Fairmount Families Week END Report
12.09.2022
Happy Friday, Fairmount Families!
Trimester 1 report cards were sent home via your child(ren)'s backpack today. Please know, just as our instructional practices recognize the need to meet students where they are and ensure that foundational skills are solidified to address current grade level standards, a child’s report card is a reflection of their learning at a moment in time.
It is possible on your child(ren)’s report card that you may notice absences reported for Trimester 2 and/or 3. This was a result of an initial error in the attendance calculation setup that has since been corrected by the technology department. Future report cards will include the corrected information. Please do not hesitate to contact the office staff if you have a question about your child’s absences.
The week ahead will include many special celebrations including our Student Council Winter Spirit Week (see details below), PTA Holiday movie (see Falcon Flyer to sign-up), and our Winter Parties to conclude the week. We are looking forward to an exciting and festive week of learning.
As always, have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely,
Lisa Niforatos, Principal
Be sure to follow me on Twitter @Fairmount58.
Please be sure to check out the "Lens into Learning" and "Celebration" sections later in the newsletter for photo highlights from the week.
PTA Winter Parties 12.16.2022
We are excited to have our PTA Winter Parties on Friday, December 16th for all students. The PTA will be coordinating the details for these celebrations, including all parent volunteers. Please note that no food or drink will be provided during the celebrations and only confirmed party volunteers may attend the classroom parties.
Party Details:
Kindergarten Parties: 10:15-11:00 a.m.
1st-6th Grade Parties: 2:05-2:50 p.m.
Flu Season
As communicated via email this week, flu incidents continue to rise within our community and our school. The flu is different from the common cold and it can cause fever, cough, sore throat, headache, muscle aches, and vomiting. Please see the attached informational fact sheet from the IDPH regarding influenza.
We appreciate your support in keeping your child home from school if they have a fever, are vomiting, and/or exhibiting other signs of influenza. Students are encouraged to hand wash and/or utilize hand sanitizer at school and additional surface cleaning will be conducted as well.
As always, please do not hesitate to reach out to me or our health office should you have any questions.
Fairmount Giving Tree
I am so very proud of our Student Council and the entire Fairmount community for coming together and donating items for families in need this winter season. The final day for bringing in items that will be donated to DuPage Pads is December 14th. Please see the flyer for additional details.
Science Fair Registration is Open!!
Registration for the 41st Annual District 58 Science Fair is open now through Friday, December 16. The Science Fair will be held Saturday, January 21 from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at O’Neill Middle School. The fair is open to all District 58 students in grades 1-6 who attend District 58 schools. Use this link to register your child(ren) today or visit the District 58 website to get project ideas and to learn more about the Science Fair.
Attendance and Arrival Reminders
Bricks 4 Kidz Winter Session Sign-Up Now Open
Bricks 4 Kidz has now opened registration for the 5-week winter session beginning in January. Please see the attached flyer and link below for more details.
Building Bricks - Being our Best!
We will be continuously supporting students (both in and out of the classroom) to Be Ready, In Control, Kind and Safe.
Our current Falcon focus, "Being in Control" is going strong! We are so proud of our students for demonstrating this important skill during the school day.
Teacher Feature
We are so glad you are part of our school community! Whether this is your child's first or seventh year at Fairmount, we wanted to provide a fun way to get to know the many members of our teaching and school staff.
We hope you enjoy learning a little more about each of our staff members in the NEW weekly Teacher Feature.
Teacher Feature - Mrs. Laura Kriz
Role at Fairmount: Speech Language Pathologist
# of Years at Fairmount School: 2nd Year
Favorite Food or Restaurant: Taco Dale (Mexican Food)
If she is not at school, you can catch Mrs. Kriz with her family.
Favorite Quote: "Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the Present." Master Oogway (Kung Fu Panda)
The best thing about working with children every day is... The amazing stories and comments!
Lens into Learning
Fairmount Alley
Hour of Code
Marvelous Music
Celebrating Students
PTA Reflections
Jessica F. Grade 1
Ruben L. Grade 3
Gwen L. Grade 4
Elizabeth L. Grade 2
Cassie M. Grade 2
Belle N. Grade 5
Zoey P. Grade 4
Ben S. Grade 4
Katherine S. Grade 5
Early Dismissal Monday
Mark your Calendars!
