The BeeLine

Greetings, Fairmont Families!

Happy October and welcome to Fall! It is hard to believe it is the end of the first quarter! Our students, teachers, and staff have worked so hard these last nine weeks. SO many of our students made or surpassed their AR goals this quarter. We are all so proud of them!

Thank you to all of our families for supporting our Fall Festival and book fair in September! Don't forget to read the PTA update below for all the details about how much money we raised and our matching donation from a former Fairmont family! We are extremely grateful at Fairmont to have such wonderful, supportive families-past and present!

This month will be busy with Fall Break, PTA, a fourth grade musical performance and art show, Fairmont Spirit Night at Freddy's, and Attendance Awareness Dress-up Week! Watch for details coming soon about specific dress-up days.

As always, thank you for your support of our wonderful school! Your child's success cannot happen unless we work together. I hope your family has a wonderful fall break!

Dr. JoDee Dotson, Principal

Congratulations to Mrs. Smith, Fairmont's 2026-2027 Teacher of the Year!!! Mrs. Smith has taught elementary school for over 30 years. She currently teaches fifth grade here at Fairmont.

If you would like for your child to walk home from school we must have a permission form on file. You can ask your child's teacher or contact the office (423) 434-5275 to get a permission form. You will need to determine if your child will exit the school from the front door at the office or the back door at the cafeteria. Each location will have a designated staff member responsible for keeping track of the students leaving the building as walkers. We want to make sure each child makes it to you safely.

Every family will receive a Johnson City Transit Disciplinary Code. Please read over this form and make sure students understand the behavior expectations while riding the bus.

If you would like to utilize bus transportation, please complete a bus request form. You can get a form in the office or request a copy from your child's teacher. These are required for each student before riding the bus. Once we receive approval from transit you will get a phone call to notify you of approval.

Students in kindergarten through second grade must have an adult at the bus stop for students to be allowed off the bus. If there is not someone at the stop for these students, transit will return the child to the school and they will have to be picked up in the office. If students are brought back to the school by transit more than twice, they will not be allowed to ride the bus for a period of time. This is the policy from JC Transit.

The safety of all our students in our #1 priority. Thank you for your cooperation!

This month our classroom social-emotional focus is on impulse control: thinking before we say or do something.

Why this matters: Learning to pause and consider our words and actions helps students build respectful relationships, make safer choices, and solve problems more calmly.

How you can help at home:

1.Pause, Breathe, Think

Teach a simple routine: Pause (count to 3), Take a deep breath, Think of two possible responses (one helpful, one not), Choose the helpful response.

2.Role-Play

Create short, real-life scenarios (e.g., someone takes a toy, a friend says something mean). Have your child practice stopping and choosing a calm response.

3.Praise Specific Effort

Notice and name moments your child successfully paused or made a good choice: “I noticed you waited and used kind words — that was thoughtful!”

4.Reflect Together

At dinner or bedtime, ask: “Was there a time you used pause today?” or “What would you do differently next time?” Keep reflections brief and positive.

Students are required to read and take tests on AR books that they read in the classroom and at home as homework. The tests are scored and points are awarded based on the score. Student goals are set each 9 weeks or quarter. Each 9 weeks students that meet their AR points goals will receive a Chick-Fil-A card featuring a free menu item.

As students meet their AR reading goals each 9 weeks Johnny Brusco's will reward them with a certificate for a free kids personal pizza.

If parents are going on field trips with students they must check in at the school first. Parents will need to come into the office and sign in with their ID and get a visitor badge. All parents must wear the visitor badge while on the field trip. If permitted, and parents chose to take their student home straight from the field trip, they must be signed out with the teacher. If it is not permitted, parents must come back to the school to sign students out if they are leaving early.

If you would like your child to have access to our school's Care Counselor, Mrs. Revis, please make sure you have signed and returned the consent form. This form gives her permission to see your child and speak with them at school if there is a need. Mrs. Revis provides student focused mental health support services. Students, parents, and/or teachers can request that the care counselor check in with a student.

Please DO NOT send any medication to school with your child in their backpack. This includes cough drops. ALL MEDICAITON MUST BE CHECKED IN THE CLINIC BY A PARENT OR GUARDIAN. All over the counter medication must be new in unopened original packaging. Prescription medication must also have Dr. orders to be kept and used at school. If you have any questions or concerns please contact our school nurse, Nurse Erin.

