Originally delivered on 1/9/2019 5:24 pm

SUBJECT: FAIRMOUNT FOCUS—January 2019


 

FAIRMOUNT FOCUS
Published monthly by Fairmount PTA
Editor: Deb Hall (editor@fairmountpta.org)

EXECUTIVE BOARD
President:Kristi Mladenovic (president@fairmountpta.org)
Vice President (External Enrichment): Jodi Williams (vp@fairmountpta.org)
2nd Vice President: Sally Mills (smills@jeffco.k12.co.us)
Secretary: Alison Beck (secretary@fairmountpta.org)
Treasurer:Kristina Klug (treasurer@fairmountpta.org)
VP of Finance:Becky Asbury (finance@fairmountpta.org)
Fundraising Chair:Jessica Nauslar (jnauslar@yahoo.com)
3rd VP (Classroom Support):Mara Orchard (classroomsupport@fairmountpta.org)

4th VP (Enrichment):Laura Warren (enrichment@fairmountpta.org)
IT Vice President:Kristi Mladenovic (it@fairmountpta.org)


For a list of other coordinators, click HERE!


FOLLOW FAIRMOUNT ELEMENTARY ON SOCIAL MEDIA

 

 


 

PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE

—Sally Mills, Principal

Colorado John Irwin School of Excellence Award

I am pleased to announce that Fairmount has been awarded the Colorado John Irwin Award for Excellence! This award is given to schools that demonstrate exceptional academic achievement by earning an Exceeds Expectations rating on the Academic Achievement indicator of the School Performance Frameworks. This reflects exceptional performance in Math, English Language Arts, and Science. We are so proud of our students, staff, and families for this prestigious accomplishment!

Robotics Club

Congratulations to the Cherry Robots and BFR robotics teams for placing in the top 3 teams at a Jeffco competition in December! We are proud of all of our students who participated by designing and building robots, practicing persistence, and battling to beat the Next Level challenge. Our Robotics Club students worked together for 12 weeks before the competition, and they all had much to celebrate!

As always, if you have a question, comment, or suggestion, please call the office, stop by, or email me at smills@jeffco.k12.co.us.


GROCERY CARD PROGRAM


December Gift Card Raffle Winner!

 

Thank you to everyone who purchased or reloaded their grocery cards in December.
A $25 gift card to Regal Cinemas goes to NICOLE GILLEST!
Congratulations, Nicole!


Who wants to win a $25 gift card to Chipotle next month?

All you need to do is purchase a reloadable gift card OR reload the card you already have, and you will automatically be entered to win! It is so easy to help the PTA fund school projects, earn cash back, and even win a gift card! If you don’t have your reloadable gift card yet, visit the PTA website for more information. If you have a card from last year, keep using it!  We pick a winner each month, so don’t miss out!

So far this year, Fairmount has raised $19,421 with your reloads. That’s 49% toward our goal for the year. Keep reloading those cards! Each reload benefits our school and our children!

Did you know?

If you have a child going on the D.C. trip, Fairmount’s PTA will give you the entire 5% reward you earn from your reloads, from mid-July 2018 through February 2019, to be applied toward your final payment. You can also use any remaining account credits (2.5% on prior years) toward the trip.  Please email grocerycards@fairmountpta.org to have your account flagged for the D.C. trip.





FAIRMOUNT'S GOT TALENT!

Friday, February 8th at 6:00 p.m.

Mark your calendars for Fairmount’s Annual Talent Show! Come and cheer on your classmates as they show off their unique talents! You won’t want to miss this fun evening!

Please contact Stephanie Sprenger with any questions at steph.iz@hotmail.com



 

PTA HAPPENINGS


We hope you all had a relaxing break from school and are excited about the new year. We are ecstatic about the wonderful events and programs that are available to our students in 2019! The Talent Show is fast approaching, so start practicing your acts. As well, we have many engaging clubs and programs. Please check them out on our website (www.FairmountPTA.org), and of course we can’t forget about our annual Fairmount Firebird Firebird 5K Chase coming in May! More information to come . . .

