your child and send it back with cash on his/her shopping day (see your teacher's newsletter). Please do not send more than $20-$30 with your students to shop. This is an amazing opportunity to empower your student to choose, purchase, and give gifts to their loved ones!

Did you know the Forest PTC takes on the very large task of creating and distributing the Forest yearbook each spring? The PTC Yearbook Committee is regularly onsite to capture photos of all the special events and activities that happen at Forest each school year.

If you're a parent or guardian of a current 5th grader, the Yearbook Committee needs YOUR help! Please refer to the 5th Grade Baby Pictures newsletter for more information.

Movie Night is happening on Friday, January 23rd. We will be showing KPop Demon Hunters! See the flyer for details.

The Forest PTC is going to the Wolves Game! Join us Sunday, February 15th as the Wolves take on the Colorado Eagles. Tickets are now on sale and can be purchased at this link.

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 the Forest PTC Website.

Spirit Wear featuring the new Falcon logo is now available on our website.

Week of December 15

• 12/15: PTC Holiday Shop during the school day
• 12/15: Board of Education meeting at 7:00 PM
• 12/17: Pick-up News Years Eve Craft Kits at DPPL all day - FREE while supplies last
• 12/19: Winter Classroom Parties (Grades 1-2 from 11:15-12:00 / Grades 3-5 from 2:15-3:00)
• 12/19: Early Dismissal at 3:15 PM
• 12/19: i-Ready Family Reports sent home in backpacks
• 12/20: Water Wonderland from 1:00-4:00 PM at Prairie Lakes Aquatic Center

Week of December 22

• 12/22-12/26: NO SCHOOL - Winter Break!
• 12/26: Drop-in Craft (all ages) from 10:30-11:30 AM and 4:00-5:00 PM at DPPL
• 12/27: Eat pizza and watch Home Alone from 2:00-4:00 PM at DPPL (ages 9-12)

Week of December 29

• 12/29-1/2: NO SCHOOL - Winter Break! School resumes Tuesday, January 6th
• 12/31: Family New Year's Eve Party from 2:00-4:00 PM at Prairie Lakes Community Center

• District 62 Community Partnerships & Resources - A full list of D62 community partnerships.
• Virtual Bulletin Board - View community flyers on the D62 website. Updated regularly.
• MaineStay Youth & Family Services - Click on the MaineStay tab for Youth Programs.
• MaineStay Fall 2025 Catalog - Click to learn more about a range of fall events and activities.
• Self-Help Closet & Pantry of Des Plaines - Learn more about available community resources.
• Community Backpack Project - Weekly backpack program - Contact Forest if interested.
• Des Plaines Public Library - A calendar of events at your local public library.

District 62, Forest, and the Des Plaines community have so many wonderful resources available for families. If you are experiencing financial hardship, food insecurity, looking for community resources, or exploring opportunities for parent learning, we are here for you!

To help the Forest SEL Team better understand what resources to connect you with, please fill out the Forest Family Resources form for us to follow up with you about any resources needed. Responses are kept confidential and will only be seen by the SEL team unless you specify otherwise.

Website: Forest Elementary School

Address: 1375 South 5th Avenue Des Plaines, IL. 60018

Phone: (847) 824-1380

Social Media: Facebook & Instagram

Principal: Ms. Amber Soike

Assistant Principal: Ms. Traci Reiner