The Leopard Letter

Principal's Report

Hello, Leopard Families!

There’s LOTS going on in the Forest this week! Red Ribbon Week, field trips, Skate Night, Club Day…OH MY! 🍂🐆

We have a fun and busy week ahead at Lake Forest! As we celebrate Red Ribbon Week, we encourage all of our Leopards to participate in our daily dress-up themes and show their commitment to making healthy, positive choices. Between exciting field trips, Skate Night, Club Day, and all the wonderful learning happening in our classrooms, there is never a dull moment in the Forest!

It's hard to believe we're already heading into the last week of October! This school year is flying by, and we are so grateful for the continued support of our amazing families. Thank you for all you do to make Lake Forest such a special place to learn and grow!

Be sure to check out this week's newsletter for important reminders and upcoming events. We hope everyone enjoys the beautiful fall weather this weekend!

Love Every Child. Challenge Every Learner. Lift Each Other. 💙💛

Wishing you well,
Julie Cooke
Principal

Lake Forest Elementary School

LFE Commitment Statement

Calendar of Events | October 19-23, 2026

RED RIBBON WEEK

Monday, October 26, 2026

no student activities/events

Tuesday, October 27, 2026

4th grade field trip (Clelland, McJunkin, Renninger)
ILT Meeting, 8:30 am
Battle of the Books, 2:30-3:30 (media center)
Good News Club
Skate Night, 6-8 pm

Wednesday, October 28, 2026

4th grade field trip (Simmons, Anderson)
Kind Day lessons, 2nd grade 9:00-9:45 (during related arts in 2nd grade classrooms)
Student Council Meeting, 2:35-3:15 (media center)

Thursday, October 29, 2026

Kind Day lessons, 1st 9:15-10:00 and 3rd: 10:25-11:00
Chorus, 2:15-3:30

Friday, October 30, 2026

1st grade field trip to Denver Downs
Club Day, 1:10-1:50 *Please refrain from early dismissals during this time.

School Counselor Spotlight

Check out this Month's NEW Newsletter from the school counseling team!

Take a moment to explore our School Counseling Newsletter for updates on upcoming events and to learn how we’re supporting students and families throughout the year.

Mental Health Tip of the Week

This week’s mental health tip: 👻🎃 Spooky Feelings: Helping Your Child Manage Anxiety! 💙💛

Just like adults, children experience worry and anxiety, but they may not always know how to express what they're feeling. Recognizing the signs and teaching simple coping strategies can make a big difference!

Check out this week's mental health tip for ways to help your child manage anxious feelings through deep breathing, movement, positive self-talk, and more.

💙 Remember, small steps make a big difference! Together, we can help our little Leopards feel safe, confident, and supported!

🦋🌸 Help Our Butterfly Garden Bloom! 🌼🦋

We are excited about the improvements underway in our Lake Forest Butterfly Garden, and we need your help!

We are currently working on Phase 1 of our Butterfly Garden project, which focuses on cleaning up, maintaining, and preparing the garden space for future improvements. We are looking for LFE families willing to lend a helping hand with pulling weeds, spreading mulch, removing unwanted vegetation, and other gardening tasks.

Our goal is to complete much of this initial work before the colder weather arrives in December. Phase 2, which will include additional improvements and installations, will take place later in the school year!

Interested in volunteering? Please complete our short interest form to let us know your availability and how you would like to help.

🦋 Volunteer Interest Form: https://forms.gle/5KJm8CJfqNst8ikb7

Once we gather responses, we will coordinate specific volunteer opportunities and share sign-up information.

Thank you for helping us transform our Butterfly Garden into a beautiful outdoor learning space where our Leopards can explore, discover, and grow! 💙💛

📚✨ Special Author Visit at Lake Forest Elementary!

We are excited to welcome children's author Brandi Massey to Lake Forest Elementary on Tuesday, October 27!

Our K5, 1st, and 2nd grade students will have the wonderful opportunity to meet a real author during special assemblies in our library! Students will enjoy learning about the world of writing, storytelling, and what it means to be an author.

Don't worry, 3rd–5th grade families! Our older Leopards will have the opportunity to enjoy a visit from a different author later this school year!

We look forward to these special experiences that inspire our students to develop a lifelong love of reading and writing!

REPOSTED: A Parent’s Guide to Video Games & Online Safety! 🔐

Parents, are you wondering how to keep your child safe while gaming and spending time online? Join this informative session to learn more about navigating the digital world and helping your child make safe, responsible choices!

