NEW!!!

PTA WEBSITE

MOBILE APP

The Fairmount PTA is excited to announce that our website provider now offers a free app for easy mobile access! Look for the Membership Toolkit app in either the Apple Store or Google Play. Once the app has been downloaded, you will be able to connect to Fairmount Elementary with your PTA website username and password.

The app provides instant access to key features such as current news, volunteer sign-ups, orders, the school directory (for PTA members), and more! Plus, the app is a great way to stay connected and receive quick reminders and announcements. Please contact us at it@fairmountpta.org with any questions!

FROM THE

CAFETERIA

As a reminder, all students need to know their student ID numbers when they come through the lunch line. If you would help them memorize their numbers, it would be appreciated. We will also help them to make this a smooth transition. You can also access the lunch menu from the Fairmount website under the Family Resource tab. It will direct to the School Café website. You can use the filters for allergens and also see what fruits and vegetables will be offered daily. Each grade level is offered our a la carte program at lunch. These a la carte items are in addition to their lunch and follow the Federal Smart Snack Guidelines. If you do not want your child to participate, have limitations, or have any questions in general, please email me at Leanne.Alton@jeffco.k12.co.us, call me at 303-982-5393, or stop in the kitchen, and I’ll be happy to help you.

Click HERE to see this month's LUNCH MENU!

Thank you!
LEANNE ALTON,
Cafeteria Manager

VYAS
ORTHODONTICS

EXPLORE THE

ARTS  &

EXPRESS

YOURSELF

Celebrating 50 Years of Reflections

Explore the last 50 years of the Reflections program and learn about the impact Reflections has had on students, families, and communities since the program was founded in 1969.

National PTA’s Reflections program has helped students explore their own thoughts, feelings and ideas, develop artistic literacy, increase confidence and find a love for learning that will help them become more successful in school and in life.

Each year, over 300,000 students in Pre-K through Grade 12 create original works of art in response to a student-selected theme. The theme for the 2019–2020 program year is "Look Within." Students submit their completed works of art in one or all of the available arts categories: Dance Choreography, Film Production, Literature, Music Composition, Photography, Visual Arts.

From Art to Exhibit

Student winners from the local level have the opportunity to move up through their district, region, council and state PTA programs to the national level.

National Reflections winners are announced in May and celebrated annually at National PTA's Convention & Expo in June. National PTA then collects and curates the traveling exhibit for the next year.

To submit an entry please contact Erica Davis (ericaahdavis@hotmail.com) 303-386-5036. Deadline October 11, 2019.

ARVADA EYE CARE

YEARBOOK

BABY PAGES

Calling all 5th grade parents!

This is your child’s LAST YEAR in elementary school, and it’s your LAST CHANCE to honor them in the yearbook! Please purchase a baby page ad for your child on the PTA website under “Online Registration.” SPACE IS LIMITED!! The deadline for purchasing a baby ad is December 20, 2019.

Click HERE for  more detailed information!

YEARBOOKS

ON SALE NOW

Yearbooks are on sale now through April 3, 2020! Click HERE for more details!

Please purchase your yearbooks on the PTA website under the tab “Online Registration.” After April 3, 2020, you will need to purchase your yearbook on the Lifetouch website at www.ybpay.com.

SUGAR BUGS
PEDIATRIC
DENTISTRY

PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE
—Sally  Mills, Principal

A big thank-you to PTA and all of our families who volunteered and participated at our BBQ & Fall Festival! It is such a joy to see all of our families here at school visiting with neighbors and watching all of our kids enjoy the attractions. It reminds me once again how blessed we are to have a community that supports our children and our school mission.

Class of 2032


Our kindergartners are the Class of 2032! We participated in the Arvada Harvest Parade with the other Arvada West elementary schools. It was a beautiful day, and our kiddos made it the whole route! They had a wonderful time passing out candy to the spectators, and perhaps keeping a piece or two for themselves! Thanks to all the parents who joined us.

