Forest School News (3.10.25)

What is the Illinois 5Essentials Survey?

• On behalf of the Illinois State Board of Education, the Illinois 5Essentials Survey will be administered online by UChicago Impact at the University of Chicago.
• The annual 5Essentials survey gathers data related to five indicators that can predict important student outcomes, including improved attendance and larger test score gains. The five indicators that affect and predict school success are:
• Effective Leaders
• Collaborative Teachers
• Involved Families
• Supportive Environments
• Ambitious Instruction

Who participates in the survey and when?

• Students, teachers, and parents in District 62 will have an opportunity to participate in the annual statewide survey. The 15-20 minute survey is designed to generate a detailed picture of the inner workings of your child's school.

Why is parent participation so important?

• Parent participation is critical as it continues to be aligned with the federal legislation, Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Participation directly affects individual school ratings.
• Your participation in the parent portion of the survey will help us understand the conditions at Forest and guide improvement.
• Your identity and survey responses will be kept completely confidential and will never be connected to your child.

How do I take the survey?

• To take the survey please visit https://survey.5-essentials.org/illinois/ and select the appropriate survey.
• If you have any questions or concerns, please contact 5Essentials Client Services at 1-866-440-1874 or visit this website for more information: 5Essentials

When do I need to complete the survey by?

• The survey is open NOW through March 28!

• 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.

As the weather is beginning to warm up, we love to see so many students and families connecting after school at the playground! We also need to make sure that everyone is safe. To increase student and family safety at dismissal, please refrain from using the blacktop area while there are still one or more buses in the bus lane. Once all of the buses have left, families are welcome to use the entire blacktop area in addition to the playground and field.

Save the date for an upcoming Family Game Night at Forest. Ms. Zienty, Forest's very own LMC Specialist, wrote a proposal and won a grant from the D62 Education Foundation which will go toward funding this exciting event! Please see the flyer below for more information.

Please CLICK HERE TO RSVP.

After spring break, all students in grades 3-5 will complete the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR). All 5th graders will also complete the Illinois Science Assessment (ISA). Please see the information below regarding who will take each assessment and when.

Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR)

• Who? Students in grades 3-5
• When? April 7-11 during the school day
• Students will take the reading assessments on April 7-8.
• Students will take the mathematics assessments on April 9-11.
• What if my child is absent? Missed assessments will be made up from April 14-17.

Illinois Science Assessment (ISA)

• Who? Students in 5th grade.
• When? April 21-23 during the school day
• What if my child is absent? Missed assessments will be made up from April 24-30.

Practices for the District 62 Special Olympics started this week! The games will take place on Saturday, May 10. You can support the event in different ways, starting by purchasing a t-shirt to wear on certain days leading up to the event. T-shirts will be $15 each (cash only, please). Check out the Special Olympics T-shirt Sale form for more information and to place your order! Please send cash to school in an envelope with your child's name on it.

Check out the flyer below to learn more about the Fun Fair hosted by the Des Plaines Youth Commission!

How to Register

Online registration for all families, including incoming students, beginning Friday, March 7 fore the 2025-2026 school year. We ask that you register your child(ren) by Wednesday, April 30. District 62 will begin collecting next year's fees during registration. All of next year's fees remain unchanged.

Helpful Links for 2025-2026 Registration

• Kindergarten Registration
• New Student Enrollment
• Annual Online Registration (for existing families)

D62 Registration Events

District 62 will host a series of events to support families with the registration process at Algonquin Middle School at the following dates and times:

• Wednesday, April 2 from 5:30-7:30 PM
• Thursday, May 22 from 5:30-7:30 PM
• Tuesday, August 5 from 5:30-7:30 PM

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

The March PTC meeting is tomorrow, March 11th at 7:00pm. 3rd Ward Alderman, Sean Oskerka will be coming back to give us an update from his last visit. Babysitting will be provided for children 3 years and older. We hope you can join us!

Our next Dine and Share is at the new Raising Cane's location in Des Plaines! Stop by on March 18th from 3:30pm - 8:00pm, and 15% of net sales will be donated back to the Forest PTC. See the flyer for more details.

Yearbooks are on sale now and can be purchased at this link!

Thank you to all of the students who auditioned for the Talent Show last week. Next up is the Tech Rehearsal on April 22nd!

• Tech Rehearsal: Tuesday, April 22nd
• Talent Show Day: Friday, April 25th

Sign-ups are still open for the 2nd Annual Forest Family Arts & Multicultural Night on Thursday, April 10, 2025, from 6:00–8:00 PM!

Are you passionate about sharing your culture? We’re looking for families to:

• 🎉 Host a table to showcase your traditions, heritage, and pride!
• 🎶 Perform a cultural dance, song, or musical piece!

Hosting a table is easy and fun—your display could include:

• 📷 Photos, maps, or flags
• 👗 Traditional clothing or artifacts
• 🎲 Games or crafts
• 🍬 Pre-packaged snacks or candy
• ✨ Ready to join the celebration? Fill out this form to host a table.

🎤 Interested in performing? Sign up here.

Let’s celebrate the amazing diversity of our Forest School community together! 🌟

📅 Mark your calendar for April 10 and stay tuned for more details. We can’t wait to see you there!

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

This Week:

• 3/10-3/14: Erin's Law Lessons (Grades K-3)
• 3/10: Monday Morning Math Club begins from 8:15-8:45 AM
• 3/11: PTC Meeting at 7:00 PM
• 3/12: Club & Group Picture Day
• 3/13: Family Game Night from 6:00-7:00 PM at Forest - RSVP
• 3/14: D62 Education Foundation Trivia Night at 6:00 PM at the Frisbee Center
• 3/15: Youth Commission Fun Fair from 4:00-7:00 PM at Prairie Lakes Community Center
• 3/16: Des Plaines Community Band Concert from 3:00-5:00 PM at Prairie Lakes Theater

Next Week:

• 3/17-3/21: Erin's Law Lessons (Grades K-3)
• 3/17: Board of Education Meeting at 7:00 PM
• 3/18: PTC Dine N Share from 3:30-8:00 PM at Raising Cane's
• 3/20: D62 Bilingual Family (BPAC) Meeting from 6:00-8:00 PM at the Westerhold ELC
• 3/20: 1st & 2nd Grade Concert at 6:30 PM in the Forest Multipurpose Room
• 3/21: Early Dismissal at 3:15 PM

In 2-3 Weeks:

• 3/24-3/28: NO SCHOOL - Spring Break
• 3/28: 5Essentials Survey closes
• 3/31: NO SCHOOL - Spring Break
• 4/1: NO SCHOOL - Professional Learning Day
• 4/2: Paraprofessional Appreciation Day
• 4/2: D62 Family Registration Event from 5:30-7:30 PM at Algonquin Middle School
• 4/4: School Librarian Appreciation Day

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