FR News 3/8/24

Message from Mrs. Stamer & Mr. Ontiveros

As we wrap up the first full week of March, there’s often a sense of anticipation for warmer weather and more outdoor activities in the spring months ahead. This weekend, with a time change and more hours of daylight, quality sleep can potentially be a challenge for some of our students.

A strategy we’re currently using in my home is to adjust the sleep time in increments. This article from Care.com highlights that approach along with some additional tips you might find useful.

With IAR testing kicking-off, we hope our students are getting quality sleep habits to help them make the most out of the opportunity to “show what they know”.

Enjoy the weekend Roadrunner families!

A week full of fun at Forest Road

Women’s History Month

Women’s History Month is a celebration of women’s contributions to history, aspects of culture, and society. It has been observed annually in the month of March in the United States since 1987 although it is now celebrated globally. It is particularly important for girls as it shows them what is possible regardless of gender. Women’s History Month began as a local celebration in Santa Rosa, California. The Education Task Force of the Sonoma County (California) Commission on the Status of Women planned and executed a “Women’s History Week” celebration in 1978. The organizers selected the week of March 8 to correspond with International Women’s Day.

Our 2nd graders learned about Alma Thomas and created our beautiful main hallway bulletin board to help us celebrate Women’s History Month. Alma Thomas was a teacher and artist who developed a powerful form of abstract painting late in life. From the mid-1960s, she produced brilliantly colored and richly patterned works intimately connected to the natural world.

St. Baldrick’s

Last night we had our 2nd annual St. Baldrick’s Fundraiser at Forest Road. Forest Road has been a St. baldrick’s team for 15 years, but last year the event location was brought to Forest Road. This year was a huge success! Next week we will share the totals raised.

There are so many thank you’s to go out, but I want to send a special thank you to Josh Thomas and Kristin Bridges for all their hard work making this event possible and for inspiring so many to help raise money for childhood cancer research.

We also had a fun spirit week leading up to and following our big St. Baldrick’s event. Here are a couple pictures.

IAR Pep Rally

Yesterday afternoon we kicked off IAR testing with our 2nd annual pep rally. We play a competitive game of Jeopardy with two student teams and a teacher team each round. It was a close call, but in the end the students pulled it off and beat the teacher team.

During the pep rally for our 3rd - 6th graders our 1st and 2nd graders decorated the 3rd - 6th grade hallways and classrooms. Our student council has also put up some motivating decorations and has created a fun playlist for us to listen to as we enter school each day of testing.

Parking Lot

Please please please do not drop off or pick up your children in the staff parking lot. The residents surrounding the school have asked that staff not park on the streets and only use the parking lot. All staff will park in the parking lot, but this will cause a bit more traffic there and we want to make sure everyone is safe. Please DO NOT use the parking lot to drop off or pick up. Please use the carline or park on side streets and walk your child to school.

School Hours & Lunch Hours

8:15 a.m. - 3:15 p.m. | Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday

Lunch Hours: 11:20 a.m. - 12:10 p.m. | Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday

8:15 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. | Wednesday

Lunch Hours: 10:55 a.m. - 11:55 a.m. | Wednesday

Upcoming Dates to Remember

March 8 - PTO "Neon Night" TONIGHT Grades 4-6

March 8-20 - IAR Testing (IAR Parent Letter)

March 9 -Cossitt Closing Sale

March 11-April 9 - Ramadan Begins
(We offer a food free place for students that are fasting during lunch. Please email Mrs. Mirandola at mirandolare@dist102.k12.il.us to coordinate.

Mar 25 - Mar 29 - Spring Break NO SCHOOL

Curriculum Corner

WHAT IS IAR TESTING?

The Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) is a statewide, computer-based assessment designed to measure the academic progress of 3rd-8th grade students in reading and math, in alignment with the Illinois Learning Standards. IAR outcomes allow us to gain insight into how our students are growing academically compared to their peers across the state, and they serve as an important component for our Illinois State Report Card.

HOW MANY TESTING SESSIONS ARE REQUIRED?

Students in 3rd-6th grade will participate in three English Language Arts (ELA) testing sessions and three math testing sessions. While the average testing session duration is roughly an hour and a half, many students often complete the test well within that time frame, depending on the grade level.

We want to thank you for your partnership in ensuring a positive testing experience for our students. When official results are released in the fall, we will send home your child’s score report. If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out.

Student Climate Survey - Spring 2024

As outlined in the February 2024 D102 Newsletter, the spring administration of the District 102 Student Climate Survey is underway. D102 gathers student perceptions of their school climate in the following ways:

K-2nd grade students orally provide their input during a classroom meeting conversation with their teacher.
3rd-8th grade students individually complete an online survey in Google Forms.

