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PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE—Sally Mills, Principal
 May Events and Celebrations Wow! May is chock-full of special events! On May 2nd from 5 to 6:30 p.m., we will have our Student Art Show and Choir Concert. Every student will have a piece of artwork displayed throughout the school, and our choir will be showcasing their talents at 6:00. Mrs. Johnson is hosting a summer book fair from May 13th through the 17th. K–2 Field Day is May 16th in the morning, and grades 3–5 Field Day is all day on May 17th. Continuation for 5th graders is May 22nd, and the last day for K–4 students is May 23rd at 1:05. Whew! It will be busy! Please continue to check our Sunday messages, the school calendar on our website, and the marquee for reminders and details.
Summer Is Coming!
Everyone at Fairmount wishes to thank our fabulous families for a successful school year! It has been our passion and pleasure to work with you to help our students grow in so many ways! We hope everyone has a happy summer vacation! This is a great time for everyone to play, relax, and spend time with family and friends.
The school office will be open until June 12th and reopening on July 22nd for our next school year. Summer office hours are 9:00–2:00.
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.
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TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEKThis week is Teacher Appreciation Week: April 29–May 3.Show your appreciation for your classroom teachers, specials teachers, and staff anytime during this week. The PTA will be providing some special treats for the teachers and staff during this week to show them how much we APPRECIATE them! Here is a SignUpGenius link to sign up to bring breakfast items on Thursday, May 2nd.
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FEATURED OPEN PTA POSITIONFAIRMOUNT COMMUNITY BBQ CO-COORDINATOR
Do you like to throw fun parties that people look forward to attending every year? If so, you could be the next Fairmount Community BBQ Co-Coordinator! This person will assist with the planning process for the September event to take place at Fairmount. You will work with the current Coordinator and a committee to help with all decisions that need to be made, including games, prizes, food, and more. If you would like more information, please contact Laura Warren at enrichment@fairmountpta.org.
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14th ANNUAL FAIRMOUNT FIREBIRD 5K CHASESUNDAY, MAY 5, 2019 It’s not too late! Come on out and join your fellow Firebirds for a fun morning at Fairmount Park!
- Race Day Registration begins at 8:00 a.m.
- 5K starts at 9:00 a.m.
- 1K starts at 10:30 a.m.
- 50M Dash for kids by grade level starts at 11:00 a.m.
If running isn’t your thing, we’d love to have you join our volunteer team directing traffic on the course and cheering them on.
Thanks again to all our sponsors and volunteers who make this event happen! We look forward to seeing you there!
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PTA HAPPENINGS
PROGRAMS & EVENTS TO WATCH FOR:
It is hard to believe we have less than one month of school left. As this school year comes to an end, the PTA Board would like to thank EVERYONE who volunteered and supported the PTA throughout the year. We could not operate such a successful PTA without all of you. Because of all our generous parents and hardworking volunteers, we have raised enough money to fund the many PTA programs that support our children throughout the school year. Thank you so much to the Fairmount Community for helping make this happen!
The PTA-sponsored Parent University was a fun and informative night. The workshops were dynamic and engaging. We would like to thank each of our presenters for their informative sessions, and we would like to express our appreciation to our principal, Mrs. Sally Mills, and our Digital Teacher Librarian, Mrs. Andi Johnson, for making this night happen.
During the April PTA meeting, the election for the 2019–2020 PTA Board was conducted. The PTA members elected Alison Beck as President, Lauren Warren as Vice President, Kristina Klug as Treasurer, and Lisa Reich as Secretary. Each of these positions will take effect as of July 1, 2019. Open Coordinator Positions include BBQ Co-Coordinator, Fairmount Firebird 5K Chase Co-Coordinator, Fundraising Liaison, Reflections Coordinator, and Learning Landscapes Coordinator.
A BIG THANK-YOU TO:
Carmen Bauer for coordinating all the special treats given to the teachers during Teacher Appreciation Week.
Paige Johnson for the many hours that went into pulling together the Fairmount Yearbook. It is something our students will keep and cherish for a long time, especially our 5th graders with their baby pages. Also, thank you to Danae Crow and Soumita Datta for all your work on the yearbook as well!
Molly Given for serving as our Legislative Liaison and attending our PTA meetings to keep us abreast of what is happening with our School Board and State Legislature.
Claudia Thomas for doing all the legwork related to scholarships our PTA provides to students. This is important and valuable work.
Visit www.fairmountpta.org today!
