FPE Community Newsletter 03/05/2025
March 5, 2025
Greetings Forest Park Students and Families,
Our first week in March means we are within the last 3 ½ months of school! We look forward to Spring Break at the end of this month. Between now and then we’ll get busy doing our regular daily’s, preparing to “spring-forward” this Sunday (Daylight Saving Time 3/9), along with getting ready for the Science Fair next month. But, this week is all about Classified Staff Appreciation Week! Our Classified Staff provide the infrastructure students and teachers need to do their most important work. Our Classified Staff greet your students by name each morning and wish them farewell (by name) at the end of each day. Each of our Classified Staff go above and beyond their job descriptions to help keep FPE students and their teachers safe, having fun, and learning! Please read below for my personal gratitude:
Classified Appreciation Week! I believe one of the most important jobs in any society is teaching. This creates another most important of societal jobs, which involves supporting teachers and students so that optimal learning and teaching can occur. Students, I encourage you to discuss with your family your “...adults on campus…” and find ways to express your appreciation of those among us who support students and teachers each day at FPE (check out slide-deck linked to image):
Marjorie, Eva, Rosie, Diane, Ken: Buses 132, 127, 126, (Transportation Drivers), each of you get our students to and from school safely, daily! Add to that the steely nerves required to navigate our windy Forest Heights roads while tolerating elevated talking levels; we are fortunate to have the best in PPS Transportation taking such great care of our students at the start and ending of our school days! Thank you for safely delivering our students!
Roberta Packer (Nutritionist), you’re one of the first here bright and early! Because of you, students may have a delicious/nutritious breakfast and look forward to a delicious/nutritious lunch! I join students and staff in expressing how much we appreciate the wonderful aromas filling our halls each day as we get the school day going! Oh, and thank you for keeping our bellies filled with such great food!
Jaime Ner (Head Custodian), you get here even earlier! You keep our school safe: lights on, heat & a/c operating well, and the floors dry! You also work with contractors for regular grounds-maintenance and upgrades. I’ve worked in many schools in several districts, and our school, your school, is a beautiful, safe destination for those of us lucky enough to join everyday! Thank you for opening this beautiful school building each and every day!
Jerry Rogers (Night Custodian), you close out the school day and get our building clean and ready for the next day. While you’re working, you help facilitate after-school programs! All the while you keep the building safe and sound late into the evening! Thank you for continuing to keep our building safe, dry, and well-lit.
Gaye Updike (ParaEducator), you take care of many FPE students in remarkable ways. We all, (students, teachers, staff), benefit from your life’s work as a foster parent. The care and love you bring to FPE benefits everyone who gets to work with you one-on-one, and everyone around you! Thank you for taking such good care of so many of us!
Homa Mosharraf (ParaEducator), students and teachers regularly express gratitude because they get to work with you. You keep your students safe in the building, safe on the playground, and most importantly, you’re aware of the feelings and emotions of those in your care. Thank you for doing so excellently by FPE Students.
Melissa Yslas (ParaEducator), students and teachers who you work with benefit tremendously from your professionalism, care, and kindness. Although you joined us only recently, we are grateful you did. Thank you for finding so many different ways to support your students in their learning, and in turn teachers!
Stephanie Brown (School Health Assistant - SHA), you take care of all the scraped knees and elbows, bloody noses and loose teeth, and yes also all the “cold/flu-season” ailments (and bodily fluids) as they come up (or down). You help make students feel well taken care of with dignity and quickly on the road to feeling better when they visit your office. Your kind care is felt in the most minor of scrapes and bruises (thank you for the stock-pile of ice-packets!) and, I feel safe knowing you’re there when a more serious medical need arises! Thank you for keeping us healthy!
Trudy Davis (Nurse) you prioritize student health and well-being by keeping our entire staff trained and up-to-date on the most recent health-related needs, medical needs and services necessary to assure safe field trips and teacher-wherewithal in urgent medical needs. Your prescience and vigilance keep us safe, thank you from all the healthy-beating hearts at FPE!
