Fairmount Families Week END Report
02.24.2023
Happy Friday, Fairmount Families!
As we near the first day of March, we are busy preparing for our incoming Kindergarten class, as well as for the 2023-2024 school year. While registration has not officially opened, please assist us in our initial preparations. If your family has or is planning to move out of the Fairmount attendance area and/or your child(ren) will not be attending Fairmount next school year, please contact our school office. Additionally, please spread the word to any new neighbors that registration will be opening soon. We are excited to welcome our new families to Fairmount! Thank you for your assistance as we begin this important planning.
A friendly reminder, there is no school on Tuesday, February 28th due to the Teachers' Institute Day.
Enjoy the 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.
2023-24 registration for Grove Children’s Preschool is now open!
Will your child be 3 or 4 years old this August? Please consider applying for your child to attend Grove Children's Preschool in District 58! Grove has earned back-to-back gold ratings, which is the highest rating the State awards preschools for excellence in teaching and learning. Applications are now open at www.dg58.org/preschool. First priority applications are due Wednesday, March 8.
PTA Fun Lunch Orders Due 3/12
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 weekly Teacher Feature.
Teacher Feature - Mrs. Chick
Role at Fairmount: 6th Grade Teacher
# of Years at Fairmount School: in 1999, I did my student teaching at Fairmount in 6th grade. The following year, I was an IA in a 1st and 2nd-grade split class. I would teach one grade level while the teacher taught the other. I loved the littles! In 2001, I was hired to teach 6th, and I have been loving every year since!
Favorite Food or Restaurant: I love the Contadina salad and BBQ chicken pizza at Luccas in LaGrange.
If she is not at school, you can catch Mrs. Chick listening to the waves at sunset, spending time with family, and playing/snuggling with my Frenchie, Millie.
Favorite Quote: "The bad news is time flies. The good news is you're the pilot." — Michael Altshuler
The best thing about working with children every day is... experiencing their inquisitive nature, laughing, and watching them light up when they enjoy an activity.
Lens into Learning
Kindness in Action
Dribble It...
Classroom Creativity
Celebrating Students
3rd/4th Grade Musical - How to be a Pirate
Early Dismissal Monday
Mark your Calendars!
02.27: Happy Monday! Wear orange! 2:00 p.m. Early Dismissal
02.28: No School: Teachers' Institute Day
02.22: 3:00-3:45 p.m. Sign Language Club for Registered Students; 3:00-3:45 p.m. Reader's Theater for Registered Students
02.23: 3:00-3:45 p.m. Reader's Theater for Registered Students
03.03: Falcon Friday: Wear School Colors or Spiritwear; End of 2nd Trimester
A Look Ahead...
03.17: Report Cards sent home
03.27-03.31: No School: Spring Break
06.07: Last Day of School (if no emergency days are used)
2023-2024 School Calendar
The Board of Education approved the District 58 2023-24 school year calendar.
Highlights include:
First Day of School: Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023
Thanksgiving Break: Nov. 22-24, 2023
Winter Break: Dec. 25, 2023-Jan. 5, 2024
Spring Break: March 25-29, 2024
Last Day of School: Friday, May 24 (if no emergency days are used)
Below the Line
Thank You for Your Donations!
Last week, the Fairmount Student Council hosted a school-wide fundraiser in support of the West Suburban Humane Society. Fairmount students donated dog and cat toys, food and treats, disinfecting wipes, antibacterial soap, and paper towels. Donations were used as "votes" for a favorite Super Bowl team. While both the Eagles and Chiefs boxes were filled with donations, the "winning team" was "I'm just here for the animals!"
The West Suburban Humane Society was overwhelmed with the number of items collected at Fairmount. Thank you for your support of this important initiative!
Congratulations Solo Fest Participants!
On Saturday, February 11th, many of our 5th-8th grade students performed in D58’s Solo & Ensemble Festival at Herrick Middle School. Students have been learning their solos in weekly lessons, practicing diligently at home, and even working with a private instructor and piano accompanist outside of school. Please congratulate these band and orchestra students on their performances:
6th Grade:
Mac B.
Freddy B.
Ben G.
Marlee K.
Leah L.
Nate P.
Chloe R.
Walter S.
Ella S.
Vivi S.
Gabrielle S.
5th Grade:
Sydney B.
Naomi G.
Shannon M.
Patrick P.
Paige S.
Elizabeth S.
Katherine S.
Edie Z.
We are proud of you!
Building Bricks - Being our Best!
