The Leopard Letter

Principal's Report

Lake Forest Families,

We’ve had another wonderful week in the Forest! 💙💛 I continue to be so proud of the way our students are settling into routines, building relationships, and working hard each day.

🎉 PTA Bingo Night — This Friday!
We hope you’ll join us this Friday, August 28, from 5:00–7:00 PM for PTA Bingo Night at Lake Forest! Bring the family and come enjoy a fun evening with our school community. We would love to see you there!

💗 Conscious Discipline Corner: Positive Intent
Be sure to check out this week’s Conscious Discipline Corner as we share more about our current schoolwide focus: Positive Intent. Positive Intent helps us choose to see the best in others and teaches children—and adults!—to respond to challenging situations with empathy, understanding, and helpfulness rather than assuming the worst.

Thank you for your continued partnership and for helping us build a strong, connected Lake Forest School Family. We are looking forward to another great week!

Wishing you well,
Julie Cooke
Principal

Lake Forest Elementary School

Calendar of Events | August 24-28, 2026

Monday, August 24, 2026

Attractions Book Sale Begins

Tuesday, August 25, 2026

no student activities

Wednesday, August 26, 2026

no student activities

Thursday, August 27, 2026

Salted Moose at LFE, 7:00 am
First Chorus of the year, 2:15-3:30

Friday, August 28, 2026

National College Colors Day - wear favorite team attire
PTA Bingo Night, 5-7 pm (cafeteria)

School Counselor Spotlight

Check out this Month's Newsletter from the school counseling team!

Take a moment to explore our School Counseling Newsletter for updates on upcoming events and to learn how we’re supporting students and families throughout the year.

Important Walker Dismissal Reminder

Lake Forest Families, we need your help ensuring our walker dismissal procedures remain safe and run as intended.

Students dismissed as walkers should truly be walking home from school. Parents should not park in the lot near Aldersgate United Methodist Church and walk over to pick up their child as a “walker.” Parking in this lot for afternoon dismissal is not permitted.

Beginning this week, Mrs. Cooke will be outside during walker dismissal to speak with families and help reinforce this procedure.

We understand that parking and walking over may seem like a convenient alternative to car line, but our dismissal procedures are designed to help us safely account for students and manage traffic and pedestrian flow. Our car line moves very quickly.

💙💛 Thank you for partnering with us to keep dismissal safe and orderly for all of our Leopards!

Coffee is coming to the Forest!

The Salted Moose Coffee Truck will be at Lake Forest Elementary this Thursday, August 27, beginning at 7:00 AM!

LFE staff and parents are invited to stop by, park, and purchase a delicious coffee to start the day. Grab your favorite drink and fuel up for a great Thursday! We love opportunities to bring our LFE community together. 💙💛

📅 Thursday, August 27
⏰ Beginning at 7:00 AM
📍 Lake Forest Elementary

See you at the Moose! ☕️🫎

💙 Conscious Discipline Corner: Positive Intent 💛

At Lake Forest, Conscious Discipline teaches us that change begins with the adult. One skill we are practicing as a staff is Positive Intent—choosing to see the best possible intention behind another person's behavior rather than automatically assuming the worst.

Think about something as simple as driving. 🚗 Someone suddenly cuts you off in traffic. Your first thought might be, “What a jerk! They think they own the road!”

But what if you changed the story you told yourself?

“Maybe they didn't see me.”
“Maybe they're dealing with an emergency.”
“Maybe they simply made a mistake.”

We don't actually know why they cut us off. Positive Intent allows us to choose an explanation that helps us remain calm rather than one that fuels our frustration.

And here's the important part: Positive Intent doesn't mean the behavior was okay. The driver still shouldn't have cut you off. It simply means we don't have to assign a negative motive to the person.

We can practice this in everyday situations, too. When someone doesn't respond to our text, perhaps they're busy rather than ignoring us. When someone is short with us, perhaps they're having a difficult day. When another parent doesn't wave in the car line, perhaps they simply didn't see us.

🐆 What does this look like with our children?

The same principle applies!

Instead of thinking, “He's being mean,” we might think, “He wanted a turn and didn't know the appropriate way to ask.”

Then we can address the behavior and teach the missing skill:

“You wanted a turn with the toy, so you grabbed it. You may not grab. Next time, say, ‘Can I have a turn?’”

Positive Intent does not mean lowering expectations or excusing inappropriate behavior. We still hold children accountable. The difference is that instead of judging the child, we see the behavior as an opportunity to teach the skill they need for next time.

