Fairmount Families Week END Report

Good Morning, Fairmount Families!

The first day of school is officially here and we cannot wait to welcome each and every one of our falcons to school this morning. We are beyond grateful for the amazing turnout we had at our Move-In/Meet the Teacher event earlier this week and I truly look forward to partnering with you this year.

As I shared last week, I am currently en route to move my oldest daughter into her first year of college and, therefore, will not be at Fairmount today for our first day of school. Should you need immediate assistance today, please call Andrea Laama or Jill DeRango in the school office (630-719-5830) and they will contact the appropriate person to provide further support.

Please find within this week's newsletter information about the upcoming week, including information about our Fall Benchmarking, important reminders and upcoming dates and events.

Wishing everyone a very happy first day and 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)

Fall Benchmarking will begin for a majority of our students on Tuesday, August 20th. Please see details under the "Important Dates" section of the newsletter (below) for additional information on the grade levels testing each day. In addition to the NWEA MAP assessment (Reading/ELA and Math) AimsWeb testing will also occur throughout the week. For our Kindergarten and new families, please note there is nothing you or your child need to do to prepare for these assessments.

This is an important reminder that Monday, August 19th begins our 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.

We were excited to welcome our 6th graders to Fairmount earlier this week to participate in some Pre-Ambassador/Leadership work. 6th Grade students have the opportunity to be Student Ambassadors, which include various leadership opportunities throughout the year. This particular group of students were involved in creating videos that will be used for our recess expectation presentation to kick-off the new school year.

It was wonderful to have our hallways filled with our Falcons (and their families) during our Move-In/Meet the Teacher event on Tuesday. Please enjoy the photos below and look for 1st Day of School Photos in next Friday's newsletter.

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

08.20: 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th Grade MAP Testing

08.21: 1st, 2nd, 5th and 6th Grade MAP Testing

08.22: Kindergarten, 3rd and 4th Grade MAP Testing

08.23: Kindergarten and Make-Up/Completion MAP Testing

08.28: Fairmount Curriculum Night 6:00-7:30 p.m.

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.

Thank you to our amazing PTA and families who welcomed our teachers and staff back to Fairmount with the Rolling Bean Coffee Cart as well as a delicious staff lunch. We are so fortunate to have a PTA who supports our students, staff and families in so many wonderful ways.

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.

The Fairmount PTA invites 2024/25 Falcon Families to join us on the Fairmount blacktop on August 16th at 5pm to kick off the school year. Meet new friends or get a chance to see familiar school friends. Learn about the PTA and sign up for fun volunteer opportunities if you would like. Our spirit wear vendor will be onsite selling product. A Kona Ice Truck will be onsite and will give the PTA 20% back from any purchases. Current Fairmount students will be able to get 1 free Kona Ice. Please see the PTA table at the Fest for more information. Please contact programs.fairmount.pta@gmail.com with questions regarding the event.

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.

Please click on the link below to view our school team for the 2024-2025 school year.

We are thrilled to welcome another amazing addition to our Fairmount Team:

Mr. Tim Edwards - Orchestra

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.

Our school office is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Fairmount Office Team:

Andrea Laama, Secretary alaama@dg58.org

Jillian DeRango, Secretary jderango@dg58.org

Lisa Niforatos, Principal, lniforatos@dg58.org

Main Office Number: 630.719.5830

Fairmount Website

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