Fremont Focus

We're off to a terrific start to the 2025-2026 school year with K-8 students beginning classes last Thursday and Lincoln Early Learning Center students getting started last Friday. Thank you, as always, to our Fremont PTO for hosting the highly anticipated annual Back-to-School Bash at the Intermediate School last Friday. Please see the links below for photo galleries from the start of the school year.

📸 Meet & Greet Photo Gallery

📸 First Day of School Photo Gallery

📅 Important Dates

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

Wed., August 27 - Early Release Schedule (MS dismissed at 2:13 p.m.; ES/IS dismissed at 3:08 p.m.)
Wed., August 27 (rescheduled from 8/25) - Board of Education meeting (live stream), 7:00 p.m. (Intermediate School Cafeteria)
Thu., August 28 - Middle School Curriculum Night; 6:30 p.m.
Mon., September 1 - No School (Students Not In Attendance)
Wed., September 3 - Early Release Schedule (MS dismissed at 2:13 p.m.; ES/IS dismissed at 3:08 p.m.)
Thu., September 4 - Fri., September 5 - NWEA MAP Testing (Grades 6-8)
Thu., September 4 - Intermediate School Curriculum Night; 6:15 p.m.
Mon., September 8 - Tue., September 9 - NWEA MAP Testing (Grades K-5)
Wed., September 10 - Early Release Schedule (MS dismissed at 2:13 p.m.; ES/IS dismissed at 3:08 p.m.)
Fri., September 12 - Special Event Dismissal Schedule, MHS Homecoming Parade (MS dismissed at 1:13 p.m.; ES/IS dismissed at 2:08 p.m.)
Fri., September 12 - Tri-District Screening Day (Lincoln Students Not In Attendance)

2025-26 FSD79 School Calendars

https://www.fsd79.org/families/student-absences/report-an-absence

If your child will be absent from school because of illness, doctor's appointments, or for any other reason, please report it to the school office by 9:00 a.m. on the day of the absence by completing the form linked within the above graphic or by calling the attendance line for the appropriate school.

The 2025-2026 school year marks the third year of Fremont School District 79's four-year Strategic Plan. This year's Annual Goals reflect the Strategic Plan Year 3 priorities. While there are actions and outcomes for each of the 12 strategic objectives, prioritized objectives are marked with more robust action plans and outcomes.

The administrative team utilized feedback from the Fremont community, including the Board of Education, as well as best practices, to prioritize areas of focus. Some particular areas of focus this year include social-emotional health and wellness, Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS), and STEM and Career Technical Education programming. Each objective has an action plan, intended product(s)/deliverable(s), and expected outcomes as measured by data/metrics. To view the 2025-2026 Annual Plan, which is slated to be voted on for approval at Wednesday night's meeting of the Board of Education, please click below.

2025-2026 Annual Plan (DRAFT)

Fremont School District 79 will be conducting an annual test of its mass notification system this Thursday, August 28, at approximately 5:00 p.m. At that time, all parents and guardians should receive an automated phone call, text message, and email notification. Please be aware that due to the high volume of notifications being sent, not all notifications may be delivered right at 5:00 p.m.

If you do not receive an email, text message, or automated phone call notification next Thursday evening, please complete this form. Please confirm your preferred email address and phone number are current in TeacherEase. If you need to update your contact information, please contact your child’s school.

As a reminder, it is highly encouraged that parents/guardians not opt out of notifications. By choosing to opt out of notifications, users will opt out of all notifications from the District via that method.

Consistent, on-time attendance is essential for student success. When students are present, they benefit from direct instruction, peer collaboration, and meaningful connections with teachers. Please help your child build strong attendance habits from the first day of school—every day counts.

Want to make sure you stay up to date on all of FSD79's upcoming events? Individuals can subscribe to the District calendar and any school calendars of their choosing by visiting our web calendar and clicking on the grey RSS feed button in the upper right-hand corner. This will open a pop-up window, allowing users to select which calendars they'd like to subscribe to.

In collaboration with the Lake County Sheriff's Office, FSD79’s Safety and Security team has been diligently working to implement the Standard Response Protocol (SRP), a crisis response system developed by the “I Love U Guys” Foundation. Adopted by more than 50,000 schools, agencies, and organizations worldwide, the SRP establishes a common language to promote clear and efficient communication during emergencies.

While many of its practices align with procedures we already use, the SRP enhances clarity and consistency in terminology across schools and first responders at the county, state, and national levels. We officially rolled out the SRP across all district buildings on August 19 and will spend the upcoming year training both staff and students through a combination of drills and age-appropriate instructional videos. To further reinforce this initiative, SRP posters have been installed in every classroom as well as in common areas throughout all District facilities.

Additionally, on August 19, we conducted A.L.I.C.E. training drills with all staff. These exercises were supported by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Mundelein Police Department, and the Lake County Forest Preserve Rangers. Together, we reviewed a variety of scenarios to help staff better understand and practice appropriate responses in different emergency lockdown situations.

We will be sharing more information soon regarding an upcoming Parent University session focused on the District's safety and security efforts.

SRP Parent Handout (English & Espanol)

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.

Right at School Fall Registration

The next meeting of the Fremont School District 79 Board of Education will be held on Wednesday, August 27, at 7:00 p.m. at the Fremont Intermediate School cafeteria. Please note: This date is a change from the original planned date of August 25. Also note the new location for regular monthly Board meetings for the 2025-2026 school year. The regular meeting will be preceded by two public hearings: the District’s renewal of the e-learning program and on the Health Life Safety Bonds. This month's meeting will include the following presentations:

FY26 Tentative Budget
2025-2026 Annual Goals Overview

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 August 27.

In time for the start of the new school year, download our brand new mobile app from the App Store or Google Play. Get all the latest news, events, and resources at your fingertips!

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.

The next edition of the Fremont Focus will be distributed on Wednesday, September 10. This will be in addition to the weekly e-newsletters sent on Fridays from principals at the school level.