Fairmount Families Week END Report
01.20.2023
Happy Friday, Fairmount Families!
We had a wonderful week, and are looking forward to the District 58 Science Fair this weekend! Good luck to all of our Fairmount Falcon's participating in the Science Fair. I am very proud of your hard work and look forward to seeing you at O'Neill Middle School.
We are hoping to create a recognition display at Fairmount featuring all of our Science Fair Participants. We kindly ask families to email a photo of their child(ren) participating in the Science Fair to both Jillian DeRango (jderango@dg58.org) and our yearbook sponsor, Mr. Luciano (rluciano@dg58.org).
A reminder that our "Lost and Found" is growing and will be donated to charity at the end of this month. If your child is missing an item, please ask them to visit the office so that we can assist at the Lost and Found.
Have a great 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.
Incoming Kindergarten Class 2023-2024
Congratulations!
Congratulations to the following students who participated in PTA Reflections and have advanced to the State level of competition:
Jessica F. - "The Forgetful Wedding" (Literature, Grade 1)
Ruben L. - "Wild Nature" (Photography, Grade 3)
Harlem Wizards Fun!
Thank you to Fairmount's own P.E. Teacher, Rick Zieman, Art Teacher, Jon Belonio, 4th Grade Teacher, Alyssa Reinholz, and Instructional Coach, Lauren Prosser for representing FA at the Harlem Wizards game last Sunday. I enjoyed seeing so many Fairmount families at the event and appreciate your support of the Education Foundation. This fundraising event was a huge success!
Board Approves 2023-2024 School Calendar (from Communicate 58)
The Board of Education approved the District 58 2023-24 school year calendar. To maximize the summer 2024 construction window, the calendar eliminates some single days off, while maintaining typical break periods in alignment with District 99. Highlights include:
First Day of School: Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023
Thanksgiving Break: Nov. 22-24, 2023
Winter Break: Dec. 25, 2023-Jan. 5, 2024
Spring Break: March 25-29, 2024
Last Day of School: Friday, May 24 (if no emergency days are used)
Parent-Teacher Conference (opens 1.26.2023)
District 58 invites parents and guardians to sign up for winter 2023 parent-teacher conferences using the online PowerPTC conference signup system.
Please note sign-up will open on Thursday, January 26th and remain open through February 6th at 11:00 a.m.
Parent-teacher conferences will be held in person. However, families who require a remote option should schedule their conference in PowerPTC and then change the meeting type from “in person” to “video conference.”
Conferences will take place:
Tuesday, Feb. 7 from 4:45-8 p.m.
Thursday, Feb. 9 from 4:45-8 p.m.
Please view the parent-teacher conference signup guide to learn how to sign up for a conference using the new system, along with other helpful information.
Attendance and Arrival Reminders
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.
Out Student Focus Committee will be wrapping up "Being in Control" and preparing to kick-off our next Falcon Focus the first week of February, "Being Kind".
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 weekly Teacher Feature.
Teacher Feature - Mrs. Main
Role at Fairmount: 1st Grade Teacher
# of Years at Fairmount School: 7 Years
Favorite Food or Restaurant: Gia Mia or any place with fancy pizza
If she is not at school, you can catch Mrs. Main riding her bike or walking through town.
Favorite Quote: "When life gives you a hundred reasons to cry...show life a thousands reasons to smile."
The best thing about working with children every day is... the look on their faces when they learn something new.
Lens into Learning
Bump! Set! Spike!
Wonderful Wizards!
Super Static
The Main Event!
Celebrating Students
Early Dismissal Monday
Mark your Calendars!
Saturday, January 21st
58 Science Fair at O'Neill Middle School
01.23: Happy Monday! Wear orange! 2:00 p.m. Early Dismissal
01.24: Happy Tuesday!
01.25: 3:00-3:45 p.m. Sign Language Club for Registered Students; 3:00-4:00 p.m. Bricks for Kids for Registered Students
01.26: Happy Thursday!
01.27: Falcon Friday: Wear School Colors or Spiritwear
A Look Ahead...
01.30: 6:30 p.m. Community Facility Visioning Session at O'Neill Middle School (see above for details)
02.20: No School: President's Day
02.28: (Tuesday): No School Students - Teacher Institute Day!
Calendar Highlights:
Spring Break: March 27-31, 2023
Last Day of School: Wednesday, June 7, 2023 (if no emergency days are used)
Below the Line
Cougars' Reading Club
Flu Season
Please see the attached informational fact sheet from the IDPH regarding influenza. The flu is different from the common cold and can cause fever, cough, sore throat, headache, muscle aches, and vomiting. 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 is conducted, as well.
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).
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.
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