Fremont MS Family Newsletter

Good afternoon,

While we continue to work on establishing routines, please assist us in reminding your students of a few expectations:

• Students should not engage in physical contact in the hallways or during recess. Pushing others, even, if they are your friend, is not a safe interaction.
• Students may bring water only into the building and classrooms. Other beverages can be purchased and consumed during lunch.
• Students should be using their Chromebook bags with their strap.
• Please see our Chromebook expectations below.

Check out our new fitness center in action!

Morning Announcements for Sept. 14-18

• ‼️ September 21 - Not in attendance - No School

• 🚌 October 2 - Special Event Early Dismissal - 1:13 pm

• ‼️ October 12 - Indigenous Peoples' Day - No School

• 📷 October 22 - Picture Day Retakes

• ‼️ November 3 - Election Day - No School

• 🗓️ November 12 - End of 1st Trimester

• 💻 November 19 - 1st Trimester Report cards available through TeacherEase

• 📌 November 23 - Parent-Teacher Conferences (11:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.)

• ‼️ November 24-27 - Thanksgiving Break - No School

Our school website offers a variety of resources curated by the Fremont Mental Health Team to support both students and families. These resources include coping strategies, guidance for parents, and links to local services. They are designed to help you quickly find support and provide students with tools to manage stress, anxiety, or other challenges.

On October 1, our middle school students will participate in the Student Academic, Social, and Emotional Behavioral Risk Screener (mySAEBRS). This brief, 12-question self-assessment helps us understand how students perceive their own social, emotional, and academic well-being so we can better support their overall growth and success. If you would like your child to opt out, please email eloerakker@fsd79.org.

The adolescent years are marked by a roller-coaster ride of emotions – difficult for students, their parents, and educators. It is easy to misread depression as normal adolescent turmoil; however, depression (among the most common of mental illnesses) appears to be occurring at a much earlier age. Depression – which is treatable – is a leading risk factor for suicide. In addition, self-injury has become a growing problem among youth.

To proactively address these issues, Fremont Middle School, is offering depression awareness and suicide prevention training as part of the SOS Signs of Suicide Prevention Program. The program aims to increase help seeking by students concerned about themselves or a friend. SOS is listed on the SAMHSA’s National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices and in a randomized control study, the SOS High School Program showed a reduction in self-reported suicide attempts by 40-64% (BMC Public Health, July 2007).

Our goals in participating in this program are straightforward:

• -To help our students understand that depression is a treatable illness
• -To explain that suicide is a preventable tragedy that often occurs as a result of untreated depression
• -To provide students training in how to identify serious depression and potential suicidality in themselves or a friend
• - To impress upon youth that they can help themselves or a friend by taking the simple step of talking to a responsible adult about their concerns
• - To help students know whom in the school they can turn to for help, if they need it
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This program will be presented to all students by grade level on the following dates:

6th Grade: October 5th

7th Grade: October 19

8th Grade: October 26

The SOS program is brought to us by Elyssa’s Mission, a nonprofit organization dedicated to suicide prevention. Elyssa’s Mission is the only organization in the state of Illinois to fund, distribute and implement SOS. To get more information on suicide prevention, visit their website at www.elyssasmission.org. Make sure to view their online Parent Presentation at https://elyssasmission.org/for-parents/ for specific information on warning signs and how to keep your child safe. We also encourage you to visit www.sossignsofsuicide.org/parent for information on warning signs for youth suicide, useful resources, and some of the key messages students will learn.

As part of the program, facilitators will show the SOS video and subsequently lead students in discussion. Students will then complete a brief depression screener as well as fill out a response card indicating whether or not they would like to speak to an adult about themselves or a friend. The depression screening tool addresses thoughts and feelings which a parent may be unaware their child is having. This tool does not provide a diagnosis of depression, but rather alerts school staff to those students requiring further investigation. Students will also complete a response card indicating whether or not they would like to speak to an adult at the school about themselves or a friend. School mental health staff or a qualified community mental health partner will be available to meet with designated students; school staff will subsequently notify parents/guardians regarding any needed next steps.

If you have any questions and/or do NOT want your child to participate in the SOS program, please contact Emily Loerakker at eloerakker@fsd79.org prior to the program date. If we do not hear from you, we will assume your child has permission to participate in this program.

Fall Sports:

• Boys (7, 8) - Report to cafeteria at dismissal
• Tryouts are 3-days - Monday, Tuesday, & Thursday - Strongly encouraged to attend all 3 days.

*6th-grade Soccer - an email will be sent Monday evening informing you the status of the team.

-Questions - Please email the Athletic Director - apoglayen@fsd79.org

If your child will be absent from school because of illness, doctors appointments, or for any other reason, please call 847-566-9384 and select option 2 to report it to the school office by 8:00 a.m. the day of the absence. Keeping track of all the students on a daily basis is a huge task, and we greatly appreciate prompt notification of any absence.

• 7:55 a.m. to 2:43 p.m. (M, Tu, Th, F), 7:55 a.m to 2:13 p.m. (W)
• The earliest students can be dropped of is 7:30 a.m. If students are reporting to school early for a morning activity that is supervised by a Fremont staff member, they can enter the office beginning at 7:05 a.m.

Please note: Students are dismissed 30 minutes earlier than normal every Wednesday so that teachers and staff may participate in professional learning.

• 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (during school year)
• 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (during school-year breaks and summer)

• The designated pick-up and drop-off zone is in front of the school.

• Early pick-up of students ends before the dismissal process begins. Please note that the latest early pickup time is 2:00 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays and 1:30 p.m. on Wednesdays.

• The area behind the building is reserved for buses only.

• If someone other than the child’s parent or guardian is picking them up, the school office must be notified.

• Family Handbook
• Family Resources
• Community Resource Guide
• Important School Contacts
• Weekly Principal E-newsletter

Emily Loerakker

Fremont Middle School Principal

Nick Atchley

Fremont Middle School Assistant Principal

Address: 28871 N. Fremont Center Road

Phone: (847) 566-9384

Website: middle.fsd79.org

Instagram: @FSD79

YouTube: youtube.com/FSD79