Fremont Focus

Dear Fremont Community,

With Winter Break right around the corner, we have so much to celebrate as a district as we approach the unofficial midway point of our school year. Whether it be in the classroom, on the playing field, or through collaboration outside of the school day, our students, teachers, and staff have accomplished so much. We're thrilled to take this opportunity to highlight just a small sampling of what has made this first half of the year so great.

• On Monday, the Board of Education approved a 20-year Educational Long-Range Facility Plan (Plan At-A-Glance) that will serve as a dynamic roadmap for our future planning, including adding a new middle school for Grades 6-8.
• Our multi-age programs at Fremont Elementary and Intermediate Schools made their annual shopping trip to Target in Mundelein (pictured) to purchase food and household items that will benefit individuals in need in our community via the Fremont Township Food Pantry. (Photo Gallery)
• Second-grade students in Mrs. Buschick's class created blankets for dogs that will be participating in this year's upcoming Iditarod race.
• Three of our sports teams (girls soccer, seventh-grade "B" and eighth-grade "B" girls basketball) captured conference tournament titles, while Nicky M. qualified for the state cross country meet.
• Nearly 130 Fremont Middle School students were among over 4,000 area students who participated in the Navig8 Lake County event where students got to visit with representatives from various local companies and explore a wide variety of careers.
• Our Board of Education was one of 46 Illinois school districts to earn the School Board Governance Recognition honor for their effective governance behaviors and commitment to obtaining the knowledge and skills necessary to lead the district effectively.
• We developed a substitute teacher recruitment plan as well as a mentoring program to best equip the individuals who serve in this vital role.

We're looking forward to a tremendous second half of the school year and we can't wait to see our students upon their return on January 7. Wishing everyone a very warm, safe, and happy holidays!

Sincerely,

Trisha Kocanda, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

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

• December 18 - Early Release Schedule (MS dismissed at 2:13 p.m.; ES/IS dismissed at 3:08 p.m.)
• December 18 - PTO Meeting, 6:00 p.m. (Middle School Media Center)
• December 20 - ES/IS Holiday Parties
• December 23 - January 3 - Winter Break (Students Not in Attendance)
• January 6 - Teacher Institute Day (Students Not in Attendance)
• January 7 - Students Return to School
• January 8 - Early Release Schedule (MS dismissed at 2:13 p.m.; ES/IS dismissed at 3:08 p.m.)
• January 15 - Early Release Schedule (MS dismissed at 2:13 p.m.; ES/IS dismissed at 3:08 p.m.)

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 December 16 meeting, please click here. The meeting's Pledge of Allegiance was led by fourth-grade members of the Fremont Intermediate School PAWS Committee and members of the Fremont Middle School Culture Club. Recognitions were held for Lincoln Early Learning Center paraprofessional Jill Merriman and for Board President Gabriela Whipple in recognition for her 10 years of service on the Board. The Board also approved the 2025-2026 K-8 school calendar.

We are excited to share our 20-year Educational Long-Range Facility Plan with our community, following a full year of planning. In addition to the full plan, we have created an At-A-Glance document that summarizes how the phased projects align with Enrollment, Educational Priorities, and Facility Assessment. For more information on this project, please visit our newly redesigned webpage. Thank you to our community for sharing your priorities and feedback to help make this plan a reality!

Fremont staff return on Monday, January 6, to engage in a full-day institute day. This is a non-attendance day for students. Learning and collaboration activities will include:

• The Reading League providing a session on decoding, spelling, and fluency lesson planning;
• Crisis Prevention Intervention (CPI) training;
• Restorative practices workshop;
• Wellness breakout sessions;
• Professional learning community activities, including common formative assessment design, team data analysis, intervention and extension integration, and much more!

Thank you to everyone who has listened to and subscribed to our new podcast, "Fremont Leads." Hosted by Fremont Middle School teacher Jacki Mjoen, this series features interviews with our outstanding student leaders.

In our latest episode, we catch up with Fremont Middle School eighth-grader Claire to chat about her involvement in HOPE Squad and the National Junior Honor Society Executive Board. Subscribe via any of the platforms below so that you don't miss an episode!

Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Amazon Music | YouTube Music | iHeartRadio

As part of our Parent University programming, FSD79 and the Fremont PTO will be co-sponsoring a Parent Book Club event on New York Times #1 Bestseller, “The Anxious Generation” by Jonathan Haidt. We will be hosting a one-night discussion on the book on February 11, 2025 from 6:30-8:00 p.m. at Fremont Middle School.

Secure your physical or audio copy of the book now to prepare for the discussion.

Dear Fremont Families,

As we approach the holiday season, it's important to remember that our students' social-emotional and mental health remain top priorities, especially during this time of year. Please take the time to review our new Family Resources document created by the Fremont Mental Health Team to help support our students and families.

Additionally, ReferralGPS is a service providing assistance to our community in finding local mental-

health and substance use-related treatment resources. The service compliments the District's existing support systems as a tool for student service teams and families to connect with treatment. Along with a searchable database of treatment options, ReferralGPS provides Care Navigation to assist families in triage and appointment setting.

School district staff and families may access ReferralGPS in two ways:

1. Contact Student Services (social workers, psychologists, counselors) to seek out treatment options
2. Visit this link to search for treatment resources or connect with a Care Navigator anonymously

The platform has the ability to filter by mental health concern, clinician gender/specialty, location, and insurance acceptance. The service is available for all types of private and public insurance options including PPO, HMO, Medicaid, and families that are uninsured or underinsured.

ReferralGPS is available for use by District students, staff, and families at no cost. All information entered on the ReferralGPS tool is completely confidential and securely stored.

Please note, this service is an optional resource available by choice and is not mandatory in any way. If you are interested in seeking counseling-related services at this time, please consider reaching out to the Student Services team or visit https://referralgps.com/find-help/FSD79.

Your involvement and understanding are vital as we navigate this holiday season together, ensuring a supportive environment for our children. Thank you for being an integral part of our school community.

Best regards,

Ms. Krista Winkelman
Executive Director of Student Services

Members of the Fremont Middle School choir got into the holiday spirit by performing in the annual Mundelein Winter Tree Lighting Festival.

Fremont Middle School was honored to welcome composer and music educator Randall Standridge to Fremont this week to work with our band students, including on a piece that he personally composed. Mr. Standridge also worked with the Carl Sandburg and West Oak bands before presenting an evening concert with all three bands.

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 December 18. Childcare services for children ages 3+ will be provided 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

Here is the list of all meeting dates for the 2024-2025 school year.

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

Instagram: @fremontpto

Facebook: Fremont PTO

SHOP. SCAN. EARN.
Forget the scissors - Box Tops for Education has gone digital! Simply download the Box Tops for Education app (see www.boxtops4education.com for more info), select Fremont School District 79 (in Mundelein, IL) as your beneficiary, and you're all set! Enter the code H02P2R0D when you register for bonus points. Then simply scan your receipts after shopping, and watch the points (and $$) add up for our schools!

UPCOMING DINE-IN NIGHTS
We have a full year of dine-in nights ahead – check out the list here!

ORDER YOUR YEARBOOK NOW!
Don’t forget to order your student's 2024-2025 yearbook. Use the correct school code from our flyer when you order!

BIRTHDAY BOARD

Celebrate your Fremont Student's special day! "Happy Birthday, Your Child's Name" can appear on the Fremont Electronic Message Board. Just complete the Birthday Board Request Google Form 2024-2025; or complete the birthday board form and send it back to any school front office with your $5 payment per birthday message. If you have any questions, please contact Christie Johnson at cjohnson@fsd79.org.

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. Check back regularly for upcoming offerings.

• Stevenson HS Incoming Freshmen Dance Placements
• The Kirk Players Auditions - The Jungle Book
• Grayslake Scout Troop 303
• Lake County Stallions Wrestling
• Libertyville Wildcats Youth Sports Girls Wrestling
• Ela Soccer Club
• CLC Latinx Series
• Stevenson HS Community Education (PREP) Programs
• Special Gifts Theatre

The next edition of the Fremont Focus will be distributed on Wednesday, January 15. 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