🏠 Try It This Week

Pay attention to the stories you tell yourself about other people's behavior. When you notice yourself assuming the worst, ask:

“Could there be another explanation?”

As we practice Positive Intent ourselves, we become better equipped to model empathy, composure, and problem-solving for our children. That's how we help our Leopards learn to do the same. 💙🐆💛

🎨🌈 Color Week continues at LFE! 🌈🎨

Our K5 students are learning all about colors, and we’re inviting ALL students and staff to join the fun for Week 2! 💙💛

💜 Monday: Purple
🩷 Tuesday: Pink
🖤🤍 Wednesday: Black or White
🤎 Thursday: Brown
🌈 Friday: Crazy Color Day!

We can’t wait to see the Forest filled with bright and beautiful colors all week long! 🐆🎨✨

REPOSTED: 🍎 Lunch Visitors Begin After Labor Day 🍎

As we launch into a new school year, we ask for your support by waiting until after Labor Day to join your child for lunch.

The first few weeks of school are an important time for teachers to establish classroom expectations, build routines, and help students develop independence and friendships. Giving our students this time to settle into their new environment sets them up for a successful year.

We know you're excited to spend time with your Leopard, and we look forward to welcoming lunch visitors beginning after Labor Day, September 7!

Birthday Treats/Classroom Treats: ALL treats sent in for a class to eat must be commercially bought. Homemade treats will not be passed out to students. Individual packaging is preferred.

Thank you for partnering with us as we help every student learn, grow, lead, and succeed. 💙💛🐆

🎉 BINGO NIGHT is FRIDAY! 💙💛

Join us for a FREE night of family fun as we celebrate our Lake Forest PTA Membership Drive!

📅 Friday, August 28
⏰ 5:00–7:00 PM
📍 LFE Cafeteria

Everyone is invited! All 2026–2027 paid PTA members will receive a second bingo card for even more chances to win! 🏆

Not a member yet? Join for just $6 and help support our students, staff, and school! 🐆💙💛

We can't wait to yell BINGO! with our LFE School Family!

💙 Join the Lake Forest PTA!

We're inviting everyone to join the Lake Forest Elementary PTA for just $6!

Parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, neighbors, family friends, students...and yes, if your dog or cat could sign up, we'd welcome them too! 🐶🐱😊

Our PTA does an incredible job supporting our students, teachers, and school community all year long by funding programs, providing resources, hosting family events, and celebrating our amazing staff. Your membership helps make all of that possible.

Our goal is simple: one PTA member for every Lake Forest student. Every membership counts and helps support child advocacy, scholarships, educational resources, and so much more. Joining takes just a few minutes! Simply create an account through MemberHub and pay the $6 membership fee.

Join HERE today and help us make this our best year yet!

Attractions Coupon Book Sales

Our Attractions Coupon Book fundraiser is coming up! These books offer over $7,000 in local savings at hundreds of restaurants and businesses, and are only $25 each. Flyers will be dropped in your mailboxes to should be sent home in student folders on Monday.

Fundraiser Dates: Monday, August 24 through Friday, September 4
Book Delivery: Books will be delivered to the school on Fridays only for students who have received orders.

Student Incentive: Students who sell 5 books receive 1 book FREE.

We appreciate your help encouraging students to share the fundraiser with family and friends!

Thank you for supporting Lake Forest Elementary PTA!

Reserve Pride Rock

Reserve the LFE Pride Rocks Today!
Our Spirit Rocks are available for reservation. Painting Pride Rock is a fantastic way to send a special message, show your school spirit, or wish someone a "Happy Birthday!" The cost to reserve is $10/day per rock. We have two rocks available:

Front Carline Entrance
Side Carline (K4-1st Grade) Entrance

Don't miss out — reserve your spot today and make your message stand out!

Connect with PTA

Join us on the Remind App:

Download Remind app or go to remind.com
Our class name is Lake Forest Elementary PTA
Our class code is @8bb434

Join Our Group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/583337569143345

Follow us on Instagram: @LFEPTA

Our Why: LFE Vision, Mission, and Priorities

Vision

The vision of Lake Forest Elementary School is to empower students to learn, grow, lead, and succeed.

Mission

The mission of Lake Forest Elementary School is to provide a nurturing, student-centered learning environment where students are empowered to learn about the world, persevere through challenges, and develop positive character traits.