—The Fairmount PTA Board
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EDUKITS FOR SALE
The Fairmount PTA offers the EduKit program as a convenient option for busy families to order school supplies for the 2019–20 school year. EduKits include the supplies approved and requested by Fairmount. Click HERE to order your Kit today!
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GROCERY CARD PROGRAM
So far this year we have raised $31,722 through the King Soopers Community Rewards program. That’s 79% of our goal this year.
We can still do it, Fairmount! Get enrolled for free at www.kingsoopers.com and choose Fairmount to benefit from their King Soopers shopping! Let’s meet this year’s fundraising goal before the school year is over!
Thank you, Fairmount families, for enrolling in the King Soopers Community Rewards program! If you haven’t enrolled yet, please do it now! It only takes a few minutes and enrolling is free and easy, and you only need to do it once!
IMPORTANT:
If you have already given us your Sooper Card information, you still need to complete the easy Community Rewards enrollment process online or through the app. Doing so will allow us to give a portion of the King Soopers donation back to you!
Here’s how to get started:
Online - Go to www.KingSoopers.com
- Create an account or log-in to your existing account
- Click on “My Accountâ€
- Choose “Community Rewardsâ€
- Search for Fairmount Elementary School
- Organization name: Fairmount Elementary School
- Organization number: GF969
- Enroll
On the app - On the bottom of the screen, click on “Moreâ€
- Click on “My Accountâ€
- Click on “Community Rewardsâ€
- Search for Fairmount Elementary School
- Organization name: Fairmount Elementary School
- Organization number: GF969
- Enroll
Please go to www.FairmountPTA.org to see some FAQs about this new fundraising program, and feel free to contact Amy Kline with any questions at GroceryCards@FairmountPTA.org.
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THANK YOU
to
1st BANK of
ARVADA
at WESTWOODS
for their continued
support ofFairmount!
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NEWS FROM THE LMC
(Library Media Center)—Andi Johnson, Digital Teacher Librarian
Dino-Mite Book Fair: Stomp, Chomp, and Read!
 The Dino-Mite Book Fair coming soon! Our Spring Book Fair is May 13–17. This is a great opportunity to purchase books for your students’ summer reading while contributing to an important fundraiser for our library program. We could use your help! Please sign up HERE.
Optional Feature: eWallet! This payment option allows your students to shop at the Book Fair by creating a safe, secure, free account connected to your payment information so no cash has to be sent to school. You'll only be charged for what is spent. Click HERE and scroll down to the green ribbon for more info.
Library Collaboration
- Our 1st graders have come to the library to program Sphero robots. They have made their robots roll straight out and then back to them, and then in a square. This brings their studies of shapes, particularly squares, to life. It has been exciting to see their problem-solving programming skills grow!
- Our 1st graders completed their class books about the sun. They used Google Slides to type three facts and insert three pictures about the sun. Stop by the library to check out their amazing work!
- Our 2nd graders are researching tornadoes, floods, etc. as part of their Extreme Weather unit. They’re using Book Creator to share their learning, and including a Works Cited section to show their good digital citizenship skills.
- Our 2nd graders are also studying the history of Fairmount as part of their Geography: A World of Boundaries unit. They’re creating digital timelines using readwritethink.org and including digital pictures of actual photographs we have here at Fairmount.
- Some 4th graders are creating websites to share what they’re learned about ecosystems as part of their Colorado unit.
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PARENT UNIVERSITY
Many thanks to those of you who attended our Parent University on Tuesday, April 9. About 100 parents and 80 children attended. The evening began with a pizza supper sponsored by our PTA. It was fun to share a meal and visit with other Fairmount families. Parents then enjoyed an informative keynote address by Dr. Jason Glass, Superintendent of Jeffco Schools, who discussed how teachers are transforming students’ learning by incorporating more authentic tasks to prepare them to be problem solvers in the workplace. Parents then chose two from these six presentations: Internet Safety (George Mumma), STEM (Angie Blomquist and students), Devices Devices Everywhere (Dana Levesque), Unique Considerations in Learner Success (Karie Phillips), Protecting Your Child’s Mental Health (Sarah Bontrager), and Bicycle Colorado (Molly McKinley). The feedback from parents was amazing! Parents valued the information and look forward to further learning opportunities. During the presentations, children were engaged in teacher-led activities throughout the building.
To access videos of the presentations, go to the Fairmount Elementary website (http://fairmount.jeffcopublicschools.org/), click Library, and then click Parent University at the top of the page. Many thanks to all of the teachers who gave their time to serve, present, and entertain the children, and to our PTA for sponsoring this valuable event.
