The BeeLine

Happy New Year!

I hope all of our Fairmont families had a wonderful winter break and that you were able to spend time with family and friends! It has been wonderful to reconnect with your children this week.

Here at Fairmont, we have started the new year with One Word for 2025. Each class has chosen their One Word to focus on throughout the rest of the school year. Ask your child what about One Word!

As you may already know, we have been offering a new related arts class called STEM taught by Ms. Amanda Watts. In STEM class, students have been working on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. So, in conjunction with our STEM class, this month we are so excited to have our first ever Fairmont STEM Night! it will be next Tuesday, January 14 from 5:00-7:00 p.m. We have many community partners who will be here with STEM stations, such as a helicopter from Northeast State, Coding activities with Streamworks, shocking science activities with Hands On Museum, and robots from Science Hill, just to name a few. Students and families will rotate to STEM stations, and then enjoy a meal donated from Johnny Brusco's together! PTA will also be helping with dessert and paper products. We are so very excited about this night and could not do it with out all of our amazing vendors, Johnny Brusco's, our wonderful PTA, and our volunteers, so thank you to them! It truly takes a village! Please come out with your students for a wonderful family engagement night on January 14 highlighting STEM!

Please continue to promote good attendance and being on time to school with your children. We are having attendance drawings each week for students who are at school that day. Attendance is vital to students' academic, social, and emotional growth!

As always, we appreciate your support of our wonderful school! Again, Happy 2025!

Dr. JoDee Dotson, Principal

Winter weather is finally here! Please make sure that students are dressed appropriately for the weather. This includes a coat every day. We try to get the students outside for recess as long as it is not too cold. Students also have to walk from the car or bus to the building in the mornings when it is the coldest part of the day. If your child is in need of warm weather gear (coats, hats, gloves, boots), please let us know.

Our school is very fortunate to have many resources to help our students. If your child needs a coat for the winter please let us know. We will discreetly provide a new coat for any student that is in need of one.

Please check text messages, emails, and voicemails for updates from the school system to communicate any schedule changes due to weather. The school district website is another reliable place to find any information about closures or delays. The website is www.jcschools.org. The local weather and radio channels also broadcast this information. We are Johnson City Schools System. Washington County and Johnson County are separate systems, and we do not follow the same schedules. The schools system works closely with the transit department to make the safest decision on closures and delays due to winter weather conditions.

• ALL medicine must be brought to the clinic by a parent. No medicine in backpacks! This includes cough drops, inhalers, etc!

• Over the counter medicine must be brought in unopened packaging and will need a medication form filled out by a parent/guardian. All RX medication must have a medication form completed by an MD (medical doctor).

Respiratory viruses- Flu, Covid, and RSV- continue to increase in Northeast Tennessee.

Respiratory illnesses present with lots of coughing and sneezing.

These illnesses are spread easily by respiratory droplets in the air or by touching contaminated surfaces.Classrooms become places where transmission is high, so it’s important to recognize signs/symptoms that may indicate illness:

• A fever greater than 100.4
• Worsening cough
• Body aches
• Extreme fatigue
• Chills
• Repeated vomiting or diarrhea

If your child is presenting with symptoms that are worsening after several days, you may need to follow up with your child’s pediatrician for further evaluation.

This is the time of year when teachers use a lot of clorox wipes and tissues. Teachers would love to have help with these items if you want to donate.

This month in guidance we will be focusing on setting goals for yourself and working on how we can successfully accomplish these goals. Teaching children to set their own goals teaches them to be responsible and helps boost their confidence. Here are some ways that you can help your child identify a goal that they would like to set.

1. Discuss their interests: Let the child choose goals that are meaningful to them.

2. Break down large goals: Divide bigger goals into smaller, more manageable steps.

3. Visualize success: Encourage the child to picture themselves achieving their goal.

4. Regular check-ins: Monitor progress and provide positive feedback

5. Celebrate achievements: Acknowledge and reward reaching milestones

We are having a weekly random drawing for students that are in attendance. Each week a random day will be chosen where there are 10 students names drawn to come to the office to chose a prize for being at school!

Please consider linking your Kroger Plus card to Fairmont PTA. By doing so, you can help us earn quarterly rewards that we then use to fund teacher grants, field trips, and much more.

Click the picture or the link to go online to Kroger.com/communityrewards. After logging in, find the Community Rewards section and search for us by name or Organization Number WX712. Thank you!

January PTA meeting/STEM Family Engagement Night will be held Tuesday, January 14. PTA meeting begins at 5:00 p.m. Following the meeting, STEM stations will be available and a free meal will be provided afterwards for everyone attending. Please come out for a night of STEM fun with your student(s)!

If you would like to become an official PTA member, you can pay $7 for membership with the following QR code/link.

Whether you become an official member or not, we strive for the involvement and supportive collaboration of all parents, guardians, and teachers, so everyone is welcome to attend our general meetings.

Please reach out to us if you have an interest in becoming a PTA Board Member this year or even next year. We may have an open position for you now or you may be able to shadow our current PTA Board Members in their duties this year for an easy transition in the future. You can email us at fairmontbuzz@gmail.com.

We would also love to hear from you if you have specials skills that could be used to support our events throughout the year. For instance, are you a handy mom, dad, or grandparent? Is your job in the STEM field? Do you own random cool stuff, such as a popcorn machine, snow cone machine, or DJ music equipment? You can email us at fairmontbuzz@gmail.com.

If your child will be absent call the office (423)434-5275 to report the absence. If we do not receive notification before 10:00 A.M, you will receive an automated call and/or text message informing you that your child's attendance is unverified, which results in an unexcused absence.

It is important that morning car line move quickly and efficiently to prevent unnecessary tardies. Please make sure your children are unbuckled and have their belongings ready to get out of the vehicle when our staff members open the door. Thank you!

If you need to change how your child will be getting home at the end of the day call the office, (423) 434-5275 BEFORE 2:00 so we can get the message to your child's teacher. Thank you!

The 2024-2025 Food City School Bucks Program runs from September 4, 2024 - May 6, 2025. Parents can link to the school of their choice beginning September 1 and points will start accumulating on September 4. Food City is making $800,000 available to participating schools to invest in classrooms, equipment, and essential supplies.

Since its inception, School Bucks has provided nearly $22 million to regional school - all with the help of community members like you.

Click the picture above to visit the website to register for the 2024-2025 School Bucks Challenge. You can also watch the video below to walk you through registration.

January 1-3 - Winter Break/No School

January 6 - Administrative Day/ No School

January 7 - Back to School for Students

January 14 - PTA/Stem Night

January 20 - Martin Luther King Jr Day/No School

Click the menu to visit the food service website for more information.