Fremont MS Family Newsletter

Welcome back! We hope you had a restful and fun-filled summer break. As we begin the 2026-2027 school year, we are excited to welcome our students and families back into our learning community. Whether you are returning or joining us for the first time, we are so glad you’re here!

This year promises to be full of growth, learning, and meaningful connections. Our dedicated staff has been preparing student schedules, planning engaging lessons, and organizing opportunities that will inspire curiosity, creativity, and a love of learning. We are committed to supporting every student academically, socially, and emotionally as they navigate middle school.

We look forward to partnering with you throughout the year to ensure a positive and successful experience for your child. Family newsletters are full of important information and shared each Friday at 3:00 p.m.

The main office will remain temporarily closed through at least August 12th. Please follow signage and utilize Door 2, should you need to drop off forms or have an appointment at the middle school.

Here’s to a fantastic school year ahead!

Emily Loerakker

Fremont Middle School Principal

• 📓August 19 - Meet and Greet / Supply Drop-off (12:30-3:00 pm)

• 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. - Families with last names that start with A-L

• 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. -Families with last names that start with M-Z

• 🏫 August 20 - First Day of School

• 📓August 27 - Curriculum Night (6:30 - 8:30 p.m.)

• ✈️ August 27 - 8th Grade Washington, DC Parent Info Meeting (6:00 - 6:30 p.m. in Large Gym)

• 🚎 August 27 - 7th Grade Springfield Parent Info Meeting (6:00 - 6:30 p.m. in Small Gym)

• 🗓️ September 3-4 - NWEA MAP Testing

• ‼️ September 7 - Labor Day - No School

• 📸 September 9 - Picture Day

• ‼️ 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

• The first day of school is Thursday, August 20, 2026. It is a full day of school.

• Grades 6-8 will report to their first period Flex.

• Middle school hours are 7:55 a.m. - 2:43 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays and 7:55 a.m. - 2:13 p.m. on Wednesdays.

• Students may be dropped off no earlier than 7:30 a.m. and have to sign-in in the front office as “tardy” if they arrive after 7:55 a.m.

Our cafeteria expansion is currently nearing completion in time for the start of the new school year, while the new CTE/STEM lab, which is located directly above the cafeteria, is actively under construction. We anticipate completion of the CTE/STEM lab by the end of the calendar year.

We are so excited for our new cafeteria space, as it was built for a much smaller student body. Expanding this space will reduce overcrowding, shorten long lunch lines, give students a comfortable space to eat and socialize, and allow for more flexible scheduling options throughout the school day. The STEM & CTE Smart Lab will prepare our students for high-demand, future-ready careers. This interactive environment will feature modern technology, hands-on workstations, and collaborative learning tools—giving students early exposure to robotics, engineering, digital design, and practical problem-solving.

Our top priority as construction is completed remains maintaining a safe, quiet, and productive learning environment. Here is how we are managing the construction process:

• High-noise construction activities will be scheduled outside of regular instruction times—specifically early mornings, after school, or over weekends/breaks.
• Construction zones will be entirely sealed off to isolate sound and prevent debris from reaching hallways or classrooms.
• Construction personnel will have specific entrance/exit points separate from student drop-off, pick-up, and hallway routes. All workers are required to pass background checks and adhere strictly to campus safety standards.
• If a specific class requires complete quiet and construction noise is impacting learning, teachers and administration will collaborate to find alternative learning spaces within the building.

Important Reminders for Students

• Safety fencing will remain behind the Middle School (adjacent to the playground) through December.

• For everyone’s safety, individuals must completely avoid the fenced-off work areas behind the building.

• Marked construction areas inside the school are also completely off limits.

• Individuals are required to adhere to all construction signage at all times.

To help you and your child prepare for a successful school year, we encourage you to review the Family Handbook, which outlines important school expectations, policies, and procedures.

To support a learning-focused environment, we will continue our “Away for the Day” initiative in accordance with the Portable Electronic Equipment Policy (Board Policy 7:190).

Here are a few important reminders:

• Cell phones must be turned off and kept in a Chromebook bag or sleeve during the school day.

