Fairmount Families Week END Report

Happy October! We’re excited to begin this new month full of learning and growth opportunities. As the leaves start to change, it’s a perfect time to reflect on the progress our students have made so far and look ahead to what’s next.

Next week, we will be holding our Parent-Teacher Conferences, and we can’t wait to partner with you to discuss your child’s achievements and areas for growth. These meetings are an important part of ensuring that we are all working together to support your child’s success. If you have not signed up for a parent-teacher conference, please contact the office for support as the online sign-up opportunity is now closed.

Have a wonderful weekend - I look forward to seeing you next week!

Sincerely,

Lisa Niforatos

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

Fairmount School Attendance Form

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.

District 58 has a rich and diverse population in our learning community. We recognize that many families have different beliefs; and because of religious, cultural, or personal reasons, some families may choose to not be involved in Halloween activities. If you would not like your child(ren) to participate in Halloween activities, please communicate this with your classroom teacher and with me. We will then find an alternative location and activity for your child during the Halloween activities.

Parent-teacher conferences will be held on October 8th and 10th. If you have not signed up for a conference and would still like to do so, please contact the Fairmount Office staff at 630-719-5830.

Be sure to check-out our PTA Book Fair, which will be taking place during parent-teacher conferences.

Students and staff at Fairmount will be engaging in various safety drills over the next few weeks including: fire drill (with and without the DGFD), bus evacuation drill (with First Student), and active threat drill (with and without the DGPD).

Please know that all of the drills above will be announced to students and staff ahead of time, so everyone will be aware of the drill/practice. Additionally, teachers and staff will provide grade-level appropriate follow-up with their classes and ensure students are supported before, during, and after each safety drill.

Our next drill with students and staff will be:

Fire Drill with the Downers Grove Fire Department - October 8, 2024

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 7th 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.

Regular school attendance is crucial for your child’s academic and social development. We appreciate your partnership in helping them arrive at school on time each day.

District 58 is focused on improving student attendance, and as a part of this effort, a letter was sent home today with each student. This letter includes the number of days your child has been in attendance.

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”.

Next week, we will share a few tips that you can access when talking to your child(ren) about the Zones at home.

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: 1st Grade Teacher

Years at Fairmount: 9 Years

Favorite Subject in Elementary School: Math

Least Favorite Subject in Elementary School: Science

Favorite Grade in School: 3rd Grade

A big part of why I became a teacher... My teachers always had faith in me...they were my cheerleaders and I love being a cheerleader for my students!

A memorable moment of my time in school was... When I was in 5th grade my teacher was getting rid of all of her teacher manuals, I asked her if I could take them home.

If I wasn't a teacher/didn't work in a school I would... Work in fitness or nutrition

10.07: Wear Orange! Student Dismissal 2:00 p.m.

10.08: Parent Teacher Conferences 5:00-8:00 p.m., Book Fair 4:45-8:00 p.m.

10.09: Chess Wizards for Registered Students 3:00-4:00 p.m.

10.10: BAM Theatre for Registered Students 3:00-4:00 p.m., Parent Teacher Conferences 5:00-8:00 p.m., Book Fair 4:45-8:00 p.m.

10.11: PTA Fun Lunch, Falcon Friday: Wear School Colors or Spiritwear

10.14: No School Columbus Day

10.24: Picture Day - Retake

10.26: PTA Trivia Night (see PTA Website for Details)

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.

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.

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.

Elementary School Food Service

Elementary schools provide pre-ordered boxed lunches for students, through www.MyMealOrder.com. Lunches cost $4.60. Click here to learn more. Elementary boxed lunches will be offered starting the week of Aug. 26. Orders must be submitted by Aug. 22 to receive boxed lunch the week of Aug. 26.

In addition, elementary students may sign up to receive daily milk for $53 (which is 30 cents per day). Families should complete this Elementary Milk Order Form to sign their child up for milk. This is separate from the boxed lunch option. The $53 milk fee will be posted to the student's PushCoin account next month.

Free and Reduced Meals and Milk

District 58 provides free and reduced-cost meals and milk to students who qualify and apply. These meals will be provided starting the first day of school.

Please visit District 58's Food Services webpage for more information.

Following our primary election, eight Student Council candidates gave spectacular speeches this week. Each one of them showed poise, kindness and care for their school community.

Congratulations to the 2024-2025 Officers:

President: Grace L.

Vice-President: Hannah S.

Treasurer: Evelyn S.

Secretary: Lucy L.

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