Fairmount Families Week END Report
04.12.2024
Happy Friday, Fairmount Families!
It was a busy week at Fairmount! In addition to completing our scheduled IAR testing, our 6th graders traveled to Oregon, Illinois for their outdoor education experience and all students participated in our April Monthly Matters assembly, which focused on the Zones of Regulation (see detailed letter below).
Thank you to all of our families who have completed the registration process for their child(ren). This is tremendously helpful as we prepare for the 2024-2025 school year. Our school office will continue to be in contact with any families who have not completed their registration and are happy to support the process when and where needed.
It looks like the sun is scheduled to shine this weekend and I hope you all have an opportunity to enjoy what looks like great spring weather!
Sincerely,
Lisa Niforatos, Principal
Be sure to follow me on Twitter/X @Fairmount58.
Quick Links:
Zones of Regulation
The staff at Fairmount School will begin implementing The Zones of Regulation™ curriculum (or “The Zones” for short), which are lessons and activities designed to help students gain skills in the area of self-regulation. Self-regulation can go by many names, such as self-control, self-management, and impulse control. It is defined as the best state of alertness of both the body and emotions for a specific situation. The lessons and learning activities are designed to help the students recognize when they are in the different Zones as well as learn how to use strategies to change or stay in the Zone they are in. In addition to addressing self-regulation, the students will gain an increased vocabulary of emotional terms, skills in reading other people’s facial expressions, perspective about how others see and react to their behavior, insight into events that trigger their behavior, calming and alerting strategies, and problem-solving skills.
A critical aspect of this curriculum is that all team members know and understand The Zones language. This creates a comfortable and supportive environment for the student to practice their self-regulation skills. It also helps the student learn the skills more quickly and be more likely to apply them in many situations. You can support the student during this process by doing the following:
Use the language and talk about the concepts of The Zones as they apply to you in a variety of environments. Make comments aloud so the student understands it is natural that we all experience the different Zones and use strategies to control (or regulate) ourselves. For example, “This is really frustrating me and making me go into the Yellow Zone. I need to use a tool to calm down. I will take some deep breaths.”
Help the student gain awareness of his or her Zones and feelings by pointing out your observations.
Validate what Zone your students are in and help them brainstorm expected ways to self-regulate so their behavior is expected for the context.
Share with the student how his or her behavior is affecting the Zone you are in and how you feel.
Help the student become comfortable using the language to communicate his or her feelings and needs by encouraging the student to share his or her Zone with you.
Show interest in learning about the student’s triggers and Zones tools. Ask the student if he or she wants reminders to use these tools and how you should present these reminders.
Ask the student to frequently share his or her Zones Folder with you and talk about what he or she has learned.
Make sure to positively reinforce students for recognizing their Zone and managing their behaviors while in it, rather than only pointing out when students are demonstrating unexpected behaviors while in a Zone.
It is important to note that everyone experiences all of the Zones—the Red and Yellow Zones are not the “bad” or “naughty” Zones. All of the Zones are expected at one time or another. The Zones of Regulation is intended to be neutral and not communicate judgment.
Information & Reminders
Run Club
Please click on the link below for information regarding Run Club, which is being offered to 2nd through 6th-grade students. Fairmount’s Run Club will occur after school (3:00-3:45) where students will walk or run a pre-marked course in the grass. They will track their laps to see how far they can run during the spring session. Sign up closes on Friday, April 26th at 3:00pm.
Please contact Colleen Brejcha (cbrejcha@dg58.org) or Annabeth Niemann (aniemann@dg58.org) with any Run Club questions.
Please register by April 8th!
Families who have not yet registered their child(ren) for the coming year are encouraged to do so as soon as possible. Our school office will continue to be in contact with any families who have not completed their registration and are happy to support the process when and where needed.
Timely registration is very important to us. It allows us to know how many students will be in each grade level and in each school, and allows us to plan for the number of teachers and support staff needed.
Click here to register. Please call the school if you have questions.
DG58 Instrumentatl Music Information
Please click the link below for information related to DG58's Instrumental Music Programs.
IAR Testing
Scheduled IAR testing is complete, however, make-up testing, where needed, will continue into next week. Thank you for your continued support throughout our scheduled testing window.
Please read this letter from Assistant Superintendent Liz Ehrhart about these tests and ways to help support your student.
