New Year, New School Security Measure
In the new year our front office will be rolling out Verkada, a new guest check-in system. Not much will change with our practice and expectations, but we just wanted to make you aware, as we will still require drivers licenses or some form of government ID to be turned in to enter the school and wear a lanyard to indicate you are a visitor in the building.
The good news is that once you register in the system the first time, you will be issued a QR code that can be saved on your phone. That code can be scanned on all future visits, which will make check-in a little more efficient.
Holiday Concert Video Links
It was wonderful to see so many of you at today's holiday concerts! The kids did a wonderful job performing and spreading some holiday spirit. If you'd like to share that holiday spirit with loved ones who couldn't attend today's performances or watch the shows again yourself, here are the links:
Holiday Helpers
We're all looking forward to our school-wide service event, Holiday Helpers, which takes place next Friday morning (Thursday for Kindergarten!). Holiday Helpers is a collective effort amongst Forest Hills staff, students and the PTA to provide a little holiday cheer to those less fortunate. Students were given their choice of service projects, with the following organizations benefitting from our efforts:
- Ronald McDonald House
- Meals on Wheels
- La Casa Norte
- Hinsdale Humane Society
- Sharing Connections
- Cradles to Crayons
When possible, representatives from the organizations come in to speak with the students about their organization and those who benefit from their services. We are so grateful for the many resources and comforts that we have and this is our way to give back to others and brighten some spirits around the holiday.
A BIG THANK YOU to Tracy Valentino, Lindsay Proctor, the wonderful parent volunteers and the PTA for helping to make this happen.
Ask your Falcon about their Holiday Helper experience!
Winter Weather Reminder and Information
Hopefully, you also saw the information regarding Winter Weather in Dr. Coffey's update last week. I've included that information below as well. Please make special note of piece about remote learning--specifically, the advance preparations we plan to take, should weather be a potential concern. In short, we will proactively send devices home with Kindergarten-2nd graders, who typically don't bring their devices home with them. We will err on the side of caution to ensure we are over-prepared, thus, your child may bring their device home and hopefully, just bring it back to school the next day as we'll be in attendance. (Just because they bring their device home, does not mean that we plan or expect to have a remote learning day--only that we want to be prepared in that event!)
Dr. Coffey's Message:
When considering school delays or closures due to weather, we prioritize several key factors to ensure the safety of our students and staff. These include:
The safety of students who rely on bus or car transportation to get to and from school
The safety of staff members who commute by car
The safety of students who walk to school
The ability of our maintenance and custodial teams to clear sidewalks and parking lots
Another major consideration is wind chill. For students waiting for buses or walking to and from school, extreme cold is always a concern. As in past years, we will consider closing schools when sustained wind chill temperatures approach 25 degrees below zero.
On snowy, icy, or extremely cold mornings, the Lyons Township superintendents stay in close communication with each other, as well as our bus companies, to determine whether or not schools in the Township should be closed. The outcome is typically a joint decision, made and communicated generally before 6:15 AM. In keeping with District 101’s tradition, we will always strive to keep school in session unless safety dictates otherwise.
Although remote learning days are an option, we intend to use them sparingly in lieu of a traditional “snow day.” As such, we will only utilize this option when qualitative conditions lead us to believe that it is the best choice. Some of these considerations may include:
- advanced notice of an incoming “weather event,”
- the likelihood for the need for multiple days away from traditional in-person school due to blizzard conditions or extreme cold, and/or
- negative implications/impact of adding day(s) to the end of the school calendar, as required, to make up missed days.
Because our younger students do not typically bring their district-issued devices home, in addition to reviewing and practicing logging in for an e-learning day at school, students will also practice bringing their devices home, particularly when the forecast indicates a possibility of a “weather event.” This does not mean that an e-learning day will automatically occur. We will provide clear, proactive communication, to the extent possible, before moving forward with an e-learning day.
When schools are delayed or closed, we will notify local TV and radio stations through the Emergency Closing Center. Be sure to look for “Cook County District 101” (and not Batavia District 101 in Kane County) when checking for updates. You can also access school closure information through www.emergencyclosings.com, or via our district website at wsd101.org. The district website is typically the first to be updated with closure information. In addition, we will continue to use our emergency notification system to contact families via email, text, and/or phone call, depending on the contact information provided in PowerSchool.
Finally, we want to emphasize that you, as parents, always have the final say in whether your child attends school during inclement weather. If you feel that the journey to school is not safe, we encourage you to make the decision that is best for your family. Weather-related absences will be excused.
December Student Ownership Attributes
This month, we'll be reading stories about the broader world, and celebrating all the ways that understanding and appreciating other cultures and the commonalities we share can enrich our sense of community.
Our D101 definition of GLOBAL CITIZENS is: global citizens love to learn about the world, including other people and cultures, other languages, other traditions, other places, and other ways to be!
Some of the components we'll discuss at the various grade levels are:
Global citizens care about the health and wellbeing of the world, and learn more and take actions to help make the world a better place.
Global citizens view the world from different viewpoints, and appreciate the value that other people and cultures bring.
Global citizens celebrate commonalities and differences, use them to connect and engage with others.
These talking points will be in connection with the following grade level texts:
Kindergarten: Same, Same, But Different, by Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw
1st Grade: This is the Way We Go to School, by Edith Baer
2nd Grade: If Sharks Disappeared, by Lily Williams
3rd Grade: Ducks Overboard: A True Story of Plastic in our Oceans, by Markus Motum
4th Grade: One Plastic Bag, by Miranda Paul
5th Grade: 14 Cows for America, by Carmen Agra Deedy and Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah
Although this is our collective focus for the month of December, will seek opportunities to connect as global citizens throughout the year, and will be using these skills as a part of our January focus – being REFLECTIVE! Stay tuned for more information about REFLECTIVE students next month!
Notes of Appreciation
Did you know that practicing gratitude can not only positively impact the recipient of your kind words, but also help YOU feel better and live longer?!?! It's true!
In that spirit, I encourage you to take the time to click HERE to share a short message of gratitude to a Forest Hills staff member (or members, if you're feeling really ambitious!). I have the great fortune of seeing how hard everyone works behind the scenes and the care and concern that everyone here shows for our kids everyday. Hopefully, your kiddos feel that love and support and you do too!
I'll also always have a link to the form in my email signature for ease of access and the opportunity to send a kind note whenever the mood strikes. Thanks in advance for taking the time to brighten someone's day!
IMPORTANT: Updated D101 Elementary Handbook
This summer, the administrative team spent considerable time updating the Elementary School Handbook. Please do spend some time reviewing some of the important information regarding attendance, academics, behavior/discipline, technology, etc. The handbook can be found via the link above or as a PDF below.
2024-25 School Calendar
Word From WSFEE
On Wednesday night, D101 hosted its FIRST EVER Special Olympics basketball game at McClure! The home-opener brought a packed house to cheer on the Bulldogs. This basketball game is part of a Special Olympics program hosted by D101. A recent WSFEE grant has enabled the school district to adopt the program, which provides sports training and competitions for children with
intellectual disabilities, enhancing their social interaction, physical fitness, courage, and overall
well-being. This will serve as the foundation for D101 to continue building this valuable program for our students for years to come.
Rachel Corrough
Email: rcorrough@d101.org
Website: www.d101.org
Location: 5020 Central Avenue, Western Springs, IL, USA
Phone: (708)485-5184
Twitter: @corrough
