Fairmount Families Week END Report

Happy Friday, Fairmount Families!

We had a wonderFULL week and the energy excitement throughout the building has truly been fantastic. We kicked off this week with our 1st Monthly Matters Assembly of the School Year where we reviewed important expectations centering around being responsible, respectful and safe in and out of the classroom. Additionally, we will be collectively working toward our first School-Wide Reward/Celebration as we aim to fill the Fairmount Star Jar.

I know getting back into the swing of things with a new school year is an adjustment for all but I am beyond proud of our students and staff for their incredible work this week. Additionally, I would like to thank all of our families for their patience and support as our carline, bus routes and other procedures become more familiar to everyone.

Fairmount's Curriculum Night is next week, Wednesday, August 28th. Please see the information below for times specific to your child(ren)'s grade level presentations. We look forward to seeing our parents/guardians for what I hope you find to be an informative evening.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Sincerely,

Lisa Niforatos

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

Fairmount School Attendance Form

Past Newsletters

2024-2025 DG58 School Calendar (PDF)

As we wrap-up our first full week of school, we wanted to send a few quick reminders about bussing to continue to support things running as smoothly as possible for our bus riders:

-As everyone adjusts to the routes and overall procedures for the bus, it is important to recognize that routes may be a little behind and/or ahead of schedule. Please be sure to allow five minutes on both sides of your route pick-up and drop off time as everyone adapts to their new routes and routines.

-Kindergarten students riding the bus will only be released at their stop if there is a parent/guardian or responsible adult to pick them up per First Student.

-If you child rides the bus, please remind them of the importance of staying in their seat and being safe on the bus. Our staff support this each day before student departure and appreciate your help with this at home as well.

The District 58 Instrumental Music teachers are excited to launch a new school year in BAND and ORCHESTRA and begin making music together again soon! We look forward to seeing returning students and also are thrilled to continue our work with the over 300 beginner instrumentalists who started their musical journey during our summer jumpstart program!

In-school lessons will be starting at each elementary school the week of Sep. 3rd. Once we have established this routine, students will also participate in weekly after-school rehearsals to prepare for their concerts! Please watch for an email from your student’s orchestra or band teacher with details about lesson and rehearsal schedules. Click here to meet your band and orchestra teachers - we look forward to seeing you soon!

Students and staff at Fairmount will be engaging in various safety drills over the next few weeks including: fire drill (with and without the DGFD), bus evacuation drill (with First Student), and active threat drill (with and without the DGPD).

Please know that all of the drills above will be announced to students and staff ahead of time, so everyone will be aware of the drill/practice. Additionally, teachers and staff will provide grade-level appropriate follow-up with their classes and ensure students are supported before, during, and after each safety drill.

This week students and staff will engage in the following:

Tuesday, August 27th - Fire Drill

Students did a wonderful job engaging in Fall Benchmark assessments this week. As we move into next week assessments will continue for students who were absent or need to complete their tests.

This is an important reminder that Monday, August 26th is a 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.

Elementary School Food Service

Elementary schools provide pre-ordered boxed lunches for students, through www.MyMealOrder.com. Lunches cost $4.60. Click here to learn more. Elementary boxed lunches will be offered starting the week of Aug. 26. Orders must be submitted by Aug. 22 to receive boxed lunch the week of Aug. 26.

In addition, elementary students may sign up to receive daily milk for $53 (which is 30 cents per day). Families should complete this Elementary Milk Order Form to sign their child up for milk. This is separate from the boxed lunch option. The $53 milk fee will be posted to the student's PushCoin account next month.

Free and Reduced Meals and Milk

District 58 provides free and reduced-cost meals and milk to students who qualify and apply. These meals will be provided starting the first day of school.

Please visit District 58's Food Services webpage for more information.

District 58's successful 2022 referendum provided funding to install air-conditioning at the 11 elementary schools that lacked a centralized cooling system. This summer, crews upgraded electrical systems and installed air-conditioning at the four Phase I elementary schools and partially installed it at the two middle schools.

In the meantime, several schools are not fully air-conditioned, and schools can get hot. To alleviate the heat, our schools use their resources and building spaces wisely to provide heat relief for students and staff on hot days. Please click here to learn some of the ways our schools keep students and staff cool on hot days.

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.

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

Fairmount's Curriculum Night is this Wednesday, August 28th. Each grade level will have two presentations to allow for those with multiple children to attend across multiple grade levels. Please note the presentation times:

6:00-6:25 p.m. Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd Grade Presentations

6:30-6:55 p.m. Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th Grade Presentations

7:00-7:25 p.m. 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th Grade Presentations

Please note that Curriculum Night is intended for parents/guardians. We look forward to partnering with you!

