Weekly Update

It's hard to believe that it's the final weekend of summer! Hopefully, everyone is at least thinking about pushing back bedtimes and getting ready to get back to some semblance of a schedule.

Please make sure that you have read all of the information below so that we're all set up for success as this new year begins.

Wednesday, August 21: First Day of School (8:40-3:30pm) (Kindergarten usual hours!)

Friday, August 23: Common Expectations Traveling Assemblies (AM)

Sunday, August 25: PTA Welcome Back Social (4:30-6:00pm)

Thursday, August 29: Curriculum Night (6:00-7:30pm)

Monday, September 2: NO SCHOOL--LABOR DAY

Friday, September 6: Fire Drill (1:00pm)

Week of September 9: Fall MAP Testing Window Opens

Wednesday, September 11: School Picture Day

Let's cross our fingers that this wonderful weather continues for our start of school on Wednesday. All staff will be outside to greet students (and families!) at arrival. There will be cones with signage indicating where classes should line up. It's aways fun for everyone to reunite after a few months apart!

Additionally, each grade level will be visiting the gym for a brief "lunch orientation" to overview some of our new lunch logistics (seating by classroom, garbage procedures, dismissal, etc.) in advance of lunch to ensure that all runs as smoothly as possible.

Otherwise, we're excited to start to build our classroom communities by getting to know one another and learning some of the new routines and procedures. Stay tuned next week for more specifics on some of our school-wide expectations and more information about how we work to establish our understanding of them.

We are excited to welcome everyone to Forest Hills on Thursday, August 29 for Curriculum Night. This is a grown-up only evening, as it is your opportunity to learn about all of the amazing things your child will learn this year and what makes each grade level at Forest Hills such a special and unique experience. Please see the schedule for the evening below. All attendees should enter through the main doors on Central and doors open at 5:55pm.

We're excited to welcome another new staff member to Forest Hills! Mrs. Karla Raniere will be joining us as Resource Teacher. She's replacing Ms. Kariott, who took a position in another district.

With the addition of Mrs. Raniere, we are fully staffed and ready to get to work and support all of our students!

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.

One of the D101 Handbook updates worth a separate call-out and additional information is that of the Personal Electronic Device Policy. Please read THIS detailed message on the policy change or via the PDF below.

Additionally, please find the updated D101 Acceptable Use Policy HERE or attached as a PDF below. We will send a hard copy of this policy home with students in Friday Folders on Friday, August 23, which will need to be signed both both the parent and student, and returned to school.

We deeply appreciate your partnership and support of this policy change as we strive to keep our classrooms safe and focused on learning.

Also, hopefully everyone received this morning's stand alone message regarding the Parent Technology Guidebook and takes some time to review it. It really is never too early to start thinking about screen time, cyber safety and all things technology usage.

If you ordered supplies from The Write Stuff--good news! They have been delivered and will be distributed to classrooms for students.

For those who didn't order and plan to bring their own supplies, students may do so on the first day of school. If there are too many and you wish to drop them at the main office on Monday, August 19 or Tuesday, August 20 between 9:00am-3:00pm. Please do not bring them to classrooms, as staff are in meetings and working on final classroom preparations.

Just in case supplies are still on your "TO DO LIST" HERE is the link to the supply lists.

School hours remain the same as last year.

Student supervision begins at 8:25, so please do not have students arrive at school prior to that time. Also, when students arrive at school, they should report to their line-up location, and not play unsupervised at the parks.

South East Entrance (Door #2): Kindergarten and Grade 1

Main Entrance (Door #1): Grades 2 and 3

North East Entrance (Door #6): Grades 4 and 5

ALL students will enter through doors on Central Avenue.

A few important reminders about the arrival/dismissal process:

• Central Ave. is ONE WAY (north to south)
• Please take arrival/dismissal with a "Kiss 'n Go" approach. Parents/caregivers should remain in the vehicle at all times during the process. Should you wish to park and wait at the doors, please do so NORTH of the building on Central or Fair Elms or on 51st Street.

Please find a map HERE for a visual of arrival/dismissal. I appreciate your cooperation with these procedures with the hope of creating the safest experience possible for everyone (especially kids!).

***There may be some parking/traffic changes from the Village of Western Springs around the Forest Hills perimeter that won't be finalized until the week of August 19. Please watch for a stand alone message detailing those changes.

All students will eat lunch in the gym and have recess outside on either the north or south playgrounds. One change for this year is that 3rd grade will eat first and then go outside for recess. Historically, 3rd grade has gone outside for recess first, however, space considerations in the lunchroom have made this shift necessary.

