Fairmount Families Week END Report

I'm thrilled to share some exciting news... we filled the Star Jar! Our students have earned a special schoolwide recess as a reward for consistently being respectful, responsible, and safe. Their positive behavior has made our school community a better place, and we couldn't be prouder of their efforts.

A quick reminder to sign up for our upcoming parent-teacher conferences (details below)! This is a great opportunity to discuss your child’s progress. Your partnership is vital to their success, so please don’t miss this chance to connect.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Sincerely,

Lisa Niforatos

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

Fairmount School Attendance Form

Past Newsletters

Fall parent-teacher conference signups are open now through Oct. 4 at 11 a.m. Conferences take place the evenings of Oct. 8 and 10. www.PowerPTC.net

Click here to learn how to sign up for a conference and more. (Haga clic aquí para obtener la guía de inscripción a la conferencia de padres y maestros en español.)

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

Apply to a District 58 committee by Oct. 4

District 58 is recruiting new members for its District and School Board committees/councils. Please consider participating! Applications are due on Friday, Oct. 4. See the links below for more information:

• View Superintendent Dr. Kevin Russell’s letter regarding committee recruitment.

• View committee and council descriptions, goals, meeting dates and membership needs.

• Apply to join a District 58 committee/council.

Monday, September 30th 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.

District 58's administrative offices are moving to the new Downers Grove Civic Center, effective Monday, Sept. 30. Our new address is:

Downers Grove Grade School District 58

850 Curtiss Street, Suite 200

Downers Grove, IL 60515

Business hours will continue to be 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m.

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, I will be sending an attendance awareness letter home to each student’s family. This letter will be sent home on Friday, October 4, and it will include the number of days your child has been in attendance. Please reach out to me should you have any questions about your child’s attendance or this letter.

From Birthdays (or half-birthdays), Lost Teeth, Positive Behaviors and More... we love celebrating our Falcons!

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.

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: 2nd Grade Teacher

Years at Fairmount: 8 Years

Favorite Subject in Elementary School: Math

Least Favorite Subject in Elementary School: Reading

Favorite Grade in School: 6th grade - The year I moved and met my best friend group that I still have to this day!

A big part of why I became a teacher... I have always loved helping others, school, and learning!

A memorable moment of my time in school was... 1st grade - Practicing our spelling words on our desks with shaving cream.

If I wasn't a teacher/didn't work in a school I would... at a publishing company.

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

10.01: 2nd Grade & 5th Grade Field Trip to Morton Arboretum, Run Club for Registered Students 3:00-3:40 p.m.

10.02: Chess Wizards for Registered Students 3:00-4:00 p.m., PTA Meeting at Fairmount 7:00 p.m.

10.03: BAM Theatre for Registered Students 3:00-4:00 p.m., Run Club for Registered Students 3:00-3:40 p.m.

10.04: Falcon Friday: Wear School Colors or Spiritwear

10.08 and 10.10: Parent Teacher Conferences

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.

Interested in signing up for PTA's Art Appreciation, which is an opportunity to volunteer in your child's classroom? Please click the link below:

Art Appreciation Sign Up Contact kellypollington@hotmail.com with questions.

Directory Spot is now updated and live!

One change from this year is that we were unable to add a second parent/guardian. If you want to, you can log in (through a browser, not the app) to DirectorySpot.net/general/login.php

then go to My Account and you will see where you can add an additional parent/guardian.

Here is the link to join the PTA if you haven’t joined yet!

https://httpfairmountmy-ptaorg.givebacks.com/store?limit=21&live=true&category=Memberships

Thanks so much! Any questions or comments please reach out to Katie Burnley!

k_bequette@hotmail.com

618-593-3407

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.

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.

Thank you Fairmount community for attending Downers Grove Oktoberfest last weekend! It was great to see so many Falcons and their families at Oktoberfest last weekend!

All money raised at Oktoberfest will support the Education Foundation of Downers Grove District 58’s programs for District 58 students and staff. Learn more about the Education Foundation at www.58foundation.org.

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.

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