📅 Monday, October 26, 2026
⏰ 6:00 PM
💻 Registration Required (view the linked document below for the registration link)

🎤 Featured Presenters:

Peter Lynch – Program Coordinator, Fisher Middle
Matthew Wisner – Video Gaming Teacher, Fisher Middle
Kevin Roper – Coordinator of Academic Technology Systems
Rick Floyd – Certified Security Technician

💙💛 At Lake Forest Elementary, we believe that keeping our children safe online takes teamwork between home and school!

🐆 We encourage our Leopard families to register and take advantage of this valuable opportunity!

pdf

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Technology Safety Virtual Workshops.pdf

Registration links found here!

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REPOSTED: Yearbooks are NOW ON SALE!

Don't miss your chance to capture all the special moments, friendships, and memories from this school year!

EARLY BIRD SPECIAL: JUST $20!
Order by December 31 to take advantage of this special price!
FINAL ORDER DEADLINE: March 14, 2027
All yearbook sales are ONLINE ONLY!

Order yours today! Let's make this a year to remember, Leopards!

REPOSTED: Book Fair is Coming

We’re excited to welcome the Scholastic Book Fair to Lake Forest Elementary Friday, November 6 through Friday, November 13! The Book Fair will be open each school day from 7:30 a.m.–3:00 p.m.

Be sure to join us for Family Reading Night on Monday, November 9! The Book Fair will be open during the event, making it a perfect time to shop together as a family. 📖💙💛

Important Reminder: Per GCS policy, students must have a signed permission slip to visit or shop at the Book Fair. Permission slips went home this week, so be on the lookout for the bright red paper in your child’s folder!

Our PTA will also be sharing a volunteer sign-up link. The Book Fair is a big event, and we couldn’t make it happen without the support of our wonderful parent volunteers. We appreciate everyone who gives their time to help make this experience special for our students!

We can’t wait to see our Leopards excited about books and reading! 📚🐆

REPOSTED: Red Ribbon Week Oct. 26-30

Mark your calendars for October 26–30! We’re looking forward to celebrating Red Ribbon Week with a week of fun dress-up days while encouraging our Leopards to make healthy choices and be drug free!

🧦 Monday – “Sock It to Drugs!” Wear crazy socks!
🌈 Tuesday – “Don’t Get Mixed Up with Drugs!” Wear your wackiest, mismatched clothes!
🤠 Wednesday – “Give Drugs the Boot!” Wear your Western gear!
💙💛 Thursday – “LFE is Drug Free!” Show your LFE spirit!
🎃 Friday – “Say BOO to Drugs!” Wear a Halloween shirt!

We’re sharing the schedule early so families have plenty of time to plan. We can’t wait to see our Leopards showing their school spirit all week long! ❤️🐆💙💛

Skate Night is THIS WEEK!

SAVE THE DATE for our SECOND skate night of the year! Bring $5 cash to skate and $1.50 for glowsticks. See you at Taylors Roller Sports on October 27!

*Note: Skate nights happen on Tuesdays this year!

See you at the skating rink this coming Tuesday night (10/27) from 6-8 pm. Bring cash to skate!

💙 Join the Lake Forest PTA!

We're inviting everyone to join the Lake Forest Elementary PTA for just $6!

Parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, neighbors, family friends, students...and yes, if your dog or cat could sign up, we'd welcome them too! 🐶🐱😊

Our PTA does an incredible job supporting our students, teachers, and school community all year long by funding programs, providing resources, hosting family events, and celebrating our amazing staff. Your membership helps make all of that possible.

Our goal is simple: one PTA member for every Lake Forest student. Every membership counts and helps support child advocacy, scholarships, educational resources, and so much more. Joining takes just a few minutes! Simply create an account through MemberHub and pay the $6 membership fee.

Join HERE today and help us make this our best year yet!

Reserve Pride Rock

Reserve the LFE Pride Rocks Today!
Our Spirit Rocks are available for reservation. Painting Pride Rock is a fantastic way to send a special message, show your school spirit, or wish someone a "Happy Birthday!" The cost to reserve is $10/day per rock. We have two rocks available:

Front Carline Entrance
Side Carline (K4-1st Grade) Entrance

Don't miss out — reserve your spot today and make your message stand out!

Connect with PTA

Join us on the Remind App:

Download Remind app or go to remind.com
Our class name is Lake Forest Elementary PTA
Our class code is @8bb434

Join Our Group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/583337569143345

Follow us on Instagram: @LFEPTA

Our Why: LFE Vision, Mission, and Priorities

Vision

The vision of Lake Forest Elementary School is to empower students to learn, grow, lead, and succeed.

Mission

The mission of Lake Forest Elementary School is to provide a nurturing, student-centered learning environment where students are empowered to learn about the world, persevere through challenges, and develop positive character traits.