Halloween at School

We enjoy Halloween at Fairmount! Our Halloween parade and parties will be Thursday, October 31, in the morning from 9:00 to 10:20. Students can come to school in costume and bring regular clothes to change into when the party is over. Our rules are that students cannot have masks that cover their faces, no gore, fake blood, or weapons, and no makeup or hair dye that will be a distraction for the rest of the school day. (Save those more advanced costume pieces for your trick-or-treating!) Remember, our costume rules apply to parents as well! If you are sending in treats for our Halloween parties, please remember absolutely NO TREE NUTS OR PEANUTS! Drinks must be clear liquids or in pouches/boxes. Thank you for making this day special for our students while also helping us to get back to the school day afterward!

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.

PTA HAPPENINGS

UPCOMING EVENTS:

• Parent Breakfast: November 22, 7:00–8:30 a.m.
• Reflections Arts Contest Deadline: October 11
• 5th Graders to Mountain Vista: December 20

PTA-Supported Programs: Grade-level & Field Trip support, Music/PE/Art support, Special Education support, Book Cart, Reflections, Student Enrichment, Fit Fun Club, and other enrichment programs.

Other: Directory, Newsletters, Yearbooks, Spirit Wear Sales, Child Care at PTA meetings, Scholarships, Angel Fund, and Summer Bridge Books.

BBQ & Silent Auction: Thanks to everyone who came to the fall BBQ and participated in our Silent Auction, which raised $20,229.38—that's 101% toward our goal! The BBQ had a wonderful turnout and the weather held! Another wonderful event for all!

Visit www.fairmountpta.org today! In addition to being able to join the PTA, you can volunteer to help with our many activities and fundraising efforts listed above, keep up to date with important PTA happenings such as meetings, monthly PTA newsletters and National/Colorado/JeffCo legislative educational updates and more!

PROGRAMS & EVENTS TO WATCH FOR . . .

Book Cart: The PTA-sponsored Book Cart Program has started. Thank you to Cathie Rhodes! Please be on the lookout for books coming home with your kindergartner, first or second grader. This is a daily program run by parent volunteers to help support your child’s reading success. If you have questions please contact Cathie Rhodes at cathieclarkpa@gmail.com.

Student/Parent Breakfast: Come spend some quality time with your children and have breakfast at school with us on Friday, November 22, 7:00–8:30 a.m. Enjoy burritos, pancakes hot off the griddle, OJ, and coffee! This event is for Fairmount students only and one parent/guardian (suggested $2/person donation at the door). Please contact our Pancake Breakfast Coordinator, Stacy Atkins, at satkins59@gmail.com if you want to help with this event or if you have questions.

PTA Meeting: Our next PTA meeting will be Tuesday, October 1, 2019, in the library at 6:30 p.m. Free child care will be provided. Please join us; we would love to see you there!

Yearbooks: Yearbook sales are going on now! Sale of yearbooks goes until April 3rd, 2020! You will not be able to buy a yearbook after that. Purchase your memories now at www.FairmountPTA.org!

Fall Parent/Teacher Conferences will be October 22nd, 23rd, and 24th from 3:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.  PTA will be providing free child care in the gym during these times, please reserve a spot for your students on the PTA website in advance.  If you are interested in contributing to meals for the teachers during these conferences, a Sign-Up Genius will be out soon.

A BIG THANK-YOU TO . . .

All of  YOU who attended the BBQ and Silent Auction—we hope you had a fabulous time!

Thank you to the following people, without whom we would not have such an amazing event:

Heather Reynolds, JoAnna Wagner, Mike Epke, Randell Davenport, Laurie Newton, Suzanne Hoffman, Katherine Broome, Natalie Baillie, Kristina Klug, Stephanie Helmer, Deidra Gonzales, Lauren Snow, Jenna Armitage and Laura Warren. and all the BBQ Fall Festival & Silent Auction volunteers. Thank you for all your dedication and hard work this year to make the BBQ and Silent Auction such a success! It was such a fun time for Fairmount families, and we appreciate everything you did to pull this night together.

