Fairmount Families Week END Report
05.03.2024
Happy Friday, Fairmount Families!
We have officially entered the last month of the 2023-2024 school year! We know this brings quite a bit of excitement and we appreciate you continuing to support your child(ren) in being at school each day as well as supporting them in finishing the year strong.
This week included Field Trips for both 1st and 3rd grades and we are beyond appreciative of the many parents who chaperoned as well as to our Fairmount PTA for supporting these fun, educational extras for our students.
It looks like we will be getting some sunshine this weekend, so I hope you are all able to enjoy it!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely,
Lisa Niforatos, Principal
Be sure to follow me on Twitter/X @Fairmount58.
Quick Links:
Information & Reminders
MAP Testing this Week
Spring 2024 MAP Testing
Spring MAP and AimsWeb testing will continue this week. Please see additional details on specific testing days below:
Monday, 5/6
3rd Grade MAP Testing
Make-Up Testing for K, 1st, 5th and 6th
Tuesday, May 7th
Make-Up Testing for K, 1st, 4th and 6th
Wednesday, May 8th
Make-Up Testing for 2nd and 4th
Thursday, May 9th
Make-Up Testing for K, 3rd and 5th
Field Day
We are looking forward to our 2024 Field Day! As we get closer to the date, we will share additional details related to what to bring as well as the PTA provided lunch for students.
We are encouraging all students to wear the grade level colors listed below with comfortable/athletic-type bottoms. Gym shoes should be worn by all students.
Kindergarten- White (Teddy Bear Shirt)
1st Grade- Red
2nd Grade- Orange
3rd Grade- Yellow
4th Grade- Blue
5th Grade- Purple
6th Grade- 6th Grade Shirts (Green)
Please Register!
Families who have not yet registered their child(ren) for the coming year are encouraged to do so as soon as possible. Our school office will continue to be in contact with any families who have not completed their registration and are happy to support the process when and where needed.
Timely registration is very important to us. It allows us to know how many students will be in each grade level and in each school, and allows us to plan for the number of teachers and support staff needed.
Click here to register. Please call the school if you have questions.
DG58 Instrumental Music Information
Attention 3rd and 4th Grade Families!
The orchestra and band teachers are in the process of visiting each elementary school to introduce District 58's 3rd and 4th grade students to the different musical instruments they may choose to begin learning next year in our Instrumental Music Program.
Current 3rd grade students who would like to join ORCHESTRA: (Violin, Viola, Cello, String Bass)
Check out the video instrument demonstrations on our website: ORCHESTRA (3rd gr students)
Your next steps for joining the DG58 Orchestra program:
Attend our Parent Information Meeting at Herrick Middle School on Thursday, May 2 from 7:30-8:15pm
Register for a time for your future musician to test-drive their two favorite instruments on one of our fitting days using This link (https://tinyurl.com/2024BegOrchAppt).
Current 4th grade students who would like to join BAND: (Flute, Clarinet, Oboe, Saxophone, Trumpet, Horn, Trombone, Baritone, Tuba, Percussion)
Check out the video instrument demonstrations on our website: BAND (4th grade students)
Your next steps for joining the DG58 Band program:
Attend our Parent Information Meeting at Herrick Middle School on Thursday, May 2 from 6:30-7:15pm
Register for a time for your future musician to test-drive instruments on one of our fitting days using THIS LINK (tinyurl.com/begband2024).
We are excited to share more about becoming a District 58 musician and sincerely looking forward to working with you and your student!
Save the Date - Spring & End of the Year Events
More information to come on all of the following, but please Save the Date for these Spring and End of the Year events at Fairmount.
Fairmount PTA
Fairmount PTA
Fairmount is lucky to have a very active PTA. We encourage all parents/guardians to join the PTA. Please see the the PTA website for detailed information related to membership, events, and to subscribe to the weekly Falcon Flyer. We also encourage you to visit the events page on the PTA website to view all upcoming and ongoing events hosted by the PTA. As always, thank you to our wonderful PTA!