PROGRAMS & EVENTS TO WATCH FOR:

Angel Fund—In response to feedback received in last spring’s survey, the PTA has established an Angel Fund. This Fund is available to Fairmount students in need of financial support and can be used for school supplies, clothing, enrichment programs, etc. All requests will be made to the principal, Sally Mills at smills@jeffco.k12.co.us, and names will be kept confidential. Since this is a pilot program, requests will be evaluated on a first-come, first-served basis until the $1,000 budget is exhausted for the year. This is subject to modification at any time. Click HERE for an Angel Fund Request Form.

We will not have a PTA meeting in January. The next meeting will be February 5, 2019, at 9:00 a.m. in the Fairmount Library.

A BIG THANK-YOU TO:

A HUGE thank-you to Janna Wertz for coordinating the annual 5th grade visit to Mountain Vista Nursing Home. We know those gifts are so appreciated, and it is such a great lesson of generosity for our kids. You did such a great job!

Student Council would like to extend a big thank-you to the Fairmount community for your participation in the holiday donation drive. Jeffco’s Serving Kids, which serves needy students throughout Jeffco schools, needed necessities and received a large donation from our generous community. Fairmount is overflowing with students who CARE.


Wishing you a new year that is merry and bright!

Visit www.fairmountpta.org today!

—The Fairmount PTA Board



 


 

NEWS FROM THE LMC

(Library Media Center)

—Andi Johnson, Digital Teacher Librarian

 
Follow us on Twitter!

 
@FairmountES

The 4th Annual Hour of Code — Check!

For the fourth consecutive year, every student at Fairmount has completed an Hour of Code. Coding â€œhelps nurture problem-solving skills, logic and creativity. By starting early, students will have a foundation for success in any 21st-century career path.”

Your students in grades 1–5 can continue coding at home! They all have accounts and their work has been saved, so they can continue where they left off. Click HEREfor a link to the directions (you may need to copy and paste) for accessing from home. Feel free to email me (andi.johnson@jeffco.k12.co.us) if you have any questions. Happy Coding!

 

Spelling Bee

Our school spelling bee is just around the corner! The Fairmount Spelling Bee written qualifying pretest for 4th and 5th graders will be held on Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2019. Lists with practice words will be sent home after Jan. 17 with those students who qualify. The school bee for those students who qualify will be held on Friday, January 25, 2019, at 9:00 in the library. Our school is registered with the National Spelling Bee, so we have access to practice word lists. Click HERE to access a file with many pages of words to study, organized by grade level. Want more motivation? Watch Akeelah and the Bee. Happy spelling!

Robotics Club

The Fairmount Robotics Club is rocking and rolling! Our 19 students competed in a robotics competition on Saturday, Dec. 15, at Kullerstrand Elementary. They competed in the Next Level Challenge and scored points by moving hubs around the playing field and hanging their robots from the crossbars. They will be learning how to program their robots to run autonomously in preparation for their final competition on Saturday, Feb. 9. Many thanks to Braden Baybeck, a Fairmount Robotics Club alumnus, who is now a student at Bell Middle School; he volunteers his time and shares his expertise with our students.

 Library Collaboration

  • Some 4th graders used Canva to share what they learned at their Africa Day presentations.
  • Some 3rd graders are researching a topic that they’re passionate about and sharing their learning with one of two new tech tools, either ThingLink or Animoto. Once complete, they will share their projects on the Google Sites that they created.
  • First graders are learning about how-to writing. They learned how to make Cheddar Broccoli Soup and used Google Slides to put the steps in the correct order.

 


THANK YOU

to

1st BANK of
ARVADA
at WESTWOODS

for their continued
support ofFairmount!

 

 


MINDSET MASTERS

At Fairmount, “We C.A.R.E.” (Community, Attitude, Respect, and Excellence) has been a standing phrase through our Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports system (PBIS). Aligned with this focus, we promote and teach five growth mindsets within the classrooms:

Persistence
Empathy
Resilience
Optimism
Flexibility


Every month students are recognized as “Mindset Masters” for their use of the different mindsets. The following students were chosen by their teachers for this month, and their names will be posted, throughout the entire month of JANUARY, in the hallway leading from the cafeteria to outside.

If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Kruse at christine.kruse@jeffco.k12.co.us.

