Fairmount Families Week END Report
12.02.2022
Happy Friday, Fairmount Families!
Welcome, December!
We are now two weeks into the 2nd Trimester, and I am looking forward to all the exciting learning that will take place in the coming weeks. As our Falcons are now well-established in their school routines, I just want to take a moment to highlight the importance of attending school regularly and being on time each day. While students should always remain home if sick with a fever, vomiting, etc., your support of regular attendance and timeliness is appreciated. Thank you for your partnership in ensuring your child(ren) is set up for success and please let me know if there is anything I or our team can do to further support.
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.
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.
Fairmount Giving Tree
Report Cards to be sent home 12/9/22
As communicated in the District 58 newsletter this week, the first trimester of the school year concluded on Nov. 18. Report cards for students in grades K-6 will be sent home with students on Friday, Dec. 9. 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.
Attendance and Arrival Reminders
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).
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 new Falcon focus, "Being in Control" began before Thanksgiving break. We are so proud of our students for demonstrating this important skill during the school day.
Information from Fairmount PTA
PTA's Fairmount 58 Plays Fundraisers!
Read-a-Thon Fundraiser Update
We are very excited to share that the community has raised more than $11,000 toward our new playground! Great job, Falcons! This fundraiser has been extended until December 7th. Please see additional communication from the PTA (upcoming Falcon Flyer) regarding more updates about this fundraiser. Any questions can be directed to Liz Miller at mortonef@gmail.com.
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.
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.
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 - Ms. Meehan
Role at Fairmount: 4th Grade Teacher
# of Years at Fairmount School: 21 Years
Favorite Food or Restaurant: Jackson Ave Pub...they have the BEST burgers!
If she is not at school, you can catch Ms. Meehan on the water or camping with friends and family.
Favorite Quote: "Before you react, think. Before you spend, earn. Before you criticize, wait. Before you quit, try." -Ernest Hemingway
The best thing about working with children every day is... the pure joy they have when they learn something new and how eager they are to share their knowledge with classmates.
Lens into Learning
LTR
Wonderful Writing
Shared Reading
Number Corner
Work Places
Celebrating Students
Early Dismissal Monday
Mark your Calendars!
12.05: Happy Monday! Wear Orange! 2:00 p.m. Early Dismissal
12:09: Falcon Friday! Wear School Colors or Spiritwear! Report Cards sent home today - please check your child's backpack!
A Look Ahead...
12.19-01.02 - No School - Winter Break
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)
Below the Line
Fairmount Parent Forum
Fairmount School Parent Forum, November 2022
The presentation slides are also available on the Fairmount website on the homepage under the "I want to..." section.
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.
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