The purpose of these surveys is to gather students’ perceptions of their school environment. Results of the 3rd-8th grade survey are confidential and will not be used to identify individual students. Rather, the data will be used to gather an overarching sense of students’ perceptions. Each building’s leadership team will use the survey results to inform school-wide planning while grade level teachers will use the data to help plan proactive classroom-based morning circles.

Themes identified during the K-2nd grade classroom conversations will be collected by the teacher and used to plan proactive classroom-based morning circles. Individual student information will not be collected during these classroom conversations.

For more information, check back on the February 2024 D102 Newsletter.

Parking Reminders

Please do not park in the Barnsdale School parking lot for drop-off, pick-up, and when dropping off items during the day. Thank you!

Safe School Tip Line

In our continuing effort to ensure a safe and welcoming learning environment, District 102 provides each school with an online Safe School Tip Line found on the District and School websites. The Tip Line can be found on a tab located on the District or School homepage. Reports made to the tip line are reviewed and addressed during official school hours, typically within 24 hours of notification. Information provided in the tip line is kept confidential and handled on a case-by-case basis.

Summer School Information

March Lunch Menu

Arbor Management has changed the way it delivers monthly lunch menus to D102. You will now have the ability to click on a link and view the lunch menu and any changes it may have on a daily basis.

Follow this link and instructions to view the lunch menu:

La Grange Elementary School District 102 | My School Menus

Bus Routes 23-24

Before & After School Care Info.

Forest Road offers two different before and after school programs. Although they run independently from us, they are serviced here in our school. Below is the contact information for BASE and Right At School:

BASE: Leanna Hartung - Manager LeannaHartung@pdlg.org

Right At School: Chelsey Mazariegos - Area Manager chelsey.mazariegos@rightatschool.com

Right at School and BASE drop off security reminder:

Parents when you drop off your child off at Right at School or BASE and for some reason need to walk your child into the building, please then exit the building immediately after dropping off. Please do not take your child to the classroom or go to the classrooms on your own to drop off or pick anything up. I appreciate your attention to this.

PTO Corner!

PTO Website: https://forestroadpto.org

PTO Newsletter: HERE

https://mailchi.mp/b05a237370c4/your-pto-news-letter-is-here-15524589

Questions? Email PTO Co-Presidents:

Arlene Avalos: aavalos86@hotmail.com or Christine Zmuda ckzmuda@gmail.com

Neon Night 2024 is TONIGHT!! - Grades 4 to 6

Multicultural Night

You are invited to join us in celebrating the many cultures that make up the Forest Road School Community!

On Thursday, April 18 from 6:00p-7:30pm we will have a wonderful evening learning about and sharing different cultures. We will also have performances from different organizations and a variety of ethnic foods to sample!

We need as many families as possible who would be willing to set up a display table to represent their country of origin or culture. Come share what makes your ethnicity or culture interesting and unique! Also, feel free to sign up for a country that has already been chosen - it will be lovely to see how families celebrate the same culture differently!

Not sure what to display? Some samples of items that have been displayed in the past: food/candy, recipes, statues, dolls, currency, clothing, music, games, art, postcards, books, jewelry, and pottery. This is your display, you can be as creative as you’d like!

Please go to Multicultural Night to sign-up to host a table and for more information about this exciting event!
Any questions? Email Karine Otten at karineotten@gmail.com. Looking forward to this exciting event!

Yearbook Order Information

Order your 2023-24 Yearbook now!
TreeRing Yearbook Order Info
If needed, the school code for Forest Road is 1014609993964535

Park Patriot 2024 Summer Basketball Camp

Community Corner

Cub Scout Pack 66 - Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser

Pack 66 Hosting Spring Pet Food and Supply Drive

Cub Scouts Pack 66 is also proud to launch their Spring Pet Food and Supply Drive. We are collecting much needed pet food and supplies for Gypsy Cats NFP and Magnificent Mutts Rescue.

Supplies needed include dry and wet food, treats, toys, litter, scratching posts/pads, newspaper, and paper towels. The animals would also appreciate new or pre-loved blankets and towels - something to consider when Spring cleaning!

The collection will be for the month of March, ending March 31st. Porch drop-offs can be made at 505 Beach Avenue in La Grange Park or at All Saints Church in Western Springs (4370 Woodland Ave, in the outdoor bench).

If you have any questions, please reach out to Kelley Eckmayer (keckmayer2395@gmail.com or 847-445-2395).