12.12: Happy Monday! "Snowed In" Day - Wear PJs or Comfy Clothes; 2:00 p.m. Early Dismissal
12.13: Candy Cane Day - Wear Red, White and/or Stripes
12.14: Winter Wonderland White-Out - Wear White or Light Colors; 6:00 p.m. PTA Winter Movie Night/Stan's Donut Fundraiser
12.15: Holiday Headwear - Wear your favorite holiday headwear (headband, hat, etc.)
12.16: Festive Friday: Wear your favorite holiday colors/clothes; 10:15-11:00 a.m. Kindergarten Classroom Winter Parties; 2:05 p.m. Grades 1-6 Classroom Winter Parties
12.19-01.02 - No School - Winter Break
A Look Ahead...
01.03 - School Resumes
01.16 - No School: MLK Day
Calendar Highlights:
Winter Break: Dec. 19, 2022 -Jan. 2, 2023
Spring Break: March 27-31, 2023
Last Day of School: Wednesday, June 7, 2023 (if no emergency days are used)
Information from Fairmount PTA
PTA's Fairmount 58 Plays Fundraisers!
Read-a-Thon Fundraiser Update
We are so pleased with the success of our first Read-A-Thon!!! We raised a whopping $11,944 for the new playground and students logged an amazing 19,000 minutes of reading! Congratulations to the following students and classes:
Top Readers:
1st - Max P (6th)
2nd - Crosby R (4th)
3rd - Lincoln M (4th)
Top Fundraisers:
1st - Hunter M (1st)
2nd - Quincy S (1st)
3rd - Addilyn M (3rd)
Class with the most minutes:
1st: Main
2nd: Reinholz
3rd: Armbrust
Top Fundraising Classes:
1st: Remus
2nd: Armbrust
3rd: Niemann
You have from now until December 18th to go in and spend the money your student has earned in the online reward store. If you log in and realize you're still having trouble with your account please email Adria Hoyle at adria@read-a-thon.com or 1-866-888-5155 ext 513. Any additional questions can be directed to Liz Miller at mortonef@gmail.com.
Dine-Out Event: Raising Cane's
PTA Winter Movie Night & Stan's Donut Fundraiser
Please note the following about Movie Night:
-A parent/guardian must be present with their child(ren) for the duration of the event (this is not a drop-off/pick-up event)
-Pre-Registration is required for the event - look for a sign-up coming from the PTA in the near future. Check-in will begin at 5:45 p.m. with a movie start time of 6:00 p.m. Bring a blanket.
-The PTA has selected the holiday movie ELF. Please note this has a PG rating.
Register for movie night here:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60b0b44a8ad2cabfa7-holiday
Shop Minted to Support PTA!
This holiday season be sure to support Fairmount PTA by shopping Minted for all your holiday card and gift needs! Use the code FUNDRAISEFAIRMOUNT to get 20% off your order and 15% of your purchase will be donated back to Fairmount PTA.
Below the Line
Reminder: Cold Weather/Snow Gear
If your child would like to play in the snow/be on the field (assuming conditions are safe to do so), they must have both snow pants and snow boots. We also appreciate your support in making sure your child(ren) comes prepared for the weather/elements each day as we will typically go outside for recess if the conditions permit and the feels like temperature is above 0 degrees.
Please do not hesitate to reach out to Lisa Niforatos (Principal) or Jen Glynn (Social Worker) if you do not have access to the resources to secure cold-weather gear for your child(ren).
Information for Students who attend Music Programs at O'Neill
Important Car Line Reminders
Please see the diagram below for car line details. The car line queue will form on Blodgett facing south only. Cars may not enter the car line if traveling north on Blodgett. Cars will begin entering the parking lot (in a single line) at 8:05 a.m. for arrival and 2:50 p.m. for dismissal (1:50 p.m. on Mondays).