Mia Yerton (Administrative Assistant 2), despite having recently joined the front office staff, it’s as if you’ve been here all along; and as an alumnus, (class of 2011) you technically have! Thank you for joining the FPE team so immediately and efficiently, that our daily operations don’t skip a beat! You help keep all the front-office aspects moving smoothly!
Suzanne Gleeson (Administrative Assistant 1), you’re most often the first among us to greet students and their families, teachers and staff, each day. You greet and take care of newbies, and those of us who’ve been here a long time. Congrats on your 5 years of service at FPE! People feel at ease in the front office because of how you show your care. Along with this, you keep all school operations flowing smoothly. We wouldn’t have admin without you…it just wouldn’t work!...Thank you, in so many ways!
Wendy Jones (Physical Therapist) it is a marvel to watch you train staff to take care of specific physical needs of FPE students. I appreciate watching you emphasize love and kindness in your care, and in turn, the staff you train carry the same loving/kind-care. Thank you for showing your staff how to take care of children!
Dr. Sidney McReynolds (Occupational Therapist) your advocacy for students and their physical and technological needs is greatly appreciated! Thank you for making FPE and our students, teachers and staff feel as important and well attended as your many other schools. We benefit each day you’re here!
Steve Huston (Lunch Recess EA) I appreciate your service in meteorology and recess supervision! Each day, you consult with me when the precipitation percentages look elevated! We make decisions together that are an effort to keep students dry, warm, and safe during extreme weather conditions. Under your watch, students have fun playing tetherball, downball, basketball, play-structure, and of course all that goes on up on the pitch! Thank you for keeping tabs on the weather and line-up times!
MUSIC Link Up preparation for 4th grade: Students may access songs HERE. We will be attending Link Up on Thursday May 1st. More information later.
Note from Visual Arts Teacher Hello Forest Park Families, We have been having a great time in the art room, getting to know each other, playing with new materials, exploring techniques and developing our artistic skills. There are some exciting projects in the works and I need some help from the Forest Park community collecting the materials.
The items are as follows:
1. Toilet paper rolls
2. Old/broken toys
3. Magazines
There will be 3 boxes in the front hall where you can place your donations. In advance, a thousand Thank You's!
PJA (KidsSpace) Summer Care PJA is excited to offer care this summer at Forest Park Elementary for all kids ages 6-11! Camp will run from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday-Friday, June 23-August 1st, 2025. Sign up by March 15th for a 5% discount! For more information, check out our website or email Carly, the Program Director at CLandau@pjaproud.org
Reminders:
Kindergarten Registration - Registration opens February 28th
FOFPE Blood Drive - March 12th
Connect to Kindergarten - Our first Connect to Kinder event is March 13th, 5-6PM online. Keep an eye on our FPE website for more information!
Fox Assembly - Wednesday, March 19th at 8.10am
Spring Break - March 24th through 28th!
Return from Spring Break - Monday, March 31st
Spring Auction Gala! - You’ll never regret having a good time, while supporting our students and school!! Avoid FOMO by joining us at “The Nines” on Saturday, March 15th, at 5:00PM for an evening of elegance. Enjoy your students' stunning artwork, celebrate our vibrant and supportive community, and raise a glass in support of our wonderful school! Get your tickets here!
Learning Expo/Science Fair - Registration Forms due by March 21st
Calling all future Cards!
Join the baseball community at Forest Park Elementary and enroll in the upcoming Lincoln Youth Baseball spring season!
Registration closes March 9th for the following levels:
T-Ball (ages 4 - 6, typically Pre-K to 1st grade)
A (Coach pitch) (ages 5 - 6, typically first grade)
AA (mix of Coach and Player Pitch) (ages 7 - 8, typically second grade)
Thank you, Dr. Martini