For the past two years we have "featured" our teachers (and staff) in our weekly family newsletter in an effort for our parents and families to learn more about our amazing Fairmount staff. We will continue this tradition for the 24-25 school year, so be sure to check-out this section which will begin in next week's newsletter. This year's feature will focus on our staff's own school experience and MAY even include some photos from our own school days.

08.26: Student Dismissal at 2:00 p.m. (Professional Learning Monday)

08.27: Fire Drill

08.28: 6:00-7:30 Curriculum Night (see details above)

08.30: Falcon Friday: Wear School Colors or Fairmount Gear

09.02: No School - Labor Day

09.11: PTA Meeting (at Fairmount) 7:00 p.m.

09.12: School Picture Day (Details coming soon!)

09.13-09.14: Education Foundation Oktoberfest (Click HERE for more information)

2024-2025 DG58 School Calendar (PDF)

Important Calendar Highlights:

• Thanksgiving Break: Nov. 27-29, 2024

• Winter Break: Dec. 21, 2024 -Jan. 5, 2025

• Spring Break: March 31-April 4, 2025

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

We are fortunate to offer a variety of clubs at Fairmount. These include both teacher/staff sponsored clubs as well as clubs offered by outside organizations. Clubs will occur at various points throughout the school year, so please watch for sign-up/enrollment opportunities in future newsletters as the school year progresses. In addition to some returning clubs, we will have new clubs offered throughout the year as well. Chess Wizards is a returning outside club and enrollment information is included below.

This year’s theme is “Accepting Imperfection” students may start projects at any time and enter into the following categories: Dance Choreography, Film Production, Literature, Music Composition, Photography, Visual Arts, Special Artists. More information regarding deadlines will come at the start of the school year. Like to Council's website https://sites.google.com/view/dupageeastcouncilsite/home

*The website is being worked on to reflect this year’s theme. If you have questions please email reflectionsfairmount@gmail.com

Fairmount is also in need of volunteers to run the Reflection's program at the school level. If you are interested in learning more please come to the PTA’s Falcon Fest on August 16th from 5-6:30 at Fairmount School.

Important Note: The current "Below the Line" includes all of the information that was shared in last week's newsletter. Recognizing that it was a lot of information, it will be available for another week or two. Please be sure to review any and all information to support the initial weeks of the school year.

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.

Students may arrive at Fairmount School beginning at 8:05 a.m. each day when adult supervision begins. In order to assist with a timely and safe arrival process, the school playground will be closed before school. Upon arrival, students should line up by their assigned door. Students will be directed to enter the building beginning at 8:15 am. Anyone arriving after 8:15 a.m. should enter through Door One.

Following daily dismissal at Fairmount School (2:00 p.m. on Monday and 3:00 p.m. Tuesday through Friday), all students who are not scheduled to remain in the building must leave the school grounds and check in at their destination as there is no supervision on school grounds after school hours. We want to ensure the safety of all students.

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. You can also report your child's absence on THIS FORM. 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 (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.

Even if your child(ren) will not be utilizing the Car Line at Fairmount, we kindly ask all families to review the information below as some information may pertain to your child's arrival/dismissal plan.

Thank you for your patience, especially during the first weeks of school as everyone adjusts to the arrival and dismissal routine. We appreciate everyone's support to ensure our arrival and dismissal process runs smoothly and safely for all students.

Please note: There is no student drop-off or pick-up on Blodgett. This not only aids in the flow of our daily carline but ensures that all students and drivers can arrive and dismiss from Fairmount safely. Additionally, cars accessing our carline will “line up” on the west side of Blodgett to fluidly enter and exit the Fairmount drop zones. Additionally, there is no parking (indicated by signs) on areas of Blodgett during both student arrival and dismissal.

Please see the diagram below for car line details. The car line queue will form on Blodgett facing south only. Cars may not enter the car line if traveling north on Blodgett. Cars will begin entering the parking lot (in a single line) at 8:05 a.m. for arrival and 2:50 p.m. for dismissal (1:50 p.m. on Mondays).

The cars should stay within the marked yellow solid lines in the Fairmount lot; cars may not pass one another. There will be four drop zones within the parking lot, and staff will be present to assist. Drivers are asked to follow the prompts of the staff members and pull up to the furthest available drop zone. Students should only exit and enter from the passenger side of the vehicle, and drivers should not exit their vehicles. After unloading at arrival, students will walk to their assigned arrival door.

Cars accessing the car line at dismissal are asked to have the pink "Car Line Sign" visible on the passenger side window to assist with the dismissal process. This sign will be available at the Move-In/Meet the Teacher event and will also be available in the entryway vestibule.

