Fairmount Families Week END Report

We welcomed some fall weather this week as we also reached the midpoint of October. It’s hard to believe how quickly the school year is moving along! Our falcons continue to do amazing things in and out of the classroom and this week of learning included our youngest learners (Kindergarten) experiencing learning outdoors at Siegel's Farm. Thank you to our PTA for sponsoring these Field Trips for our students.

Next week, we’ll celebrate Red Ribbon Week, focusing on making healthy choices and building positive habits. Our Student Council has organized an exciting spirit week, so be sure to check out the details later in the newsletter.

Wishing everyone a fantastic fall weekend!

Sincerely,

Lisa Niforatos

Be sure to follow me on X/Twitter @Fairmount58.

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Past Newsletters

We are looking forward to celebrating Halloween at school on Thursday, October 31st. In an effort to support your planning, I wanted to share a few important details ahead of time.

All students are invited to wear a costume to school on Thursday, October 31st. As you prepare your child for this day, please take note of the following costume guidelines:

Costume Guidelines Kindergarten-6th Grade:

• Costumes should allow for safe classroom navigation and participation as students will be in their costumes for the whole school day

• Costume/Look Alike Weapons of any kind are NOT allowed at school

• Costumes should not glorify violence and/or be offensive to any culture/group

• Costumes should not impair vision or ability to walk (costume masks will only be allowed during the outdoor parade)

• Costumes should allow children to be comfortable in the weather/temperature as students will go outside for recess, as well as the Halloween parade

Parade and Classroom Celebrations

Parents/guardians are welcome to view our outdoor Halloween parade (weather permitting), which will take place at 1:40 p.m. for all students. Parents are welcome to view the parade by standing along the parade route, which will be sent out prior to October 31st. Classroom parties will take place immediately after the parade. In the event of inclement weather, the outdoor parade may be canceled and parade spectators will not be allowed in the building for a modified student parade.

Additional information

There will be no food or drink provided or distributed to students during the celebration. This includes any goody bag that students may bring to school to distribute to classmates. If your child would like to bring a “favor” to share with his/her classmates, this must be a non-edible item such as a pencil, stickers, or another small token, and have one for each member of the class. This is, of course, completely optional.

The PTA has coordinated 3-4 parent volunteers for our Halloween classroom celebrations. Specific guidelines related to volunteering have been shared with confirmed volunteers. Please note that parents/guardians who are not confirmed volunteers will not be permitted in the building for the classroom celebrations. All confirmed volunteers will need to check-in outside Door 1 with our office staff and the PTA Room Rep Chair to receive a volunteer/visitor badge.

Thank you for your attention to the above guidelines and details, which will support a safe and eventful Halloween celebration for our students. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the school office.

Please email Mrs. Stroud at estroud@dg58.org with any questions about the pumpkin decorating. Thank you!

If you would like your child(ren) to have their photo retaken, please ensure they bring their current photos with them on picture retake day. If your child missed picture day, they will be photographed on October 24th.

Monday, October 21st is a 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.

It’s time to form your teams and start reading, because The Reading Games competition is returning! The Reading Games is an annual trivia-style reading competition for District 58 and District 61 students in grades 3-8. It will take place Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025 at O'Neill Middle School. Registration is open now through Friday, Nov. 15.

To participate, complete the following:

1. Form a team and complete the team registration OR complete an individual registration and The Reading Games will do their best to find a team for your child. Teams must have between five and eight students. They can represent a mix of grade levels and schools, but must attend District 58 or District 61.

2. Collaborate with your team to read nine books from one of two book lists. List 1 is geared for readers in third and fourth grade. List 2 is geared for readers in fifth and sixth grade. To prepare, students can meet to discuss the books and quiz each other.

3. Participate in The Reading Games on Feb. 22, 2025! During The Reading Games, students will face other teams to answer questions about the books they've read. Teams are encouraged to dress up and have fun, and prizes are awarded.

The Reading Games is sponsored by the Education Foundation of Downers Grove District 58 and the Grove Express Foundation.

Learn more about The Reading Games registration process. Visit The Reading Games website.

Fairmount School is focused on a handful of school improvement goals this year that involve our ELA curriculum implementation, a supportive focus on the Zones of Regulation as well as targeted goals centered around ELA/Literacy for K-2 and 3-6. Each month we will provide information in our "Home Connection to Learning" section of the newsletter focused on one of these goal areas.

