Fremont Focus

Providing our families with a behind-the-scenes look into the District's strategic work is a priority. This edition of the Fremont Feature video series focuses on our new K-5 math curriculum resource, Illustrative Mathematics. Watch the video below to learn more about how this resource is leading to increased problem-solving, communication, and collaboration for our math students.

Please read the following newsletter for detailed information, but here is a summary of key dates for quick access:

• February 28 - Early Release Schedule (MS dismissed at 2:13 p.m.; ES/IS dismissed at 3:08 p.m.)
• March 4 - Parent-Teacher Conferences; Students Not In Attendance
• March 6 - Parent University event - Building Resiliency: Supporting our Children's Mental Health, 6:30 p.m. (virtual)
• March 6 - Early Release Schedule (MS dismissed at 2:13 p.m.; ES/IS dismissed at 3:08 p.m.)
• March 13 - Early Release Schedule (MS dismissed at 2:13 p.m.; ES/IS dismissed at 3:08 p.m.)
• March 16 - PTO March Madness Basketball Game, 2:00 p.m. (Mundelein High School)

In an effort to connect the FSD79 Board of Education and the community, the District offers a summary of monthly, regular Board meetings. To view a recap of the February 26 meeting, please click here.

Building Resiliency: Supporting our Children’s Mental Health
Virtual Presentation: Zoom Link
Wednesday, March 6, 2024 • 6:30 p.m.

Jacqueline Rhew will lead a presentation for families to feel equipped to support their children’s mental health. There will be a focus on providing critical social and emotional support for children and teens, including building their self-confidence and empathy for others. Parents will learn how to help their child(ren) manage their feelings, problem-solve, and engage in their education. Key strategies for parents to help foster engagement, model healthy coping skills, and develop a deeper connection with their child will also be shared. Jacqueline will also share tips to enhance the mindset of performers, athletes, and high achievers, increasing mental performance.

Your time is valuable and so is your input. The Illinois state 5Essentials survey provides an opportunity for staff, students, and parents to provide climate and culture feedback for our schools. The state requires at least a 20% parent participation rate for reporting purposes to ensure our school designations are not negatively impacted. We are currently at a 18% response rate at the Intermediate School and 13% at the Middle School. Please help us achieve the 20% participation goal by taking the survey today.

https://survey.5-essentials.org/illinois/?target_name=parent

Parents are welcome to answer the survey for each of their children’s schools.

Thank you for your assistance!

We were honored to welcome Representative Brad Schneider for a visit to our FSD79 schools on Monday. Providing leadership opportunities for our students is embedded in our Strategic Plan and our students did a tremendous job of sharing some of the things that they are doing to show leadership in our schools. We thank Rep. Schneider for speaking to a group of students about his role, while emphasizing the importance of leadership in our community.

FSD79 Director of Transportation Vicki Burback has announced her retirement effective September 6, 2024. Ms. Burback has contributed greatly to the Transportation Department during her 5-year tenure at Fremont, including serving as director this past year. We wish her all the best in her retirement. Our selection process to hire the next Director of Transportation is underway. A job posting for the position can be found here. We have set the goal of naming our next director by the April 22 Board meeting. The timing will allow Ms. Burback to assist our next director with the transition.

We have completed the search for the District’s next Director of Buildings, Grounds, and Safety and are pleased to announce the promotion of James Pettinger to the role. His appointment was unanimously approved at Monday’s Board of Education meeting. Mr. Pettinger joined the District as a member of the Maintenance Department in 2022 and stood out among all the candidates with his past leadership, maintenance, and safety skills. He will transition alongside current Director of Buildings and Grounds Dan Wagner, as Mr. Wagner prepares to retire following the 2024-2025 school year.

FSD79 has immediate openings for the following positions:

District Office

Summer School Director

Special Education Teacher (ESY)

English Language Learner (Summer School)

Fremont Elementary School

2nd Grade Homebound Tutor

Fremont Intermediate School
Social Worker (Long Term Substitute)
Reading Specialist
Lunchroom Supervisor (Substitute)

Fremont Middle School
English Language Learner Paraprofessional (Spanish)

Transportation
Bus Driver

The following job postings are for the 2024-2025 school year:

District Office

Director of Transportation (new posting)

Lincoln Early Learning Center

Early Childhood Teacher / Preschool Teacher (new posting)

Fremont Elementary School
Social Worker (new posting)

Special Education Teacher (Resource)

Fremont Intermediate School

English Learner Teacher (new posting)

Fremont Middle School
Social Worker

Physical Education Teacher

To learn more or for a complete listing of all current job openings throughout the District, please click here.

