Fairmount Families Week END Report
01.10.2025
Happy Friday, Fairmount Families!
Happy New Year! It was truly wonderful to welcome our students back this week and see their bright smiles and enthusiasm light up our school once again.
I am incredibly proud of how smoothly our students transitioned back into the school routine after the break. Their positive energy and eagerness to learn were evident throughout the week. A special highlight was Monday’s Monthly Matters assembly, where students actively participated in discussions about setting meaningful goals for 2025.
Thank you, as always, for your continued support. Here’s to a wonderful year of growth and learning together!
Sincerely,
Lisa Niforatos
Be sure to follow me on X/Twitter @Fairmount58.
District 58 elementary schools join the National School Lunch Program
As of Monday, January 6th, District 58's elementary schools joined the National School Lunch Program and partner with a new elementary food service provider, Open Kitchens.
To help with the transition, District 58 will automatically provide meals to all students who currently receive boxed lunches during the week of Jan. 6. Families do not need to pre-order meals for this week.
Starting with the week of Jan. 13, all families who would like their child to receive a boxed lunch will be required to pre-order it online through the MyMealOrder system. Lunch orders for the week of Jan. 13 are due on Monday, Jan. 6 at the end of the day.
Click here to learn more information about ordering elementary boxed lunches.
Harlem Wizards will return to District 58 on Jan. 19, 2025
The District 58 Education Foundation invites families to buy tickets for the Harlem Wizards fundraiser event on Sunday, Jan. 19 at 6 p.m. at Downers Grove South. This event brings together the District 58 community, as District 58 teachers and staff compete against the Harlem Wizards in a fun and high-energy basketball game!
Ms. Alyssa Reinholz and Mr. Rick Zieman from Fairmount will be part of the Downers Grovetrotters, the District 58 staff team that will be playing the Harlem Wizards! Come cheer on your Fairmount teachers and staff!
Event proceeds will benefit the Education Foundation. The Harlem Wizards are no stranger to Downers Grove; this is their sixth District 58 fundraiser event!
Science Fair - New Location!
The District 58 Science Fair has a new location: O'Neill Middle School. The Science Fair will still take place on Saturday, Jan. 25, as scheduled. Due to construction, parking will be tight. We will send Science Fair participants instructions on parking and other Science Fair details when the event gets closer.
Office Contact during January
During the month of January, Mrs. Laama will be out of the office. To ensure all communications are received during this time, please email Jill DeRango at jderango@dg58.org. Thank you for your patience and flexibility during this month as we will have substitute coverage assisting Mrs. DeRango in the office.
Downer Grove Public Library Cards
As part of our new Student Library Card Program, District 58 invited families to sign up their child to receive a free library card during school registration last year. The Downers Grove Public Library recently finished preparing the library cards and delivered them to District 58 schools. Kindergarten through 3rd grade students have or will be receiving their cards from their classroom teachers within the week. 4th-6th grade students will be receiving their cards during an upcoming library class.
Students who signed up and already have a library card will receive an envelope with information about the program. In addition, participating students who live in Woodridge should have received their library card by mail last month. Library cards may not yet be ready for students who transferred to District 58 mid-school year. If you did not sign up your child for a library card but would like one, please contact the school office. We will partner with the library for a second issuance of library cards later this year.
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.
Check back next week for some information related to our progress related to our learning and utilization of the Zones of Regulation.
PTA Information
If you are looking for any information from our amazing Fairmount PTA, please visit their website:
Information regarding upcoming events, spiritwear, membership and more can be found throughout the site.
Fun Lunch
The first Fun Lunch of 2025 will be next Friday, January 17th. Orders are due by this Sunday night at https://fairmount.h1.hotlunchonline.net/ ! A large number of families ordered in September for all the lunches up to Winter Break, but did not order for January and beyond, so please check your account to verify you do have an order in if you wish for your child(ren) to receive a Fun Lunch next week! For a list of all upcoming lunches, or answers to frequently asked questions about Fun Lunch, visit https://www.fairmountpta.com/events/fun-lunch . If you have any additional questions or have any trouble ordering, contact Tiffany Melnyk at funlunchorders@fairmountpta.com .
Box Tops
If you are not already using the Box Tops app to scan/download your shopping receipts to earn money for our school, now would be a great time to start! Just use the QR code within the flyer below to download the app. Be sure to choose Fairmount School and use the referral code: MYJ35RDS
Send a screenshot with proof of your app to angie.mitchell23@gmail.com and your child can get a Box Tops Spirit Stick for their backpack!!
