Falcon Flash

Dear Falcon Friends and Families and NEW KINDER FAMILIES:

We are pleased to welcome new Falcons to the nest. Our future kindergarten students and families will now be receiving our weekly newsletter! We hope to ease the transition of beginning at a new school by extending a warm welcome to you and your children. As part of our initial welcome, your email address has been added to our Forest Hills Falcon Flash mailing list so you will not only receive our weekly email but also any special announcements. Please read upcoming communications to become familiar with our school, and once again WELCOME!

As we continue to look ahead to the upcoming school year, I’d like to announce a few staff changes for 2023/24. Mary Neerhout has decided to retire this year, and Kristen Olson is resigning from her position to spend more time with family. Both Mary and Kristen have been part of the Falcon Family for many years and will be missed as they move on to new adventures. Michelle Gabriel will be moving from 5th to 2nd grade, and Leah Wright will be moving from 2nd to 4th. Allison Newton will share our literacy specialist position with Hope Mwaniki, and Tammy Huske is shifting up to 2nd from 1st grade. We are in the process of hiring a new 5th grade teacher to complete our staff and may have the opportunity to hire a new 4th grade teacher.

Thank you and have a wonderful weekend! It looks like it’s going to be a hot one.

Jim Mangan, Principal

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A special THANK YOU goes out to our incredible PTO for demonstrating their appreciation of our wonderful teachers this past week. The generosity our community provides throughout the year is OUT OF THIS WORLD! Thanks also for bringing back and producing the Forest Hills Talent Show. 3rd through 5th showed off a variety of talents during this eventing performance on the fourth of May.

LIVE FALCONS AT FOREST HILLS!

No not the human Falcons, but the avian kind. Today our PTO sponsored a live Birds of Prey assembly featuring different types of falcons and owls. They performed at three different assemblies so that all students could get up close and personal with each bird and ask many questions of their trainers. Thanks again PTO!

5/13: Round Up @ Barn Kestral 6pm

5/17: 5th Grade Musical - “Pirates”

• 1:15-1:45 Red Cast Assembly (Kinder and 4th Grade)
• 2:00-2:30 Blue Cast Assembly (1st, 2nd, 3rd Grade)
• 6:00 PM Red Cast Performance
• 7:00 PM Blue Cast Performance

5/24: BOOK SWAP 3rd, 4th, 5th in the afternoon

5/25: BOOK SWAP 2nd, 2st and Kinder in the morning

5/26: Parent Input Forms are DUE

6/6: FIELD DAY K & 1st Time TBD AM 2nd & 3rd: Time TBD PM

6/7: FIELD DAY 4th & 5th TBD PM

6/9: 5th Grade Promotion and End of Year Party 8:30 am

6/9: Kinder Promotion and End of Year Party afternoon -- 1:30 - 2:40pm

EVERY THURSDAY IS EARLY RELEASE-- 2:00pm

link to full Calendar

Get ready to dust off your boots - the ROUND UP is TOMORROW! The committee has planned a fantastic evening to celebrate our community - featuring delicious food, drinks, games, dancing, a mechanical bull and popular auction items like reserved parking spots, "Principal for a Day", Police Ride-Along and a Labradoodle puppy. Plus, don't miss out on the chance to bid on unique grade level art projects that will be treasured for years to come. These and many other exclusive packages and party boards are only available to bid on at the party.

20 Volunteers are needed for set up and clean up: Sign-up HERE

Tickets are still available here.

Parents are welcome to provide input regarding their child’s learning environment. Input on this form will be given to a Placement Team of grade level teachers who understand the strengths and needs of students they are placing. They will work collaboratively to place students in well balanced classrooms. Here is the document.

The Parent Input Form is due Friday, May 26th.

Please print a copy and bring or email to the office: merinon@loswego.k12.or.us.

Order next year's school supplies through the PTO's partnership with 1st Day School Supplies - no store-hopping necessary! Get exactly the supplies your child needs for their entering grade by placing your order here, and the supplies will be delivered to their classroom in time for the 1st day of school.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: please click HERE

to volunteer!

Please donate your child’s gently used books to our book swap. For each book donated, a book buck will be issued. Students may then use their book bucks to “shop” for books new to them.

No coloring or activity books, please.

Drop off books: at the start of the school day:

May 19th, 22nd and 23rd, 8:00am to 8:30am

Book Swap 3rd, 4th, 5th grade: pm. Wed. May 24th.

