Fairmount Families Week END Report
12.01.2023
Happy Friday, Fairmount Families!
Welcome December!
It is incredible to believe that we have already reached the month of December. We have accomplished so many things this school year thus far and I continue to be extremely proud of the hard work shown by our students and staff every day.
As we welcome the month of December and both winter and varying weather, please review the information shared below to ensure your student(s) is prepared for outdoors each day at Fairmount.
I did want to take a moment to share that Jill Darrah, Fairmount's part-time secretary, will be leaving Fairmount on December 6th. This is, of course, bittersweet as she is an integral part of our office and school, but we are excited for her new professional endeavor. With that, please be sure to include Jillian DeRango (jderango@dg58.org) on any office communications.
Also, please review the PTA section below for information regarding a change to the upcoming PTA meeting. Please contact pres.fairmount.pta@gmail.com if you have any questions regarding the upcoming meeting.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely,
Lisa Niforatos, Principal
Be sure to follow me on Twitter/X @Fairmount58.
Quick Links:
Dismissal Reminder
Thank you to everyone for your assistance and patience at dismissal each day. Just a friendly reminder, please avoid the front walkway if possible when dismissing as a walker out of the kindergarten door, door 3 or door 4. By walking around the back of the building, we avoid a potential bottleneck of students and staff at the front entrance. This often causes safety concerns as we try to navigate the car line, bus, and after care dismissal. Thank you for your help keeping our students safe!
Student Council Updates
Information & Reminders
Science Fair registration now open (previously in Communicate 58)
Students in grades 1-6 are invited to participate in the Science Fair this winter! Registration will be open Monday, Nov. 27 through Friday, Dec. 22. To register for this year’s Science Fair, use this Registration Form. The Science Fair will take place Saturday, Jan. 20 from 8-11 a.m. at O’Neill Middle School. The fair is open to all District 58 students in grades 1-6. Participating in the Science Fair is voluntary, but District 58 encourages every student to consider participating! Students may register as an individual or with one partner. More details can be found here.
Weather Reminders
As we enter the month of December and have now experienced our first snowfall of the year, we wanted to share a few important reminders regarding outdoor gear to help support students during their recess and playtime outside.
Students will go outside, weather permitting, each day. In the event of inclement weather or the combined temperature and wind chill is below 0 degrees and/or if the conditions outside do not support safe play (e.g. extreme ice) students will take part in indoor recess.
It is important that students come prepared for outdoor weather each day. We certainly know that the weather can vary significantly at this time of year, so students are encouraged to have a “gear bag” that includes hats, gloves, snow pants, and snow/winter boots. Thank you, in advance, for writing your child’s name on all of their gear to support finding lost items.
In the event of snowfall/accumulated snow on the ground, students MUST have both snow pants and snow boots to play in the snow. This includes being on the field/grass area. While students do not need snow pants to play on the playground equipment, they do need to have snow boots in order to access the playground area.
If your family faces hardship in purchasing/securing winter gear, please contact Jen (Glynn) Mejdrech (jglynn@dg58.org) or Lisa Niforatos (lniforatos@dg58.org) for assistance.
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.
District 58 shares e-learning plan and winter weather school closing procedures (previously shared in Communicate 58)
If inclement winter weather prompts District 58 to close its schools and facilities this year, the District will notify families and staff as soon as possible using a variety of communication tools. Please note, extreme weather is very unpredictable, and the decision to close schools is typically not able to be made until the morning of the event. District 58 will only send a message if schools will be closed. Otherwise, the day will proceed as usual. District 58 anticipates that most inclement weather "snow days" will be e-learning days.
If schools cannot be open due to inclement weather, District 58 will have the option to declare an emergency day (also known as “snow day”) or an e-learning day. The Board of Education has approved an e-learning plan that allows District 58 to use e-learning days in lieu of emergency days. As communicated previously, because of construction plans this summer and the need to maximize that time for construction, it is more likely that District 58 will prioritize an e-learning day in lieu of an emergency day (“snow day”). An e-learning day does not need to be made up in June. However, students are required to participate in e-learning from home in order to earn credit for the school day. If District 58 uses a traditional emergency day, that day will need to be made up in June. Read more about winter weather procedures.
