Fairmount Families Week END Report

Happy Friday, Fairmount Families!

The first week of September brought with it a wonderful week of learning. Our falcons continue to settle in to schedules and are doing an excellent job of demonstrating respectful, responsible and safe behaviors both in and out of the classroom.

As we look ahead to next week, we will have our first PTA meeting of the 24-25 school year, Picture Day and conclude the week with the Education Foundation of Downers Grove District 58's annual Oktoberfest. It will be a busy but exciting week!

Wishing everyone a spectacular September weekend!

Sincerely,

Lisa Niforatos

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

Fairmount School Attendance Form

Past Newsletters

Please click on the link below for information regarding the 24-25 Run Club, which is being offered to 2nd through 6th grade students. There will only be a fall session this school year. Fairmount’s Run Club will occur after school (3:00-3:40) where students will walk or run a pre-marked course in the grass. They will track their laps to see how far they can run each session. Sign-up closes on Monday, September 16th at 3:00pm. Please note that late sign-ups will not be accepted, and Run Club will be capped at 70 students.

Please contact Colleen Brejcha (cbrejcha@dg58.org) or Annabeth Niemann (aniemann@dg58.org) with any Run Club questions.

Run Club Permission Form

This year at Fairmount, every 5th and 6th grade student has the opportunity to participate in Student Council. Student Council at Fairmount this year will involve 4 fundraiser opportunities, as well as multiple spirit weeks. Members of Student Council will share their ideas for fundraising opportunities and spirit weeks, collect donations, and help create flyers for the hallway during fundraisers and spirit weeks to encourage other Fairmount students to participate.

Please click on the PDF below for additional information related to the 2024-2025 Student Council.

Please contact Ali Glennon (aglennon@dg58.org) with questions regarding Student Council.

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 11th Bus Evacuation Drill

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.

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.

As we settle into the lunchtime routines, please be sure to support your child(ren) in bringing utensils if needed (spoon, fork, etc.) in their lunch. We do our best to have plastic utensils available for students but our supply diminishes quickly. We are always accepting donations of plastic spoons, forks and/or sporks to restock our student supply as needed throughout the year.

Fairmount School will recognize Patriot Day on Wednesday, Sept. 11 by flying the American flag at half-staff, observing a moment of silence, and sharing the following message with all students during morning announcements at 8:45 a.m.:

September 11 is Patriot Day. On this day, the President requests that the American flag be flown at half-staff and that we observe a moment of silence.

Patriot Day is a day we remember the events of September 11, 2001 and we honor and celebrate the courageous service of our firefighters, police officers, paramedics and military. On this day in our nation’s history, in the face of tragedy, we saw courage: firefighters, police officers, and paramedics rushed to help. We saw selflessness: strangers helped strangers. We saw love: people from around the world sent cards, supplies, and comfort. In honor, respect and remembrance of this important event in our nation’s history, we will now observe a moment of silence.

Today is an opportunity to turn something negative into a positive activity by honoring the good work of others and by doing good works ourselves. Today, look for opportunities to be courageous, selfless, and loving, and if possible, say thank you to those who work so hard to keep us well and safe.

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: Kindergarten Teacher

Years at Fairmount: This is my 8th Year at Fairmount

Favorite Subject in Elementary School: Science

Least Favorite Subject in Elementary School: math...I HATED the timed tests!

Favorite Grade in School: 5th Grade

A big part of why I became a teacher... Miss Honey from Matilda! She was/is my idol!

A memorable moment of my time in school was... having my sister be my "show and tell" subject when I was in Kindergarten! I thought this was so cool!

If I wasn't a teacher/didn't work in a school I would... nutritionist!

09.09: Wear Orange! Student Dismissal 2:00 p.m.; District 58 Board of Education Meeting 7:00 p.m.

09.11: Patriot's Day - Students and Staff are invited to wear Red, White and/or Blue; 7:00 p.m. PTA Meeting at Fairmount School

09.12: Picture Day (forms were sent home with students for ordering)

09.13: Falcon Friday: Wear School Schools or Spiritwear; 1st PTA Fun Lunch!

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

10.08 and 10.10: Parent Teacher Conferences (More Information in Future Communications)

10.14: No School Columbus Day

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

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.

Here is the website to learn more about what membership to the PTA includes, as well as the link to join: https://sites.google.com/view/fairmount58pta/membership

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.

Our online spirit wear shop is open! All orders will take 10-15 days and can be delivered to the school or shipped directly to an address. Please remember to fill out the grade and teacher if you are shipping to the school.

https://debsembroidery.chipply.com/fairmount/

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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