PTA Reflections 2024
Next year's theme for Reflections is "Accepting Imperfection". It's never too early to start gathering ideas for your next project. Details for next year's program will come at the start of next school year. You may refer to category guidelines if you wish to start your project over the summer break Category Guidelines
Questions or interested in volunteering to run the program at Fairmount? Email us at reflectionsfairmount@gmail.com
PTA School Tool Box Ordering
The School Tool Box store is up! Order supplies now for the 2024-2025 school year. Orders placed before June 16th will be shipped to the school and can be picked up on Move-In day. If you have any questions please contact Johanna Lewandowski at jlewandowski900@gmail.com
Ordering Link https://schooltoolbox.com/school-supplies/school/list-boxes?schoolId=32407
Teacher Feature
Teacher Feature
We are so glad you are part of our school community! Whether this is your child's first or seventh year at Fairmount, we wanted to provide a fun way to get to know the many members of our teaching and school staff. We started this section last school year and look forward to continuing it during the 2023-2024 school year. Our teachers and staff have been asked new questions, so you can learn even more about them.
Meet Mrs. Prosser
Role at Fairmount: Instructional Coach
# of Years at Fairmount: 3 Years
Favorite Movie: Wizard of Oz
Favorite Place to Go/Travel to: Florida
Favorite Dessert or Sweet Treat: Chocolate Chip Cookies
Lens into Learning
Marvelous Math
It's a STAMPEDE
Musician Models
Naper Settlement
Learning about History
Let's go to the Zoo!
Fire Safety
Thank you to the DGFD for supporting our 3rd graders in learning about Fire Safety throughout the school year...
Learning at Lincoln Park
The 3rd graders were thankful for the sunshine as they explored Lincoln Park Zoo!
Fire Safety Part II
... this onsite/hands-on learning experience is always a student favorite and so important for both home and school safety!
Fun Fair Development...
6th graders are working with Mrs. Stroud on developing custom Fun Fair games and activities for our younger students...
Collaboration and Creativity
... their ability to collaborate and show some serious creativity is outstanding!
Zones of Regulation
Mrs. Stroud also supported students in creating their own custom game centered around their classroom learning of the Zones of Regulation.
Fairmount MVPs - Celebrating Students
Calendar & Important Dates
Early Dismissal Monday, May 6th
Monday, May 6th is our next 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.
Mark your Calendars!
Staff Appreciation Week (Thank you PTA)!
05.06: Happy Monday! Wear Orange; 2:00 p.m. Student Dismissal
05.07: Run Club for Registered Students 3:00-3:45 p.m.
05.08: 1st Grade Lyman Woods Field Trip; Chess Wizards for Registered Students
05.10: Kindergarten Brookfield Zoo Field Trip; Falcon Friday: Wear School Colors or Spiritwear!
A Look Ahead...
05.27: Memorial Day - No School!
05.28: 2024 Field Day
05.29: Last Day for Students (Half Day); Grade 6 Clap-Out
2023-2024 School Calendar - Updated
Last Day of School: Wednesday, May 29, 2024 (if no additional emergency days are used)
Below the Line: Repeated Information
Below the Line
Information for 6th Grade Families
Attention Future Senators!
Please see information below from O'Neill Middle School regarding important and upcoming events. Contact O'Neill Middle School at 630.719.5815 with any questions.
We are so excited to welcome our future Senator Class of 2026 to O’Neill Middle School!
FUTURE SENATOR NIGHT
We are so excited to meet our incoming 7th graders and families on May 7th from 6:30 - 7:30 PM. During this presentation, we will talk about the middle school experience in District 58 and student support, among other logistics and information. Please join us! You can view the flier here.
SNEAK PREVIEW
Incoming seventh-grade students can participate in a two day program on Tuesday, August 6 and Wednesday, August 7 that is designed to help students transition to the middle school environment. The Sneak Preview program is fully funded and supported by the Education Foundation of Downers Grove District 58. Students participate in a 1 ½ hour session for two consecutive days. Please check the Sneak Preview Flier for information and to register your child to attend this event. Please click here for the link to register your child.
OMS SPIRIT WEAR
Get your Senator gear now!! Orders placed by Monday, April 22nd will be available for pick up at the Future Senator Night on Tuesday, May 7.
24/7 Varsity Tutors
Does your child have an interest in cooking, chess, dinosaurs, coding, or math magic? Varsity Tutors, an online resource the Downers Grove Grade School District and the DuPage County ROE have made available to all students for free offers celebrity-led StarCourses. Log in to Clever on your child's device and sign up for classes of interest...it's that easy!
4th & 6th Grade Orchestra Performance
Our 4th and 6th grade orchestra students did an amazing job at their end of the year concert! We also had some fantastic Falcons featured as student speakers. Congratulations to ALL of our band and orchestra students on their hard work and accomplishments this school year!
District 58 Students - Library Cards (previously emailed)
The Downers Grove Public Library’s (DGPL) Student Library Card program will make library cards available to all students in District 58 as part of an intergovernmental agreement recently signed between the two entities.
