Fremont Focus

Dear K-8 Parents and Guardians,

A solar eclipse will be visible in the Chicagoland area on Monday, April 8, between 12:51 and 3:22 p.m. The eclipse is expected to reach its peak at precisely 2:07 p.m., during which the moon will cover up to 94 percent of the sun. It’s important to note that the next solar eclipse visible from the United States is not anticipated until August 23, 2044.

In preparation for this event, K-8 teachers will be conducting lessons about the eclipse on Monday, April 8. The District has also secured viewing glasses for each K-8 staff member and student to ensure their safety during observation. All students will have the opportunity to safely view the eclipse and continue to wear the glasses following the school day. Mrs. O'Brien will be sending a separate communication to our Lincoln Early Learning Center families regarding their plans for that day.

While we are excited about this rare astronomical occurrence, we recognize that some parents may prefer that their student(s) not participate in the viewing. If you wish for your child(ren) to opt out of the eclipse observation, kindly complete the Solar Eclipse Opt-out Form provided by Friday, April 5. If you have multiple children who will not be participating, please fill out a separate form for each child.

For more information on the solar eclipse, please visit the National Science Teaching Association website.

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

• April 3 - Early Release Schedule (MS dismissed at 2:13 p.m.; ES/IS dismissed at 3:08 p.m.)
• April 8 - Parent webinar - New Bus Routing Guidelines (Zoom link), 6:00 p.m. (virtual)
• April 10 - Early Release Schedule (MS dismissed at 2:13 p.m.; ES/IS dismissed at 3:08 p.m.)
• April 15 - Parent University event - Standards-Based Grading (Zoom link), 6:30 p.m. (virtual)
• April 17 - Early Release Schedule (MS dismissed at 2:13 p.m.; ES/IS dismissed at 3:08 p.m.)
• April 17 - Soup with the Supt., 5:15 p.m. (Middle School Media Center; RSVP form)
• April 17 - PTO Meeting, 6:00 p.m. (Middle School Media Center)
• April 22 - Board of Education meeting (live stream), 7:00 p.m. (Middle School Media Center)

Individuals who reside within Fremont School District 79 boundaries should keep their eyes on their mailboxes next week for the Spring 2024 edition of the Fremont Digest, our newsletter which is mailed out twice per year. This upcoming edition focuses on District planning for our facilities and enrollment growth, as well as a financial update. There also will be information regarding a survey that we are asking all community members to take to help us plan for our future. Be sure to check it out!

Monday, April 8, 2024 • 6:00 p.m.

Virtual Presentation (Zoom Link)

Join District administrators as they discuss details of the District's bus routing plan that will take effect for the 2024-2025 school year. This will be a virtual presentation.

A list of Frequently Asked Questions can be found here. If your question is not addressed in the FAQs document, please utilize this form to submit questions by Friday, April 5 and we will address as many as possible during the webinar.

Monday, April 15, 2024 • 6:30 p.m.

Virtual Presentation (Zoom Link)

Parents and guardians are invited to attend this virtual webinar to deepen their understanding of standards-based grading (SBG) and its application in Fremont School District 79. District administrators and teachers will share key components related to SBG implementation and what it means for our students, including insights related to determining grades, gradebook (TeacherEase) navigation, and a host of additional resources. This session will be recorded and shared with families following the webinar.

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 March 18 meeting, please click here.

Fremont School District 79 students in grades 3-8 will be participating in the Illinois Assessment of

Readiness (IAR) during the month of April. The Illinois State Board of Education requires that all

students in grades 3-8 take the IAR.

The IAR is fully aligned to the Illinois Learning Standards for English language arts and math and is

taken online. Our students are scheduled to test between April 4 and April 19. More specific testing dates and times will be provided by your building principal(s).

You can help your child do their best on the test by:

• Making sure that your child attends school on the days of testing, if possible;
• Making sure your child gets a good night’s sleep the night before testing;
• Providing breakfast on the mornings of testing;
• Letting your child know that you have confidence in their ability; and
• Advising your child not to worry about the test and to do the best that they can.

We will be reviewing and sharing the IAR assessment results with you when they become available. We appreciate being partners in the education of your child.

Fremont School District 79's Summer Adventures in Learning program will be open this summer from June 10-28 (no class on June 19) from 8:30 a.m. - 12:20 p.m. We have some awesome art, science, and game classes for students in grades K-7. Registration is now open and can be done online here. We look forward to seeing Fremont students in our enrichment program this summer. If you have any questions, please contact Cathy Park (cpark@fsd79.org).

The students in the grade 1-2 multi-age classroom performed non-fiction text feature surgeries. The students looked through different non-fiction texts and cut out examples of different text features before using Band-Aids to affix the text features to a medical chart.

FSD79 has immediate openings for the following positions:

District Office

Special Education Teacher (ESY)

Lincoln Early Learning Center

Early Childhood Teacher/Preschool Teacher (ESY) (Summer 2024)

Fremont Elementary School

Paraprofessional • Lunchroom Supervisor • 2nd Grade Homebound Tutor

Fremont Intermediate School
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:

Lincoln Early Learning Center

Speech Language Pathologist • Social Worker (Part Time)

Fremont Elementary School

1st Grade Teacher

Fremont Intermediate School

English Learner Teacher

Fremont Middle School
Social Worker

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

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 April 17. 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

SOUP WITH THE SUPT.

Join FSD79 Superintendent of Schools Trisha Kocanda and Middle School Principal Emily Loerakker from 5:15-6:00 p.m. April 17 at the Fremont Middle School DEN, immediately prior to the 6:00 p.m. PTO Meeting. They’ll provide an update on what’s happening around the District and the schools. Enjoy some discussion as well as free soup on the school district in the process! Please click here to RSVP.

CARDS FOR A CAUSE FUNDRAISER
Thank you for considering supporting our Cards for a Cause Fundraiser with Paper Pie Books. Each box has 30+ cards and is just $30! 100% of the proceeds - $13 from each box - goes to the PTO! These cards are great to have on hand for birthday parties, holidays and all occasions. There are five different boxes to choose from including holiday, birthday and thank you cards. Please use this link to place your order. All card boxes must be picked up on Friday, April 26 at the Intermediate School from 6-8 p.m.

SCHOOL STORE DATES

The School Store will be open on the following Fridays during lunch: Elementary School April 12 and May 10 and Intermediate School April 5 and May 3. Students in grades 1st-5th are welcome to shop once they have finished eating their lunch. Items range in price from $.25-$3.00.

SAVE THE DATE! FAMILY BINGO NIGHT & BOOK FAIR

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. The Book Fair will also be open 5:30-8:30 p.m. This will be the last time to shop at the book fair this year!

Event Details: Here is the link to register. Registration and payment are due by Tuesday, April 23. Pre-registration is required for this event. No walk-in participants will be accepted. Students must be accompanied by an adult. This is not a drop-off event.

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

School lunch menus for the month of April are 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. Current offerings include:

• Kirk Players: The Enchanted Bookshop
• Mundelein HS Dance Team Tryouts
• Stevenson HS Community Education (PREP) Programs
• Mundelein Baseball & Softball Association
• Veterans Appreciation Dinner
• Stevenson HS Boys Hockey
• Stevenson HS Girls Feeder Lacrosse Clinic
  
• Libertyville Scout Troop 72

The next edition of the Fremont Focus will be distributed on Wednesday, April 17. 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