The Fairview Connection
DECEMBER 3, 2021
MESSAGE FROM PRINCIPAL OPHUS
Dear Fairview Families,
We’ve had a great week back at Fairview after enjoying the week off with our families and friends over Thanksgiving. As shared last time, teachers have started our thankful chain activity with students this week and this will continue up through December 15th when students will come home with a paper chain with links listing the many things they are thankful for. To help students come up with ideas and hear about what their classmates are grateful for, we’ve been announcing some examples that students have written about during morning announcements. For example, Autumn in Mrs. Logar’s class shared that she is thankful for soft erasers that help her erase her mistakes and Gianna in Mrs. Mescino’s class shared that she is thankful for having a roof over her head, because if she didn’t, then what would she do when it rained. Many students have commented about the people in their lives they are thankful for including their parents, grandparents, siblings, other relatives and friends, which shows us how special all of you at home are in their lives. I encourage you to ask your child what they’ve written about thus far and be sure to check out the chains they will make when they bring them home on the 15th. Here is a digital read aloud performed by some of our Peer Mediators with the help of Instructional Technology Coach, Kelly Quinlan to give you a glimpse of what our staff used to kick off our thankful chain activity.
One thing I am thankful for this week is our amazing Fairview PTO. On Wednesday, we held our first ever Holiday Shoppe to give our students a chance to get some shopping done for the people on their lists this holiday season. The event was a huge success, and we were so happy to see the many smiling faces of our students as they made purchases for their loved ones. Special thanks to Kara Lenox for taking the lead and chairing this event and to the many volunteers who were there to help support the success of this event. I am also so thankful for the incredible generosity of our community as we look to purchase gifts for the holidays for some of our Fairview families with financial needs as part of this year’s Fairview Giving Tree. There are still some opportunities to purchase a gift for a Fairview family using this link if you would like to participate. Special thanks to Katherine Ciruelas, Fairview’s social worker, for organizing and coordinating this special opportunity and to all of the many people in our community who have signed up to help!
Now that we are into the month of December, many of our students have had the opportunity to have both of their COVID vaccinations. Once you’ve done this, we encourage you to send a photo or copy of your child’s vaccination card to Fairview nurse, Kelly Brunning, at kbrunning@d57.org. You can also make a copy and drop it off in the front office if you prefer. The guidelines provided by local health authorities related to quarantining for close contacts change for students who are vaccinated, so it is helpful for us to have this information on file.
Thank you for taking the time to read through today’s newsletter. Have a wonderful weekend ahead!
Sincerely,
Dan Ophus
Fairview Principal
FAIRVIEW WINTER SINGALONG
REMINDER
Students should arrive at school in the morning wearing a mask. Also, please remember to put a bag with some extra masks in your student(s) backpack in case they need another one during the school day.
FAIRVIEW'S GIVING TREE
The Fairview community and staff will continue the tradition of helping District 57 families this holiday season. Any Fairview family or staff member interested in participating should click here for the wish lists. All wrapped presents should be delivered to Fairview school by Monday, December 13th. Remember to tape a piece of paper on the wrapped gift with a brief description of the gift and the family number.
Please contact Fairview’s social worker, Katherine Ciruelas with any questions (kciruelas@d57.org).
Thank you!
FROM FAIRVIEW'S LRC
LEAPIN' INTO LITERATURE
PTO's program, Leapin' into Literature, returns this February! We are seeking volunteers to read wonderful new library books to their children's classrooms during lunch recess (11:50 a.m.-12:20 p.m. for Grades 4 & 5; 12:20-12:50 p.m. for Grades 2 & 3). Each classroom has the opportunity to participate in Leapin' into Literature once a week during February. If you are interested in reading to your child's class, please click on the frog and fill out the form.
PTO "READ-A-WAY" PROGRAM
Click on the graphic for more information and December's reading log calendar. Don't forget to turn in your completed November calendar no later than next Monday, December 6th.
