Forest School News (12.16.24)

• 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.

During the month of December, Forest will be working toward the goal of being respectful to others throughout the school day. Students will be acknowledged for demonstrating respect and working toward the goal of earning a grade level reward at the end of December, voted on by students themselves!

With our first snow of the season before Thanksgiving break and cooler temperatures in the forecast, please be sure to send your child to school with winter weather gear!

• Students should expect to have outdoor recess, unless it is deemed that the conditions are too cold or unsafe for students and staff. Please be sure to send your child to school with winter gear! If you are in need of winter accessories, please connect with Ms. Soike (Principal), Ms. Reiner (Assistant Principal), Ms. Biancalana (Social Worker), Ms. Corcoran (Social Worker), or Ms. McInerney (School Psychologist).
• If there is snow on the ground, recess supervisors will require students to have a minimum set of winter accessories in order to play in the snow. Students will need to have a winter coat, snow pants, winter boots, and mittens or gloves.

If you are experiencing financial hardship, food insecurity, looking for community resources, or exploring opportunities for parent learning, look no further. Our SEL team created a Google Form you can fill out so they can be notified to follow up with you about any/ all areas you are looking for support. The responses to this form are confidential, and will only be seen by the SEL team unless you specify otherwise.

You can contact them here:

• Gina Biancalana, School Social Worker
• McKenna Corcoran, School Social Worker
• Mary McInerney, School Psychologist

Thank you to everyone who came out for the December PTC meeting. Our next meeting will be Tuesday, January 14th. We hope you can join us!

Ms. Huvaere is our December Staff Spotlight winner! Her interview and picture will be up on the website and Facebook soon. Thanks for all you do, Ms. Huvaere! 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.

Another fun PTC event is in the books, Holiday Shop was a great success! It was so nice to see all of the little faces so proud of the gifts they selected for their loved ones. We hope you enjoy your gifts as much as your student enjoyed selecting them. Thank you to all of the volunteers who made the shop happen. It takes a lot of hands to make this all come together, and we couldn't do it without you. A special thank you to Stephanie Statema and Christine Ashby for organizing the Holiday Shop this year.

The December Dine and Share is at Wendy's on Thursday, the 19th! Stop by all day and 30% of qualifying sales will come back to the Forest PTC. See the flyer for more details.

Save the date! On Monday, January 6th we will have a special sharing opportunity at Get Air. Come and jump between 4:00pm-6:00pm and 20% of sales will be donated to the Forest PTC. It will be a fun way to spend the last day of Winter Break. You must bring a paper copy of the flyer to Get Air, so keep an eye out for a copy to come home in your students backpack this week. See flyer for more details.

We are excited to announce that our Multicultural Night will be taking place on Thursday, April 10, 2025, and we are looking for talented performers to help make this evening truly special! If you or your child would like to share a performance that highlights your culture or traditions, we invite you to sign up! Performances could include music, dance, storytelling, poetry, or any other form of cultural expression you’d like to showcase. You can sign up at this link.

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

Did you know that MaineStay has a variety of FREE or affordable programs for children ages 3-17? Programs range from cooking classes, to family fun nights, to play-based parenting programs. Check out the graphic below for more information and visit the MaineStay website!

12/16-12/19: Disability Awareness Week Programming for grades K-5

12/16: Board of Education Meeting from 7:00-9:00 PM

12/17: Bollywood Dance Class at Des Plaines Public Library from 5:30-6:30 PM

12/18: Auditions for Charolette's Web production at St. Simon's Episcopal Church from 6:30-8:30 PM

12/19: PTC Dine N Share at Wendy's (1595 Lee St.) from open to close

12/20: Holiday Parties and Sing Along for Grades 1-5 during the school day

12/20: Early Dismissal at 3:15 PM

12/20: Movies in the Corner (Ice Age) at Des Plaines Public Library from 6:30-8:30 PM

WINTER BREAK DATES & COMMUNITY EVENTS

12/21/24 - 1/6/25: NO SCHOOL - Winter Break!

12/26: School's Out Drop-in Craft at Des Plaines Public Library from 10:30-11:30 AM

12/28: Free Yoga for Kids at Maryville Academy from 10:00-11:00 AM - Email Amy for more info!

12/31: Family New Year's Eve Party at Prairie Lakes Community Center from 2:00-4:39 PM

1/2: Tween Movie Night at Des Plaines Public Library from 6:00-8:00 PM

1/3: Movies in the Corner at Des Plaines Public Library from 6:30-8:30 PM

1/6: PTC Event at Get Air! from 4:00-6:00 PM

1/7: Back to School for all K-5 students

1/13: Munch Madness (ages 9-12) at Des Plaines Public Library from 4:00-5:00 PM

1/14: Before School Band Rehearsals resume at 8:00 AM

1/14: PTC Meeting at 7:00 PM '

1/15: Before School Orchestra Rehearsals resume at 8:00 AM

1/15: ACCESS Testing window opens (for all K-5 students identified as English Learners)

1/17: Trimester 2 Progress Reports & Winter NWEA MAP Reports sent home

1/17: Movies in the Corner at Des Plaines Public Library from 6:30-8:30 PM

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