Fairmount Families Week END Report

We had a short but busy week at Fairmount! Whether students were building circuits, demonstrating positive and expected behaviors, or (finally) enjoying some sunshine, it was definitely a great one!

A friendly reminder that next week is also a four-day week for students, as Friday, February 28, is an Institute Day. Additionally, we want to give you a heads-up that we will be conducting our Severe Weather Drill next week as part of our ongoing safety procedures and required drills.

Thank you for your continued support, and have a wonderful weekend!

Sincerely,

Lisa Niforatos

Be sure to follow me on X/Twitter @Fairmount58.

Fairmount School Attendance Form

Past Newsletters

Please help us spread the word to any families and neighbors who have a child preparing to enter Kindergarten for the 2025-2026 school year. Children who will be five years old on or before Sept. 1, 2025 may attend kindergarten during the 2025-26 school year. Parents and guardians (who reside in Fairmount’s attendance area) are encouraged to call or email the Fairmount office team prior to Kindergarten Roundup to be added to any school-specific kindergarten contact lists.

For current families: If we don’t already know that you have an incoming kindergartner, contact the Fairmount office at 630.719.5830 or jderango@dg58.org and let us know! We will add you to any school-specific kindergarten contact lists.

Visit our Kindergarten Resource webpage for kindergarten resources and helpful information.

In addition, we invite our 2025-26 kindergarten families to attend Kindergarten Dual Language Information Night at El Sierra School, 6835 Fairmount Drive, on Wednesday, Feb. 26 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. This meeting will provide an overview of District 58’s Dual Language Program. No RSVP required to attend; we hope to see you there!

District 58’s Dual Language Program opens up a world of opportunities for young learners. We welcome your child to join this journey! To learn more, visit our Dual Language Program webpage.

District 58 asks families to complete 2025-26 student registration by Monday, March 31 on the PowerSchool Enrollment platform. We ask the following groups to register online:

• All returning District 58 students

• All new District 58 students

• All current District 58 students (in grades preschool through 7) who will not attend District 58 next year. You will only need to answer two questions confirming your withdrawal.

• All outplaced District 58 students (these are students who attend a special education school/program not located at a District 58 school)

• All Grove Children’s Preschool students, after receiving admittance into the preschool program

Click here to learn more, including registration links.

Our PushCoin fee system recently sent 2025-26 fee invoices to most returning students entering grades 1-8 for next school year, regardless of registration status. Please note: all students must complete registration in PowerSchool for the 2025-26 school year. Receiving a fee invoice does not indicate that registration is complete. If you are uncertain whether you completed your child's registration, please log on to your PowerSchool Enrollment account and click on "Returning Student Registration" in the left hand navigation menu to check your registration status. Thank you.

Monday, February 24th 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.

Fairmount School is focused on a handful of school improvement goals this year that involve our ELA curriculum implementation, a supportive focus on the Zones of Regulation as well as targeted goals centered around ELA/Literacy for K-2 and 3-6. Each month we will provide information in our "Home Connection to Learning" section of the newsletter focused on one of these goal areas.

The next Fun Lunch will be Friday, March 7th, provided by Al’s Catering. Orders are due by this Sunday night at https://fairmount.h1.hotlunchonline.net/ ! For a list of all upcoming lunches, or answers to frequently asked questions about Fun Lunch, visit https://www.fairmountpta.com/events/fun-lunch . If you have any additional questions or have any trouble ordering, contact Tiffany Melnyk at funlunchorders@fairmountpta.com .

Thank you to all the families who have recently started using the Box Tops app to earn money for our school when shopping! For any Box Tops app users, this month is a great time to share your referral code with family or friends who would also like to support our school - you both would earn a $5 bonus after they scan their first receipt (within 14 days of purchase)!

If you don't yet have the app, just use the QR code within the linked flyer to download. Be sure to choose Fairmount School and use referral code: MYJ35RDS

The app features monthly challenges to join, information on all products which are eligible for Box Tops earnings, and details on current Bonus Offers.

From Birthdays (or half-birthdays), Lost Teeth, Positive Behaviors and More... we love celebrating our Falcons!

