Classroom teachers provide daily literacy, science, technology, and math lessons. Our teaching staff includes full-time art, music, and physical education specialists.

Something else to know about Forest Home Avenue School: We are proudly bilingual. Forty percent of our students are learning English as their second language. In our bilingual classrooms, teachers follow the one-way Bilingual Language Program for Spanish-speaking students learning English.

• Bilingual English/Spanish: Students learn to comprehend, read, write, and speak English and Spanish proficiently.
• English Language Development: Students develop literacy and proficiency in their native language of Spanish, while receiving support from English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers as they work toward fluency and literacy in their second language.

Whether students are working on reading proficiency in a monolingual classroom (English) or bilingual classroom, all Forest Home students are empowered to think of themselves as global citizens who can change the world.

All Milwaukee Public Schools implement the Ambitious Instruction Plan and Common Core State Standards.

Common Core State Standards

The curriculum in Milwaukee Public Schools is based on Common Core State Standards. These standards were developed with teachers, school administrators, and experts to prepare all children for college and the workforce.

Ambitious Instruction Plan

The Milwaukee Public Schools Ambitious Instruction Plan recognizes and celebrates that our students come from many cultures and backgrounds. This plan focuses on high-quality, culturally appropriate teaching and learning. Our goal is to ensure that every student masters reading, writing, and math skills in ways that are meaningful to their individual life and experiences. Our staff works together to understand each learner, find appropriate ways to assess and improve their progress, and make sure that students can apply what they have learned in productive ways in school and in their community.

Academic Highlights

Forest Home teachers, students, and families work together to create comfortable, collaborative classrooms where students are confident learners who support each other. A shared sense of community responsibility inspires our students to do their best work from classroom to playground, student council to the district spelling bee.

Forest Home Avenue School success stories and specialty programs include:

• Award-winning academics and climate – Our students earned gold- (2021-22) and silver-level recognition (2022-23) in reading, math, and behavior from Wisconsin’s Response to Intervention (RtI) Center.
• Future Focus – Our curriculum includes a weekly 45-minute STEM block that integrates “bonus” science, math, and technology lessons across all grades. Third, fourth, and fifth graders learn coding and other computational skills during our annual Design to Code partnership with SHARP Literacy.
• Leadership and Mentorship – Fourth and fifth graders join student council, the Black & Latino Male Achievement Buddies Program, and other programs that provide positive role models, teach leadership skills, and engage students in service projects.
• Small class sizes – Our teachers provide individual attention in small classes to help our youngest students – grades K4 through third – develop academic skills and homework habits that prepare them for middle and high school.

Math Achievement

Students build math knowledge, develop mathematical skills, and grow in confidence as they progress through a standards-based curriculum. Our school’s unique STEM focus brings additional project-based math, science, and technology lessons to students working in our Project Lead The Way engineering laboratory.

Reading/Language Arts Achievement

Literacy is a priority at Forest Home Avenue School. Reading proficiency by third-grade completion (in a student’s primary language) is the goal. Bilingual students begin their literacy journey in K4 classrooms where teachers deliver 90 percent of academic content in Spanish. In K5 bilingual classrooms, 80 percent of academic content is delivered in Spanish; 20 percent in English. By fifth grade, up to fifty percent of academic content is delivered in English.

Students who can benefit from one-on-one tutoring work with literacy partners like Forward Scholars or Wisconsin Reading Corps. Watching third- through fifth-grade students compete in the annual district spelling bee is a school-wide tradition that promotes literacy, leadership, and public speaking.

Art, Music, and Physical Education

Weekly art, music, and physical education classes give students the opportunity to recharge busy brains and flex their creativity. Forest Home ‘specials’ classes are getting a makeover in 2023-24, from new art and music rooms to a freshly renovated gym. Students and staff welcomed new music specialist Andrea Noriega, a bilingual educator and musician from Colombia.

Students interested in private or group music lessons can ask Ms. Noriega about our school’s relationship with the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music.

Special Education

More than 30 percent of our students receive special-education accommodations or support. Forest Home Avenue School staff include special education and regular education teachers, school social workers and psychologists, a speech language pathologist, occupational therapist, physical therapist, school support teacher, and administrators who work together to meet students’ needs.

If you think your child has special education needs, ask your child’s teacher or principal for an evaluation. For general questions about special education, please visit the Department of Specialized Services online or call (414) 874-8493.