Weekly Update 8/28/23-9/1/23
Upcoming Dates
Tuesday, August 29: 4th Grade Band & Orchestra Parent Info Meetings at McClure (9:00am or 6:30pm)
Thursday, August 31: Curriculum Night (6:00-7:30pm)
Monday, September 4: NO SCHOOL--LABOR DAY
Tuesday, September 5: Take Cover/Tornado Drill (10:00am)
Tuesday, September 5: 4th/5th Grade Orchestra Sectional Lessons Begin
Friday, September 8: Fire Drill (1:00pm)
Week of September 11: Fall MAP Window Opens (grades 2-5)
Monday, September 11: PTA Meeting (7:00pm)
Wednesday, September 13: School Pictures
Curriculum Night
Please note the structure has changed a bit. There is no whole group session to kick things off, rather, parents of students in grades K, 1, 2 can just go directly to the classroom session, or Mrs. Hanner's advanced math session at 6:00pm. Parents of students in grades 3, 4, 5 are welcome to come to the gym to chat with the specials teachers and specialists during the first block or arrive by 6:45 for the second session of presentations. Parents of students in grades K-2 are then welcome to stop in the gym to do the same, or leave after their session. Hopefully, the gym will serve as a nice gathering space to reduce conversation and noise in the hallway while presentations are taking place.
Enrichment Services in D101
Academics & Community Building: Go Slow to Go Fast
Here at Forest Hills and across District 101, we are deeply committed to creating healthy, effective, thriving classroom communities as the number one priority to start the year. Classroom teachers and specialists work hard to front-load specific, explicit learning about what success looks like, sounds like, and feels like in the classroom, so that our students know what is expected of them and how to thrive within their classroom. We focus on social skills, the value of relationships, and the importance of respectful, responsible, and safe behaviors; our goal is to map out the expectations, purpose, and value of the communities we create. More than anything, we want our students to start the year feeling safe, comfortable, connected, and confident that they can thrive.
With this priority in mind, we intentionally go SLOW with our focus on academics in these first weeks of school, such that we can create successful environments and experiences for our students, and then go FAST as we get into the realm of academic rigor. Your child might report feeling like they are spending quite a bit of time on procedures and routines, team-building and getting-to-know-you activities, games and structured play activities; that is spot-on, and exactly our goal. You (and your child!) can expect that the pace with academic learning goals will ramp up as we move towards the end of September and into October; at that point, they will be ready for all that we bring to them, and will be ready to excel!
You will hear quite a lot more about the curriculum, pacing, and classroom expectations in our Curriculum Night presentations on Thurs., 8/31; we look forward to sharing more with you then!
Respect, Responsibility & Safety
As we begin a new school year, it is important to establish and reinforce expectations for demonstrating Respectful, Responsible and Safe behavior at school. Here are some salient points for parents to know:
Respect, Responsibility and Safety are the core tenets of our expectations for school.
Classroom teachers and students have or will co-construct norms/expectations regarding behavior within the classroom.
Earlier today, all students in grades 1-5 participated in our "School-wide Expectations Traveling Assembly". During this event, they rotated through stations where staff overviewed the specific expected behaviors in common locations (hallways, washrooms, recess, arrival/dismissal) with students. They modeled these behaviors and when possible, had students practice these expected behaviors. Posters of these expectations can be found displayed around Forest Hills, and are attached as a PDF below.
During this first trimester, we will be on the watch for students who consistently demonstrate these behaviors, and they will be invited to assist with the second trimester review of these expectations.
When students have a misstep and don't follow our school-wide norms, progressive consequences will be in place. These practices will consist of: reminders, reteaching skills, conversations with staff, reflection sheets, loss of privileges, reflection sheets, communication home to families, and perhaps a chat with Mrs. Corrough.
Classroom teachers and students set goals around demonstrating expected behaviors and celebrate accordingly as those goals are met. You'll hear more from classroom teachers when these celebrations occur and perhaps we'll even have some school-wide celebrations for working together when we're being especially Respectful, Responsible and Safe! :)
Brighten Someone's Day!
4th & 5th Graders: Band & Orchestra Information
Social Work Intern
Draw & Paint For Life
REMINDERS...
Back-to-School Hub
Smart Watches/Gizmos
We know that many of our students come to school with gadgets, including phones and Smart Watches. While these are helpful tools for communication outside of school, within the school day we expect our students to remain focused on learning. Smart Watches are allowed at school, but can only be used in their non-interactive capacity as a simple clock.
To ensure that our learning environment is Respectful, Responsible, and Safe for all students, we do not allow Smart Watch use in the building or on the grounds between 8:30am line-up and 3:30pm dismissal (except for use as a clock/timer); this mirrors our expectations for cell phone use.
We know that many students use their Smart Watches to communicate a need home to their parents/guardians; instead, we emphasize with our students the need to communicate via the trusted adults on site to help them navigate situations with peers, health issues, or other concerns. We also note that when devices are used in school, it is often a parent who is the one calling or texting their child; please don’t be that person. Should you need to reach your child, please contact the teacher or the main office to help us emphasize the value of connecting with our trusted adults.
If a student is observed using their Smart Watch at school other than as a simple watch, we will take the following progressive steps:
For a first instance, the staff member will remind the student that devices are not to be used at school.
For a second instance, the staff member will ask the student to put the device in their backpack/locker.
For a third instance, the staff member will take the device to the office for the duration of the day; parents will be contacted for device pick-up and to problem-solve as partners to eliminate usage at school.
If this pattern is repeated, students, parents, and the principal will work together to problem-solve around the situation.
Thank you for helping keep our focus on learning!
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!).
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.
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
A HUGE thank you to the wonderful PTA for providing a delicious Citrus lunch for staff during Tuesday's Institute. It was much appreciated as we were working hard to prepare for this year!
I hope everyone has an amazing time at tonight's PTA Welcome Back Social! It's always a fun event and a great way to kick-off the year.
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