Fremont Focus

Fremont School District 79 is committed to recruiting and retaining top teachers and staff to educate our students. As part of this commitment, the District has worked diligently to analyze its staffing needs for the 2025-2026 school year.

Staffing needs for the forthcoming school year are determined by examining:

• District enrollment,
• Special Education, Intervention & ELL,
• Programmatic Additions and/or Reallocation, and
• Financial Commitment

FSD79 previously posted our known vacancies for the upcoming school year in the spring. By aggressively moving up these postings to before winter break, it allows the District to reach the highest quality candidates before other school districts post their job openings.

The following is a list of vacancies for the 2025-2026 school year. In addition to the staffing plan, the listings account for known retirements, leaves, and resignations. Qualified candidates are encouraged to apply now.

• Healthy Minds Teacher
• Early Childhood Teacher/Preschool Teacher
• 4th-5th Grade Special Education Teacher (Instructional Program)
• 2nd Grade Teacher
• 3rd Grade Teacher
• 5th Grade Teacher
• Science Teacher
• Social Studies Teacher
• English Language Arts Teacher
• 2nd-3rd Grade Special Education Teacher (Instructional)
• Speech Language Pathologist/Assistive Technology
• Occupational Therapist
• Social Worker (Part-Time .7)
• 2nd-3rd Grade Special Education Paraprofessionals (Instructional)
• Special Education Paraprofessional (Part-Time .5)
• Transportation Department Coordinator

To view all current open positions and to learn more about employment at FSD79, please visit our Human Resources webpage.

Additionally, be sure to follow Fremont School District 79 on LinkedIn for the latest news and insight into our professional culture.

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

• January 15 - Early Release Schedule (MS dismissed at 2:13 p.m.; ES/IS dismissed at 3:08 p.m.)
• January 15 - PTO Meeting, 6:00 p.m. (Middle School Media Center)
• January 20 - MLK Day (Students Not In Attendance)
• January 21 - Parent University - A Guide for Parents to Lead with Love & Boundaries (RSVP), 6:30 p.m. (Middle School Media Center)
• January 22 - Early Release Schedule (MS dismissed at 2:13 p.m.; ES/IS dismissed at 3:08 p.m.)
• January 27 - Board of Education meeting (live stream), 7:00 p.m. (Middle School Media Center)
• January 29 - Early Release Schedule (MS dismissed at 2:13 p.m.; ES/IS dismissed at 3:08 p.m.

We continue to plan for future growth and anticipate increasing our student enrollment by 50% (approximately 1,000 additional students) over the next 20-25 years. This growth is due to a number of new housing developments, including one that is anticipated to be the largest acreage development in Lake County, Ivanhoe Village. This new development will expand over 700 acres, located just north of our Fremont Center Road campus and entirely within our District boundaries.

The District has been working tirelessly on planning for the potential impact of a development of this size for the last two years since the project was initially announced and annexed by the Village of Mundelein in December 2022. Last spring, our community was surveyed regarding this growth, and the priorities were clear. Our community prioritized: 1) maintaining educational excellence and 2) keeping our taxpayers financially whole. Therefore, we are advocating for a fair and reasonable investment (known as impact fees and donations) from the developers to offset costs needed facility and site work due to enrollment growth as detailed in our Educational Long-Range Facility Plan (ELFP).

These financial agreements are expected to be made prior to the Village of Mundelein’s approval of the development plan, which is targeted for this spring.Decisions that are being made over the next few months will impact our community for decades. We are hopeful for a positive and fair agreement that will allow us to maintain our outstanding schools without overtaxing our current community. We will continue to keep you apprised of our progress.

The next meeting of the Fremont School District 79 Board of Education will be held Monday, January 27 at 7:00 p.m. at the Fremont Middle School Media Center. The agenda will include the following recognition(s) and presentation(s):

• Recognitions: Fifth-Grade Student Council
  
• Presentations: Human Resources Mid-Year Strategic Goal Update

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 January 27.

Parents, make plans now to join us for our next Parent University engagement series session at Fremont Middle School on Tuesday, Jan. 21. Please click on the button below to RSVP and register for free childcare.

Feeling overwhelmed by your child’s screen time and social media?

As parents, we’re all on a learning journey – let’s make that journey easier and more insightful together! Join us February 11, 2025, from 6:30-8:00 p.m. in the Middle School Den for the Fremont Parent Book Club.

Pick up a copy of "The Anxious Generation" by Jonathan Haidt and dive into this eye-opening book. We’ll explore all three sections together, share thoughts, and discuss how to navigate the challenges of raising kids in the digital age.

