Fremont Focus

We are looking forward to welcoming our students, staff, and families to Fremont School District 79 for the 2024-2025 school year!

The following are a number back-to-school updates to get you prepared for the start of the new academic year. Parents and guardians can expect to receive this email update from the District twice a month. This will be in addition to the principal's e-newsletter that you will receive from the schools each week. We hope that you find the information provided to be informative and helpful.

Please read the following newsletter for detailed information, but here is a summary of key dates for quick access:

• August 2 - Teacher assignments released
  
• August 5 - Bus route information released
• August 7 - Kindergarten Practice Bus Ride; 10:00 a.m.
• August 14 - Meet & Greet for Grades K-8 (last name A-L - 1:00-2:00 p.m.; last name M-Z - 2:00-3:00 p.m.)
• August 15 - First day of school for Grades K-8
• August 15 - Meet & Greet for Preschool & Early Childhood; 10:00 a.m. & 2:00 p.m.
• August 16 - Preschool Screening Day (Lincoln Early Learning Center)
• August 16 - PTO Back-to-School Bash; 5:30-7:30 p.m. (Intermediate School)
  
• August 19 - First day of school for Preschool and Early Childhood
• August 19 - Board of Education meeting (live stream), 7:00 p.m. (Middle School Media Center)
• August 20 - Elementary School Curriculum Night; 6:15 p.m.
• August 22 - Middle School Curriculum Night; 6:30 p.m.
• August 29 - Intermediate School Curriculum Night; 6:15 p.m.

Teacher assignments are scheduled to be emailed to families on Friday, August 2 in conjunction with the principal e-newsletters at the school level.

Incoming kindergarteners will have the opportunity to take a practice school bus ride at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, August 7. Buses will depart from the parking lot located between the front of Fremont Elementary and Intermediate Schools. Students will be introduced to bus safety, as well as how to load and unload the bus. A short route also will be performed.

• Students in Kindergarten - Grade 8 are invited to drop off supplies and meet their teacher(s) on Wednesday, August 14. Please click here to view school supply lists.

• To relieve congestion, we respectfully ask families to adhere to the following plan:

• Students whose last names begin with A-L should come between 1:00-2:00 p.m.
  

• Students with last names that begin with M-Z should come between 2:00-3:00 p.m.
  

• Parents may pay for school lunches during their visit (bring a check or pay online).

• Grades K-5 may also pick up bus tags in the Intermediate School gymnasium at this time. Grades 6-8 do not need bus tags.

• The first day of school for Kindergarten - Grade 8 is Thursday, August 15.

• Middle School runs from 7:55 a.m. to 2:43 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.

• Elementary and Intermediate Schools run from 8:50 a.m. to 3:38 p.m. on those days.

• Each Wednesday will be an early release day so that teachers and staff may participate in professional learning.

• Middle School students will be released at 2:13 p.m. each Wednesday.

• Elementary and Intermediate School students will be released at 3:08 p.m.

• Preschool/Early Childhood students and their parents are invited to meet their teachers on Thursday, August 15.

• 10:00-11:00 a.m. for A.M. Preschool/Early Childhood (practice bus ride at 10:30 a.m.)

• 2:00-3:00 p.m. for P.M. Preschool/Early Childhood (practice bus ride at 2:30 p.m.)

• The first day of school for Preschool/Early Childhood is Monday, August 19. Please note the new school day times for the 2024-2025 school year:

• Morning Session: 8:00-10:30 a.m.
• Afternoon session: 12:15-2:45 p.m.

FSD79 is pleased to welcome three new administrators to the District. Please join us in welcoming them!

Ms. Carmody joins Fremont after serving as the K-4 principal at Hubbard Woods School in Winnetka since 2016. She was previously the Grade 3-5 principal at Rutledge Hall School in Lincolnwood as well as the principal of Carmel School in Hong Kong. She also has experience as a kindergarten and first-grade teacher and as an instructional coach.

Ms. Lauritzen joins the District with 20 years of experience as a transportation director. She is very familiar with the area, having served as the Director of Transportation at Lake Zurich Community Unit School District 95 for the last eight years. Prior to that, she was the transportation director for Round Lake Area Schools for 12 years.