Anderson and Son's Roll-Offs (303-278-4528) for providing a free roll-off during the BBQ!

Megan Kim and Myndi Rohweder for arranging all the great food that was served to the teachers the week before school started.

All of the Fairmount staff for all your help, patience, and support with PTA activities. We could not do anything without your help. Thank you!!

Daniella Grieve and Laura Kaufman for organizing and hosting our first Fit Fun Club event of the year. The kids had a great time!

Kyle Turner for coordinating this year's new Fairmount Spirit Wear!

GROCERY CARD PROGRAM

King Soopers Community Rewards Update

A big thanks to all the families who participate in our King Soopers Community Rewards fundraiser! If you recently enrolled or if you are a longtime supporter—thank you! Fairmount is now in the top seven donation-generating organizations in Colorado! Let’s see if we can crack the top five next quarter! Ask family members, neighbors, and friends to support Fairmount; it will generate donations for the school and you can even receive 50% of their donation back for your school purchases!

IMPORTANT DATES

Here are the screenshot submission deadlines for this school year:

Please email your Community Rewards quarterly statement screenshot to GroceryReimb@FairmountPTA.org, and please include the name of the owner of the King Soopers Card, your name, and your youngest child’s name.

If you have questions about the King Soopers fundraising program and would like to know more, please contact Amy Kline at www.GroceryCards@FairmountPTA.org.

STEM UPDATE
—Angie Blomquist, STEM Teacher

K – After kindergartners listened to the book City Streets by Douglas Florian, they created a building of their choice using Keva blocks. Teamwork could be found in every corner of the room as partners communicated and compromised. Kindergartners squealed with delight as they brought their drawings to life using the Quiver app. Fire trucks were driving off pages, birds were eating worms, and rockets were blasting off paper!

1st – First graders had fun demolishing buildings with homemade cranes, pool noodles, or balls launched from a catapult, only to rebuild a more stable building! Students also experimented with 3Doodler pens. They had a variety of stencils to choose from, including animals, food, or letter templates, or they could choose to free-draw. Persistence was the word of the month!

2nd – Second graders used engineering skills as they were challenged to recreate the moon (a round object) out of square blocks. Creative problem-solving and intergroup idea sharing were prevalent. Students also had the chance to experiment with 3Doodler pens. They had a variety of stencils to choose from, including animals, food, or letter templates, or they could choose to free-draw. Learning new technology is never easy, and optimism was the goal as students learned from failures.

3rd – Third graders worked in small groups then a larger one to complete a train track. Bringing 25 individuals of any age together is a challenge, and the kids excelled! These mathematicians practiced math facts on the Kahoot app. Speed and accuracy came together in this activity. Challenge your kiddos to make their own Kahoots at home—it’s a fun way to study!

4th – Fourth graders built their dream houses using Keva planks. Watch out because they have some outlandish ideas for future homes! Students also investigated circuits and, using littleBits, arranged the correct pieces in the correct order to light a sensor or power a fan. Using Snap Circuits, students could set up their circuits for a light switch or DC motor and switch. Ask them about stored energy, currents, and voltage!

5th – Fifth graders had their first 3D assignment of the year. They were tasked with designing a charm for the Fairmount Running Club. Competition was fierce through the process of brainstorming ideas, sketching a design, scanning it as a JPEG, converting it to a svg. file, importing it to Tinkercad, exporting it to Cure software, and printing it on the 3D printer. Students had one chance to troubleshoot any issues before the class, and eventually, grade level voted on one charm. Winners will be announced soon!

*Pictures accessible on my website or Fairmount’s Facebook page.

LMC NEWS
—Andi Johnson, Digital Teacher Librarian

Arctic Adventure Book Fair: Snow Much to Read!

