Fairmount Families Week END Report
12.15.2023
Happy Friday, Fairmount Families!
As we look at the week ahead, we are certainly looking forward to finishing our last school week of 2023 strong, while we also enjoy some unique celebrations, such as our school-wide movie (previously shared) as well as our annual PTA Winter Parties.
In addition, all students (and staff) are welcome to participate in the various spirit days that are being sponsored by our Student Council. The details for each day is available below for your review.
We know this is a very busy time of the year and appreciate all our families' continuing to support their child(ren) and our entire school community.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely,
Lisa Niforatos, Principal
Be sure to follow me on Twitter/X @Fairmount58.
Quick Links:
Student Council Updates
Student Council Spirt Week December 18-22
Click on the image to see all the details related to our Student Council Winter Spirit Week!
Information & Reminders
Winter Benchmarking Information
While a majority of our Winter Benchmarking will occur once we return from Winter Break, some students/grade levels will engage in AimsWeb assessments next week. This will vary by class and grade level, but we wanted to make you aware that there will be some benchmarking (specifically AimsWeb) occurring during the week of December 18th. All students will engage in NWEA MAP assessment after Winter Break.
Spoon, Forks or Sporks!
While all students are encouraged to bring their own utensils for lunch each day, we frequently provide students with spoons, forks or sporks during lunch. Our office is kindly asking for any donation of plastic spoons, forks or sporks to replenish our stock for students. There will be a bin in the Door 1 vestibule for any donations.
Mindful Club
Mindful Club will be offered to students in second and third grade. Sessions will be spent learning about mindfulness and building up a toolbox of mindful strategies. We will learn about and practice new strategies each week! Permission slips were distributed to 2nd and 3rd graders.
Please contact Annabeth Niemann (aniemann@dg58.org) or Marissa Remus (mremus@dg58.org) with any questions.
Science Fair registration opens 11/27 (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.
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 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!
Orders due 12/17 for December PTA Fun Lunch
The second December Fun Lunch is scheduled for Friday, December 22nd. Home Run Inn will provide the food and orders are due by Sunday, December 17th. 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 Mr. Jon Belonio
# of Years at Fairmount: Well, off and on within the 24 years I have been in District 58
Favorite Movie: Empire Strikes Back
Favorite Place to Go/Travel to: any comic book shop.
Favorite Dessert or Sweet Treat: Rainbow Cone ice cream
A fun or unusual fact about me is... When I'm not doing art, I like to stay active by swimming, playing basketball, and dancing.
Lens into Learning
Talk about Tuesday
Excellent Engagement
Empathy
2nd graders in Ms. Armbrust's class have been learning about empathy. It was a wonderful surpise to receive cards and kind words about the role of the principal in the school.
Fairmount MVPs - Celebrating Students
Calendar & Important Dates
Early Dismissal Monday, December 18th
Monday, December 18th 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!
Student Council Spirit Week!
12.18: 2:00 p.m. Early Dismissal; Wear Neon/Bright Colors
12.19: 3:00-4:00 p.m. Bricks 4 Kidz (for registered students); 3:00-3:40 p.m. Yearbook Club (for registered students); "Dress to Impress"
12.20: Winter White: Wear Snowflake, Glitter or White Attire
12.21: School-Wide Movie (see above); Pajama Day
12.22: PTA Winter Parties; Favorite Holiday Shirt/Sweater
12.25-01.05: Winter Break!
A Look Ahead...
01.15: No School - Martin Luther King, Jr.
02.01 & 02.07: Parent-Teacher Conferences
02.19: No School - President's Day
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: Repeated Information
Below the Line
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.
PTA Reflections - Congratulations!
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!
**Moving onto the Regional Level.
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.
Weather Reminders
As 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.
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!
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
Email: lniforatos@dg58.org
Website: www.dg58.org/fa/
Location: 6036 Blodgett Avenue, Downers Grove, IL, USA
Phone: 630.719.5830
Twitter: @Fairmount58