If you registered for the 2024-2025 school year prior to this option being available, your child is set to receive a library card as it defaulted to "yes."
CLICK HERE for additional information.
PUNS Training
Have you ever wondered what the PUNS brochure is all about? It's that piece of paper that prints with every IEP that we are required to share with families annually. Two of DG58's very own parents of students with special needs are pairing up to educate other families about their experience working through the PUNS system. Please consider attending one of their sessions if your schedule allows. We can help better educate our families as more informed consumers.
Zones of Regulation
The staff at Fairmount School will begin implementing The Zones of Regulation™ curriculum (or “The Zones” for short), which are lessons and activities designed to help students gain skills in the area of self-regulation. Self-regulation can go by many names, such as self-control, self-management, and impulse control. It is defined as the best state of alertness of both the body and emotions for a specific situation. The lessons and learning activities are designed to help the students recognize when they are in the different Zones as well as learn how to use strategies to change or stay in the Zone they are in. In addition to addressing self-regulation, the students will gain an increased vocabulary of emotional terms, skills in reading other people’s facial expressions, perspective about how others see and react to their behavior, insight into events that trigger their behavior, calming and alerting strategies, and problem-solving skills.
A critical aspect of this curriculum is that all team members know and understand The Zones language. This creates a comfortable and supportive environment for the student to practice their self-regulation skills. It also helps the student learn the skills more quickly and be more likely to apply them in many situations. You can support the student during this process by doing the following:
Use the language and talk about the concepts of The Zones as they apply to you in a variety of environments. Make comments aloud so the student understands it is natural that we all experience the different Zones and use strategies to control (or regulate) ourselves. For example, “This is really frustrating me and making me go into the Yellow Zone. I need to use a tool to calm down. I will take some deep breaths.”
Help the student gain awareness of his or her Zones and feelings by pointing out your observations.
Validate what Zone your students are in and help them brainstorm expected ways to self-regulate so their behavior is expected for the context.
Share with the student how his or her behavior is affecting the Zone you are in and how you feel.
Help the student become comfortable using the language to communicate his or her feelings and needs by encouraging the student to share his or her Zone with you.
Show interest in learning about the student’s triggers and Zones tools. Ask the student if he or she wants reminders to use these tools and how you should present these reminders.
Ask the student to frequently share his or her Zones Folder with you and talk about what he or she has learned.
Make sure to positively reinforce students for recognizing their Zone and managing their behaviors while in it, rather than only pointing out when students are demonstrating unexpected behaviors while in a Zone.
It is important to note that everyone experiences all of the Zones—the Red and Yellow Zones are not the “bad” or “naughty” Zones. All of the Zones are expected at one time or another. The Zones of Regulation is intended to be neutral and not communicate judgment.
Referral GPS
District 58 strives to create a culture of well-being for students, parents, staff and community. To further support this endeavor, the District has invested in an additional support service through ReferralGPS.
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 systems of support as a tool for student service teams and families to connect with treatment. Along with a searchable database of treatment options, ReferralGPS assists families in triage and appointment setting.
School district staff and families may access ReferralGPS in two ways:
Contact Student Services (social workers, psychologists, counselors) to seek out treatment options
Visit this link at https://referralgps.com/find-help/DG58 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.
Safe to Help
- Click here to connect with Safe2Help Illinois. Students can contact Safe2Help Illinois to safely and confidentially report a crisis or threat involving themselves or someone they know. Safe2Help is monitored 24/7 by trained crisis professionals. District 58 staff will receive an alert after the Safe2Help professional provides support. Through Safe2Help, students can report a crisis or threat through the following ways:
- Website: https://app.safe22helpil.com
- Text: SAFE2 (72332)
- Phone: 844-4-SAFEIL (844-472-3345)
- App: "Safe2Help Illinois" app available in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store
- Email: HELP@Safe2HelpIL.com
- Call or text "988" and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline will provide 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones.
- Text “ACT” to 741741: The National Crisis Text line will connect you with free, confidential assistance.
Fairmount Office Contact Information
Lisa Niforatos, Principal lniforatos@dg58.org
Jill DeRango, Secretary jderango@dg58.org
Andrea Laama, Secretary alaama@dg58.org
Email: lniforatos@dg58.org
Website: www.dg58.org/fa/
Location: 6036 Blodgett Avenue, Downers Grove, IL, USA
Phone: 630.719.5830
Twitter: @Fairmount58