The cars should stay within the marked yellow solid lines in the Fairmount lot; cars may not pass one another. There will be four drop zones within the parking lot, and staff will be present to assist. Drivers are asked to follow the prompts of the staff members and pull up to the furthest available drop zone. Students should only exit and enter from the passenger side of the vehicle, and drivers should not exit their vehicles. After unloading at arrival, students will walk to their assigned arrival door.
Cars accessing the car line at dismissal are asked to have the pink "Car Line Sign" visible on the passenger side window to assist with the dismissal process. This sign will be available at the Move-In/Meet the Teacher event and will also be available in the entryway vestibule.
To support the flow of the car line, families and students who are arriving or dismissing at Fairmount as walkers are asked to walk behind/around the building to avoid crowding the sidewalk in front of the building.
Important Notes:
- The car line should only be used for student drop-off and pick-up. If you would like to walk your child to and from their arrival/dismissal door, please do not use the car line, as parking is not allowed in the school parking lot during arrival or dismissal.
- Parking will not be allowed during the posted times on Blodgett to support our car line as well as student bussing (7:00-9:00 a.m. and 1:00-4:00 p.m.).
The Reading Games
The Reading Games will return for its ninth year on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023 at O'Neill Middle School. The Reading Games is a fun and friendly reading competition open to District 58 students in grades 3-8. Visit www.readinggamesdg58.com for detailed information. The Reading Games also seeks question writer volunteers! Click here to learn more information and to sign up to volunteer.
Attendance & Change of Dismissal
If your child's dismissal plan will be different (e.g. not taking the bus), please communicate this to both the school secretaries and classroom teacher as promptly as possible. This is especially important for our younger students, so we can support their dismissal process. In the event of a last-minute change, we ask that you please call the school office (630-719.5830) as staff members may not check their emails prior to daily dismissal.
Safe 2 Help
District 58 has partnered with Safe2Help to give students a safe and confidential way to report potential threats or crises. Safe2Help was launched by the State of Illinois in December 2020 and aims to help prevent suicide, bullying, school violence and other threats to school safety.
With Safe2Help, students can connect with a trained crisis professional during their own crisis, or to report a potential threat. Students can submit a Safe2Help alert via the following ways:
- Website: https://app.safe22helpil.com
- Text: SAFE2 (72332)
- Phone: 844-4-SAFEIL (844-472-3345)
- App: "Safe2Help Illinois" app available in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store
- Email: HELP@Safe2HelpIL.com
All alerts are responded to by a trained Safe2Help crisis professional. Safe2Help is available 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.
District 58 staff are not the initial responders to the alert and will receive each alert after the Safe2Help professional provides support. District 58 staff will review alerts sent by Safe2Help during regular school hours, unless the nature of the alert necessitates immediate school action.
Learn more about Safe2Help and District 58's crisis resources.
Phone/Wearable Technology Use
While a student can bring their electronic device (including cell phones and AirPods) to school, all non-district-issued technologies are to be silenced and out of sight throughout the school day. Students are allowed to wear smartwatches, but they are to be silenced during the school day. The district-provided technology will be utilized for students to participate in lessons and complete assignments. Please be sure to go over the expectations with your student as the policy was recently amended.
District 58 Handbook
District 58 has published the 2022-23 Schools of 58: A Handbook for Families. Please take time to review this important handbook with your child, as it offers an overview of the District’s policies, procedures, resources and student expectations. During the first full week of school, all families will receive a handbook receipt to sign, acknowledging that they and their child reviewed and understood the handbook. Please sign and return the handbook receipt at Curriculum Night or sooner. Here are the links to this year’s family handbook. If you need a print copy, please contact the school office at 630-719-5830, and we can print you a copy.
Fairmount Office Contact Information
Lisa Niforatos, Principal lniforatos@dg58.org
Jillian DeRango, Secretary jderango@dg58.org
Jill Darrah, Secretary jdarrah@dg58.org
Email: lniforatos@dg58.org
Website: www.dg58.org/fa/
Location: 6036 Blodgett Avenue, Downers Grove, IL, USA
Phone: 630.719.5830
Twitter: @Fairmount58