The Box Tops app features monthly challenges to join, info on all products which are eligible for Box Tops earnings, and information on current Bonus Offers, which are detailed in the flyer. There are also ongoing bonus offers at Jewel (earn $5.50 when you buy any 5 eligible products) and Target (earn $4 when you buy any 4 eligible products), now through 2/8! It would be wonderful to have additional families supporting our school through the Box Tops program, thank you for your consideration!
Talk about Tuesday
Mrs. Falk's 5th graders did an excellent job of kicking off our first Talk about Tuesday of 2025.
Braille Literacy Month
Amazing things are happening in the library for our students with Mrs. Stroud during Braille Literacy Month. Ms. Kozlowski's students were eager to show off what they learned and created.
Teacher (& Staff) Feature
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.
Meet Mrs. Quigley
Role at Fairmount: Resource Teacher/Interventionist
Years at Fairmount: 15 Years
Favorite Subject in Elementary School: Science
Least Favorite Subject in Elementary School: Social Studies
Favorite Grade in School: Senior Year in High School
A big part of why I became a Teacher...I have always liked working with people and helping others. I realized I was meant to teach when I began tutoring others in high school. College classes solidified it - I was meant to teach!
A memorable moment of my time in school was... Singing and acting in our senior musical, Brigadoon!
If I wasn't a teacher/didn't work in a school I would... at an eccentric little shop where I sold used books, antiques and plants that I propagated from my garden! :)
Mark your Calendars!
01.13: Student Dismissal 2:00 p.m.; Fairmount Families Meeting (for students during the day); Wear Orange!; 7:00 p.m. District 58 Board of Education Meeting
01.14: 3:00-3:45 p.m.Sign Language Club (for registered students)
01.15: 3:00-4:00 p.m. Chess Wizards (for registered students); Harlem Wizards Assembly (during the school day)
01.16: 3:00-4:00 p.m. Young Rembrandts (for registered students); 3:00-3:45 p.m. 2nd/3rd Grade Spanish Club
01.17: Falcon Friday! Wear School colors or Spiritwear; PTA Fun Lunch
A Look Ahead...
01.20.25: No School, District Closed
02.17.25: No School, District Closed
2024-2025 DG58 School Calendar (PDF)
Important Calendar Highlights:
Spring Break: March 31-April 4, 2025
Last Day of School: Friday, May 23, 2025 (if no emergency days are used)
Did you move? Let us know!
District 58 will start residency verification after winter break...
If your family has moved in the past year, or if your student’s address information has changed in any way, please contact Jill DeRango (jderango@dg58.org) or call 630-719-5830 and provide your updated information prior to winter break. In addition, if you rent a property, please make sure that your school has a copy of your most recent lease. You may email a copy of your lease to the building secretaries (email above) or drop off a copy at our school office.
District 58 will open 2025-26 student registration in February 2025. As part of the student registration process, District 58 works with a third-party vendor to verify that all students live within the District’s boundaries. After winter break, District 58 will begin the student address verification process. By starting this process earlier, we hope student registration will go more smoothly and more efficiently.
If our third-party vendor, Thomson Reuters CLEAR, cannot confirm that a student lives at their registered address, they will flag that student. District 58 will contact the student’s family and request additional documentation to confirm their address. A family will not be able to register their student for the 2025-26 school year until their residency is confirmed.
Keeping your child’s address information up-to-date will help make the registration process go more smoothly and ensure your child’s registration is completed without delay. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter! District 58 will share more information about 2025-26 student registration after winter break.
Weather Reminders
Students will go outside, weather and conditions permitting, each day. In the event of inclement weather or the combined temperature and wind chill is below 0 degrees and/or if the conditions outside do not support safe play (e.g. extreme ice) students will take part in indoor recess.
It is important that students come prepared for outdoor weather each day. We certainly know that the weather can vary significantly at this time of year, so students are encouraged to have a “gear bag” that includes hats, gloves, snow pants, and snow/winter boots. Thank you, in advance, for writing your child’s name on all of their gear to support finding lost items.
In the event of snowfall/accumulated snow on the ground, students MUST have both snow pants and snow boots to play in the snow. This includes being on the field/grass area. While students do not need snow pants to play on the playground equipment, they do need to have snow boots in order to access the playground area.
If your family faces hardship in purchasing/securing winter gear, please contact Jen Mejdrech (jmejdrech@dg58.org) or Lisa Niforatos (lniforatos@dg58.org) for assistance.
Student Change in Dismissal
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.
Fairmount Office Contact 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