Monday, February 24: STEAM Academy 1st/2nd Grade (3:30-5:00pm)

Tuesday, February 25: Choir (7:55am)

Tuesday, February 25: Here's The Buzz Art (3:30-4:30pm)--LAST SESSION!

Tuesday, February 25: Winter Band Concert at McClure (7:00pm)

Wednesday, February 26: 5th Grade Band & Orchestra Rehearsal at McClure (7:30-8:15am)

Wednesday, February 26: 4th Grade Band & Orchestra Rehearsal at McClure (3:30-4:15pm)

Wednesday, February 26: STEAM Academy 3rd/4th Grade (3:30-5:00pm)

Wednesday, February 26: FUSION (3:30-5:15pm)

Thursday, February 27: BAM Theatre (3:30-4:30pm)

Friday, February 28: 1st Grade Lego Club (8:00am)

Friday, February 28: Sticky Fingers Cooking (3:30-4:30pm)

Wednesday, March 5: 5th Grade Band & Orchestra Rehearsal at McClure (7:30-8:15am)

Wednesday, March 5: PTA Variety Show (2:00pm)

Wednesday, March 5: 4th Grade Band & Orchestra Rehearsal at McClure (3:30-4:15pm)

Wednesday, March 5: STEAM Academy 3rd/4th Grade (3:30-5:00pm)

Wednesday, March 5: FUSION (3:30-5:15pm)

Thursday, March 6: BAM Theatre (3:30-4:30pm)

Friday, March 7: Report Card Distribution

Friday, March 7: Sticky Fingers Cooking (3:30-4:30pm)

Saturday, March 8: OTSC Circle of Friendship Party at LT Corral (12:30-3:00pm)

Monday, March 10: PTA Meeting (7:00pm)

Week of March 17: Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) Testing

Monday, March 17: St. Baldrick's Fundraiser

Thursday, March 20: Forest Hills Open House (6:00-7:00pm)

Friday, March 28-Friday, April 4: NO SCHOOL--SPRING BREAK

We are now ready to roll out Verkada, a new guest check-in system. Not much is changing 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.

Please make sure to bring your license with you the next time you're at Forest Hills.

Beginning now, students in grades four through twelve, as well as all teachers across Illinois, will be taking the 5Essentials Survey. As required by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), this survey is designed and administered by UChicago Impact at the University of Chicago to generate a detailed picture of the inner workings of each school across our state.

The survey gathers data related to five indicators that are correlated with important student outcomes. These five indicators are Effective Leaders, Collaborative Teachers, Involved Families, Supportive Environments, and Ambitious Instruction.

This survey is designed to gather parental thoughts on the same important factors noted above and the impact they have had on school effectiveness at your child’s school.

The Parent Survey is currently available until March 28, and can be accessed by clicking HERE.

If at least 20 percent of parents at a school complete this survey, a parent supplemental report will be generated. Parent identity and survey responses will be kept completely confidential and will never be connected to you or your child.

While this summary information is included on our School Report Card for general reporting purposes, I do very much value and appreciate your perceptions of Forest Hills and would greatly appreciate it if you all take a few minutes to complete this brief survey.

Please note there are two upcoming State assessments on the horizon.

Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR): Students in 3rd-8th grade take this assessment that assesses ELA and Math standards. This assessment is spread out of the course of five (5) days. Students will begin testing on Monday, March 17. Classroom teachers will share specific testing schedules once they've been finalized.

Illinois Science Assessment (ISA): Students in 5th & 8th grades take this assessment, beginning on Monday, April 14. This assessment is spread out in testing sessions across three days.

Here is what you can do to help support good testing experiences:

• Make sure your child gets a good night's sleep and eats a healthy breakfast each day.
• Schedule appointments outside of the testing windows. This promotes a positive testing environment and reduces the number of make-up tests, which keeps learning flowing!

It's almost time for some of our Forest Hills Falcons to show off their talents in this year's Variety Show! The show takes place on Wednesday, March 5, at 2:15pm.

The intended audience is the student body and the gym is not large enough to accommodate outside guests--parents, grandparents or other loved ones. (It is already tight in there with all of the students and staff!) The only guests who are able to be present for the performance are the two (2) designated adults who are assisting with group act(s) and one (1) adult for solo acts and whose names have been shared with us in advance.

The show will be RECORDED for everyone to see and share with others who would like to watch. The link will be sent in a standalone email at the conclusion of the performance so that everyone is able to enjoy the talents of our Forest Hills Falcons!

WSFEE's Golf & Pickleball Event is set for Friday May 16th! We are excited to have the opportunity to host this event on a Friday this year, and are now looking for Sponsors! Know that every donation counts. As a sponsor, you will receive publicity and goodwill with your business’s name in front of an eager audience of 1,200 Western Springs families and

potential new clients. Want to be part of the fun? Please reach out via contactus@wsfee.org or finance@wsfee.org for more information about sponsorship opportunities. And Follow WSFEE on Instagram (@wsfee_d101) to hear about sponsorship and donation opportunities, and additional events.

Are you eager to learn more about Parenting in the Digital Age? If so, please click HERE!

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!

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 calendar HERE (subscribable Google Calendars) attached below.

2025-26 calendar HERE

Please click HERE to access the D101 Virtual Backpack.

REGISTER: OTSC Circle of Friendship Party

Who: All D101 and Off the Street Club students, Grades K-5

Where: The Corral - LTHS South Campus, 4940 Willow Springs Road

When: Saturday, March 8th, 12:30 - 3:00 PM

Why: The 29th Annual Circle of Friendship Party is an afternoon of brotherhood between D101 and OTSC kids. WS students will pair up with a buddy from OTSC to form a new friendship while enjoying games, DJ Maximus, pizza, cotton candy and more! Click HERE to learn about how this tradition started and why Off the Street Club is such a deserving organization.

REGISTER HERE! Once you click purchase, make sure to enter your child(ren)’s information!

We are also in need of volunteers to make this event run smoothly - please register using the links below:

Adult Volunteer Register HERE

High School Volunteers Register HERE

Junior High Volunteers Register HERE

Last but not least, we are collecting donations for Off the Street Club's Camp Closet. OTSC has a summer camp located in Wheaton, IL, and most kids do not have the means to arrive at camp with the essentials (think sheets, swimsuits, sunscreen, etc.). Therefore, the club hosts a “Camp Closet” where the kids can go shop for items needed for camp. Learn more about their summer camp HERE.

CLICK HERE for the OTSC Camp Closet Amazon Wish list. Please note we also accept gently used items, which can be dropped off in the donation bin on the porch of 3910 Lawn Avenue.

Please contact Laura Peck with any questions regarding OTSC: pecklaurac@gmail.com

I'd like to extend a HUGE THANK YOU to our All Abilities Fair planing committee--Gina Fitzpatrick, Virginia Bove, and Colleen Condon, along with all of the wonderful parent volunteers, who made this wonderful event possible. I hope you heard all about it from your children and we've had so many meaningful follow-up conversations about empathy and belonging surrounding the event.

The next Family Update will go out on Friday, March 7.

Rachel

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