11:40-12:00

Grades 1, 2 & 3 eat in the gym

Grades 4 & 5 outside for recess

12:05-12:25

Grades 1, 2 & 3 outside for recess

Grades 4 & 5 eat in the gym

Students are still able to go home for lunch. If your child will be going home for lunch, they will exit and return back to school through the main entrance. Please just communicate that information to classroom teachers and Erin McLaughlin.

OUTSIDE LUNCHES: Please note that while students are welcome to have food from fast food or outside establishments, we ask that you hand deliver them to the table in the foyer and clearly mark them with your child/rens' name(s). Deliveries from Door Dash, Uber Eats, Jimmy John's, etc. are STRONGLY DISCOURAGED, as they create a safety issue with drivers coming to the wrong door and generates much confusion amongst students. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

We are always happy to welcome parents as a part of the Forest Hills lunch program!

If you are interested in volunteering for lunch supervision, please email Alexis Cheff (asorto@hotmail.com) She will happily work with you on any type of time you are able to give.

If you are interested in being paid for lunch supervision, please also email Alexis Cheff (asorto@hotmail.com), but also include me on the message, so that I can assist in facilitating those next steps.

We're so grateful to our parent lunch supervisors as they help ensure lunchtime is a safe and enjoyable experience.

School safety is ALWAYS at the forefront of our minds. As such, please note the following safety procedures and expectations.

• Entrances: You will notice clear signage on all external doors indicating that ALL visitors (any person who is not a current Forest Hills student or active staff member with a key) MUST enter and check in through the main office. Even if your child spots YOU knocking at the Forest Hills doorway, we explicitly teach all students and reinforce with our staff the need to point to the signage, point to the main office, and NOT open any external doors, even for known/trusted adults, unless they are staff members.

• Staff Identification: All District 101 staff members wear lanyards, clearly indicating for students, staff, and all that they are registered members of our D101 staff and thus able to enter/exit buildings and supervise students. All visitors (including parent volunteers in classrooms, in the library, etc.) will need to wear our visitor lanyards at all times within the building.

• Visitor Procedures: All visitors will be required to enter through the main office, check in with our Administrative Assistant (Mrs. Erin McLaughlin), and trade their government-issued ID card (Driver’s License) for a “Visitor” lanyard; they will be required to check out again, as well, to return the lanyard and retrieve their ID. This will serve as a visual marker of safety and purpose for any adults not within our D101 staff, so that our students, staff, and community have a clear understanding that any “other” adults are safe and authorized to be within our space.

• Visitor Purpose and Destination: We will also ask that visitors to the building remain only in the spaces for which their entry is authorized, without wandering through the building or entering any additional spaces. This will help all of us understand the purpose, role, and need for our volunteers, and to maintain safe entry/exit procedures for all “other” adults.

Again, we appreciate you following these established procedures as we work to ensure our buildings are as safe as possible.

If your child is taking the bus, you should have received an email from Erin McLaughlin confirming transportation logistics. Please let Erin know if you did not receive an email or if you need to add bus transportation and we will add them to the list.

If your child will need any medication administered at school, please feel free to drop it off anytime during school hours on Monday, August 19, Tuesday, August 20 or during school hours, beginning Wednesday, August 21. We do need a doctor’s order to administer medication at school. A link to the form can be found HERE.

Please watch for some upcoming communications from the PTA and I look forward to seeing everyone at the Back to School Social on Sunday, August 25.

If you would like more information about the Right At School before and after care program, please see the included flyer or visit their website at https://rightatschool.com/.

Currently, the enrollment for RAS is low. (Just a handful of students in both the AM and PM.) RAS needs a minimum of ten (10) students in each session to run the program at Forest Hills. If you are planning to enroll, but haven't done so yet, please do soon. The current plan is to run the program for two weeks and if more students don't enroll, it will be canceled at Forest Hills.

Our very own talented Linda Lundeen (with support from Linda Makdah) is sponsoring an after school art class at Forest Hills this year. Please see the attached flyer for more information and registration.

Do you have a future Top Chef in your household? Consider registering them for Sticky Fingers Cooking!

Please find the 2024-25 calendar HERE (subscribable Google Calendars) attached below.

On behalf of the staff at Forest Hills, we're looking forward to seeing everyone next week!

Rachel

Email: rcorrough@d101.org
Website: www.d101.org
Location: 5020 Central Avenue, Western Springs, IL, USA
Phone: (708)485-5184
Twitter: @corrough