Book Swap 2nd, 1st and Kinder: am. Thurs. May 25th.

Thank you for your donations and volunteer help!

Any bucks not spent, will go into a raffle for book prizes.

Any books left over after the swap will be donated to classrooms or local reading programs or the Children’s Book Bank.

The Oregon Department of Education and Oregon Health Authority has updated requirements for school districts' communicable disease management planning for the 2023-24 school year. Included are the following changes to our COVID-19 response:

Effective May 11:

• Several sources of COVID-19 data ended. We will archive our dashboard and CDC Community Level metrics shared in our newsletter, website, and school signage.

• A five-day period of isolation for those infected with COVID-19 is no longer recommended for the general population, including people in K-12 education settings. Our schools will continue to follow the recommendation for students and staff to stay home until fever free for 24 hours and symptoms improve.

Effective June 17:

• The COVID-19 vaccination requirement for public and private school teachers, staff, and school volunteers (OAR 333-019-1030) will be lifted. That means that after June 16, teachers, school staff, and school volunteers will no longer have to provide proof of vaccination or have a valid medical or religious exception on file to be in direct or indirect contact with students.

Time to verify your information in our system! Are you wondering if your information is complete? Eighty-six students have emergency contacts listed without phone numbers. It would be hard to reach them. Please check and verify your student's information.

Log into ParentVUE and review/update your students' information through the Register/Verify tab. If you have forgotten your ParentVUE password, go to the login page, click "I am a Parent," then click "Forgot Password." If you are unsure whether you have a ParentVUE account, contact your student's school. For assistance with the verification process, refer to the user guide on the LOSD website or contact your student's school.

Dear Forest Hills Families, May 2023

The month of May is recognized as MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS month. During the month, we will also be investing our time and attention on the character trait of CREATIVITY as well as exploring MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS in our Social Emotional Learning (SEL) lessons, classrooms, and throughout our school community. Practicing CREATIVITY can help us develop tools that allow us to use our imagination to get started which can feed positive mental health!

One way to think about CREATIVITY is “using your imagination to create something new or solve a problem.” CREATIVITY is one of three traits we have focused on throughout the year that helps students Be Well. Throughout the school, students have been developing skills like emotion regulation, self-advocacy, and friendship skills.

Through my School Counseling Lessons this month, students will learn about creative ways to be proactive in supporting mental wellness as well as supporting conversations around what mental wellness looks like for individuals. We will also be reviewing ALL of our Character Strong traits and play a fun game of Jeopardy to showcase what we have learned. I couldn’t be more proud of our falcons and their journey thus far in character development. I truly believe that if we can instill strong character in our students, everything else will fall into place.

Our monthly letters include activities to explore CREATIVITY further as a family.

Enjoy connecting together with the PurposeFull Pursuits inside the PreK - Grade 5

Creativity Family Letters

Thank you for partnering with us to engage our students in social-emotional learning and growth.

Sincerely,

Hayley Drimmel

School Counselor

We will meet on Wednesdays during lunch recess in the 3 Bees Garden. Please let your kiddos know we are back in action!

This season we have seeds to start and baby plants to tend. We are looking forward to getting our hands dirty!

AND, if you would like to join us, parent volunteers are very welcome! Please remember to check in with the front office to get a name tag before you come around to the garden on Sunningdale.

What students need to be prepared for state testing:

• Be well rested (good night sleep)
• Eat a healthy breakfast
• Bring a book to read when they are finished
• Encouragement (think growth-mindset!)

A reminder - students do not need a smartphone or smartwatch at school. We have a landline phone in the office where we encourage students to memorize an important phone number to practice dialing. Additionally, each Forest Hills student has been issued an iPad or a Chromebook. Please be sure that they bring CHARGED chromebooks for testing.

If a student has a smartphone or watch during testing it will invalidate their test (smart phones and watches are an impropriety, per state assessment regulations).

April 17 is the beginning of the Statewide tests for English Language Arts (ELA) and Math for all students in grades 3-5. Here is the schedule for the next few weeks:

The Forest Hills school directory is found on DirectorySpot. Access your account in 3 easy steps:

1. Download the DirectorySpot app to your smartphone:

iPhone - http://goo.gl/5U2Tzq or Android - http://goo.gl/iBK9lY

2. Launch DirectorySpot, enter your email address as your Username, and click on "Reset Password."

3. Click on the link in your email to set your password, relaunch the DirectorySpot app, and login with your username and password.

