School News

If you are interested in checking out a library book, please visit our Forest Hill Distance Learning Hub on directions on how to put a book on hold. Books can be picked up on Wednesdays between 3:00-4:00 PM.  We have a drop off box staged by the gate between our office and Knowledge Center. Enjoy reading! 

Thank you for an amazing first week. We thank you so much for your courage, strength, perseverance, and patience as we navigate our “new normal” of virtual learning. We have accomplished so much in starting a new school year remotely and we have you to thank for that as well as our amazing teachers and staff. You all deserve a big applause. In this letter, we wanted to remind you of a few items and answer some general questions that have come up.

Attendance: All of our teachers are taking attendance starting at 8:30 AM. Please make sure your child logs in on time to avoid being marked tardy or absent. If your child will be absent from their synchronous instruction, please report their absence, as you normally would, by calling our office and reporting the absence to Denise Figueira at (408) 341-7132.

Schedules: Many of our teachers have built-in time to meet with students and get to know them.  Please keep in mind that as we continue learning about the varied needs of our students, the schedules might need to be modified slightly, as we adjust to their social-emotional and academic needs. We are also planning on building in more time for some small group instruction into our schedules, as well. 

Future Curriculum Distribution: Teachers will be scheduling and communicating all future curriculum distributions.

Pivoting into Phase 2 of our Reopening Plan: Schools in the Phase Model will pivot into the second phase only after we have been taken off of the “watch list”. We will be notifying you and allowing 2 weeks so that we can all adjust to the change. Until then we will continue with full distance learning.

Communication: Please visit our website at . We will be updating it regularly and posting some important information there. I will be sending a monthly newsletter, as well.

ELAC (English Language Advisory Committee: We need parents of students identified as English Language Learners (ELL) to serve on our ELAC Committee. Please reach out to Ms. Chitwood if you are interested in serving this committee or if you would like to nominate someone. This committee meets 4-5 times a year to discuss the goals and funding for our EL students.

SSC (School Site Council): There was an error in my communication that was sent out on 8/29 that we still needed an EL parent for SSC. Ying Lin was voted in last year and has one more year to serve as an EL parent representative for SSC. 

Help us Nurture our Student’s Social Emotional Learning at Home:  We are very excited to continue to incorporate a strong focus on our students’ social-emotional well being during Distance Learning in conjunction with our academic program. We use a curriculum called Toolbox. This curriculum teaches students tools they can use when they need to dig deep and deal with their feelings. Please use this link to read more about what Toolbox is. 

Back to School Night: We are currently in the planning stages for BTSN. Please keep your eyes open for communication that will be sent out soon. 

Once again, thank you again for your support, understanding, and compassion as we navigate these uncharted waters of Distance Learning. We are very much looking forward to an amazing school year as we continue to learn and improve our program. Please let us know if you have any questions, comments, or concerns.