Fairmount Families Week END Report

Happy Friday, Fairmount Families!

We had an amazing turn out for this week's Curriculum Night and it was wonderful to have our families filling the halls and classrooms. I hope you found this a positive opportunity to see your child(ren)'s learning space and learn about the year ahead. As year progresses, please do not hesitate to reach out to your child(ren)'s teacher or our staff.

As we continue to add information to each week's newsletter, I appreciate you reviewing the Week "End" Report which will come to your inbox every Friday around 5:00 p.m. Past newsletters can always be accessed on our Fairmount School website as well.

I hope you all have a wonderful Labor Day Weekend!

Sincerely,

Lisa Niforatos

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

Fairmount School Attendance Form

Past Newsletters

2024-2025 DG58 School Calendar (PDF)

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.

This week students and staff will engage in the following:

Thursday, September 5th Active Threat Drill

Most of our Fall Benchmarking wrapped up this week. Any remaining MAP make-up testing sessions and/or AimsWeb assessments will continue into next week.

This is an important reminder that there is no school on Monday, September 2nd due to the Labor Day holiday. Monday, September 9th 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.

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.

As the year begins, we’ve noticed an increase in students visiting our health offices for insect bites, particularly on the neck, face, and arms. These bites are often red and itchy, and while we can provide Calamine lotion or an ice pack to ease discomfort, other over-the-counter treatments like Benadryl cream or Hydrocortisone require a completed Medication Authorization Form.

Please ensure that these medications are not sent to school with your child unless proper authorization is in place. If you have any questions or need assistance, don’t hesitate to contact your school’s health office.

Thank you for your cooperation in keeping our students safe and healthy.

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.

We recognize that there are times students may forget their lunch and/or parents/guardians would like to provide a special lunch for their child. We appreciate you reviewing the following related to lunch/snack drop off:

-If your child forgets their lunch and one cannot be dropped off, please know that we will support your child in ensuring they have food for that day.

-While parents/guardians/care givers are welcome to drop off forgotten or special lunches for their child (please leave in the vestibule labeled with student name and teacher) District 58 requests that parents not use food delivery services (from restaurants, Uber Eats, Grub Hub, etc.) to bring lunch to their children. Food deliveries create safety hazards, as it can be challenging to confirm the legitimacy of a delivery person. It also creates front office and classroom disruptions. Thank you for respecting this request!

-Please note that there are three different lunch periods at Fairmount. Grade levels time are included in the "Below the Line" section of this newsletter.

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: Teacher Librarian

Years at Fairmount: Ten Years

Favorite Subject in Elementary School: English - I loved grammar!

Least Favorite Subject in Elementary School: Science

Favorite Grade in School: 5th Grade

A big part of why I became a teacher... I love learning and helping others learn (I like breaking things down for others and making it easier to understand).

A memorable moment of my time in school was... dressing up for holidays and just being silly with the kids.

If I wasn't a teacher/didn't work in a school I would... Work for a book company and promote books.

09.02: Labor Day - No School!

09.03: Make-Up MAP Testing

09.05: Active Threat Drill

09.06: Falcon Friday: Wear School Schools or Spiritwear; IAR Reports will be sent home to 4th-6th Grade Families

09.11: PTA Meeting (at Fairmount) 7:00 p.m.

09.12: School Picture Day (Details coming soon!)

09.13-09.14: Education Foundation Oktoberfest (Click HERE for more information)

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 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 is a returning outside club and enrollment information is included below.

BAM Theatre will be running a Fall/Winter session after school Fairmount this school year. Please look for information coming soon regarding this new after school fee based program.

The PTA is excited to see that many families are signing up to join the PTA! With your membership, families get access to an app called Directory Spot which is a very helpful app that has class rosters, student addresses and phone numbers, etc. (for those that opt into the publication). Please know that the PTA will be entering all the new grade/teacher/student & family information into the Directory Spot App soon. I'm hoping that this will be available within the next week or two.

We appreciate your patience!

Katie Burnley, PTA VP of membership k_bequette@hotmail.com

The Fairmount PTA is again partnering with local restaurants to provide Fun Lunch service this year, and the ordering platform is now open! Place your orders at https://fairmount.h1.hotlunchonline.net/ . Lunches cost between $5.00 and $6.50, and must be preordered, no day of purchase is available. The order deadline is always the Sunday night prior to the Fun Lunch, but you can order for the whole year at once if you choose.

