Forest Park Flyer
Forest Park, a place to dream, believe and achieve!
June 2021
The character trait for the month of June is Cooperation.
From the Principal...
Dear Forest Park Families
I want to begin by thanking you for your endless support (and flexibility) throughout the school year. Without your continued patience, open communication and understanding as the rules changed (sometimes without much warning!), we could not have achieved our goal to provide an in person learning experience for our students this year. Although we did have a few occasions on which we had to quarantine classes here and there, our total number of quarantines was low because of the sacrifices you made. Thank you for your collective commitment to keep our students and staff safe and healthy. I am so grateful to be a part of such a caring school community.
While I know a great many things looked different this school year, I am so impressed by the creative thinking our staff and students engaged in to ensure we could make the most of our time together. Ms. Traynor and her brother-in-law donated tree stumps so classes could go outside and learn in the fresh air. Stump school was a welcome addition to our program and was widely used by staff and students throughout the building. Mrs. Healy and her husband came and painted twelve foot squares and circles outside of the kindergarten wing so our students could take some brain breaks out in the fresh air to keep their minds and bodies engaged. This outside learning venue quickly became popular among all of the levels and was also put to good use this year. Coach Martin and Coach Meacham developed a sleigh riding unit and some of our friends got to enjoy playing in the snow for the very first time!!! Our COVID rainbows were many and made what could have been a strange and difficult year a huge success for all!! Although safety was always at the forefront of our minds, our lens on what would be most engaging for the students guided every decision and helped to ensure the year would be full of rainbows (even with our social distancing and mask wearing).
At this time, we have no idea what the fall will hold, but we know our school community will be ready to face whatever lies ahead. We will continue to communicate with our families as we learn more about what school will look like for our kids in September of 2021. Together we will work to ensure the children at Forest Park Elementary School receive a rich educational experience where safety and student engagement are always at the forefront of our planning. Thank you again for your continued support!! Have a wonderful summer together as a family. We can't wait to see you back at school in September!!
Mrs. Penn
Covid Protocol Update!!
Grade Four Events
Mr. Marohn and his team are continuing to work to finalize their plans for the transition activities that will be available for our 4th graders and their parents this summer. More information about when students and families can go to Sand Creek this summer to tour the building and try out locker combinations will be sent home this summer.
On behalf of the Forest Park staff and myself, I would like to thank you for being a part of our school community. We will miss having you here with us at the building, but we know you are ready to spread your wings and experience all of the exciting opportunities middle school has to offer. Good luck in 5th grade!!
Library News from Mrs. Kuno
đ End of School Year Borrowing
The week of June 1st, students will only be able to borrow one item at a time with book exchange ending on Tuesday, June 8th. All library materials will need to be returned by Monday, June 14th.
đ´ Summer Library
Looking for a good book to read this summer? Stop by the Forest Park Library. The library will be open on Tuesdays with more specific times and dates to follow. Families may visit the library with their children and borrow books and magazines throughout the summer. I look forward to seeing you this summer!
đŹ Check out other opportunities to read this summer with the Colonie Town Library by visiting their Youth Programs website at the link below. Student can sign up for the Summer Reading Program to earn prizes like free ice cream and books.
Colonie Town Library
Forest Park Summer Library
Kids' Corner - Mrs. Hurley's Class
Dear Forest Park Families,
Guess whatâŚwe had larva delivered to our classroom this month. Do you know what a larva is? It is a caterpillar! We put them into our own numbered plastic cups and observed our caterpillars eating, and eating, and eating. When they first arrived, they were very small. Then, they grew to be about one inch! We couldnât believe how much they grew! Right now they are in a chrysalis. This stage of the butterfly life cycle is called the pupa stage. We have been learning so much about butterflies, and we even created a Venn diagram to compare butterflies and moths. Hopefully, by the time you are reading this newsletter, our butterflies will have emerged! Weâve been enjoying having these insects in our classroom.
From,
Mrs. Hurleyâs Class
P.S. Check out some drawings of our observations!
Music
Making music during the pandemic has been an interesting challenge! We played a lot of music this year by making our own instruments and trying new ideas and resources, but one thing we havenât been able to do is sing. That restriction was lifted just a few short weeks ago, so I thought it would be great to have an end of the year concert!
Of course, we still canât have an audience, we still need to wear masks and keep a proper distance, and we havenât sung in over a year, but that didnât stop us! Every class picked a famous pop song to work on, and we made simple videos of some pretty great stuff. Weâve made our way through all of rock history; from our kindergartners performing the earliest songs to our fourth graders singing the most recent tunes.