Concurrent students can drop their completed calendars off at the school. We will contact you once your certificate is ready to be picked up for your free pizza.
FROM NURSE BRUNNING
BIRTHDAYS
A lot of students who celebrated their birthdays in August, September, October, and November have not selected their birthday book yet. Make sure to go to ClassLink or click on the birthday cake to make your selection...don't forget to pick the tab for the appropriate grade level list.
DRESS FOR OUTDOOR RECESS
As the weather turns cooler, please make sure your children are dressed to go out for recess. Unless it is raining or the temperature /wind chill is too cold (15 degrees or below, real-feel temperature) the students will go out every day for recess. Please write your student’s last name on a tag in their coat as we already have a lot of lost coats and sweatshirts in our Lost and Found.
All students will go out with their class unless we have a doctor’s note limiting their participation. If a student has been ill and he/she is not feeling well enough to participate in all the activities of the school day, perhaps another day at home will insure a healthy return to school.
PTO "NO STRESS" FUNDRAISER
LOST AND FOUND
DISTRICT 57 EDUCATION FOUNDATION
The District 57 Education Foundation is a non-profit organization comprised of Mount Prospect community members whose mission is to raise money to fund grants in the areas of curriculum, wellness, and technology. Grant requests may be written and submitted by district teachers, staff, students, and parents. The grants enrich the educational experiences of all students, helping them to achieve at their highest potential. Funded grants allow teachers to have access to the resources they need to support teaching and learning at Westbrook, Lions Park, Fairview, and Lincoln schools.
Over the years, the Foundation has funded computers, iPads, ELMO projectors, Smartboards, musical instruments, art supplies, fitness equipment, and supplemental reading material - all to enrich our children’s educational experiences. We are currently in a new Grant Request Cycle. A description of the grant request submission process and form is located within the Grants section of our website at https://www.57edfoundation.org
Grant requests are due by 12/17/2021 to the Ed Foundation at d57edfoundationgrants@gmail.com
Parent community members who are interested in submitting a grant request should contact the school principal to which the grant will benefit. The Ed Foundation will review all requests at our February meeting. Please contact the Ed Foundation Grant team at d57edfoundationgrants@gmail.com with any questions.
Thank you for your continuous support of the D57 Education Foundation.
STUDENT SIGN-IN/SIGN-OUT PROCEDURE
STUDENT DROP-OFF ZONE
RAPTOR VISITOR MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
All visitors, including parents, will be required to present valid state-issued identification that will be entered into our system before gaining access to the school beyond the main office. In addition, the Raptor system provides alerts about people who may jeopardize the safety of the school, including registered sex offenders who are not allowed entry into schools.
As we have done in the past, all parents and visitors will be asked to wear a visitor lanyard. In addition, a visitor badge will be printed and placed inside the plastic sleeve on a lanyard. The visitor badge will include the visitor’s name and photograph.
We believe this safety procedure will keep our schools safer and provide instant information about who is in our schools in the event of an evacuation. We ask for your cooperation as we implement this new system. While visitors will likely take a bit more time to check in with our schools’ front office teams, we know that this system will add another important layer of security.
Please click here for sign-in instructions.
KEEP THE FRONT OFFICE INFORMED
When emailing your student's teacher regarding vacation plans, illness, doctor appointments, etc., please include the front office staff in your communication.
Also, please contact Fairview School’s office if your home/cell phone number, emergency contact numbers, or email address have changed.
If you have moved, please immediately contact the front office so we can update your student's records.
Chris Trezise, 847-394-7320, ext. 4001 - ctrezise@d57.org
Carolyn Young, 847-394-7320, ext. 4000 - cyoung@d57.org
Contact Us
Una Durkan, Assistant Principal / udurkan@d57.org
Office: 847-394-7320/Fax: 847-394-7328
Website: d57.org/fairviewelementaryschool_home
Location: 300 N. Fairview Ave., Mount Prospect, IL
Twitter: @fairview_d57