Fremont Elementary School

Dear Fremont Families,

Our attendance numbers are officially heading in the right direction thanks to your diligence in reporting illnesses and keeping students home when they are not feeling well. We have also been fortunate to take advantage of this warmer weather lately. Getting the students outside for fresh air and movement has a measurable impact on their focus and classroom performance. We are soaking up every minute of sunshine we can get!

A sincere thank you goes out to all the parents and volunteers who supported our Valentine’s Day parties. Whether you sent in supplies or managed a craft station, you made the day special for our students. These community building events are a vital part of the elementary experience. They simply would not be possible without your generosity and time.

I wish you all a healthy and happy three day weekend.

Sincerely,

Beth Carmody

Principal

Over the past week, our students have been channeling their inner world-class athletes as they competed in our very own Elementary Winter Olympics. Our students worked together to sharpen their skills and celebrate the spirit of the games. It was a high-energy week filled with great sportsmanship and plenty of Olympic-sized effort.

• February 16 - No School - President's Day
• February 17-19 - CogAT Testing for 2nd graders (see below for more info)
• February 18 - Early Release Schedule (ES dismissed at 3:08 p.m.)
• February 25 - Early Release Schedule (ES dismissed at 3:08 p.m.)
• March 4 -Additional Parent/Teacher Conference Day for MAP 1-2 Class from 11:00-7:00 p.m.
• March 4 - Early Release Schedule (ES dismissed at 3:08 p.m.)
• March 5 - Parent Teacher Conferences from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. for all classes (No school for students)
• March 6 - Teacher Institute (No school for students)

Absences need to be reported to the school by 9:00am by calling the attendance line or submitting the electronic absence form

• 847-837-0437 option 2
• https://www.fsd79.org/families/student-absences/report-an-absence

Excused Absences Include

• Illness (physical, mental or behavioral) Please note, after 3+ consecutive days of an illness related absence, a doctor's note is required on day 4 in order for the absence to be considered excused moving forward
• Medical/Therapeutic appointments
• Religious Holidays
• Family emergencies or civic events
• Parenting or safety-related concerns

Vacations

• Vacations during school are discouraged and count as unexcused absences.

We encourage you to keep your child IN SCHOOL before and after field trips and special events.

We have recently seen a notable increase in illnesses across our classrooms. To help us keep our students and staff healthy and ensure our kids can stay in the classroom where they learn best, we kindly ask for your partnership in following our health guidelines:

• The 24-Hour Rule: Please ensure your child is fever-free (without the use of fever-reducing medication) for at least 24 hours before returning to school.

• Symptom Check: If your child is experiencing a persistent cough, vomiting, or diarrhea, please keep them home until they are symptom-free for 24 hours.

• Reporting: If your child is diagnosed with a contagious illness (such as the flu or strep throat), please notify the school office so we can monitor trends in specific classrooms.

We know that balancing work and childcare can be difficult when a little one is under the weather, but staying home now helps prevent a much larger spread later. Thank you for your cooperation and for helping us keep our school community safe!

Our FSD79 handbook indicates that, at each teacher’s discretion, students may receive a daily nutrition break. Families are encouraged to send a nutritious snack to support their child’s energy, focus, and learning throughout the day.
Some affordable, healthy snack ideas include:

Apple slices
Bananas
Oranges
Grapes (washed and cut in half)
Carrot sticks
Cucumber slices
Celery sticks

Please remember to be mindful of classroom allergies when selecting snacks. Simple, fresh options help promote wellness while keeping things easy and budget-friendly for families.

Even with fewer school days, February is packed with important learning and community building. Every day your child is present helps them stay engaged and confident. Let’s make this short month count—while always being mindful to stay home when symptoms of illness are present.

If you need a translator for your parent-teacher conference, please fill out this Google Form by February 13th.

We are excited to announce the launch of the Fremont AI Think Tank this February! As Artificial Intelligence continues to reshape our world, we are looking for a group of parents, students, and staff to help us define how AI will be integrated into our schools.

The Think Tank will work together to:

• Develop a unified vision for AI at Fremont

• Establish safety and privacy guidelines

• Identify essential AI literacy skills for all grade levels
  
  

We are seeking approximately 3 parents/guardians to join staff, students, and administrators. If you are interested in collaborating on the future of our students’ learning, please review this letter for full details and session dates.

Interest forms are due by Friday, February 13.

For current Fremont families, registering your incoming kindergartner is easy and can be done right through your existing TeacherEase account.

How to Pre-Register (Starting Feb. 17):

1. Log in to the TeacherEase Parent Portal.

2. Select Online Registration.

3. Select “Register a new student(s) to the district.”

4. Complete the prompts and Submit.

Need a hand? Watch this short tutorial video on how to add a new student to your account.

Save the Date: Kindergarten Information Night

When: Wednesday, March 4

Sessions: 5:30 p.m. or 6:30 p.m.

Location: Fremont Elementary School

Join us to tour the school, meet the principal, and see what a typical “Day in the Life” looks like for a kindergartner!

