Forest School News (8.25.25)
Blacktop Use at Dismissal
Forest's playground is a great place to spend time after school! However, the blacktop area is used during dismissal as a bus lane, so it is critical that the Forest community practice safety first. To increase student and family safety during dismissal, please refrain from using the blacktop area if there is a bus in the bus lane.
Students should not use the blacktop when buses are present - this includes running, walking, rolling, etc. Once all of the buses have left, families are welcome to use the entire blacktop area in addition to the playground and field.
i-Ready Diagnostic
Grades K-5: Students will participate in the iReady Diagnostic for both reading and math 3x/year (fall, winter, and spring). Most students who attended Forest last year have taken this assessment in the past and are already familiar with i-Ready.
The i-Ready diagnostic assessments adapt to each student's performance level, allowing teachers to better identify each student's strengths, identify areas where students may need support, personalize instruction, and monitor student progress throughout the year.
This diagnostic assessment replaces NWEA MAP (previously administered to grades 3-5) and some FastBridge assessments (previously administered to grades K-2).
FastBridge Assessments
Grades K-1: Students will complete the earlyReading assessment 3x/year (fall, winter, and spring). These assessments measure foundational reading skills that typically develop for most students in grades K-1. The skills that will be tested this fall are below.
- Kindergarten: concepts of print, onset sounds, letter names, and letter sounds
- 1st Grade: word segmenting, decodable words, sight words, and sentence reading
Grades 2-5: Students will complete the CBM Reading assessment up to 3x/year. CBM stands for Curriculum-Based Measure. This assessment and measure a student's reading fluency and accuracy over time.
Be Aware: Phone Scams
We want to make you aware of a recent phone scam involving a District 62 parent. The type of scam involves a caller falsely claiming to have kidnapped a child. In this specific incident, the caller referenced the child’s name and school and a child was heard screaming in the background. The parent immediately hung up and contacted the police who worked with school officials to confirm the child was safe at school. The police traced the call and verified it as a scam. It is our understanding that these scams began in 2023.
If you receive a call like this, please hang up immediately and contact the police. These scams are designed to exploit parental fear, it is important to know they are not real. For more information on scam phone calls and how to report them, please visit: https://www.usa.gov/telemarketer-scam-call-complaints.
This incident also serves as a good reminder to be mindful of how we share personal information and to talk with our children about online safety. Having a simple conversation as a family can help your children recognize and respond appropriately if they ever encounter a similar situation.
We want to assure you that District 62 takes student safety, privacy, and data security very seriously. We strictly follow all federal and state data privacy laws, including FERPA and COPPA. Our student information system is housed in a secure, industry-standard data center with multiple layers of protection, including firewalls, intrusion detection, and denial-of-service safeguards.
Thank you for your continued partnership in keeping our students, your children, safe.
Join the PTC!
It was great to see so many of you at Parent Information Night! If you had a chance to stop by the PTC table we had information about what we do and how to join us. If you are interested in becoming a member for this school year, membership dues are $10. Please see the attached flyers for information about how to pay your membership dues as well as why it's great to be part of the PTC!
If you have any questions, please contact our president, Sky Wozniak (forestfalconsptc@gmail.com) or our membership chair, Amy Capps (amycapps8@gmail.com). Thank you in advance for your support!
- Forest School PTC
Contact Us
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