Fremont Focus

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Strong parent and school partnerships are deeply important to us as we work together to support all students. With this focus in mind, we are excited to launch our second year of the Parent University engagement series, a collaborative effort between Fremont PTO and staff. Parent University programming will be presented via various methods, including in-person speakers, virtual presentations, a parent book club, and more.

Parent feedback has informed our topic selection. The first half of the school year includes workshops related to:

• Social-emotional health and wellness

• Cybersecurity and anti-bullying

• Literacy instruction

• Safety and Security

Please join us for our first presentation of the year, “Growing a Resilient Mind: The Parent Edition,” hosted next Tuesday, September 24 at 6:30 p.m. at Fremont Middle School. Led by Audrey Grunst, LCSW of Simply Bee Counseling, the goal of this presentation is to provide parents with the necessary skills that support mental & emotional growth during challenging times. Please see the flyer below for more information, such as childcare.

We sincerely hope you take advantage of these opportunities to learn and connect with others. For more information, please visit our Parent University webpage.

Sincerely,

Trisha Kocanda, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

Stacie Brown

Fremont PTO President

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

• September 18 - Early Release Schedule (MS dismissed at 2:13 p.m.; ES/IS dismissed at 3:08 p.m.)
• September 18 - Soup with the Supt., 5:15 p.m. (Middle School Media Center; RSVP form)
• September 18 - PTO Meeting, 6:00 p.m. (Middle School Media Center)
• September 19 - Lincoln Early Learning Center Curriculum Night, 6:30 p.m. (parents only)
• September 23 - Board of Education meeting (live stream), 7:00 p.m. (Middle School Media Center)
• September 24 - Parent U. - Growing a Resilient Mind: The Parent Edition, 6:30 p.m. (Middle School Media Center; RSVP form)
• September 25 - Early Release Schedule (MS dismissed at 2:13 p.m.; ES/IS dismissed at 3:08 p.m.)
• September 27 - Students Not In Attendance; Parent Involvement event, 10:00 a.m. (Lincoln Early Learning Center)
• September 27 - Special Event Dismissal Schedule, MHS Homecoming Parade (MS dismissed at 1:13 p.m.; ES/IS dismissed at 2:08 p.m.)
• October 2 - Early Release Schedule (MS dismissed at 2:13 p.m.; ES/IS dismissed at 3:08 p.m.)
• October 3 - Students Not In Attendance

Fremont School District 79 takes the safety and security of our students, staff, and families very seriously. We want to inform our community that some Lake County school districts have been dealing with reported social media threats that are part of a nationwide hoax. These threats are non-descriptive and have been unfounded in credibility, often originating from out-of-state.

FSD79 has direct lines of communication with Lake County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) and the Lake County Regional Office of Education alert system. LCSO has reinforced to us that any safety concern or threat would immediately be shared with our schools, and in turn, FSD79 would immediately alert LCSO of any threat for investigation. This coordinated effort helps us maintain a safe environment for all students and staff.

Our commitment to a culture of safety is unwavering, and we take all threats extremely seriously. If at any time you or your child encounters an alarming message or post on social media, we encourage our parents to reach out to local law enforcement, especially if this occurs outside of the school day. We also remind parents to be diligent about monitoring their students’ social media, and to have conversations with their students about not reposting or sharing such messages. We appreciate your partnership in maintaining a safe environment across our schools.

The next meeting of the Fremont School District 79 Board of Education will be held Monday, September 23 at 7:00 p.m. at the Fremont Middle School Media Center. The evening will begin with a public hearing to review the FY25 Budget.

The regular meeting will include a community-requested presentation from District 120 overviewing their November Referendum. The agenda will include the following recognition(s) and presentation(s):

• Recognition: Elementary School Courtyard Improvement Project
  
• Presentation: Annual Student Growth and Achievement Report

A live video stream of the meeting will be available via the District’s YouTube page. The stream will go live shortly before the start of the meeting. Recaps of previous Board meetings can be found here. The Board meeting agenda and materials can be accessed here. Board materials are available by noon on September 23.

FSD79's Safety & Security Committee met to review new District initiatives for the 2024-2025 school year. The group also participated in tabletop exercises to clarify procedures, roles and responsibilities. In the spirit of continuing to make the safety of our students and staff our top priority, the District is committed to providing regular updates to our community regarding these efforts.

Congratulations to our FSD79 Board of Education which 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.

Read more about the recognition here.

Pictured (from left): Board President Gabriela Whipple, Board Vice President Pam Shaw, Aga Macoch, David Whitson, Maria Simoncelli, Michael Jandes, Board Secretary Shawn Killackey.

FSD79 students were looking sharp on Picture Day last week!

