Fairmount Families Week END Report
09.16.2022
Happy Friday, Fairmount Families!
It was a pleasure to see so many families on Wednesday at Curriculum Night. I hope you enjoyed hearing from your child(ren)'s teacher about the exciting year ahead. As previously shared in the September 7th issue of Communicate 58, we encourage families to watch this brief overview video about curriculum night if you have not had a chance already, and to explore the academic resources listed on the district website.
Our school completed a discussion-based active threat drill this week in preparation for our active threat drill with the Downers Grove Police Department next week. Information regarding upcoming safety drills will continue to be communicated through the Week "End" Report, and a follow-up message will be sent to parents/guardians at the completion of each drill.
Thank you for your continued attention to the information and items below. I hope everyone has 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.
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.
Oktoberfest This Weekend!
District 58’s Education Foundation is hosting Oktoberfest this weekend in downtown Downers Grove. The event is Friday, Sept. 16 from 3-11 p.m. and Saturday, Sept. 17 from noon to 11 p.m. It includes food, live bands and entertainment.
A Kids Zone will be open on Saturday from noon to 4:30 p.m. and will feature a trackless train, carnival-type games (i.e. ring toss, plinko and many more), face painting, art station, balloon artist, caricature artist, dunk tank, petting zoo (starting at 3:30 p.m.) and much more!
Kids are free with a paying adult. Adult tickets are $10 and senior tickets are $5 on Friday and on Saturday before 6 p.m. After 6 p.m. Saturday, all tickets increase to $25.
Please consider volunteering at Oktoberfest! Sign up to volunteer at https://tinyurl.com/58Fest22.
Learn more about Oktoberfest at www.58foundation.net.
District 58 Referendum
District 58 will place a proposal on the Nov. 8, 2022 ballot to issue $179 million in bonds to improve District 58’s facilities. To learn more about the District 58 referendum, please visit www.dg58.org/referendum.
This website contains helpful information, including the District’s Master Facility Plan, frequently asked questions, ballot language, voter information, tax impact, facility presentation and videos and much more. If you have any questions about the referendum not answered on the website, please don’t hesitate to contact me. Please know, as a school district, we can provide factual information about a referendum, but we cannot advocate for or against it.
District 58 School Board Governance Recognition
District 58’s Board of Education is one of only 33 Illinois school boards to earn this year’s School Board Governance Recognition from the Illinois Association of School Boards. This recognition is given to school boards that model behaviors that lead to excellence in local school governance to support quality public education.
Congratulations, District 58 Board of Education! Our Board has accomplished a lot in the past couple of years, all while leading District 58 through a pandemic.
Click here to learn more about this recognition, including some of the reasons our School Board earned it.
National Hispanic Heritage Month
Fairmount PTA News and Updates
Spiritwear Orders Due Friday, September 23rd
One week is left to order your 2022 Fairmount Spiritwear! All orders are due by Friday, September 23, 2022. Looking for a birthday or Christmas gift? Let Vicki know once you order so she can pull the order from classroom deliveries.
Questions? Contact Vicki Epperly at vepperly@gmail.com.
Order online at https://fairmount2022spiritwear.itemorder.com/shop/sale/
Fun Lunch October 7th!
Parents of new students will need to create an account first before adding student information. Parents of returning students must update their grade/teacher information for the current school year. If you have any questions, contact Tiffany Melnyk (tiffanyjoy21@gmail.com).
The PTA is also seeking parent or guardian volunteers to help serve fun lunch meals to students. Volunteers need to be at the school for approximately an hour at lunch time (around 11am-12pm). If you are interested in volunteering for the Fun Lunch committee, please contact Elizabeth Shah (elizabeth.shah@lat42.com). Please note that younger siblings are not allowed to be brought along for lunch distribution.
National PTA Reflections: Entries Due October 28th
The National PTA Reflections Arts Program invites all Fairmount students (grades K–6) to create an original creative work in response to this year’s theme: Show Your Voice!
Submission Categories and Guidelines
Click below for specific guidelines for each category.
How to Submit
Students choose a category and create their piece!