The first Fun Lunch will be provided by Home Run Inn on Friday, September 13th and orders are due by Sunday, September 8th. New families will need to create an account to start ordering. If you already have an account from last year, PLEASE be sure to update your child(ren)'s grade level and teacher prior to placing your orders. If you have any questions, contact Tiffany Melnyk at tiffanyjoy21@gmail.com .

This year’s theme is “Accepting Imperfection” students may start projects at any time and enter into the following categories: Dance Choreography, Film Production, Literature, Music Composition, Photography, Visual Arts, Special Artists. More information regarding deadlines will come at the start of the school year. Like to Council's website https://sites.google.com/view/dupageeastcouncilsite/home

*The website is being worked on to reflect this year’s theme. If you have questions please email reflectionsfairmount@gmail.com

Fairmount is also in need of volunteers to run the Reflection's program at the school level. If you are interested in learning more please come to the PTA’s Falcon Fest on August 16th from 5-6:30 at Fairmount School.

Important Note: The current "Below the Line" includes all of the information that was shared in last week's newsletter. Recognizing that it was a lot of information, it will be available for another week or two. Please be sure to review any and all information to support the initial weeks of the school year.

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.

As we wrap-up our first full week of school, we wanted to send a few quick reminders about bussing to continue to support things running as smoothly as possible for our bus riders:

-As everyone adjusts to the routes and overall procedures for the bus, it is important to recognize that routes may be a little behind and/or ahead of schedule. Please be sure to allow five minutes on both sides of your route pick-up and drop off time as everyone adapts to their new routes and routines.

-Kindergarten students riding the bus will only be released at their stop if there is a parent/guardian or responsible adult to pick them up per First Student.

-If you child rides the bus, please remind them of the importance of staying in their seat and being safe on the bus. Our staff support this each day before student departure and appreciate your help with this at home as well.

The District 58 Instrumental Music teachers are excited to launch a new school year in BAND and ORCHESTRA and begin making music together again soon! We look forward to seeing returning students and also are thrilled to continue our work with the over 300 beginner instrumentalists who started their musical journey during our summer jumpstart program!

In-school lessons will be starting at each elementary school the week of Sep. 3rd. Once we have established this routine, students will also participate in weekly after-school rehearsals to prepare for their concerts! Please watch for an email from your student’s orchestra or band teacher with details about lesson and rehearsal schedules. Click here to meet your band and orchestra teachers - we look forward to seeing you soon!

District 58's successful 2022 referendum provided funding to install air-conditioning at the 11 elementary schools that lacked a centralized cooling system. This summer, crews upgraded electrical systems and installed air-conditioning at the four Phase I elementary schools and partially installed it at the two middle schools.

In the meantime, several schools are not fully air-conditioned, and schools can get hot. To alleviate the heat, our schools use their resources and building spaces wisely to provide heat relief for students and staff on hot days. Please click here to learn some of the ways our schools keep students and staff cool on hot days.

Students may arrive at Fairmount School beginning at 8:05 a.m. each day when adult supervision begins. In order to assist with a timely and safe arrival process, the school playground will be closed before school. Upon arrival, students should line up by their assigned door. Students will be directed to enter the building beginning at 8:15 am. Anyone arriving after 8:15 a.m. should enter through Door One.

Following daily dismissal at Fairmount School (2:00 p.m. on Monday and 3:00 p.m. Tuesday through Friday), all students who are not scheduled to remain in the building must leave the school grounds and check in at their destination as there is no supervision on school grounds after school hours. We want to ensure the safety of all students.

If your child is going to be absent or late to school, please call the Fairmount Office at 630.719.5830 to report his/her absence. If you call before or after office hours, you are welcome to leave attendance information on the school's voicemail. You can also report your child's absence on THIS FORM. We kindly ask that you do not email attendance information to the teacher or principal.

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.

Even if your child(ren) will not be utilizing the Car Line at Fairmount, we kindly ask all families to review the information below as some information may pertain to your child's arrival/dismissal plan.

Thank you for your patience, especially during the first weeks of school as everyone adjusts to the arrival and dismissal routine. We appreciate everyone's support to ensure our arrival and dismissal process runs smoothly and safely for all students.

Please note: There is no student drop-off or pick-up on Blodgett. This not only aids in the flow of our daily carline but ensures that all students and drivers can arrive and dismiss from Fairmount safely. Additionally, cars accessing our carline will “line up” on the west side of Blodgett to fluidly enter and exit the Fairmount drop zones. Additionally, there is no parking (indicated by signs) on areas of Blodgett during both student arrival and dismissal.

