Fairmount Families Week END Report
11.11.2022
Happy Friday, Fairmount Families!
This four-day week of school found our students engaging in the classroom and collaborating on a school-wide display in recognition of our school community's veterans. Every classroom took time on Monday to add flags to the Fairmount entrance and on Friday, we held a short program honoring our veterans. Thank you to all our veterans for your service and dedication to our country.
As announced by District 58, the community voted in support of the District 58 facility referendum. The referendum will support school building maintenance projects, secured entrances, air conditioning installation, air quality/ventilation improvements and the middle school expansion. See below for the information shared by District 58 last Wednesday.
Temperatures are expected to drop this weekend and continue to be more seasonable into next week. Please remember to send your child(ren) with weather-appropriate outerwear so they are comfortable for recess.
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.
Veterans Day 11.11.2022
Fairmount students and staff honored our country's veterans with a short program on Friday and school-wide flag display. We want to extend our gratitude to our family members and friends who have served or are currently serving in the Armed Forces. Fairmount is honored to acknowledge the devotion and sacrifice our men and women have given to our country.
Dedication Display
Whole School Assembly
Community Votes to Support District 58 Facility Referendum
The community approved District 58’s $179 million bond referendum to improve District 58’s 13 school facilities in the Nov. 8, 2022 election. With 100% of precincts reporting, unofficial results posted on the DuPage Election Commission website show 67.13% of voters in favor and 32.87% against the measure. The results will be certified by Tuesday, Nov. 29.
“On behalf of District 58, I want to thank the families, staff, Board members and community members who participated in the five-year community engagement process leading up to this vote. While the community has discussed District 58’s facilities for decades, the current Strategic Plan, which began development in fall 2017, created a clear plan toward addressing our facility needs,” said Superintendent Dr. Kevin Russell. “For those community members who did not support the referendum, please know that we hear you and appreciate your voice. District 58 will continue to expend funds in a fiscally-responsible manner while respecting taxpayers. We are very grateful to our community for their continued support of our schools and for recognizing the needs across our facilities.”
As a next step, District 58 will finalize the bond issuance with the Board of Education and will work with a construction management at-risk firm and the District’s architects to design final plans for school building maintenance projects, secured entrances, air conditioning installation, air quality/ventilation improvements and the middle school expansion.
All spending from the bond measure will be publicly disclosed. In addition, the District will continue to host meetings to collect design input and provide updates on the progress of the improvements. Any updates will also be posted on District 58’s Facility Planning webpage at www.dg58.org/facility-planning. The community can learn more about District 58’s referendum at www.dg58.org/referendum.
Grove Express
The Education Foundation of Downers Grove District 58 invites the community to participate in the Grove Express 5K on Thanksgiving Day. A portion of the proceeds will benefit District 58 students! Early bird registration has been extended through Nov. 6. Learn more here. Sign up here.
Information for Students who attend Music Programs at O'Neill
Reminder: Cold Weather Gear
As the weather grows a bit colder and varies significantly from day to day, please be sure to send your child(ren) to school with the appropriate coat/gear that supports them being comfortable outside during recess, arrival/dismissal and P.E.
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).
Community Resources
PTA's Fairmount 58 Plays Fundraisers!
PTA Read-a-Thon Fundraiser Kicks Off Next Week!
The PTA is excited to announce that we will be holding a Read-a-thon fundraiser to help raise money for our new playground!
Read-a-thon is a program that brings students together with family and friends to encourage
reading and to build literacy skills. The main focus of the Read-a-thon is for everyone to know
we are committed to improving reading skills. To that end, the Read-a-thon promises to be a
fun, exciting journey for all participants as they begin a personal Reading Adventure that
challenges each reader to complete 10 reading sessions over our 2-week event.
Our Read-a-thon will start November 14, 2022. On that day, we will send home paperwork with your reader explaining how you will activate their personal Read-a-thon page. You will know that we have distributed the take home sheet because we will also give your reader a Read-a-thon sticker as a reminder. We understand that, as parents, you have high expectations for the quality of your child’s education, but also have limited time. That’s why we chose to hold a Read-a-thon. The final day of our Read-a-thon will be December 2, 2022.