Mr. Pettinger joined the District in 2022 as a member of the Buildings and Grounds team and was selected to this new role based on his past leadership, maintenance, and safety skills. He will work alongside Dan Wagner in this leadership role as Mr. Wagner prepares to retire later this year.

Registration is now open for Wednesday after-school (3:08 - 4:08 p.m.) no-cost childcare program for Fremont School District 79 K-5 students from the start of the school year through the start of winter break.

PLEASE NOTE: In order to register your student(s) for after-school childcare on Wednesdays from August 21 through December 18, you must do so by Friday, August 9. Please review the following two-step registration process:

FOR CHILDCARE

To participate, families must register via the Right at School website by Friday, August 9.

FOR BUS TRANSPORTATION

If 4:08 p.m. bus transportation home is necessary, parents must complete this form for every child needing bus transportation by Friday, August 9. These bus routes are run similar to activity buses with neighborhood group stops. If you do not register your child(ren) for bus transportation, you are committing to picking your child(ren) up each week.

It is important to note that requests made after Friday, August 9 cannot be accommodated due to our need to devise a safe supervision and transportation plan.

Health information and medical forms are available on the FSD79 Health Services website page. Please drop off forms at your child’s school.

• Kindergarteners must show proof of current physical/immunizations, as well as dental and eye exam forms.

• Second graders must complete a dental examination prior to starting school.

• Sixth graders must provide a dental examination form and a health examination form with proof of up-to-date immunizations.

As we strive to maintain a focused and respectful atmosphere in our classrooms and throughout the school, it is important to reinforce our personal electronic device policy. We ask that you discuss this with your child(ren) before the school year begins. All students must understand the expectation of not using cell phones during the school day, including in classrooms, hallways, bathrooms, and during lunch or recess.

In summary:

• Portable electronic equipment includes devices such as cell phones, video recording devices, smart watches, iPods, and other electronic devices are not able to be used during the school day.

• All personal electronic devices must be kept powered off or silenced unless a supervising teacher grants permission. They should be stored out of sight in a Chromebook bag or sleeve (rather than in pockets or waistbands).

• Students will be permitted to use the school telephone in the main office when they need to contact their family.

• Use of devices may be permitted as an accommodation in a student’s IEP or 504 plan.

• For reference, you can access the FSD79 Family Handbook 2024-2025 (formerly referred to as the Parent/Student Handbook) which also outlines the Portable Electronic Equipment (Reference: Board Policy 7:190).

We greatly appreciate your support in conveying this clear and consistent message to your child. We will continue to evaluate our policy and procedures regarding personal electronic devices, seeking feedback from both parents and students. Many schools locally and nationally are restricting access to these devices to improve student engagement and reduce distractions. Together, we can ensure a focused and productive learning environment for all students while exploring best practices for managing portable devices.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Parents and guardians who DO NOT want their child’s photograph and/or student work published need to complete this form and return it to their school's front office within your student’s first 5 days of school attendance. A letter submitted from the previous year will not carry over.

Right at School offers before and after school child care at FSD79, for Grades K-8. Please visit the Right At School website for information and to register your child(ren) for the program. Information regarding a no-cost after-school option for students on early release Wednesdays can be found above.

Bus route information for the upcoming school year will be disseminated by August 5. If you have any questions, please contact transportation@fsd79.org.

Lunch menus for the month of August are available and can be found here. For more information on the school lunch program, please click here.

FSD79 offers local groups and organizations the opportunity to advertise their upcoming events in the Virtual Backpack. To submit your group's event for consideration, please submit a PDF flyer to publicrelations@fsd79.org. Check back regularly for upcoming offerings.

The next meeting of the Fremont School District 79 Board of Education will be held Monday, August 19 at 7:00 p.m. at the Fremont Middle School Media Center. The meeting will include the following presentations:

• FY25 Tentative Budget
• 2024-2025 Communication Plan

A live video stream of the meeting will be available via the District’s YouTube page. The stream will go live shortly before the start of the meeting. Recaps of previous Board meetings can be found here. The Board meeting agenda and materials can be accessed here. Board materials are available by noon on August 19.

Address: 28855 North Fremont Center Road, Mundelein, IL

Phone: (847) 566-0169

Website: fsd79.org

Facebook: facebook.com/FremontSchoolDistrict79

Twitter: @FSD79

Instagram: @FSD79

YouTube: youtube.com/FSD79