Fremont Focus

Dear Fremont Community,

There is nothing more important we can do for our students than build a sense of safety and belonging. While these serve as essential prerequisites for high levels of academic growth and achievement, they are also basic human needs to ensure our children grow into responsible citizens and courageous leaders. Our Strategic Plan guides us in building a safe, healthy, and connected culture for ALL.

With that, we see our Fremont community as our partner in achieving this aspirational vision. We want every child to walk through our school doors, every day, knowing they belong, are cared for, and have adults who believe in them. We strive to grow a stronger, more inclusive culture each day. We know it takes reflective mindsets and shared learning.

We have targeted goals to help Fremont build a safe place of belonging for all students. Some of the areas in which we are working include:

• Providing more inclusive services for students receiving specialized services
• Incorporating more of our families’ rich, diverse identities, cultures, and backgrounds into our school community
• Strengthening our students’ skills in building healthy relationships with high levels of self- and social-awareness
• Improving practices to bolster physical and psychological safety, including mental health supports and a more cohesive PreK-8 social-emotional learning approach
• Elevating student voice and promoting student leadership

It is important that we continue to remain focused on this commitment, as ALL students deserve to reach their highest potential. We appreciate your partnership as we continue to take our District to the next level.

Sincerely,

Trisha Kocanda

Superintendent of Schools

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

• February 1 - Multicultural Family Night, 6:30 p.m. (Elementary School)
• February 6 - Kindergarten Registration Night, 4:00-7:00 p.m.; Principal presentation at 6:00 p.m. (Elementary School)
• February 7 - Early Release Schedule (MS dismissed at 2:13 p.m.; ES/IS dismissed at 3:08 p.m.)
• February 14 - Early Release Schedule (MS dismissed at 2:13 p.m.; ES/IS dismissed at 3:08 p.m.)
• February 19 - Students Not In Attendance
• February 21 - Early Release Schedule (MS dismissed at 2:13 p.m.; ES/IS dismissed at 3:08 p.m.)
• February 21 - PTO Meeting, 6:00 p.m. (Middle School Media Center)

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 January 29 meeting, please click here.

• 11.5% of Fremont students are multilingual learners.
• 218 students receive multilingual services.
• 31 general education teachers, special education teachers, and English language teachers have an English as a Second Language endorsement; four teachers are currently earning this endorsement.

This past fall, FSD79 engaged various stakeholders and created a Transportation Task Force to address the efficiencies and safety of our bus routes. The task force was comprised of parents, bus drivers, and administrators. The primary goal of the task force was to draft recommendations to streamline transportation routes, reduce unnecessary stops, and improve the overall efficiency and safety of our bus routes. The task forces examined the impact of door-to-door stops and the utilization of cul-de-sacs during student pick-up and drop-off. At the January 31 Board of Education meeting, new guidelines were approved to go into effect for next school year. Specific communication regarding the new guidelines will be shared with families on February 12.

The District has completed the search process for its next Elementary School Principal and Ms. Beth Carmody will be assuming the role beginning July 1, 2024. Stefan Ladenburger will be remaining with the District as the principal of Fremont Intermediate School as the District has opted to return to a traditional administrative structure. Ms. Carmody and Mr. Ladenburger will collaborate throughout the remainder of the school year to ensure a smooth transition. Ms. Carmody has 14 years of experience as a principal, including serving in that role at K-4 Hubbard Woods School in Winnetka since 2016.

Fremont School District 79 greatly values your feedback as it relates to your student’s educational experience. Once again, the State of Illinois has partnered with 5Essentials to create a forum by which you can provide your input.

If you have not already done so, we would greatly appreciate it if you would take the brief survey by visiting: http://survey.5-essentials.org/illinois/survey/parent/

Your responses are vital for continuous improvement and long-range planning for your child's school. Parents are welcome to answer the survey for each of their children’s schools.

The deadline to complete the survey is March 29, 2024. Thank you for your assistance!

FSD79 has immediate openings for the following positions:

District Office

Summer School Director (new position)

Fremont Intermediate School
Social Worker (Long Term Substitute)
Reading Specialist
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:

District Office
Behavioral Coach
Director of Buildings, Grounds, and Safety

Fremont Elementary School
Special Education Teacher (Resource)

Fremont Middle School
Social Worker

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

Thank you to all of our families who came out to Fremont Family Math Night on January 19 and the accompanying Parent University presentation focused on our new K-5 math resource, Illustrative Mathematics. You can click here to view the slidedeck from the evening. We also shared tips for supporting students at home.

We'd like to spotlight our Fremont Middle School Service Club, which packed socks filled with toiletries for donation to a local shelter. We love giving back to our community!

Fremont Intermediate School fourth-graders participated in their winter band concert on January 23. Congratulations to everyone involved!

The third-graders at Fremont Intermediate School were treated to an engaging weather presentation from Storm Science. The students observed some experiments and learned how to react when severe weather approaches.

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

Parents and guardians are invited to attend our Kindergarten Registration Information Night on February 6, 2024 at Fremont Elementary School. This is an opportunity for incoming kindergarten parents and students to bring in the required registration documentation anytime from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. and learn more about Kindergarten at FSD79 from our principal at 6:00 p.m. in the Elementary Gym.

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 February 21. 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

VALENTINE’S DAY CLASS PARTIES UPDATE
Party Hosts for the Valentine’s Day Classroom Parties have been assigned and notified. Each class party is designated 3 Party Hosts. If more than 3 parents signed up for a classroom party, volunteers were chosen at random. Please note: All remaining parents who have not been notified and have not been assigned to host a party will not be invited to attend the party.

SWEETHEART DANCE
Our annual Sweetheart Dance is Saturday, February 10 from 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. Please have your daughter/s arrive with an important adult figure in their life. The PTO will be hosting a similar event for sons in May. All ages are welcome to put on their best and pose with their adult for pictures. Refreshments will be available. Please see the flyer for registration information!

YEARBOOK INFO
Order your student's 2023-2024 yearbook. Use the correct school code from our flyer when you order!

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. Current offerings include:

• Mundelein Baseball & Softball Association
  
• Mundelein Soccer Club
  
• Lake Co. Girls Wrestling Program
  
• MBSA Softball Clinics
  
• Heart of the City Soccer
  
• Stevenson HS Boys & Girls Lacrosse Clinics
• Kirk Players Auditions - The Enchanted Bookshop
• Lake County Lobos Lacrosse
• Veterans Appreciation Dinner
• Stevenson HS Boys Hockey

The next edition of the Fremont Focus will be distributed on Wednesday, February 14. 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