We hope you will find this to be the easiest fundraiser possible. By simply activating your
reader’s personal page and using the promotional tools found there, friends and family
anywhere in the world can show their support for your reader by making a donation to our
Read-a-thon. Your involvement in the Read-a-thon will help your child develop a lasting love of
reading while also helping us raise funds to make our new playground the best possible one!
We encourage you to activate your reader’s account today by clicking on
https://www.read-a-thon.com/readers/r/qSCJBs/1 and following the simple instructions.
We hope each one of you will activate your child’s personal page the day your child brings home their paperwork and encourage them on this reading journey! HAPPY READING!
Questions? Please contact the Playground Fundraising Committee at fairmount58plays@gmail.com.
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
PTA Fun Lunch 11/22 (Ordering Due 11/17)
Home Run Inn Pizza will provide the next Fairmount School Fun Lunch on Tuesday, November 22nd. Meals are $5.00 and must be preordered by Thursday, November 17th. No "day of" purchase option is available. You can order at: https://fairmount.h1.hotlunchonline.net/frontend.php
If you have any questions, contact Tiffany Melnyk (tiffanyjoy21@gmail.com).
Reminder: Students need to provide their own drink on Fun Lunch days. Fun Lunch is the meal only. Remind your student to bring their water bottle with them to lunch or send an alternate drink from home. If you purchased milk for your student this year, milk will still be available to your student on Fun Lunch days.
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. Micele
Role at Fairmount: Kindergarten Teacher
# of Years at Fairmount School: 17 Years
Favorite Food or Restaurant: Davanti
If she is not at school, you can catch Mrs. Micele working out at Orange Theory or trying new recipes with my big Greek and Italian family.
Favorite Quote: "Share a smile...they're contagious!"
The best thing about working with children every day is... Seeing the kids grow and learn with them each day.
Lens into Learning
Number Corner
I Spy with my little Eye...
Author Visit
Celebrating Students
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.
We have officially wrapped up our focus on "Be Ready" and will be moving toward our next focus - "Being in Control".
Early Dismissal Monday
Mark your Calendars!
11.14: Happy Monday! Wear Orange! 2:00 p.m. Early Dismissal
11.15: 6:30 p.m. PTA Meeting (at Fairmount)
11.16: Happy Wednesday!
11.17: 3:00 p.m. Bricks for Kids (for registered students)
11.18: Falcon Friday! Wear School Colors or Spirit Wear; End of Trimester 1
A Look Ahead...
11.23-11.25 - No School - Thanksgiving Break
12.09 - Report Cards sent home
12.19-01.02 - No School - Winter Break
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
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.).
Cold & Flu Season
Fall is here and cold and flu season is upon us, and we are seeing students with cold and flu symptoms. To prevent the spread of these common viruses in the close confines of the classroom, we are cleaning daily and encouraging handwashing in the class. To decide whether or not to send your child to school, please consider the following guidelines.
Consider keeping your child at home for an extra day of rest and observation if he or she has any of the following symptoms:
· Very stuffy or runny nose and/or a cough
· Mild sore throat (no fever, no known exposure to strep)
· Headache
Definitely keep your child at home and consider seeking medical attention if he or she has any of these symptoms:
· Fever (greater than 100 degrees by mouth. Your child may return to school only after his or her temperature has been consistently below 100 degrees, by mouth, for a minimum of 24 hours without medication)
· Vomiting (even once)
· Diarrhea
· Chills
· General malaise or feelings of fatigue, discomfort, weakness or muscle aches
· Frequent congested (wet) or croupy cough
· Shortness of breath
· Lots of nasal congestion with frequent blowing of the nose
To help prevent the flu and other colds, encourage good hygiene habits:
· Wash hands frequently
· Do not touch eyes, nose, or mouth
· Cover mouth and nose when sneezing or coughing, use a paper tissue, throw it away and then wash hands
· Avoid close contact with people who are sick
The flu shot is one of the best ways to prevent illness from the seasonal influenza virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends adults and children receive the flu vaccine each year. Yearly flu vaccination is needed because immunity against the flu wears off over time. In addition, the flu virus strains often change, so the vaccine also changes from year to year in order to match the flu viruses expected to be circulating in the community.
The Reading Games Registration
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.
Start forming teams now! Team and individual registration is open now through Nov. 2. Please click here for general Reading Games information, including team and individual registration links. 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