Our second-grade students will be taking the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) on February 17, 18 and 19. The CogAT measures reasoning and problem-solving skills in three areas: verbal, quantitative, and nonverbal. These assessments provide valuable insight into students' cognitive development and help guide instructional planning to support their learning needs. Pleaser contact your child's teacher for specific times each day the assessment will be given. We appreciate your help in ensuring your child is at school on these days to participate in testing. Thank you for your support!

As we approach the third trimester, we are already looking ahead to classroom placements for next year. Crafting balanced classrooms is a complex puzzle where we weigh academic needs, social dynamics, and learning styles. To ensure we have a well-rounded understanding of each student, we invite families to share any additional information about their child that may not already be known by the school. If you have information you would like to add, please complete this Student Characteristic Form. We will review family input, alongside teacher observations and recommendations, as we make placement decisions. The deadline for submissions of this form is February 20. While we will do our best to consider all input, forms submitted past the deadline may not be factored into our placement process. The above form is for students returning to the ES in the fall of 2026. For our current second graders, please use this IS form.

Fremont School District 79 greatly values your feedback as it relates to your student’s educational experience. Once again, the State of Illinois has partnered with 5Essentials to create a forum by which you can provide your input.

If you have not already done so, we would greatly appreciate it if you would take the brief survey by visiting:

http://survey.5-essentials.org/illinois/survey/parent/

Your responses are vital for continuous improvement and long-range planning for your child's school. Parents are welcome to answer the survey for each of their children’s schools.

The deadline to complete the survey is March 13, 2026.

We kindly ask all parents to send an extra, labeled set of seasonally appropriate clothing (including shirt, pants, underwear, and socks) to be kept at school, regardless of your student's grade level. Accidents, spills, or unexpected muddy activities can happen to students of any age, and having a spare set on hand allows us to quickly and comfortably resolve the situation without having to call home and disrupt your day. If the spare set is used, please remember to send in a replacement set the next day. Thank you for your cooperation!

Fremont School District Summer School is underway! Registration is now open for Summer Adventures in Learning classes. See this catalog of class options and then register for Summer Adventures in Learning here. Registration closes on April 10th. Alana Davidov, the Summer School Principal, will be in contact if a chosen class is closing to ensure your child can join another class. All final class confirmations will be sent in May. Please email Alana Davidov at fremontsummer@fsd79.org with any questions.

You may have already heard from your child’s teacher if your child is invited to Extended School Year, Multilingual, or Summer Scholars. These invitations will be sent via email throughout this month as teams continue to review student data. If invited, please let us know if you are planning to attend one of these programs and if you will need bus transportation. There are waitlists we will utilize in Spring after initial registrations come through.

Summer Boost is an asynchronous summer program. More information and Registration for Summer Boost will begin in February.

Back by popular demand, we'll be holding a Parent Book Club event coming up on March 11. This year's book is Permission to Feel by Mark Brackett. Secure your physical copy of the book now or listen to the audiobook and make plans to join us!

Please note: It is not required for attendees to read the book to attend on March 11.

A friendly reminder that every student in FSD79 has access to the Varsity Tutors Live + AI platform. This access includes:

• On-Demand Chat Tutoring

• On-Demand Essay Review

• 100+ Weekly Live Classes

• Recorded Enrichment Classes

• Self-Study & Practice Resources

Here is a pamphlet that provides an overview of the platform features. Students can go to their Clever Dashboard and select the Varsity Tutors icon to login to the platform. Any chat sessions students participate in are recorded and posted on their dashboard for future reference.

Unless your child is a regularly scheduled pickup, you must email or call our building receptionist
Aura Perez Cruces at aperezcruces@fsd79.org or 847-837-0437 no later than 2:45 p.m. *On Wednesdays, you must let us know by 2:15 p.m.

A friendly reminder about our drop off and pick up line ...

• Please stay in your car when dropping off or picking up your student(s).

• Please do not park in the parking lot and send your student(s) to the school. Stay in the drop-off line.

• Please pull all the way forward in line when dropping off and picking up. Students exit the car on the sidewalk only.

• If you arrive at school after 8:55 a.m., you must come into the school to sign your student in. Doors close at 8:55 a.m.
• Please refer to our Pick-up and Drop-off Procedures for our specific guidelines.

Lunch menus can be found here. For more information, including how to set up a lunch account for your student, please click here. Parents will need their student's Lunch PIN/Student Number to set up a lunch account. This information can be found in TeacherEase by clicking on the Miscellaneous tab and then selecting Locker/Lunch PIN. For more information Food Service page on our website.

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.

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.

Click "Translate" in the upper right hand corner to view in a different language.

Haga clic en "Traducir" en la esquina superior derecha para verlo en otro idioma.

Для просмотра на другом языке нажмите кнопку «Перевести» в правом верхнем углу.

Dlya prosmotra na drugom yazyke nazhmite knopku «Translate» v pravom verkhnem uglu.

Натисніть «Перекласти» у верхньому правому куті, щоб переглянути іншою мовою.

Natysnitʹ «Translate» u verkhnʹomu pravomu kuti, shchob perehlyanuty inshoyu movoyu.

Address: 28908 N. Fremont Center Road

Phone: (847) 837-0437

Website: elementary.fsd79.org

Facebook: facebook.com/FremontSchoolDistrict79

Instagram: @FSD79

YouTube: youtube.com/FSD79