School Improvement Focus
Do you know about Dreambox?
This year our school improvement goal is focused on utilizing the Bridges curriculum and tailored small group instruction. Dreambox is an app that your child can access through their Clever account to continue working on this goal at home. Please encourage your child to access this individualized math tool at home. We understand that it can be challenging not to assist your child while they are working at home, but it is important that this application is used independently in order for your child to receive the appropriate support and instruction.
Schoolwide Reward - Whole School Movie!
We are excited to share that the students collectively earned their schoolwide reward during the month of November. They have once again filled our "Star Jar" as students continue to demonstrate respectful, responsible and safe behaviors both in and out of the classroom.
On Thursday, December 21st, students will watch the movie, Inside Out, which will be done as a grade level buddy activity. While this movie is a reward, it is also one that focuses on identifying emotions and how our bodies may respond when we have strong feelings.
If you do not want your child to participate in this schoolwide viewing, please email your child's teacher by Monday, December 18th, so we can plan for an alternative activity during this time.
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!
PTA Meeting Date and Format Change
The PTA meeting date for next week has been changed. This meeting will also occur via Google Meet. Please see the information below for the date change as well as to access the Google Meet:
December Fairmount PTA meeting
Thursday, December 7 · 7:00 – 8:00pm
Google Meet joining info
Video call link: https://meet.google.com/wpv-otmq-vdy
PTA Reflections: Fairmount Students advance to the Dupage East Council level!
Congratulations to the following students who are moving on to the DuPage East Council level:
Brooklyn Aycock (with assistance of Edith Zimolzak, Katherine Susmarski, and Danielle Cox), Music Composition - "Taller Than Trees"
Kate Hettinger, Visual Art - "Spending Time With My Family and Friends"
Jessica Fischer, Literature - "The Hopeful Adventure to the Quaren Kingdom"
Elizabeth Lewandowski, Visual Arts "Me and My BFF"
We are so proud of your hard work and creativity!
Orders due 12/3 for December PTA Fun Lunch
While the students will enjoy Home Run Inn on Tuesday, November 21st, we are busy preparing for the first December Fun Lunch, which is scheduled for Friday, December 8th. Cozzi Corner will provide the food and orders are due by Sunday, December 3rd. The ordering platform is now open. All meals are $5.00, and you can order for the remainder of the school year, if you wish. Contact Tiffany Melnyk at tiffanyjoy21@gmail.com with any questions about ordering, forgotten login information, or setting up an account.
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 Ms. Annabeth Niemann
# of Years at Fairmount: This is my 7th year!
Favorite Movie: The Parent Trap
Favorite Place to Go/Travel to: Maui
Favorite Dessert or Sweet Treat: Cheesecake
A fun or unusual fact about me is... I lived in Spain for a month during college
Lens into Learning
Peer Collaboration
Talk about Tuesday 11.21
Talk about Tuesday 11.28
Talk about Tuesday (11/28) was done by Mrs. Micele's Kindergarten students. They created a wonderful video and did an awesome job introducing their announcements too!
Bowl Game
Work Places
Fairmount MVPs - Celebrating Students
Calendar & Important Dates
Early Dismissal Monday, December 4th
Monday, December 4th 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!
12.04: Wear Orange! 2:00 p.m. Early Dismissal
12.05: 3:00-4:00 p.m. Bricks 4 Kidz (for registered students); 6:00 p.m. PTA Reflections at O'Neill
12.07: 7:00 p.m. Fairmount PTA Meeting (Virtual) - Please note date and format change!
12.08: Falcon Friday! Wear spirit wear or school colors; PTA Fun Lunch!
A Look Ahead...
12.25-01.05: Winter Break
2023-2024 School Calendar - Updated
Spring Break: March 25-29, 2024
Last Day of School: Tuesday, May 29, 2024 (if no additional emergency days are used)
Below the Line
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
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