Fremont School District 79 will continue to utilize eLearning days (for emergency days) for the 2024-2025 academic year. As a reminder, these eLearning days are implemented in the event of school closings, due to reasons such as inclement weather, instead of the traditionally scheduled emergency days at the end of the academic year.

The complete eLearning Day Procedures may be accessed by clicking here. As eLearning days continue to be implemented, the goal remains to provide families and staff with a more predictable school calendar, while also maintaining continuity in student learning.

Good luck to all of our Fremont Middle School fall sports teams. Girls soccer and seventh-grade girls basketball both played host to Aptakisic on Monday. Have a great year!

The Illinois Girls Lead Program is looking for girls in Grades 5-12 who have a strong desire to learn about the inner working of state government. The program offers the opportunity to shadow a woman in state government, including Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton, state legislators, agency heads, communications directors, and chiefs of staff. Applications for the Illinois Girls Lead Program are due by Oct. 20.

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 pm. Our next meeting is on September 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

ROOM PARENT UPDATE

All volunteers were notified of the Room Parent selection. If you were selected to be a Room Parent, please remember, there is a MANDATORY meeting on Wednesday, September 18 at 6:45 p.m. in the Middle School Den immediately following the PTO meeting. If you have any questions, please contact Stacie Brown at pto@fsd79.org.

HALLOWEEN CLASS PARTY HOST SIGN-UP

Sign up now to volunteer to be a Party Host at the Halloween class parties! Halloween parties will be held on Thursday, October 31. Party Times are as follows: Kindergarten Classes: Lindley, Martinelli, & Van Reck 10:30-11:15 AM; Kindergarten Classes: Goldman, Hay, Hoehne, Eddy, Perna, Sherman, & Kastein, and Grades 1st - 5th 2:00 PM - 2:45 PM; Lincoln AM 9:45 - 10:15 AM; Lincoln PM 2:00 - 2:30 PM.

Each class party is designated 3 Party Hosts. If more than 3 parents sign up for a classroom party, volunteers will be chosen at random. Please note: All remaining parents who have not been assigned to host a party will not be invited to attend the party.

The sign-up will close on September 27. Volunteers that are chosen to be party hosts for the Halloween parties will be notified on October 4.

Party Host Sign Up

TRUNK OR TREAT

Mark your calendars! Our Trunk or Treat event is Saturday, October 26 from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Check out our flyer for all the details!

If you would like to decorate your trunk for this event, please fill out the form below!

https://form.jotform.com/222635763393159

Questions? Contact Elisabeth at fsdvpis@gmail.com.

SHOP. SCAN. EARN.

Forget the scissors - Box Tops for Education has gone digital! Simply download the Box Tops for Education app (available for Apple and Android) see www.boxtops4education.com for more info, select Fremont School District 79 (in MUNDELEIN, IL) as your beneficiary and you're all set! For bonus points, enter the code H02P2R0D when you register. 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 - 10% DISCOUNT

Order your student's 2024-2025 yearbook by October 31 and get 10% off. Use the correct school code from our flyer when you order!

PTO MEMBERSHIP/ONLINE DIRECTORY FOR 2024-2025 SCHOOL YEAR

If you already have an account in Membership Toolkit, thank you for creating and/or updating your Membership Toolkit account last year.

If you don't have an account in Membership Toolkit, set it up now for free! Once you have created an account in Membership Toolkit your child will appear in the online directory immediately (that's if you choose to do so). To create an account, go to fsd79.membershiptoolkit.com and follow the directions in the attached form (Online Student Directory Set Up Instructions 2024-2025).

To gain access to the Online Student Directory your account must be active and you must pay the $15 PTO Membership Family Fee. If you paid your PTO Membership fee through your TeacherEase account before June 15th, your payment has been confirmed and you currently have access to the Online Student Directory. If you didn’t pay your PTO Membership Family Fee before June 15th, you can pay the $15 PTO Membership Family fee thru Venmo @Fremont-PTO; or by bringing or sending the attached form with your cash payment or check made payable to Fremont PTO to any school front office. The option to pay the PTO Membership Fee thru your TeacherEase account is no longer available. Once we receive confirmation of your payment, we will give you access to the online directory. Please note it may take up to one week to be granted access to the online directory.

Don't forget to download the FREE Membership Toolkit app to your smartphone-search "Membership Toolkit" in your app store.

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.

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

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.

• Mundelein HS Dance Fall Kids Clinic
• Ice Dogs Hockey Club
• CLC Latinx Series
• Mundelein SC Soccer
• Mundelein AYSO EPIC Soccer
• Kessel Training Basketball League
• Mundelein HS Boys Tennis Lessons
• Stevenson HS Community Education (PREP) Programs
• Special Gifts Theatre

The next edition of the Fremont Focus will be distributed on Wednesday, October 2. 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