Download and complete this submission form. (Spanish)
Put the creative work (physical art or file saved on a USB drive) and attached submission form in the Reflections box in the main office.
NOTE: STUDENTS CANNOT PUT THEIR NAME ON THEIR WORK — only on the submission form. (Signed paintings will not be accepted.)
Then What Happens?
Entries will be professionally judged using these criteria: interpretation of the theme, creativity, and technique. School winners will advance to the district competition, followed by regional, state, and national levels. National awards range from recognition to scholarships! Everyone who enters will be recognized and awarded with a celebration!
Reflections at Home Activities
15 Family Art Activities
Questions? Email Johanna Lewandowski at jlewandowski900@gmail.com
Upcoming Safety Drills
Please know that all of the drills above will be announced to students and staff ahead of time, so everyone will be aware of the drill/practice. Additionally, teachers and staff will provide grade-level appropriate follow-up with their classes and ensure students are supported before, during, and after each safety drill.
This week students and staff will engage in the following:
Tuesday, September 20th - Active Threat/Intruder Drill (with DGPD)
Please check the "Look Ahead Section" for additional drill/practice days.
Health/Physical Examination & Immunization Record due October 15th
As required by law, all new students, as well as students entering grades K, 2 and 6, must receive health examinations and immunizations and submit completed health forms by October 15th. To learn more check out the Health Services page on the District 58 website.
Thank you to many of the families who have already completed and submitted these forms. If you have not already scheduled your appointment this is a good time to plan ahead! Failure to comply with these requirements by the end of the day on Oct 15, or 30 days following registration for first-time registrants, of the current school year will result in the student's exclusion from school until such requirements have been met according to Illinois law. All sections of the child examination form must be completed including the health history, which must be completed by the parent.
District 58 communicates frequently regarding these requirements as it is our hope to avoid school exclusion for all of our students. If you are in need of additional assistance, our school nurses, (Jenny Mazur (jmazur@dg58.org) and Susan Donahue (sdonahue@dg58.org), would be happy to assist you in accessing resources or assisting in removing other barriers to completing this requirement.
NWEA MAP Testing
All MAP testing is now complete and reports from the fall assessments will be sent home on Friday, September 23rd.
The data gathered from these and other benchmark assessments are accessed and reviewed by our teachers and staff to further support differentiated instruction and tiered supports.
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. Glennon
Role at Fairmount: Reading Specialist
# of Years at Fairmount School: 6
Favorite Food or Restaurant: Portillo's
If she is not at school, you can catch Mrs. Glennon playing with her son, Carter.
Favorite Quote: "It's okay to not know, but it's not okay to not try."
The best thing about working with children every day is... It is so motivating to see how hard working and determined they all are to achieve their goals!
Lens into Learning
SEL Student Share
SUPER job!
Happy Handwriting
1-2-3rd!
Centers & Song
SEL & Centers
Rain... Rain...
Say Cheese!
Celebrating Students
Early Dismissal Monday
Monday, September 19th, is a 2:00 p.m. dismissal for students. All students are dismissed at 2:00 p.m. according to their regular dismissal plan. Please be sure you have made arrangements for your child to be picked up from Fairmount at 2:00 p.m.
Mark your Calendars!
09.16-09.17: Education Foundation Oktoberfest (Click HERE for more information)
09.19: Happy Monday! Wear Orange! 2:00 p.m. Early Dismissal
09.20: Active Threat/Intruder Drill
09.23: Falcon Friday- show your school colors!
A Look Ahead...
09.26: Bus Evacuation Drill with First Student
10.06: Fire Drill with Downers Grove Fire Department
10.10: No School - Columbus Day
10.18 & 10.20: Evening Parent Teacher Conferences
10.21: No School Students (Parent/Teacher Conferences/School Improvement)
Calendar Highlights:
Thanksgiving Break: Nov. 23-25, 2022
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)
Below the Line
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.
Cub Scouts Opportunity
Lost and Found
Please note iPads, eyeglasses and other valuables will not be placed in the Lost and Found. If your child ever misplaces these items, please have them check with the office.
Staff members will support students that need to check the Lost and Found during the school day as needed. Unclaimed items will be donated on a bi-monthly basis.
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