In order to support the social-emotional skills of our K-5 students, each classroom will learn about The Zones of Regulation. The Zones of Regulation is a curriculum that focuses on helping students learn skills to consciously regulate their actions, which leads to increased emotional regulation & problem solving abilities. Through this curriculum, students will learn how to identify their feelings and learn about different calming strategies that they can put inside their “Tool Box”.

Here are a few tips/prompts you can ask your child(ren) at home:

-What can you tell me about the different Zones?

-When it makes sense, ask your child what Zone they are in (and if appropriate ask them to share why).

-Model your own feelings and ask your child if they can help identify what zone you are in and why.

You can also learn more information about The Zones of Regulation here.

From Birthdays (or half-birthdays), Lost Teeth, Positive Behaviors and More... we love celebrating our Falcons!

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 two years ago and look forward to continuing it during the 2024-2025 school year. This year we have added a "school twist" for our staff.

Role at Fairmount: 4th Grade Teacher

Years at Fairmount: 24 Years

Favorite Subject in Elementary School: Math and Science

Least Favorite Subject in Elementary School: Writing

Favorite Grade in School: 5th Grade

A big part of why I became a teacher... I enjoyed kids and learning about new things!

A memorable moment of my time in school was... My 5th grade teacher--she was the best! Always there for her students and had a great sense of humor.

If I wasn't a teacher/didn't work in a school I would... I don't know! I'd be a teacher!

Please see Red Ribbon Week details above for individual Spirit Days!

10.21: Red Ribbon Week, Monthly Matters Assembly; Student Dismissal 2:00 p.m.

10.22: Student Council Lunch Meeting, Run Club for Registered Students 3:00-3:40 p.m., Yearbook Club for Registered Students 3:00-3:40 p.m.

10.23: 1st Grade Field Trip (Naper Settlement); Chess Wizards for Registered Students 3:00-4:00 p.m.

10.24: Picture Retakes, Run Club for Registered Students 3:00-3:40 p.m., BAM Theatre for Registered Students 3:00-4:00 p.m.

10.25: Falcon Friday! Fun Lunch, 3rd Grade Girl Scouts 3:00-4:30 p.m.

10.26: PTA Trivia Night

10.28: Trunk or Treat

11.05: No School, Election Day

11.06: PTA Meeting: Virtual

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 (see above) 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 and BAM Theatre Club are currently running now. We are looking forward to welcoming Young Rembrandt's (Art-Based Club) for a Winter Session.

If you are looking for any information from our amazing Fairmount PTA, please visit their website:

Fairmount PTA

Information regarding upcoming events, spiritwear, membership and more can be found throughout the site.

This years Halloween themed Trivia Night will take place on Saturday, October 26, 2024 at the Hinsdale Community House and ticket sales are now open here: 2024 Fairmount Trivia Night | Givebacks . Trivia night is THE ONE you don’t want to miss! The PTA money raised from this adult social event is used for so many wonderful programs and events for our school. We can help you with a team if you don’t have one! For more information on activities, food and drink, check out Fairmount PTA Trivia Night. We look forward to seeing you at the event! Please contact Kelly Pollington at kellypollington@hotmail.com with questions regarding Trivia Night.

The next Fun Lunch is Friday, October 25th from Cozzi Corner. Meals must be preordered, no day of purchase is available, and the order deadline is Sunday, October 20th. Order at

https://fairmount.h1.hotlunchonline.net/. A complete list of Fun Lunch dates (as well as ordering instructions and answers to frequently asked questions) is available on the PTA website at https://www.fairmountpta.com/events/fun-lunch. If you still have questions after reviewing the website, contact Tiffany Melnyk at tiffanyjoy21@gmail.com.

This year’s theme is “Accepting Imperfection” students may start projects at any time enter into the following categories: Dance Choreography, Film Production, Literature, Music Composition, Photography, Visual Arts, Accessible Art. Link to Council's website https://sites.google.com/view/dupageeastcouncilsite/home

Projects are due to front office by Friday, November 1st.

If you have questions please email reflectionsfairmount@gmail.com volunteer opportunities are available.

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.

Fairmount students learned about White Cane Day this week. If you or your child are interested in learning more about braille, you can access the Braille Bug Site, which provides an introduction to what braille is and fun games to play.

https://braillebug.org

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.

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