Persistence

Empathy

Resilience

Optimism

Flexibility

Mila Kelly

Adelyn Sorenson

Domino Murray-Yocom

Keegan McAvin

Jonathan Barron

Felix Schmidt

Lily Tingle

Samantha Dewing

Gavin Sanburg

William Reich

Von Taylor

Ellie Khailova

Nolan Hooyer

Emma Cooper

Vincent Meeks

Maddy Jensen

Kate Schillie

Lucas Marsh

Juniper Appl

Jude Jones

Bella Hoyt

Addison Block

Erik Le

Asher Zahrte

Morgan Brannon

Mason Chalupa

Amelia Weber

Laila Gibbons

Alex Komon

Grant Given

Jonah Grimes

Caydence Keller

Angeline Ha

Lauren Griffin

David Jansen

Isabella Bontrager

Mason LaCrosse

Sage Barbour

Colton Figg

Andrew Turner

Samantha Hirschberg

Rylee Zweifel

Isaiah Gonzales

Kaylan Lessen

Sumner Kelley

Jace Vinnola

Tyler Alcock

Kamdyn Muller

Story Walker

Keith Thomas

Emerson Drake

Brooklyn Turner

Zane Cochran

Nate Fritzler

Violet Hoffman

Evan Warren

Madison Riggs

Gwen Schneringer

Owen Grimes

Jackson Bakanec

Maggie Butcher

Jayden Courtney

 

Sydney Crow

Sam Sisneros

Ava Berryhill

Gavin Crow

 

Owen Heineman

Abbey Smith

Libby Timmens

Leo Badolato

 

Kayla Pavlich

Riley Roozing

Jack Morton

Kate Hertz

  

Rylee Sonnenfeld

Seth Thomas

Finn Santistevan

  

Logan Lessen

Brooks Blevins

   

Madison Watson

Charlotte Jones

    

Brenden Beer

    

Sophia Dodge

    

Harrison Lynam

    

Annie Armer

 

 

 

 


 


 


 

FROM THE CAFETERIA

—Leanne Alton, Cafeteria Manager


Click HERE to access the

January lunch menu!



 

STEM UPDATE

—Angie Blomquist, STEM teacher


K
— Kindergartners investigated magnets! They hypothesized which materials were magnetic and which were not. Then they tested their hypothesis in small groups. Don’t be surprised if they continue checking metal materials at home to see if they contain steel or iron. In addition to Hour of Code, they coded on the Scratch Jr. app on their iPads.

1st — First graders had fun with their Macy’s Day Parade balloon animal. They learned to stretch the balloons before pumping them up with air. They learned to leave a tail at the end so they could twist their animal. They learned that the dollar store has balloons in case they want to try this again at home! In addition to Hour of Code, they coded on the Scratch Jr. app on the STEM iPads.

2nd — Second graders worked with partners to create a new organism. After determining the type of animal, they described their diet, adaptations, and fun facts. Meanwhile, their partners created a habitat taking in consideration all the features of this new creature, creating the ideal living arrangement to allow the animal to meet their needs in a small area, minimizing energy use. Innovative ideas were in abundance as students were confined only by their own imaginations!

3rd — Third graders are learning about measurement in math. We read How Big is a Foot? and How Tall, How Short, How Far Away?, following each up with some measurement activities and concluding with a better way to measure. Students learned the history of the ancient Egyptian nonstandard units and compared them to the modern-day metric system. Ask them which three countries are the only ones NOT using the metric system. Third graders also created a Google Site and explored Thinglink and Animoto as a way to present their WIN Passion Project information in a new and interesting way.

4th — In music class, fourth graders are creating their own musical instruments, some involving the Makey Makey circuits from the energy unit, others being constructed from scratch. Options included a piano, saxophone, drums, PVC pipe organ, rain stick, one-string guitar, and kazoo. Students also explored renewable energy, designing a food carrier that could cross a chasm and then building either a solar car, windmill, hydroelectric generator, or wind racer, and experimented with how sun, wind, and water are used to generate power. We culminated the energy unit with a field trip to Ninja Nation where they explored turning potential energy into kinetic energy.

5th — Digital superheroes are prevalent at Fairmount thanks to the fifth graders who, using Bloxels, created a video game combating different online “enemies.” They taught their study buddies how to play the game and reinforced being safe and smart on the internet. Students also compared how table salt and magnesium chloride affected the temperature of ice. We culminated the lesson with a comparison of ice cream made with or without rock salt. Half of the fifth graders headed to Aleph Objects to tour the facility and learn more about 3-D printers because they are using Tinkercad to design the 3-D “It” toy of the season. After voting, one toy from each class will be selected for printing. Note: The other half will tour in January.