• Smartwatches should be in school mode and used only as a watch.

• Devices are not permitted during class time, in hallways, bathrooms, lunch, or recess.

• Students needing to contact a parent or guardian should use the main office phone.

• Exceptions may be made if outlined in a student’s IEP or 504 Plan.

Thank you for your continued support. We look forward to a fantastic year ahead!

The My Ride K-12 mobile app allows parents and guardians to stay connected with their student’s transportation schedule. Through the use of GPS technology, the app provides updates to the pick-up and drop-off times based on the bus location.

To learn how to download the app, create your account, and link your student’s information, please visit our Transportation webpage.

Parents and guardians who DO NOT want their child’s photograph and/or student work published need to complete this form and return it to their school's front office within your student’s first 5 days of school attendance. A letter submitted from the previous year will not carry over.

Parents/guardians have the option to prepay for school pictures. The site and ordering will be closed at 11:59 p.m. the day of Picture Day to process the orders. If parents missed prepaying, they will have a chance to order pictures with their child's Ticket Code. When placing an order after Picture Day with a Ticket Code, a shipping fee will be added and picture packages will be shipped directly to the home. Pictures will be ready 3 weeks after orders are placed. We will share the flyer from Color Portraits as it is prepared for the upcoming year.

Picture retakes are scheduled for Thursday, October 22.

• Parents/guardians and students can log in to TeacherEase to view the student’s schedule. Scheduling is an extremely intricate balance that we work diligently to achieve based on the needs of our students. Therefore, there will be no schedule changes, unless there is an error. If you feel like a mistake has been made, please fill out this form, and an administrator will contact you regarding your student’s schedule.
  
• TeacherEase/SchoolInsight will be undergoing scheduled maintenance on Friday, Aug 7 at 9:30pm CST and will be unavailable for 30-60 minutes. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

• If you have never logged into TeacherEase, go to www.teacherease.com, use your email address as your user ID, and click "forgot password." It will send you a link to set your password.
  
• New students or those that registered recently may not have a schedule in Teacherease. We will review student records before scheduling a student in classes.
• Below is the full-day schedule for each grade level. Please note this is an 8-period-a-day schedule.

Please note that class period times have been adjusted. Each student has an assigned Flex teacher. Flex will meet the first 10 minutes of the day for morning announcements (each Monday), check-in, and attendance.

Flex at the end of the day will be utilized for social-emotional learning and WIN (What I Need) time. The purpose of the WIN time will be to provide students with targeted, intentional support based on their individual academic and social-emotional needs. This dedicated block allows educators to offer interventions, extension, reteaching, or independent work time in a flexible setting, ensuring that all students receive the right level of challenge and assistance.

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

To ease the transition to middle school, we will have a 6th-grade Launch Day this summer. It is scheduled for August 14th from 9:00 - 11:00 am or 12:00 - 2:00 pm. This is an excellent time for students to walk through the building with their schedule, get their assigned locker and padlock, practice printing items, and learn about how to stay organized. Parents/guardians are welcome to attend, as we will also have a session to learn more about the middle school. The 6th Grade/New Student Launch Day will end with a scavenger hunt for families to participate in together. Please fill out this form to indicate interest in the AM or PM session on August 11th. As of today, we have over 100 students and their parents/guardians signed up to attend!

Our 8th graders at Fremont Middle School also created the "A Day in the Life of a Middle Schooler" video, which gives a snapshot of what the day might look like.

School Supplies

School supply lists can be found on the Middle School section of the FSD79 website under the Families tab.

Lockers

All students will be assigned a locker and receive a combination padlock. This padlock will be retained for 6-8 grades and returned as students graduate. We will assess a $5.00 replacement fee if is the lock is not returned or lost.

PE Class

Students will dress for PE class for the 2026-2027 school year.

• The PE t-shirts will be given to the students after the first day of school.

• 6th-grade students are assigned a locker space directly in the locker room and given a combination lock.

• 7th and 8th will carry items to and from their main locker to the locker rooms. They will be given a locker space to hold their items during the class period while PE class is in session.