Weâd love to share it with you:
https://padlet.com/ryanjmusic/k4iwbl86joqcur13
Have a wonderful June and a fantastic summer! Mr. Ryan
COVID Updates for June of 2021
We have been making some changes to our protocol where possible to begin the process of returning to our regular routines. For example, we have begun to allow students at grades 3 and 4 to mix with classmates from other classes when outside for recess. The groups are now able to share the space and reconnect with peers they may not have interacted with at all this year. Prior to allowing the classes to mix, we have reviewed the safety guidelines to ensure students understand how to play safely together. Additionally, we only allow the groups to mix for the duration of our recess time, fifteen minutes, so that if a COVID exposure were to occur, it would not be necessary for staff or students to quarantine as per the CDC guidelines.
Full social distancing is also still in effect on our buses, in the classrooms and while students eat in the cafeteria. This spring, students in grades K-2 have begun eating lunch in the cafeteria. They are six feet apart and are not allowed to talk while their masks are off. The students have done an amazing job and have been thrilled to be in the cafeteria for lunch. We have also transitioned students in grades 3 and 4 into the art room for art class. We also plan to transition our students in grades K-2 back to the art classroom this June. With each change that is made, we are one step closer to "normal"!!
If additional changes are made to the COVID protocols during the school year, we will communicate with our families through Class Dojo. As we approach the warmer weather, we will continue to encourage frequent mask breaks and will seek opportunities to get the students outside as often as possible.
Leadership Awards
September 2021
The lists outlining the supplies your child will need for next year will be sent home in June with your child's report card. Also included in the supply list is the color for your child's grade level for next year. On school spirit days, students are encouraged to wear their grade level color or Forest Park gear. We will work with the PTA to provide families with an opportunity to order a Forest Park t-shirt in their grade level color at the end of August. The ordering information will be mailed home with the placement letters informing you of your child's teacher for next year.
Bussing information for next year will also be compiled shortly. Please be sure to complete your transportation request using the link below. If your child will be riding the bus to/from a location other than your home, please be sure to complete the transportation request form. If you do not complete the form, your child's bussing will be determined based on the home address that is in our system. Transportation information is posted on Aspen in late August. It will not be mailed home. Please be aware that it does take time to make changes after the runs are developed, so be sure to complete your transportation request as soon as possible. Thank you!!
PTA News and Notes
Thank you to everyone who has joined the PTA for the 2020-2021 school year! We appreciate your support and look forward to "seeing" everyone virtually at the next and last PTA meeting of the school year! For our last meeting, we will be raffling off a Regal Cinemas gift card. All you have to do to be eligible is sign in and attend the meeting. We hope to see you there!
If you havenât had a chance to sign (back) up yet, no worries, itâs not too late! Go to our Memberhub store: https://forestparkelementaryschoolpta.memberhub.store/ and youâll be able to add everyone in who wants to become a member of the PTA and pay the dues directly. Thank you in advance for your support of the school, teachers, staff and children!
For other ways to support the PTA throughout the year, below is a list of programs in which we participate:
Box Tops for Education (www.boxtops4education.com): Download the app and scan your receipt! Any products that have BoxTops will be credited to the school- no more clipping and saving.
School Bucks (shopatcoloniecenter.com/school-bucks): Submit your receipt(s) and fill out the form at the Security desk (downstairs between Moeâs and Five Guys) for Forest Park. For every dollar spent, the school gets a point and the top ten schools get prizes at the end of the year!
We look forward to seeing you on Tuesday. The finalized agenda and link to join will be posted on our Facebook page and will be sent out to all registered members from MemberHub.
MEETING AGENDA
Welcome!
Principal Report (Jill Penn)
Vote on remaining Vice-President position
Introduce PTA board for the 2021-2022 school year
Treasurerâs Report (Lyndsay Jackson)
Review bank statements and get signature
Approve minutes from the May meeting
Join the PTA
Questions? Closing
2020-2021 PTA Board
President Lee Spinelli: spinelli.lee@icloud.com
Vice President Angela Futia: angelinaz1104@aol.com
Vice President Kristina Lampariello: serendipitousbyk@yahoo.com
Vice President Teresa Pizzigati: clilly720@yahoo.com
Treasurer Lindsay Jackson: ljacks1978@gmail.com
Secretary Elisa Arteche: elisa.arteche@gmail.com
Secretary Michelle Chiappone: michellechiappone@gmail.com
About us...
Email: fpattendance@scolonie.org
Website: http://www.southcolonieschools.org/forest-park-elementary-school/
Location: 100 Forest Drive, Albany, NY, USA
Phone: (518) 869-3006
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ForestParkElementarySchool