District 58 Students - Library Cards (previously emailed)
The Downers Grove Public Library’s (DGPL) Student Library Card program will make library cards available to all students in District 58 as part of an intergovernmental agreement recently signed between the two entities.
If you registered for the 2024-2025 school year prior to this option being available, your child is set to receive a library card as it defaulted to "yes."
CLICK HERE for additional information.
24/7 Varsity Tutors
You already know that the Downers Grove Grade School District has partnered with the DuPage County ROE to offer all students free homework assistance through the Varsity Tutor app. Did you know that Varsity Tutor also offers on-demand essay reviews? This support is available on your child's device. Navigate to Clever and select the Varsity Tutor app. It's that simple!
1st and 2nd Grade Music Performance
Our 1st and 2nd Grade music performance will be held on Thursday April 18th at 6:00 p.m. 1st and 2nd grade families received a communication from Mr. Williams in February with additional details. If you have additional questions regarding this upcoming performance, please contact Mr. Williams at josephwilliams@dg58.org.
PUNS Training
Have you ever wondered what the PUNS brochure is all about? It's that piece of paper that prints with every IEP that we are required to share with families annually. Two of DG58's very own parents of students with special needs are pairing up to educate other families about their experience working through the PUNS system. Please consider attending one of their sessions if your schedule allows. We can help better educate our families as more informed consumers.
Save the Date - Spring & End of the Year Events
More information to come on all of the following, but please Save the Date for these Spring and End of the Year events at Fairmount.
Fairmount Open House 2024
Fairmount Open House will be on Thursday, April 25th from 6:00-7:30 p.m. This year, our PTA will be hosting a STEAM Night during Open House hours in the gym. This will be a wonderful evening to visit your child's classroom, see other learning spaces AND check-out STEM Night!
Fairmount PTA
Fairmount PTA
Fairmount is lucky to have a very active PTA. We encourage all parents/guardians to join the PTA. Please see the the PTA website for detailed information related to membership, events, and to subscribe to the weekly Falcon Flyer. We also encourage you to visit the events page on the PTA website to view all upcoming and ongoing events hosted by the PTA. As always, thank you to our wonderful PTA!
April Fun Lunch
The order deadline for Friday's Fun Lunch has passed, but you can still order for the final Fun Lunch of the school year! The May 3rd lunch (special Breakfast for Lunch edition!) will be provided by Al's, and orders are due by Sunday, April 28th. Order at https://fairmount.h1.hotlunchonline.net .
Contact Tiffany Melnyk at tiffanyjoy21@gmail.com with any questions.
Teacher Feature
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 started this section last school year and look forward to continuing it during the 2023-2024 school year. Our teachers and staff have been asked new questions, so you can learn even more about them.
Meet Mrs. DeRango
Role at Fairmount: Secretary
# of Years at Fairmount: 3rd Year
Favorite Movie: Fried Green Tomatoes
Favorite Place to Go/Travel to: Our Family's Camper
Favorite Dessert or Sweet Treat: Ice Cream
A fun or unusual fact about me is... I am a licensed cosmetologist!
Lens into Learning
Grade 6 Outdoor Education
Talk about Tuesday
Shout-out to Ms. Remus' class for their terrific Talk about Tuesday announcements this week.
Marvelous Math: Part I
Marvelous Math: Part II
... they also did a fantastic job during their small group math instruction!
Upstander!
6th grade students in Mrs. Chick's class did an excellent job when learning about the importance of being an upstander!
Fairmount MVPs - Celebrating Students
Calendar & Important Dates
Early Dismissal Monday, April 15th
Monday, April 15th is our next Professional Learning Monday. 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. each Monday.
Mark your Calendars!
IAR Testing 3rd-6th Grade: Make-Up Testing
04.15: Happy Monday! Wear Orange; 2:00 p.m. Student Dismissal
04.16: Yearbook Meeting for Registered Students
04.17: Chess Wizards for Registered Students
04.18: 1st and 2nd Grade Music Performance 6:00 p.m. (see details from Mr. Williams)
04.19: Falcon Friday - Wear School Colors or Spiritwear
A Look Ahead...
04.25: Fairmount Open House and PTA STEAM Night
05.27: Memorial Day - No School!