Our fall Book Fair is coming soon! It will begin on Friday, October 18, and wrap up at noon at Thursday, October 24. There is no school on Friday, October 25. This is a great way for students to buy books they are interested in as well as pick up a holiday gift or two!

HOURS

• Friday, Oct. 18 & Monday, Oct. 21: 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
• Tuesday & Wednesday, Oct. 22–23: 8:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m. (open late during conferences)
• Thursday, Oct. 24: 8:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.

We will be open during conferences Tuesday and Wednesday nights, so please stop by! All students will visit the Book Fair and complete a wish list on Friday or Monday. Parents are under no obligation to purchase the books on the wish list or otherwise.
We can use your help! If you are interested in volunteering to help during this week, please sign up here or email me at andjohns@jeffcoschools.us.

Both the fall and spring Book Fairs are HUGE events that are integral to the funding of many important resources for all of our students. Here is an overview of what the all-important Book Fair proceeds help purchase:

• Books, to keep our library collection current and interesting!
• Magazines
• PebbleGo, an online database with nonfiction facts geared for student use
• Spelling Bee
• Library supplies

1:1 Devices

For the second year, every student has access to a device. Our kindergartners have access to iPads, and our 1st through 5th graders have access to Chromebooks. This is an exciting time for teachers to plan engaging learning opportunities that make the most use of all of the digital content available on the internet and for students who get to do the learning!

Thank you, Fairmount PTA and Fairmount Elementary!


Author Visit

Mark Ludy is coming to Fairmount! He is an accomplished illustrator and author. He will come to speak to all students on Wednesday, October 9. He plans to do some quick drawings during his presentation, which will be sure to amaze the kids. Thank you to our PTA for funding this incredible author visit for our kids!


Keeping Kids Safe Online

I want to share a good portion of the article below that I read online. It has 5 tips for keeping your kids safe online. It was published in June 2015 at Time.com.

"How To Keep Your Kids Safe Online"

by John Patrick Pullen

Jun 30, 2015

The Internet, where parents have even less of a view into their children's activity, can be a troublesome hotspot. These five tips can help keep your children safe online.

1. Have a conversation about using the Internet. This might seem like a no-brainer to some, but in today’s busy world, parents should be careful not to leave anything unsaid. Specifically, be sure to cover what kind of information kids shouldn’t share online, like their real names, where they live, or other identifying information.

“We try to get parents to start these conversations and lessons early,” says Ju’Riese Colon, the executive director of external affairs for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. For parents who don’t know where to begin these conversations, the center has a program called NetSmartz that’s designed to help kids ages five to 18 stay safe online, whether that’s on a smartphone, in a chat room, or while gaming.

2. Figure out what your kids' devices can do. Almost everyone knows smartphones can take photos and videos, and computers can do, well, almost anything, but parents are often surprised what other devices can do.
   

“If you’re going to put it in your children’s hands, get to know it a little bit, get to know its abilities, whether it's a gaming device, a cellphone, something that streams music, or an e-book reader,” says Colon. For instance, parents who aren’t very tech-savvy may not know that Kindles can surf the web, or that Xbox One gaming consoles support Skype video chatting.

In fact, gaming consoles have progressed a long way from the Nintendos of our youth. “Almost every game allows you to interact with others,” says Colon. This is problematic because it’s providing a new forum for people to reach children. Colon doesn’t necessarily think parents should ban their kids from online multiplayer games, but she does recommend making sure the online conversations in those games — whether they involve voice or text chats — stick to the topic at hand. So, if you’re on a co-operative mission, strategize around how to capture that flag. If the talk extents beyond that into real-world information, children should say "game over."

3. Follow your kids online. Gaining independence is part of growing up, which is why parents have such a difficult time with their kids hanging out unsupervised with friends. But just as you wouldn’t send your children outside without knowing where they are, you shouldn't send them out into the virtual world unmonitored either, says Colon. For instance, parents should create accounts on Facebook, Twitter, or any other social networks their kids want to use, and supervise their activity on those forums.