To support the flow of the car line, families and students who are arriving or dismissing at Fairmount as walkers are asked to walk behind/around the building to avoid crowding the sidewalk in front of the building.

Important Notes:

• The car line should only be used for student drop-off and pick-up. If you would like to walk your child to and from their arrival/dismissal door, please do not use the car line, as parking is not allowed in the school parking lot during arrival or dismissal.
• Parking will not be allowed during the posted times on Blodgett to support our car line as well as student bussing (7:00-9:00 a.m. and 1:00-4:00 p.m.).

If your child is a bus rider, you may now access 2024-25 general education bus routes online at www.dg58.org/family-resources/bus-routes or on your PowerSchool parent account (instructions are on the bus route webpage). Families whose children use specialized bus routes will be directly contacted by the bus company/bus driver with their bus pickup and dropoff information starting Monday, Aug. 12.

Taking the bus is an exciting time for students, and we have worked hard to ensure our students are on a bus route and ready to go. However, there may be some students who recently registered or who did not select transportation during enrollment that may not have a bus stop assigned to them. We are working to update our records. If you signed up for general education bus service and your child’s bus stop is either missing or inaccurate on PowerSchool, please do two things:

1. Look at your school’s bus routes and determine the closest stop to your house. Your child should use that stop and will be allowed on the bus.

2. Please email or call your school office and let them know. We will be working with the bus company to update PowerSchool student accounts with the correct bus route and stop.

If your child rides on a specialized bus route and you don’t receive a call from the bus company or bus driver by Wednesday, Aug. 14 by 3 p.m., please contact your case manager or Special Services Secretary Amy Dunbar at adunbar@dg58.org or 630-719-5824.

District 58 requests that students please arrive at their bus stops a few minutes early during the first weeks of school. As bus drivers get acquainted with new routes, it is likely that some routes may run early or late, and we may adjust bus stop times as needed. Any student who arrives late due to a delayed bus will be excused. We appreciate your patience and flexibility!

There are many times throughout the year parents and guests may visit Fairmount during school hours. Please know that all visitors (even when we recognize you) will be asked to do the following prior to entering our school:

1. Press button to alert office staff

2. Identify yourself by name and provide the reason for your visit

3. Upon entry, proceed directly to the office for further direction

District 58 utilizes the Raptor Visitor Management System in all of our schools. This system allows us to screen visitors, contractors, and volunteers in our schools and know who is in our building at all times.

Upon entering Fairmount, visitors will be asked to present photo identification, such as a Driver’s License, which can either be scanned or manually entered into the system. If a parent or guardian for any reason does not have a US government-issued ID, the school staff member can use any form of identification and manually enter the person’s name into the Raptor system. The Raptor system checks the visitor's name and date of birth for comparison with a national database of registered sex offenders. The registered sex offender database is the only official database checked by the Raptor system. No other data from the ID is gathered or recorded and the information is not shared with any outside agency. Once entry is approved, Raptor will issue a badge that identifies the visitor, the date, and the purpose of his/her visit. A visitor’s badge will not be necessary for those who drop off an item in the office/entry vestibule.

The safety of our students is our highest priority and the Raptor visitor management system allows us to quickly identify those that may present a danger to our students. We appreciate your understanding and support in enhancing school safety protocols in our district.

We recognize that students may forget items at home from time to time. We appreciate your support in only dropping off items that are essential for your child to navigate their school day (e.g. forgotten lunch, iPad).

For your convenience and to ensure the safety of all in the building, any items needing to be dropped off throughout the school day can be left on the table in the entryway vestibule. Please write your child's name and teacher on the item and a staff member will deliver this as soon as possible. Please note: medication of any kind should not be left in the vestibule.

While a student can bring their electronic device (including cell phones and AirPods) to school, all non-district-issued technologies are to be silenced and out of sight throughout the school day. Students are allowed to wear smartwatches, but they are to be silenced (or on school mode) during the school day. The district-provided technology will be utilized for students to participate in lessons and complete assignments. We appreciate you reviewing these expectations with your children in support of their learning.

We appreciate your support in not texting or calling your child during the school day. The office staff will support any needed communication between you and your child throughout the day if/when needed.

Please make sure your child has a snack each day. Snack breaks should consist of nutritious food choices such as fruits, vegetables, and other portable snacks. This aligns with Policy 6:50. The health and safety of our students are our highest priorities. Therefore certain snacks or foods may be prohibited in your child’s classroom due to food allergies.

During the 2024-2025 school year, we will continue to "show our orange" on Monday. Everyone is welcome to join the staff in wearing orange to support our district's focus on positive psychology.

Don't forget to show your school spirit every Friday at Fairmount! Students are welcome to wear school colors or spiritwear.

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