• Students must wear gym shoes for PE class. (Flip-flops, Crocs, and slides are not allowed to be worn during PE class.)

• Students should wear black shorts or sweatpants and their green PE shirts for class. The deadline to have black shorts/pants is Monday, September 14th. The PE staff will send additional information to parents and students during the first week of school. Please let your child's PE teacher know if you need support with any items.

• We also encourage the students to have deodorant, extra socks, and gym shoes for PE class.

Lunchtime

During the 2026-2027 school year, 6th graders will eat during period 6, 7th graders will eat during period 5, and 8th graders will eat during period 7 in the main cafeteria.

• For further information, see Quest lunch menus on the FSD79 website.

• Students will have several lunch options to choose from including hot lunch and a la carte items. Students must purchase the items using their school-issued ID card.

• It is highly recommended to have an online MyMealtime account to monitor student food purchases and account balances. Email Anthony Smith at asmith@fsd79.org for assistance.

• Please contact the District Office at 847-566-0169 if you have questions about the Free and Reduced Lunch application.

Chromebooks

Students should fully charge their Chromebooks before the first day and each night during the school year. If your Chromebook is not functioning properly, please email apoglayen@fsd79.org.

Transportation

You will receive an email from the transportation department regarding busing information. Middle School students do NOT receive bus tags. Please do not contact the middle school regarding transportation. If you have questions, contact Leslie Lauritzen,

Director of Transportation (llauritzen@fsd79.org).

Wednesday, August 19th, from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., Fremont Middle School will open for students to drop off supplies in the Period 1 (Flex) classroom for Grades 6-8. Please review the following schedule for Meet and Greet:

• 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. - Families with last names that start with A-L

• 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. -Families with last names that start with M-Z

All parents/guardians and their students should enter through the main office. Student leaders and staff will assist in handing out maps and providing information.

Fall 2026 Registration Opens Monday, July 27! Please click the link for more information: https://learn.clcillinois.edu/clc/FastPaced.jsp

Call 847-543-2990 if you have any questions, or email cwp.fastpaced@clcillinois.edu.

Another opportunity to meet teachers is at the Middle School Curriculum Night scheduled for Thursday, August 27, from 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. Please mark your calendars.

• 8th Grade Washington DC Parent Information Meeting: August 27 from 6:00-6:30 p.m. Large Gym (Contact Andrea Poglayen if you have any questions. apoglayen@fsd79.org)
• 7th Grade Springfield Parent Information Meeting: August 27 from 6:00-6:30 p.m. Small Gym (Contact Kyle Snow if you have any questions. ksnow@fsd79.org)
• Tech Support: 6:30 - 8:00 p.m.: Drop in the Den (library) if you have any tech questions. Mrs. Poglayen will be available for tech support.

Fall sports registration is OPEN.

Fall Sports: Cross Country (6, 7, 8), Boys & Girls Soccer (7, 8), and Girls Basketball (7, 8)

*6th-grade Soccer and Girls Basketball- If interested, please sign up - information will be provided if the roster allows.

Parents must complete the interest form and submit a valid, current physical to the school nurse.

-Interest form linked and posted on the Athletic Webpage.

-Physicals are valid 395 days from the exam date on the form.

Visitors (Reference: Board Policy 8:30) All visitors, including parents/guardians and siblings, must enter through the front door of the building. Visitors should identify themselves and inform office personnel of their reason for being at school. All FSD79 buildings have secure entrances. Upon being buzzed into the school office, the office staff will scan a picture ID using the Raptor visitor management system. The visitor shall wear a printed visitor ID badge if further entry is required. Visitors are required to proceed immediately to their location in a quiet manner. They must then return to the school office and sign out before leaving the school.

Health information and medical forms are available on the FSD79 Health Services webpage. Please drop off forms at your child’s school.

• Sixth graders must provide a dental examination form and a health examination form with proof of up-to-date immunizations.

• Any student who would like to participate in school sports will need a school sports physical before they are allowed to try out.

• The school nurse is Rachel Hickok. Please contact her with any questions regarding medical forms. (rhickok@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