What a magical night at Fairmont! 💙💛 Our Fall Festival was an incredible success, and we loved seeing so many of our students, families, teachers, and friends come together for a wizardly good time! From the costumes and activities to the food, fun, and fellowship, it was such a special night for our Fairmont community.

Thanks to your amazing support, we raised more than $28,000 for Fairmont Elementary! 🎉

And the magic doesn’t stop there! We are incredibly grateful to Mary Craig Hart, a former Fairmont parent, and her family, who have generously offered to MATCH the amount raised at Fall Festival! Their extraordinary generosity will make an even greater impact on our school, our teachers, and—most importantly—our students. 💛

A HUGE thank-you to everyone who volunteered, donated, sponsored, attended, or helped make the evening possible. Events like this remind us just how special our Fairmont family truly is.

Limited Stock Remaining!

Looking for the perfect shirt to show your Fairmont spirit? Please note this is your last chance to grab one of our fun Harry Potter-inspired Fall Festival shirts!

We have limited stock remaining from our Fall Spirit Wear order, so don’t wait!

Place your order here: https://fairmontpta.givebacks.com/shop

Delivery: T-shirt orders will be delivered to your child’s classroom on a biweekly basis.

If you need to arrange an alternative pickup option, please email fairmontbuzz@gmail.com.

When they’re gone, they’re gone! Don’t miss your last chance to show your Fairmont spirit this fall!

Get those costumes ready and join us for a spooktacular Fairmont Spirit Night! 🐝💙💛

📅 Thursday, October 29 ⏰ 4:00–8:00 PM 📍 Freddy’s

Come grab dinner, support Fairmont, and enjoy a night full of Halloween fun with our Fairmont family!

🎃 Wear your costume! Kids are encouraged to come dressed in their Halloween best!

🍬 Trick-or-Treat! We’ll have candy for our Fairmont students!

🏆 CLASS COMPETITION! Help your class show the most Fairmont spirit! Be sure to let us know which teacher you’re representing when you arrive!

🎁 PRIZE GIVEAWAYS! We’ll be giving away some fun prizes throughout the evening!

⭐ SPECIAL GUESTS! Keep an eye out for a few special visitors joining in on the Halloween fun!

🍔 Grab dinner, visit with your Fairmont friends, and help support our school at the same time

Know someone who just turned 18? 🗳️ Have you recently changed your address?

To participate in the November election, voter registration must be completed or updated by October 5.

Visit the Washington County Election Commission website at wcecoffice.com or contact Fairmont PTA Arts & Civics Chair Laura Los with any questions.

Scan the QR code or click on it to find the link to join PTA.

The 2026-2027 Food City School Bucks Program registration is now open. For every dollar you spend at Food City using your ValuCard, one point will be earned for your school. The more points earned, the larger share of the cash your school will receive. All you have to do is link your ValuCard to your school (Fairmont) and you'll automatically earn points every time you shop. Food City is making $800,000 available to participating schools to invest in classrooms, equipment, and essential supplies. You must register your school to your ValuCard each year to continue earning points.

Since its inception, School Bucks has provided nearly $22 million to regional school - all with the help of community members like you.

Click the picture above to visit the website to register for the School Bucks Challenge. You can also watch the video below to walk you through registration.

Fairmont's first First Friday Ice Cream for the 2026-2027 school year will be Friday, September 4. You can send money in to purchase ice cream for your student or you can put money on their MySchoolBucks account. If there is money in the account please remind your child to let the cafeteria staff know that they will be using MySchoolBucks to pay for the ice cream. The link to sign up for MySchoolBucks is below the lunch menu. The other way to purchase ice cream is to send money directly to the cafeteria to be added to your child's lunch account. Please enclose this money in an envelope with your child's name, teacher, and cafeteria money on the outside. Ice cream costs .75 and it is very helpful to the cafeteria staff to have money already on the account or to pre pay the .75 the week of Ice Cream Friday.

October 2 - First Friday Ice Cream

October 5-9 - Fall Break/NO SCHOOL

October 20 - PTA/4 grade program

October 27 - Science Hill Trunk or Treat

October 29 - Spirit Night at Freddy's