Don’t miss out – start reading today and come ready to connect, learn, and grow as a community!

With the increase in the occurrence of cyber-attacks, protecting our student and staff information is a priority. FSD79 is currently in the process of a cyber security audit. Through regular cyber security audits, we ensure our systems are secure, user access is controlled, and data remains protected from cyber threats.

The students in the grades 1-2 multi-age classroom recently participated in the "Unpacking My Family" project in which they researched one of their family's countries of origin and then presented on it to guests in their classroom. The students did a terrific job!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

The Fremont PTO would love to see you at our meetings this year! Meetings are on the third Wednesday of the month in the Middle School Den at 6:00 p.m. Our next meeting is on January 15. Childcare services for children ages 3+ will be provided at ALL of our upcoming PTO meetings. Please use the form below to let us know if you will be bringing a child to the meeting. It is not required to RSVP; however, we ask that you please do so if you plan to take advantage of childcare. Care will be provided by Fremont Middle School students for individuals ages 3 and up.

RSVP Form for childcare: https://forms.gle/ceerdTKn7Pa51mVt7

Here is the list of all meeting dates for the 2024-2025 school year.

To stay in the know of what Fremont PTO is up to, follow and tag us on social media:

Instagram: @fremontpto

Facebook: Fremont PTO

VALENTINE’S DAY CLASS PARTY HOST SIGN UP

Sign up now to volunteer to be a Party Host at the Valentine’s Day class parties! Valentine’s Day parties will be held on Friday, February 14. Party Times are as follows: Kindergarten Classes: Lindley, Martinelli & Van Reck 10:30-11:15 a.m.; Kindergarten Classes: Eddy, Goldman, Hay, Hoehne, Perna, Sherman, & Kastein and Grades 1st - 5th Grade 2:00-2:45 p.m.; Lincoln AM 9:45-10:15 a.m.; Lincoln PM 2:00-2:30 p.m.

Each class party is designated 3 Party Hosts. If more than 3 parents sign up for a classroom party, volunteers will be chosen at random. Please note: All remaining parents who have not been assigned to host a party will not be invited to attend the party.

The sign up will close on January 15. Volunteers that are chosen to be party hosts for the Valentine’s Day parties will be notified on January 19.

Volunteer Sign Up

SWEETHEART DANCE
Our annual Sweetheart Dance is Saturday, February 8 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Fremont Intermediate School. Please have your daughter(s) arrive with an important adult figure in their life. Be ready to dance, play games, eat light refreshments and enjoy a fun night together. The PTO will be hosting a similar event for sons in May. All ages are welcome to put on their best and pose with their adult for pictures. Here is the Sweetheart Dance registration form. Pre-registration is due by Monday, February 3.

SHOP. SCAN. EARN.
Forget the scissors - Box Tops for Education has gone digital! Simply download the Box Tops for Education app (see www.boxtops4education.com for more info), select Fremont School District 79 (in Mundelein, IL) as your beneficiary, and you're all set! Enter the code H02P2R0D when you register for bonus points. Then simply scan your receipts after shopping, and watch the points (and $$) add up for our schools!

UPCOMING DINE-IN NIGHTS
Please join the Fremont PTO at Portillo’s on January 30 for our next dine-in night. It’s located 221 Townline Rd in Vernon Hills, and runs from 5:00-8:00 p.m. 20% of sales will benefit the PTO. You can also order online or in the app for pickup - just use the code PORTILLOS18 before checkout in the "Apply Offer" field. More info is in the flyer. We have a full year of dine-in nights ahead – check out the list here!

ORDER YOUR YEARBOOK NOW!
Don’t forget to order your student's 2024-2025 yearbook. Use the correct school code from our flyer when you order!

BIRTHDAY BOARD

Celebrate your Fremont Student's special day! "Happy Birthday, Your Child's Name" can appear on the Fremont Electronic Message Board. Just complete the Birthday Board Request Google Form 2024-2025; or complete the birthday board form and send it back to any school front office with your $5 payment per birthday message. If you have any questions, please contact Christie Johnson at cjohnson@fsd79.org.

Please visit the PTO webpage for the most up-to-date information.

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.

• Stevenson HS Incoming Freshmen Dance Placements
• Grayslake Scout Troop 303
• Ela Soccer Club
• CLC Latinx Series
• Stevenson HS Community Education (PREP) Programs
• Special Gifts Theatre

The next edition of the Fremont Focus will be distributed on Wednesday, January 29. This will be in addition to the weekly e-newsletters sent on Fridays from principals at the school level.

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