Our current Falcon Focus is "Being Kind". We love watching our Falcon Focus bulletin board fill up with stickers in recognition of all our students' kind actions!
Upcoming Classroom Presentations
Dear Elementary Families,
District 58’s number one priority is ensuring that all of our students and staff are safe and we continue to be thoughtful and proactive in terms of how we address these critical conversations with our community and with our staff and students. Preventing school violence is the responsibility of us all. In the weeks ahead, our school principals will be meeting with each classroom in their schools to review critical safety measures and reinforce expectations with our students. Below are the presentations and/or talking points that will be used with grade bands for your review.
3rd-6th Presentation (Will also be used as review with middle school)
We know that while these discussions are crucial to have with our children, as adults, it can be difficult to know exactly how to broach these topics with our children at home. We hope a review of the materials that we have developed will provide you with some of the terms, vocabulary, and developmental approaches that we use to support students’ understanding of these concepts. In addition, the materials provided below are from various organizations that specialize in this topic that can help you prepare for further discussions with your child.
Talking to Children about Violence: Tips for Parents and Teachers
National Association of School Psychologists
Helping Children Cope with Frightening News and How to Ask What Kids are Feeling
The Child Mind Institute
Helping Teens with Traumatic Grief: Tips for Caregivers and Assisting
Parents/Caregivers in Coping with Collective Traumas
The National Child Traumatic Stress Network
As always, our social workers and counselors can assist you in thinking through how best to tailor discussions at home for your particular child or children. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me. Preventing school violence is the responsibility of the entire community and together, we can make a difference in helping our children understand the importance of those collective efforts.
Parent/Guardian and Student Surveys (previously emailed)
To help us ensure a nurturing, supportive and child-centered learning environment for every student, we ask our parents/guardians to please participate in District 58’s annual Parent/Guardian School Environment Survey. This survey should take just a few minutes, yet the valuable input you provide will help guide the work of our principals, teachers and district administrators as they plan school improvement efforts. All responses are anonymous.
Parents may take the Parent/Guardian School Environment Survey at www.surveymonkey.com/r/2023District58Survey now through Friday, Feb. 17. The survey is also linked online at www.dg58.org/surveys. If you do not have access to the Internet, please contact your child’s school for a paper copy. If you have a child attending more than one District 58 school, please complete a separate survey for each building. We value your responses and thank you for your time and effort!
We also invite parents/guardians to take the Illinois State Board of Education’s 5Essentials Parent Survey at https://survey.5-essentials.org/illinois/ now through Friday, March 31. District 58 will receive 5Essentials Parent Survey data if 20% or more of a school’s parents/guardians participate in this survey. This survey gathers data related to five indicators that can predict important student outcomes, including improved attendance and larger test score gains. Your participation in this survey will help us understand the conditions at your child’s school and guide improvement. Your identity and survey responses will be kept confidential and will not be connected to you or your child.
In addition to the parent/guardian surveys, fourth through eighth grade students will be asked to participate in a 5Essentials Student Survey sometime between Jan. 31-March 24. If you do not wish to have your fourth through eighth grade student(s) participate, please complete this Opt-Out Form and return it to your child’s school office by Friday, Jan. 27.
The Illinois 5Essentials Survey: Organizing Schools for Improvement was developed by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE). The survey’s results will become part of the 2023 Illinois State Report Card for your child’s school. Student, staff and parent identities will be kept confidential, and responses will not be linked to any individual. To view the privacy policy related to this survey, visit https://survey.5-essentials.org/privacy. To view the 5Essentials survey that will be administered to fourth through eighth grade students, visit https://impactsurveyshelp.force.com/s/article/illinois-5essentials-survey-questions. The survey results will be used by your child’s school to inform planning.
If you have any questions about these surveys, please contact District 58 Community Relations Coordinator Megan Hewitt at mhewitt@dg58.org.
Attendance, Arrival and Dismissal Reminders
If your child is going to be absent or late to school, please call the Fairmount Office at 630.719.5830 to report his/her absence. If you call before or after office hours, you are welcome to leave attendance information on the school's voicemail. We kindly ask that you do not email attendance information to the teacher or principal.
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.
Flu Season
Please see the attached informational fact sheet from the IDPH regarding influenza. The flu is different from the common cold and can cause fever, cough, sore throat, headache, muscle aches, and vomiting. We appreciate your support in keeping your child home from school if they have a fever, are vomiting, and/or exhibiting other signs of influenza. Students are encouraged to hand wash and/or utilize hand sanitizer at school and additional surface cleaning is conducted, as well.
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).
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.
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