Weekly Update 8/14/23-8/18/23
August 11, 2023
Dear Forest Hills Families,
Back-to-School Hub
School Supplies--UPDATE
If you did not order a kit, HERE is a link to the supply lists. Anyone who did not order kits and has supplies to bring in may have their child bring them on the first day of school or drop them at the main office on August 21 & 22. Please do not plan to bring them down to classrooms as staff will be busy preparing for students arrival on Wednesday.
REMINDERS...
School Hours
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.
Arrival/Dismissal
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!).
Lunch
11:40-12:00
Grades 1 & 2 eat in the gym
Grades 3, 4, 5 outside for recess
12:05-12:25
Grades 1 & 2 outside for recess
Grades 3, 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.
Lunch Supervisors--UPDATE!
We're so grateful to those parents who volunteer their time (or opt to officially join the FH Lunch Staff!) to help ensure we can provide a safe and comfortable lunch experience for everyone. We are still very much in need of lunch supervision on THURSDAYS AND FRIDAYS.
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.
For anyone who will be volunteering or working lunch this year, I'd love it if you could attend a little "training/orientation" session on Thursday, August 17 at 11:30am. At this time, we'll overview procedures, some basic student behavioral support strategies, and answer any questions anyone may have.
Safety Reminders
For all returning families, you likely recall that we implemented some new safety/security procedures at the start of last school year, which remain in place this year as well. New and veteran families, please read the following information carefully and we appreciate your partnership in maintaining a safe school environment for everyone.
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 will 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.
Bus
We are still working with First Student to finalize bus routes and times for this school year. I'll share that information as soon as it is available. If your child will be new to utilizing the bus this year, please reach out to Erin McLaughlin at emclaughlin@d101.org to ensure we can add your child to the list.
Medication Drop Off
If your child will need any medication administered at school, please feel free to drop it off anytime during school hours on Monday, August 21, Tuesday, August 22 or during school hours, beginning Wednesday, August 23. We do need a doctor’s order to administer medication at school. A link to the form can be found HERE.
Right At School
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/.
2023-24 School Calendar
Save The Dates!
Monday, August 21: New Family Information Night (6:30-7:15pm)
Wednesday, August 23: First Day of School (FULL DAY!)Friday, August 25: PTA Welcome Back Social (5:00-6:30pm)
Thursday, August 31: Curriculum Night (6:00-7:30pm)
Monday, September 4: NO SCHOOL--LABOR DAY
Wednesday, September 13: School Pictures
Enjoy this last full week of summer! Once again, all of us at Forest Hills are looking forward to another amazing year.
Sincerely,
Rachel
Rachel Corrough
Email: rcorrough@d101.org
Website: www.d101.org
Location: 5020 Central Avenue, Western Springs, IL, USA
Phone: (708)485-5184
Twitter: @corrough