the Forest Hills Flyer

December 2023

A Note from the Principal

Forest Hills Families,

December is always an exciting month at Forest Hills! We will have our Boys' Glow Dance, 3rd/4th Grade Holiday Concert, pictures with Santa, classroom celebrations, and so much more! Be sure your child is at school (unless sick), so he/she doesn't miss out on all the fun!

Teachers have honed in on writing and oral reading fluency at Forest Hills this year! That is because reading and writing go hand in hand. Are you wondering how you can help your child at home? For writing, be sure that your child is holding his/her pencil correctly and forming letters correctly. Did you know that in the State of Alabama correct pencil grip, correct letter formation, correct name writing, and cursive handwriting are all in our Alabama Course of Study Standards?! I am proud of our state for placing such an emphasis on these important skills. For reading, use the decodable books that are sent home regularly to practice reading with your child. You can model reading the decodable to your child, read it together, listen to your child read, and talk about what you've read. Repeated reading of a familiar text on your child's reading level is the best way to help support your child's reading at home! Students in grades 1st-4th will be assessed on oral reading fluency routinely this year. Talk with your child's teacher if you have questions or concerns regarding your child's writing and reading.

Congratulations to our new Student Council Officers: President-Mabry Laine Lovelace, Vice President-Saylor Graham, Secretary-Julietta Reinke, & Treasurer-Eli Jenkins. I am proud of ALL of the brave students who showed courage by running for office and giving a speech! I am also proud of all those 3rd and 4th graders who are now members of our Student Council. Members just served our community over the weekend by volunteering their time at the FCS Stuff-A-Bus! You will hear more from our Student Council in the coming months!

Lastly, please keep the mac-n-cheese coming through Friday, December 8th. I'm so proud of our students and how they're learning to give back to our community. All mac-n-cheese will go to those in need via the Salvation Army!

If I can ever be of assistance to you, please call, email, or stop by! GO FALCONS!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Fowler, Principal

#WeAreFalcons

FHES Climate/Culture Survey

Forest Hills Families,

Each year, FCS sends out a Climate/Culture survey. This is a fundamental part of our continuous efforts to better understand and enhance our school environment at Forest Hills. Please take a moment to fill out the survey by November 9th. Your input is essential. Thank you!

English: https://eprovesurveys.advanc-ed.org/surveys/#/action/238286/p396

Spanish: https://eprovesurveys.advanc-ed.org/surveys/#/action/238293/p396

Mac-N-Cheese Drive

Each year, Forest Hills students host a Mac-N-Cheese Drive to benefit the Salvation Army. All donations go directly to families in need in Florence. The last day to turn in is Friday, December 8th.

Attendance Matters

Please remember that our attendance goal is for every student to maintain a 95% attendance rate. If a student misses more than 5% of his/her school year, the student is at a significant risk of learning loss. Please see the graphics below for important attendance reminders! Each month I will share with you what our school's average attendance rate was for the previous month. Our goal is to stay at or above 95%.

The Counselors' Corner

Each month Mr. Bradford & Ms. Tittle (better known as "Mr. B & Ms. T") create an awesome newsletter for students and families focusing on our virtue of the month. Families will also hear from students about what's going on at The Hill!

Counselor Information

Please scan the QR code below to learn about all of the support services our counselors offer to students at Forest Hills.

Happenings on The Hill

Kindergarten

Kindergarten is a very jolly place to be right now! Everyone is excited about the holidays. Our unit study is Christmas Around the World & that has been so interesting.

In reading we have been learning more letters & sounds. We are now able to make words, write some & read using those letters learned. Students are super excited to be able to read some on their own. Parents, to encourage better reading in your Kindergartner, have them read to you.

You can use any of the Open Court little decodable readers they have brought home or library books (on a 0.5-1.0 level). Encourage blending sounds to hear the word.

In math we are counting 0-50. Students can practice this anywhere, even in the car. Listen as they count and help them do it on their own without skipping numbers. We are also learning all about solid & flat shapes, comparing those shapes & making different or bigger shapes by combining them.

1st Grade

First grade has been learning all about place value in math and working so hard on our reading fluency. We are looking forward to our annual Holidays Around the World celebration where we will learn about how 10 different countries celebrate the Winter Holidays by traveling around to all the different first grade classrooms! Happy Holidays to all!

2nd Grade

Second grade is wrapping up our "Earth in Action" unit in reading. We have learned how the Earth's surface changes while practicing many reading comprehension skills. We were blown away at all the wonderful shoebox dioramas our second graders created and loved displaying them for other grade levels to see. All of our students are working through the writing process to create an informative writing piece. In math we are beginning to work with three-digit numbers! We have learned to compare these numbers, put them in order, and will learn how to add and subtract with 3-digits. We are so proud of the hard work our second graders have put in this semester!

3rd Grade

We can’t believe the first semester of third grade is almost over! The students have learned so much since school started in August. Before we close out this semester, the students will be learning about area in Math. They will also finish writing their informative essay on how weather affects their every day life. Students will have a fun two days of “traveling” during Christmas Around the World. Don’t forget that the 3rd grade Holiday Recorder Concert is on Monday, December 11th from 6:00-7:00. This concert is sure to get you in the holiday spirit. We hope everyone has a safe and relaxing holiday.

4th Grade

Fourth graders have enjoyed our latest biographies and autobiographies of some famous astronauts. This reading unit has really sparked their interest in all things science, inventions, and space. Students have started their research on a famous scientist or inventor of their choice and have really gotten into this project. We can't wait to read their final pieces.

In math, students have been dividing numbers with 3 and 4-digit dividends. This is a very challenging process, but the students have shown a lot of perseverance! Remember parents, knowledge of basic multiplication facts is key to your child's math success when problem solving larger equations.

Students delved into learning about some important body systems in Science and will soon learn about photosynthesis in plants. They also learned about the first Alabamians and our four Indian Nation tribes in Alabama History.

We are looking forward to our Holiday Concert to show off our recorder skills. This will be Monday, December 11th at 7:00 in the gym.