But before doing that, check to see if your children — at their particular ages — should even be on these sites. For instance, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube require that users be at least 13 years old. WhatsApp requires its users to be 16; Vine allows users who are 17 and older.

4. Know who your kids are connecting with. In addition to joining the same social networks as your child, it’s a smart plan to friend their friends, too. While some might find this to be the kind of thing a helicopter parent would do, it’s really just responsible parenting to know what your kids talk about on- or off-line. Of course boys will be boys and girls will be girls, but it’s important that they learn among peers, not amidst strangers.

That’s why it's important to follow the accounts that follow your child. To begin with, if they are strangers or people posting inappropriate content, you can see what your child sees and tell him or her to block them. Or, if they are your kids' friends, you can have talks about whether what they're posting online is appropriate and about what’s happening in their world in general.

5. Set some limits. Everything is great in moderation — especially the Internet. But that doesn’t just mean parents should limit the time their kids spend on the web. Parents should also communicate where children can and cannot visit.

It’s impossible to keep track of every app or site that’s appealing to teens or kids, says Colon, so she recommends getting some help. One place to start is with your Internet Service Provider — they may have parental tools and filters designed to keep some of the more prurient online content out of your home. Secondly, look to the device your child is using to access the web. Linking app stores to your credit card (and not giving the password or card number to your little one) will ensure they need your permission before they can install new apps. The Parental Controls preference on Macs and Windows computers can also keep children on the straight and narrow, as well.

Parents reading this who feel like there’s a lack of quick tricks and shortcuts to keeping their kids safe online may be overlooking the common thread throughout these five tips: communication. The biggest key to keeping your children safe online isn’t walling off the Internet or crippling their computers (though a little bit of that can help), it’s helping them understand how big the world is, and which places within it are safe to roam.

“They’re inquisitive — that’s what children are, and that’s what makes them so wonderful,” says Colon. “But at the same time, we need to guide them in the direction in which they need to go.”

(Pullen, John Patrick. “How to Keep Your Kids Safe Online This Summer.” Time, 30 June 2015, time.com/3940304/kids-safe-online-safety/.)

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 OCTOBER, 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.

SAVING MILK CAPS =

$ MOO-LA FOR FAIRMOUNT!

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

With your support, during the 2018–2019 school year we collected 14,098 product caps, raising $704 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 follow these 3 simple steps!

Step 1 – 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).

Step 2 – Collect caps from family, friends, and neighbors too!

Step 3 – Clean caps should be placed in plastic bags with the student’s first and last name, grade, and number of caps enclosed written on the outside of the bag.

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 following week during the morning announcements.

This year’s “Moo-la” monthly winners will each receive a $5 gift card to Golden Sweets Ice Cream.

August/September:     Winner TBD
Next Drawing:              October 2

Feel free to contact the Fairmount “Moo-la” parent volunteer, Candace Vorthman, at candace@vorthman.com, with any questions you may have.

2019–2020 PTA BOARD

President — Alison Beck (President@fairmountpta.org)
Vice President — Lauren Warren (VP@fairmountpta.org)
2nd Vice President — Sally Mills (smills@jeffco.k12.co.us)
Secretary — Lisa Reich (Secretary@fairmountpta.org)
Treasurer — Kristina Klug (Treasurer@fairmountpta.org)
Fundraising Liaison — Lauren Snow (Fundraising@fairmountpta.org)
Classroom Support Coordinator — Jenna Armitage (ClassroomSupport@fairmountpta.org)
External Enrichment Coordinator — Deb Brannon (Enrichment@fairmountpta.org)
Website Coordinator — Laura Freeman (IT@fairmountpta.org)

For a more detailed list of PTA coordinators, visit our website at FairmountPTA.org.