Forest School News (11.18.24)

• 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.

Your family is invited to the next District 62 BPAC meeting. BPAC is a bilingual group that supports the multicultural students and families of CCSD 62. Free pizza and free childcare are providing. Find more information about the Bilingual Parent Advisory Committee (BPAC) and check out the flyers in various languages for more information!

Kindness Spirit Week is coming to Forest from November 18-22! Check out the calendar below to learn more about each day's theme. Students can participate by dressing up as the theme and/or by engaging the kindness activities planned for each day! Please look for more information to come from your child's classroom teacher.

Students in 4th and 5th grade have been working hard to prepare for their musical performance. There will be two performances - one during the school day for grades K-3 and one at night for families!

Families are encouraged to attend the evening performance on Thursday, November 21 at 6:30 PM. 4th and 5th grade students should arrive early at 6:15 PM to get ready for the show. Please review this flyer for more information.

Trimester 1 report cards will be available on the Portal through Infinite Campus on Friday, November 22 at 3:45 PM. Families must have their Infinite Campus Parent Portal set up in order to view the report card for Trimester 1. More information can be found on the Campus Parent page of the Forest website.

Does your child ever experience BIG FEELINGS? Do those big feelings ever lead to a meltdown at home? Are you looking for some tips and tricks with how to support your children in managing their emotions better? If you answered yes to either of those questions, then we have just the thing for you!

Join us on Monday, December 9 from 6:00-7:00 PM at Forest for a Parent Education Night! You'll learn from our SEL staff about how to manage meltdowns and big feels and even have a chance to connect with other parents who may be experiencing the same at home.

Click here to RSVP!

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

PTC Meeting: Thanks to everyone who came to the PTC meeting last week. We had a special guest, 3rd Ward Alderman, Sean Oskerka! He answered questions, and shared ideas on how to help traffic and safety around Forest. He will be back early next year for an update.

Pool Party: Another fun Pool Party is in the books. Thank you to everyone who came out to Prairie Lakes on Friday. We can't wait to do it again in January!

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

Ornament Decorating is happening Thursday, December 5th. Join us to make ornaments to decorate the Forest tree in Metropolitan Square. See the flyer for more details.

Save the date! Holiday Shop is coming December 10th - December 12th. More details coming soon.

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

11/18-11/22: Kindness Spirit Week

11/18: Trimester 2 begins

11/18: Board of Education Meeting at 7:00 PM

11/21: District 62 BPAC Meeting from 6:00-8:00 PM in the Board Room (Enter Door 11)

11/21: 4th & 5th Grade Musical, The Adventures of Beekle, from 6:30-7:30 PM

11/22: Trimester 1 Report Cards released

11/22: Wibit Night from 6:00-8:00 PM at Prairie Lakes Aquatic Center

11/23: Yoga for Kids from 10:00-11:00 AM at Maryville Academy -- For more info, email Amy Kendal

11/25-11/29: NO SCHOOL - Thanksgiving Break

12/1: Breakfast with Santa from 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM at the Frisbie Senior Center

12/2: USA Pickleball Clinic with 5th grade students from 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM -- Info coming soon!

12/5: Ornament Decorating with the Forest PTC at 3:45 PM in the Forest MPR

12/6: Des Plaines Holiday Tree Lighting from 4:00-7:00 PM in Metropolitan Square

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