05.28: Save the Date: 2024 FIeld Day
05.29: Last Day for Students (Half Day); Grade 6 Clap-Out
2023-2024 School Calendar - Updated
Last Day of School: Wednesday, May 29, 2024 (if no additional emergency days are used)
Below the Line: Repeated Information
Below the Line
Young Authors
We are so proud of all of the students who participated in Young Authors.
Congratulations to the following winners:
Kindergarten: Brielle M.
1st Grade: Lyla N.
2nd Grade: Vivian H.
3rd Grade: Gracyn N. and Sydney D.
4th Grade: Rowan N.
5th Grade: Nora D.
6th Grade: Edith Z.
School Winner: Sophie D. - 4th Grade
Summer School Registration is Now Open!
Please click on the link below to access information about DG58 Summer School opportunities:
Kindergarten Information for 2024-2025
Thank you for helping us spread the word to any neighbors who have a child preparing to enter Kindergarten for the 2024-2025 school year. The information linked below has been emailed to current Fairmount families with future Kindergarteners (based on siblings) as well as those that have contacted our office for information.
Kids Heart Challenge Last Call
WOW! Our Kids Heart Challenge will be wrapping up shortly and we are so proud of the involvement
so far! A special thank you to the students who have registered and completed Finn’s Mission. For
those who have not yet, we’d love for you to join.
All you have to do is click this link to register!
Please contact Mr. Zieman (rzieman@dg58.org) with any questions.
Construction begins in District 58
Construction begins at many District 58 schools over spring break. To keep parents apprised of construction progress, updates will be provided on our website here, including progress dashboards of our middle schools.
If you’d like to learn more about spring break work in the District, click here.
Helping Children Grow Award
Congratulations to 5th Graders, Thanu Sri and Jeanette, who were recognized by the Grove Foundation and awarded the Helping Children Grow Award. We are so proud of the hard work, kindness and perseverance these two falcons show in and out of the classroom.
Lost and Found
A friendly reminder that our Lost and Found is conveniently located in the entryway vestibule so parents/guardians can access this in the morning before school, during the school day and/or after school.
We encourage families and students to check-out the Lost and Found prior to Spring Break. We will be donating any unclaimed or unmarked items to a local charity at the end of next week.
Grove Children’s Preschool
Grove Children’s Preschool tuition applications for the 2024-25 school year are opened. (www.dg58.org/preschool). First-priority preschool applications are due Monday, March 11.
Grove Children’s Preschool is located at Henry Puffer School and Indian Trail School (6235 Stonewall Ave.) in Downers Grove. Students attend school five days per week during either a morning or an afternoon session.
Referral GPS
District 58 strives to create a culture of well-being for students, parents, staff and community. To further support this endeavor, the District has invested in an additional support service through ReferralGPS.
ReferralGPS is a service providing assistance to our community in finding local mental health and substance use-related treatment resources. The service compliments the District’s existing systems of support as a tool for student service teams and families to connect with treatment. Along with a searchable database of treatment options, ReferralGPS assists families in triage and appointment setting.
School district staff and families may access ReferralGPS in two ways:
Contact Student Services (social workers, psychologists, counselors) to seek out treatment options
Visit this link at https://referralgps.com/find-help/DG58 to search for treatment resources or connect with a Care Navigator anonymously
The platform has the ability to filter by mental health concern, clinician gender/specialty, location, and insurance acceptance. The service is available for all types of private and public insurance options including PPO, HMO, Medicaid, and families that are uninsured or underinsured.
ReferralGPS is available for use by district students, staff, and families at no cost. All information entered on the ReferralGPS tool is completely confidential and securely stored.
Safe to Help
- Click here to connect with Safe2Help Illinois. Students can contact Safe2Help Illinois to safely and confidentially report a crisis or threat involving themselves or someone they know. Safe2Help is monitored 24/7 by trained crisis professionals. District 58 staff will receive an alert after the Safe2Help professional provides support. Through Safe2Help, students can report a crisis or threat through 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
- Call or text "988" and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline will provide 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones.
- Text “ACT” to 741741: The National Crisis Text line will connect you with free, confidential assistance.
Fairmount Office Contact Information
Lisa Niforatos, Principal lniforatos@dg58.org
Jill DeRango, Secretary jderango@dg58.org
Andrea Laama, Secretary alaama@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