Please see the diagram below for car line details. The car line queue will form on Blodgett facing south only. Cars may not enter the car line if traveling north on Blodgett. Cars will begin entering the parking lot (in a single line) at 8:05 a.m. for arrival and 2:50 p.m. for dismissal (1:50 p.m. on Mondays).

The cars should stay within the marked yellow solid lines in the Fairmount lot; cars may not pass one another. There will be four drop zones within the parking lot, and staff will be present to assist. Drivers are asked to follow the prompts of the staff members and pull up to the furthest available drop zone. Students should only exit and enter from the passenger side of the vehicle, and drivers should not exit their vehicles. After unloading at arrival, students will walk to their assigned arrival door.

Cars accessing the car line at dismissal are asked to have the pink "Car Line Sign" visible on the passenger side window to assist with the dismissal process. This sign will be available at the Move-In/Meet the Teacher event and will also be available in the entryway vestibule.

To support the flow of the car line, families and students who are arriving or dismissing at Fairmount as walkers are asked to walk behind/around the building to avoid crowding the sidewalk in front of the building.

Important Notes:

• The car line should only be used for student drop-off and pick-up. If you would like to walk your child to and from their arrival/dismissal door, please do not use the car line, as parking is not allowed in the school parking lot during arrival or dismissal.
• Parking will not be allowed during the posted times on Blodgett to support our car line as well as student bussing (7:00-9:00 a.m. and 1:00-4:00 p.m.).

There are many times throughout the year parents and guests may visit Fairmount during school hours. Please know that all visitors (even when we recognize you) will be asked to do the following prior to entering our school:

1. Press button to alert office staff

2. Identify yourself by name and provide the reason for your visit

3. Upon entry, proceed directly to the office for further direction

District 58 utilizes the Raptor Visitor Management System in all of our schools. This system allows us to screen visitors, contractors, and volunteers in our schools and know who is in our building at all times.

Upon entering Fairmount, visitors will be asked to present photo identification, such as a Driver’s License, which can either be scanned or manually entered into the system. If a parent or guardian for any reason does not have a US government-issued ID, the school staff member can use any form of identification and manually enter the person’s name into the Raptor system. The Raptor system checks the visitor's name and date of birth for comparison with a national database of registered sex offenders. The registered sex offender database is the only official database checked by the Raptor system. No other data from the ID is gathered or recorded and the information is not shared with any outside agency. Once entry is approved, Raptor will issue a badge that identifies the visitor, the date, and the purpose of his/her visit. A visitor’s badge will not be necessary for those who drop off an item in the office/entry vestibule.

The safety of our students is our highest priority and the Raptor visitor management system allows us to quickly identify those that may present a danger to our students. We appreciate your understanding and support in enhancing school safety protocols in our district.

We recognize that students may forget items at home from time to time. We appreciate your support in only dropping off items that are essential for your child to navigate their school day (e.g. forgotten lunch, iPad).

For your convenience and to ensure the safety of all in the building, any items needing to be dropped off throughout the school day can be left on the table in the entryway vestibule. Please write your child's name and teacher on the item and a staff member will deliver this as soon as possible. Please note: medication of any kind should not be left in the vestibule.

While a student can bring their electronic device (including cell phones and AirPods) to school, all non-district-issued technologies are to be silenced and out of sight throughout the school day. Students are allowed to wear smartwatches, but they are to be silenced (or on school mode) during the school day. The district-provided technology will be utilized for students to participate in lessons and complete assignments. We appreciate you reviewing these expectations with your children in support of their learning.

We appreciate your support in not texting or calling your child during the school day. The office staff will support any needed communication between you and your child throughout the day if/when needed.

Please make sure your child has a snack each day. Snack breaks should consist of nutritious food choices such as fruits, vegetables, and other portable snacks. This aligns with Policy 6:50. The health and safety of our students are our highest priorities. Therefore certain snacks or foods may be prohibited in your child’s classroom due to food allergies.

During the 2024-2025 school year, we will continue to "show our orange" on Monday. Everyone is welcome to join the staff in wearing orange to support our district's focus on positive psychology.

Don't forget to show your school spirit every Friday at Fairmount! Students are welcome to wear school colors or spiritwear.

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