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STEM UPDATE
—Angie Blomquist, STEM teacher
K — After the field trip to the Children’s Museum, we followed up in the STEM room with an engineering project. After reading Toy Boat, students sketched a prototype of their own boat, built the prototype, tested it in water, and made adjustments to make it work or, if it worked, made adjustments to make it go faster.
1st — First graders tested their playground equipment and reflected on their design. If it didn’t withstand the “wind,†students had a chance to troubleshoot any issues and test again. If it DID withstand the “wind,†students had a chance to increase the “wind†to medium and even high if they dared. At that point, students may have had to redesign their prototype based on the results. Lastly, students reflected on the whole process and specifically on the work their partners did. Compliments and constructive comments were given with empathy in mind! Next up, 3D maps!
2nd — Second graders are studying simple machines in science. Groups are building one of the following out of LEGOs: Merry-Go-Round (gears), Go-Cart (wheels and axles), Catapult (lever), or Pulley System (pulley). Once they had their simple machine, students compared similar models with one differing variable and analyzed the working components. They then presented their model to the class explaining what they learned. In a joint STEM/PE field trip, second graders headed to Skate City for a STEM lesson about how skates work and got some physical exercise trying them out!
3rd — Third graders are using the design process to redesign a component of a fairy tale. After empathizing with a character in the story and determining a problem they think they can fix, either preventative or reactionary, (for example, in Goldilocks and the Three Bears teams either constructed a working latch on the door preventing a break-in or constructed a better, stronger, more durable piece of furniture for Baby Bear that would hold both the weight of Baby Bear and a heavier potential intruder), students had to ideate with their group, then sketch, build, and test their prototype.
4th — Fourth graders are delving into the world of 3D printing and circuitry. In small groups, they are taking turns with the different roles involved in 3D printing: Technician, Graphic Artist, Art Director. Simultaneously, students are showing content knowledge on their Colorado topic to design a Makey Makey quiz using the Scratch program. With a project like this communication is a MUST!
5th — Fifth graders are practicing the art of innovation! Quickly and multiple times within the class period, students were creating, improving, transforming, and disrupting ordinary objects depending on the given criteria. Innovators were constrained only by their own imaginations, and as the hour wore on, the creations became more and more creative!
All pictures are available HERE on my website under Pictures.
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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 MAY, 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 | Kate Parker | Anya Beck | Wilson Svoboda | Parker Sime | Brendan Marquardt | Jack Cassano | Elle Buchanan | Chase Robinson | Zoe Bradner-Fanning | Kellan Hamilton | Matteo Quinto | Grace Guillaume | Eli Baron | Kylie Cook | Rylee Zweifel | Emmett Blackwell | Mia Rossi | Ben Bontrager | Dax Weidenhamer | Blake Ferguson | Grace Schillie | Evan Warren | Jui Kukday | Madison Kent | | Teagan Peters | James Murphy | Evelyn Donaldson | Addison Jacobson | | Josh Dollar | Skylar Louchran | Hayden Larsen | Noah Nelson | | James Murphy | Aaron Hewitt | | Penny Appl | | Kayla Pavlich | | | | |
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LAKESIDE NIGHT IS COMING!MONDAY, MAY 20TH
Fairmount PTA is again sponsoring a night of fun for Fairmount families and friends at Lakeside Amusement Park.
Those of you who have come in the past know this is a great end-of-the-year family event with rides for every age!
Date: MAY 20, 2019
Time: Gates open at 5:30 and the park will be open from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Price: Admission will be $10 each in advance and $10 each at the gate. Ages 2 and under are free.
Parking is FREE, and all picnic areas and refreshment stands will be open.
Please contact Kyle Turner at mrskyleturner@yahoo.com if you have any questions or for rain date information.
Advance tickets must be purchased by Wednesday, May 15th. Tickets ordered in advance will go home with your child on Friday, May 17th.
Click HERE to order your tickets!
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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 9,700 product caps, raising $485for 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/January Taylor Kelley, 5th grade
February Scott Pruitt, 1st grade
March Arthur McIntire, Kindergarten
April TBD, Drawing May 1st
May TBD, Drawing May 20th
Be sure to have your milk caps in by May 17th to be included in the final drawing of the school year! Feel free to contact the Fairmount “Moo-la†parent volunteer, Candace Vorthman, at candace@vorthman.com, with any questions you may have.
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 | | FROM THE CAFETERIA—Leanne Alton, Cafeteria Manager
Click HERE to access the
MAY lunch menu! |
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