All students K–5 participated in Hour of Code with either myself or Mrs. Johnson. This is something they can continue at home! You may even want to join them.

All pictures are available HERE on my website under student work.


 

Saving Milk Caps =

$ MOO-LA for Fairmount!

Thank you to those families who have contributed to the success of our partnership with Longmont Dairy for the “Milk Caps for Moo-la” program!

With your support, so far this school year we have collected 5,000 product caps, raising $250 for our school! Not only does Fairmount benefit by receiving 5 cents for every cap we collect, but we save many caps from going to a landfill by returning these to the dairy so they can be recycled.

How can you help if you aren’t already participating? Just start saving Longmont Dairy product caps if you already have products delivered to your home (or sign up with Longmont Dairy if you wish to be part of their delivery program: http://www.longmontdairy.com/sign-up.php). Collect caps from family, friends, and neighbors, too! Clean caps should be placed in plastic bags with the student’s name, grade, and number of caps enclosed written on the outside of the bag. Place bags of caps in the “Milk Caps for Moo-la” collection box right inside the main entrance of our school.

Our Fairmount PTA sponsors the monthly prize drawing from students who have collected and contributed caps. To compete in the monthly drawing, students must place caps in the collection container by the last school day of each month. The monthly winner is then revealed the next week during the morning announcements.

This school year’s “Moo-la” monthly winner has received a $5 gift certificate to Little Caesars:

August/September               Talon King, 3rd grade
October                                 Charlotte Kline, 1st grade
November                             Ben Wheeler, 4th grade
December                             TBD, Drawing Feb. 4


Be sure to have your milk caps in by January 31 to be included in the next drawing! Feel free to contact the Fairmount “Moo-la” parent volunteer, Candace Vorthman, at candace@vorthman.com, with any questions you may have.

 


MOUNTAIN VISTA HOLIDAY

PROJECT REPORT


It has been another successful year for our Mountain Vista community project! Mr. DeWinkle led the 5th graders in an amazing musical program for the residents. The generous families donated enough gifts for every resident to receive one! This important program has a long tradition that could not happen without the help of all the fabulous volunteers who helped organize 184 resident names with students and helped collect and transport the gifts, Sue Bobroske and Nancy Eckley for their additional support, Mr. DeWinkle for putting together the music program, Steve and the staff at Mt Vista for gathering the resident gift requests and everything they do to prepare for this program, the amazing Fairmount families who donated much appreciated gifts, and most importantly, our fifth grade students who brought so much holiday spirit to the residents at Mountain Vista. This is a project where, as they say, it truly takes a village. Thank you all for everything you have done to support this amazing program.

Sincerely,
Janna Wertz




 


FAIRMOUNT FIREBIRD 5K CHASE

ART CONTEST

Calling all students for the 2019 Fairmount Firebird 5K Chase Art Contest . . .

All students are encouraged to participate!

A winner from each grade level will receive a prize!

One grand prize winner for the logo will be chosen, and the winning design will be used on all T-shirts, brochures, and flyers for the upcoming race.

As well, one winner for the chosen slogan will be used on all T-shirts, brochures, and flyers.

Instructions:

  1. Take a plain sheet of 8.5 x 11-inch white paper, and use up to five crayons, colored pencils, or markers (black and white also count toward the five colors) to draw a picture that may become the artwork for this year’s T-shirt and flyers.
  2. No glitter, cotton balls, string, construction paper, etc. allowed.
  3. Judges will be looking for a logo design and theme that are fresh and creative.
  4. Be sure to put your name, grade, and teacher on the back of your entry.


Submit your entry to your teacher by Friday, January 25th to participate! A contest reminder will be coming home in an upcoming January Friday folder.

 

*** Save the Date: Race Day is May 5, 2019 ***

 


 

YEARBOOKS FOR SALE

Deadline to purchase a yearbook for your student is March 29th!
Click HERE for yearbook package info!

 


 

 


 

 



Fairmount Elementary PTA
15975 W. 50th Ave.
Golden, CO 80430