Once your account is set up, be sure to bookmark the URL for easy web access:

https://www.directoryspot.net/schools/foresthillselementaryportland/

Asthma/Allergy Medications at School

It is critical to the health and safety of your student to bring ALL doctor recommended medications to school. Over the summer, speak with your doctor to get the proper supplies for school and then go to the LOSD web page to find the proper forms to be completed with the medications. If your student is in Elementary or Secondary and will store their meds at school, watch for a medication drop off time for your particular school. If they are in secondary and keeping their medication in their possession, please submit the proper paperwork so we are aware of where to find their medication in case of an emergency.

Individualized Health Plan? - Watch for an Email

If your child has a LOSD Individualized Health Plan (IHP) developed in consultation with your District Nurse, please watch for an email! Your response is needed to confirm or update your student's plan. We appreciate your prompt response.

Immunizations

Please review the OHA requirements and information on required immunizations for students. Please make arrangements to complete immunizations and update Synergy over the summer to avoid exclusion in 2024.

If you would like to speak to your school’s district nurse, click the link below for contact information.

Contact your District Nurse

For the safety of children, volunteers are required to have an approved background check when volunteering in schools.

To help streamline compliance with state and school board policies, which require that all volunteers have background checks and knowledge of other board policies -- as well as state-mandated proof of vaccination (or a qualified exemption) -- we are introducing a new all-in-one volunteer application and approval process through ou Raptor Visitor Management System.

Submitting an online application initiates the background check process. Once submitted, applicants will receive an email upon approval of your background check and you will be given access through the onsite Raptor System at all schools. Please allow up to three weeks to process your approval.

Volunteers need to submit only one application for volunteering in all LOSD schools. Applications need to be submitted annually to capture changes in background checks, policies, and/or vaccination requirements.

Volunteer Application for LOSD

Thank you for applying promptly, and for your service to our students and schools. We are grateful for our volunteers.

Parents-guardians who have concerns about a student’s well-being are encouraged to reach out to their principal and maintain strong lines of communication and partnership between students, families, staff, and other resources. SafeOregon is also an effective way to report a tip regarding safety threats or potential acts of violence to our students or schools. Students should also be aware that intentionally providing a false report is a serious offense. https://www.safeoregon.com/

In addition, below are reporting methods for parents-guardians or students to use to report issues related to racist, bias, or harassment incidents.

· Incident Report for Elementary School

· Incident Report for Middle Schools

· Incident Report for High Schools

A Note From Mrs. Hedgepeth...

As summer is approaching I wanted to share some local organizations that offer summer camps in the fine arts!

Oregon Repertory Singers Youth Choir is a local youth choir program that offers both school year choir and fun summer camps for elementary students.

ORS Summer Sing Information!

Spotlight Musical Theater Academy offers classes during the school year along with camps in the summer! If your child loves singing, dancing, and acting this might be a fun opportunity for them!

Spotlight Musical Theater Summer Camps

Youth Music Project offers lessons and different music classes throughout the year along with summer camps! If your child is interested in being in a rock band or learning how to play mariachi music this could be the camp for them!

Youth Music Project Camps

Vibe of Portland offers art and music classes throughout the year along with summer camps!

Vibe of Portland Summer Camps

***Disclaimer: Even though I am familiar with most of these organizations and know people working within them, I am not affiliated with any of them.

Click here to see the updated LOSD Elementary School Student and Family Handbook.

Please contact the office and your teacher any time your student will miss or be late for school. Include: Nicole Merino, merinon@loswego.k12.or.us and Susan Locey, loceys@loswego.k12.or.us. Thank you!

Ms. Susan is our new Attendance Secretary!

Stay connected to the district and your school(s) and receive urgent notifications by subscribing to the Lake Oswego Schools App.

Stay in touch with the PTO on social media!

Instagram #foresthills.pto

https://www.instagram.com/foresthills.pto/

Facebook Forest Hills Elementary PTO

https://www.facebook.com/LOSDForestHillsPTO

All members of our community are committed to providing a safe and inclusive learning environment that cultivates empathy, creates challenging opportunities, and fosters lifelong learning.

Email: merinon@loswego.k12.or.us
Website: https://or01813384.schoolwires.net/Page/9
Location: 1133 Andrews Road, Lake Oswego, OR, USA
Phone: 5035342350