Fremont Elementary School

Dear Fremont Families,

We hope you are enjoying our summer like weather. Fall will be upon us before we know it!

This week has been full of learning, curiosity, and growth, and we are so proud of all the accomplishments our students have made. It’s been a joy to see their enthusiasm and dedication in action.

As a reminder, for the safety of all our students, please do not release children from your cars during morning drop-off until 8:45 a.m., when an adult with a yellow vest is outside to supervise. Please note that we have certain staff that go out a few minutes before 8:45 to support students on the bus. They are not our supervisors. Your cooperation helps us ensure that every child arrives safely and starts their day on a positive note.

Thank you for your continued support and partnership. We are looking forward to another exciting week of learning together!

Sincerely,

Beth Carmody

Principal

Our students were greeted upon arrival by local police officers for “High Five Friday.” Officers welcomed students with smiles, high fives, and encouragement to kick off the day. This new event helps build positive connections between students and community members, and our kids love starting their Fridays with so much energy and support.

October 6 - Fire Drill
October 8 - Early Release Schedule (ES dismissed at 3:08 p.m.)
October 9 - Multilingual Family Night, 5:30 p.m. (Fremont Public Library)
October 13 - No School (Students Not In Attendance)
October 15 - Early Release Schedule (ES dismissed at 3:08 p.m.)
October 20 - Bus Evacuation Drill for Parent Pick Up students
October 22 - Early Release Schedule (ES dismissed at 3:08 p.m.)
October 23 - Picture Retake Day

2025-26 FSD79 School Calendar

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.

Report an Absence Form

By now, daily routines are forming, and consistent attendance helps students feel connected and confident. October is a great time to check in and reinforce good habits around sleep, morning prep, and arriving on time. Let’s keep the momentum going—while still being mindful to stay home when truly sick.

The District received 784 responses to our recent staff and community survey seeking feedback as we plan our 2026-27 K-8 academic year calendar. Both staff and families were in alignment with following our current calendar as opposed to shifting the start of the school year back a week to align with the end of Mundelein High School’s 2026-27 school year.

We plan to present a recommendation to have a start date of August 20, 2026, and an end date of June 2, 2027, to the Board of Education at its October 20 meeting, along with a draft of the 2026-27 academic year calendar. A formal vote for approval of the calendar is scheduled for the Board’s meeting on November 17. A Lincoln Early Learning Center school calendar for the 2026-27 academic year will be determined at a later date.

Beginning October 20, 2025, Fremont Elementary students will be screened for hearing and/or vision by a Fremont District 79 certified screener. Vision screening is not a substitute for a complete eye and vision evaluation by an eye doctor. Your child is not required to undergo this vision screening if an optometrist or ophthalmologist has completed and signed a report form indicating that an examination has been administered within the previous 12 months.

Kindergarteners who have submitted the required state vision form will only be screened for hearing. Those who have not submitted the vision form will also be screened for vision. First graders will be screened for hearing only. Second graders will be screened for hearing and vision. Students receiving special education services and students new to the district in all grades will be screened for hearing and vision. If your child is not scheduled to be screened we will be glad to screen them for hearing and/or vision upon your request

If a child does not pass the first screening, they will be rescreened two weeks later. If they do not pass the second screening, a letter will be sent to the parents/guardians notifying them that their child will need further evaluation.

The parent or legal guardian of a student may object to hearing and/or vision screening tests for their child on religious grounds. If you object, please notify me at 847-837-0437 ext. 2002 or contact your child’s teacher.

Student and staff safety is our primary concern at Fremont School District 79. We will be practicing our ALICE intruder drill the week of November 3 at the Elementary, Intermediate and Middle School. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out. To learn more about the District's safety and security measures, please click here. If you would like to have your child opt out of this drill, please contact me at bcarmody@fsd79.org. You can also click here to access a resource titled Age-Appropriate Guidelines for ALICE Training at Any Age.

A friendly reminder that every student in FSD79 has access to the Varsity Tutors for Schools platform. This access includes:

24/7 On-Demand Chat Tutoring
On-Demand Essay Review
100+ Weekly Live Classes
Recorded Enrichment Classes
Self-Study & Practice Resources

Here is a pamphlet and a video 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.