We are excited to share that Rachel C. (Grade 5) from Fairmount will advance from the regional to the state level of the PTA Reflections arts recognition and achievement program. These projects will be on display at Spotlight, a state-wide Reflections celebration in May hosted by the Illinois PTA.

Through Reflections, District 58 students in kindergarten through eighth grade are invited to submit works of art in six areas: dance choreography, film production, literature, music composition, photography and visual arts. The theme for the 2024-25 year is “Accepting Imperfection.” Twenty District 58 projects are advancing to the state level.

Congratulations, Rachel!

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 two years ago and look forward to continuing it during the 2024-2025 school year. This year we have added a "school twist" for our staff.

Role at Fairmount: 1st Grade Teacher

Years at Fairmount: 6 Years

Favorite Subject in Elementary School: Math

Least Favorite Subject in Elementary School: Social Studies

Favorite Grade in School: 1st Grade

A big part of why I became a Teacher... was to help children learn and grow by making learning fun!

A memorable moment of my time in school was... in first grade we learned about other countries and took a "flight" to Mexico!

If I wasn't a teacher/didn't work in a school I would... be a chef!

02.24: Wear Orange!, Student Dismissal 2:00 p.m.

02.25: 3:00-3:45 p.m. Sign Language Club (for registered students), 3:00-3:45 p.m. Yearbook Club: Editor’s Only

02.26: 3:00-4:00 p.m. Chess Wizards (for registered students), 3:00-3:40 p.m. Student Council

02.27: 3:00-4:00 p.m. Young Rembrandts (for registered students); 3:00-3:45 p.m. 2nd/3rd Grade Spanish Club (for registered students)

02.28: Institute Day, No School Students

03.31-04.04: Spring Break - School and Office Closed

4.18.25: No School

5.23.25: Last Day of School (if no emergency days used)

2024-2025 DG58 School Calendar (PDF)

Important Calendar Highlights:

• Spring Break: March 31-April 4, 2025

• Last Day of School: Friday, May 23, 2025 (if no emergency days are used)

Please note that information BELOW this point is repeated information that has been shared in a previous newsletter(s), but is still made available here for your reference.

We are happy to welcome back Mrs. Laama to the Fairmount Office. Thank you for your patience and flexibility while we had sub coverage working with Mrs. DeRango in the front office. As of February 18, please include both Andrea Laama (alaama@dg58.org) and Jillian DeRango (jderango@dg58.org) on all office-related communications.

The Young Authors’ program celebrates the written work of children in Kindergarten through sixth grade at Fairmount School. The program's purpose is to support classroom teachers in their efforts to encourage and improve students’ abilities in writing, reading, listening, and sharing, and to recognize the accomplishments of young authors. In simple terms, your child writes a piece (poem, story, newsletter, comic...), submits it to his or her teacher, and then all the submissions will be judged for grade-level winners and school winners to be acknowledged.

Please read the parent letter below from Mrs. Stroud with additional information.

Regular school attendance is crucial for students' academic and social development. Since the pandemic, student absences have increased in schools nationwide, including in District 58.

District 58 is focused on improving student attendance and raising family awareness regarding their child's attendance. As part of this effort, all District 58 schools sent home attendance awareness letters on Friday, Jan. 31, noting the number of days students have been at school.

While ensuring your child attends school is important, we want to clarify that students should stay home when they are sick.

When determining if your child should remain home from school due to an illness, the District asks that you follow the recommendations of our local public health agencies and reference District 58's health guide. For example, your child should stay home if he or she has experienced the following symptoms within the past 24 hours: vomiting, diarrhea or a fever greater than 100. Your child may return to school if he or she has been symptom-free for 24 hours without the use of medication.

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 (anytime after 11:30 a.m.), we ask that you please call the school office (630.719.5830) as staff members may not check their emails prior to daily dismissal.

Lisa Niforatos, Principal lniforatos@dg58.org

Jillian DeRango, Secretary jderango@dg58.org

Andrea Laama, Secretary alaama@dg58.org

Website: www.dg58.org/fa/

Location: 6036 Blodgett Avenue, Downers Grove, IL, USA
Phone: 630.719.5830
Twitter/X: @Fairmount58