Tuesday night's severe weather resulted in damage to a Mundelein apartment building, leaving it uninhabitable and displacing over 50 residents. Donations can be made to help the victims by visiting: https://mundelein.revtrak.net/student-support-donations/#/v/student-support-donation

Please list "apartment damage" in the comments section.

Donations of non-perishable foods and toiletries as well as gift cards to stores such as Walmart, Target, Aldi, and Jewel may be dropped off at the District 120 Welcome Center located at 1500 W. Hawley Street. Thank you for your consideration in helping those in our area who are in need.

Congratulations to all of our Fremont wrestlers who earned a berth in the sectional meet based upon their performance at the regional tournament, including our conference champions Luca C., Matthew C., and Josh K. Good luck!

Thanks to an investment by the Lake County Regional Office of Education through June 30, 2027, every student in FSD79 now has access to the Varsity Tutors for Schools platform. This access includes:

• 24/7 On-Demand Chat Tutoring

• On-Demand Essay Review

• 100+ Weekly Live Classes

• Recorded Enrichment Classes

• Self-Study & Practice Resources

Here is a pamphlet and a video that provides an overview of the platform features. Students can go to their Clever Dashboard and select the Varsity Tutors icon to login to the platform. Any chat sessions students participate in are recorded and posted on their dashboard for future reference.

We encourage you to explore this tool with your child(ren) as an additional resource to support our students’ growth and achievement.

School lunch menus for the month of March are now available and can be found here.

FSD79 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students participated in their winter band concert on February 14. To watch the performances, click on the videos below.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

The Fremont PTO would love to see you at our meetings this year! Meetings are on the third Wednesday of the month in the Middle School DEN at 6:00 p.m. Our next meeting is on March 20. Here is the list of all meeting dates for the 2023-2024 school year.

We are excited to share that we have listened to feedback from parents and will now be providing childcare services for children ages 3+ at ALL of our upcoming PTO meetings. Please use the form below to let us know if you will be bringing a child to the meeting. It is not required to RSVP; however, we ask that you please do so if you plan to take advantage of childcare. Care will be provided by Fremont Middle School students for individuals ages 3 and up.

RSVP Form for childcare: https://forms.gle/ceerdTKn7Pa51mVt7

To stay in the know of what Fremont PTO is up to, follow and tag us on social media:

Instagram: @fremontpto
Facebook: Fremont PTO

JIMANO'S FUNDRAISER

Skip cooking dinner on Monday, March 4 and head to Jimano’s in Mundelein from 4:00-8:00 p.m. Show them this flyer and 20% of your sale will go to Fremont PTO!

SAVE THE DATE! DO GOOD POPCORN FUNDRAISER

Stay tuned for more information regarding Fremont PTO’s Do Good Popcorn Fundraiser from March 6-10! Our pop-up store will bring in 50% of all profits to benefit YOUR PTO!

MARCH MADNESS

Saturday, March 16 - Come support your favorite Fremont teachers as they play against one another in basketball. Our upcoming flyer will have more details (including which of your favorite teachers are playing!). All proceeds raised will go to The Fremont PTO for future school projects and events! ***Please note the location change. The game will be held at Mundelein High School***

SAVE THE DATE! FAMILY BINGO NIGHT

Join us Friday, April 26 for a fun night of BINGO! This event is hosted alongside the Intermediate Student Council and will be held in the Intermediate School Gym from 6:30-8:00 p.m. More details and a link to register for this event coming soon!

PERSONALIZED YEARBOOK PAGES
The deadline to complete your personalized yearbook pages is April 22. Every yearbook includes two custom pages for free. You can also purchase additional pages if you choose to. All pages must be completed by April 22!

Don’t forget to order your student's 2023-2024 yearbook. Use the correct school code from our flyer when you order!

Please visit the PTO webpage for the most up-to-date information.

FSD79 offers local groups and organizations the opportunity to advertise their upcoming events in the Virtual Backpack. To submit your group's event for consideration, please submit a PDF flyer to publicrelations@fsd79.org. Current offerings include:

• Mundelein Baseball & Softball Association
• MBSA Softball Clinics
• Veterans Appreciation Dinner
• Stevenson HS Boys Hockey
• Laremont School Special Needs Resource Fair
• Cub Scout Pack 189 Portillo's Fundraiser

The next edition of the Fremont Focus will be distributed on Wednesday, March 13. This will be in addition to the weekly e-newsletters sent on Fridays from principals at the school level.

Address: 28855 North Fremont Center Road, Mundelein, IL

Phone: (847) 566-0169

Website: fsd79.org

Facebook: facebook.com/FremontSchoolDistrict79

Twitter: @FSD79

Instagram: @FSD79

YouTube: youtube.com/FSD79