January 11th, 2019 Good morning Forest Park Families! As we approach the mid-year point of the 2018-19 academic school year, I wanted to take a moment and share some updates with you as well as provide families with some friendly reminders. ● Please ensure students come to school dressed for the cold weather. Our policy is have outdoor recess if the temperature (including the windchill) is 20 degrees or above. Winter jackets, hats and gloves or mittens are a must for students to be protected as they enjoy some exercise playing outside with their friends. Also, just a friendly reminder that once the snow arrives, only students with hats, gloves or mittens, snow pants, winter jackets and boots will be allowed to play in the snow. ● Since our return from Winter Break, we have been noticing an increase in illness, with at least 1 confirmed case of Influenza type A. Please remind your child to drink plenty of fluids, wash their hands when they leave the restroom and to cover their mouths when they cough so that we can decrease the spreading of germs. Thank you for helping our students stay happy and healthy as they continue to learn and grow! ● If you will be picking-up your child early, please be reminded that the school needs to have all requests for early dismissal in writing and that we will release students to only those adults who are authorized for pick-up in your child’s Aspen account. The office can not accept phone calls for early dismissals for security purposes. ● Yearbook flyers are being sent home today. If you would like to order a yearbook, please return the completed form with payment (with checks made out to Forest Park PTO) to your child’s teacher. The yearbook is always a great way to celebrate the past year’s accomplishments and capture treasured memories. ● Our next PTO meeting will take place on Monday, January 14th at 6:30pm. I will also be sending home a link via email on Monday for this year's Rhode Island Department of Education SurveyWorks School Climate and Culture Survey for Parents. We encourage all parents to participate in the survey so that we can gauge how well the school is doing, especially in our efforts to involve parents in their child’s education. We had a great (and busy) week this week with the 4th and 5th Grade Roller Skating after-school event, the District Spelling Bee, the Winter Chorus Concert and the 2nd Grade Poetry Night. We look forward to seeing you all at the Winter Wonderland Dance on Friday, January 25th. Thank you for your continued support! Dr. Scheller