At Fulton, one of our top priorities is the safety of our students and staff. On Wednesday, an incident occurred at dismissal that prompted us to review and revise some of our dismissal procedures in and effort to improve safety. Starting tomorrow (Monday), the following changes will take place:

• Kindergarten walkers and car riders will dismiss from Mrs. Mendoza's room (Door 21). They may start dismissal a couple of minutes early (a little after 3:30). 
• They will only release students as they see their grown-ups and will call them by names to be dismissed. 
• Please be sure to get out of your car to be visible. Ideally, grown ups would meet their child at the door. 
• Siblings and older students will still dismiss from Door 1. Parents will get their Kindergartener first and walk over to get their older student(s). 
• Additionally, we will be increasing staff supervision in the front of the building at dismissal. 

On a lighter note, did you hear the news?!?! We are proud to share that for the 4th year in a row, the "Southland" readers have voted Fulton School a "Best Public Elementary School" in the Southland area (Mokena, Frankfort, New Lenox, Lockport, Homer Glen, Orland Park, and Tinley Park)! This year we took 2nd place (but the top PK-5 school!) Thank you for your trust, confidence in us, and your support!

Southland's Best Education

We look forward to seeing many of our volunteers and families at the Book Fair and Fall Reading Night this week! Please be sure you have submitted a background check for any future volunteer or visitor opportunities.

Lastly, we are happy to bring back "Flat Flame". Our students love to see themselves and their family and friends represented on the TVs and in the Update, so send in your Fall Fun photos through the email FultonFlatFlames@district146.org.

Save the Date--

October is Bullying Prevention Month

• October 6th-24th--Candy War Collection
• October 20th-26th--Zearn Math Challenge--Log in today!
• October 17th--Book Fair Set Up
• October 20th-24th--Scholastic Book Fair-Volunteers Needed!
• October 20th-23rd--Bring in Storybook Pumpkins
• October 22nd--Wear Orange for Unity Day--Show Your Support for Bully Prevention
• October 23rd--Family Reading Night--Spider Challenge, Storybook Pumpkins, and Book Fair
• October 24th--Evacuation/Reunification Walk during Specials
• October 28th--PTO Trunk or Treat
• October 31st--Fall Parties AM/11:45 Dismissal
• November 2nd--Daylight Saving Time (Fall Back 1 hour)
• November 4th--Election Day (School in Session)
• November 11th--Veteran's Day Assembly (School in Session)
• November 26th--1/2 Day--11:45 Dismissal
• November 27th-28th--Thanksgiving Break-No School

Mrs. Mitera

Classes with 100% of students logging in to Zearn sometime between Monday morning (Oct. 20) and Sunday night (Oct. 26) can win accolades, including a week of hosting a "Fulton Math Champions" traveling trophy and individual stickers for the students. 

Friday brought some expected and unexpected snake visitors!

Did you have some time come up this week? Please review the available slots below and click on the button to sign up to volunteer for the Book Fair. Each volunteer will receive a free book as a thank you for donating your time! Let's make this Book Fair the best one yet! 🌟📚

Thank you!

Fulton PTO

We’re excited to bring back our 2nd annual Fulton PTO Trunk or Treat on October 28th! To make this event a success, we need the help of our amazing school community. Please let us know how you’d like to be involved!

The more trunks--the better! So please sign up today!

We'll also start weighing candy/prize donations this week, so let's fill up those bins!

We need LOTS of candy and non-edible treats to make this event a success. Join us in our CANDY WARS for a fun way to pitch in and help out!

Fulton Kindergartener Peyton won a ride to school in a fire truck after winning a raffle at the TPFD Open House earlier this month. His family and friends were excited to join him and welcome him to school!

Fulton School will be celebrating Veterans Day with an assembly on Monday, November 11th at 2:15 p.m. There will be two ways to honor our family veterans during the assembly.

1) If your family veteran is able to attend please return the form that will go home this Friday.

2) If your family veteran is unable to attend, please fill out the google form below. We will prepare a photo montage honoring those who have passed or are unable to join us.

We look forward to this special observance. It is always a memorable event for our students, staff, and guests. 💓🤍💙

On Friday, October 24th students will be taking a walk to Zion Lutheran Church during their PE/Music time. This is Fulton’s “Safety Evacuation Location” in the event we need to evacuate the school for any reason. Students will be walking down 171st, crossing Oak Park Avenue, and continuing down 171st to Zion. (Kindergarten and 1st grade will not cross Oak Park Avenue).

We feel it is important for all students K-5 to practice this route. All students will participate. However, if you would like to opt-out of the walk, please return the form sent home last week.

Please see your child's class Seesaw page to volunteer or donate to the parties.

FALL PARTY INFORMATION

Friday, October 31st, will be our Fall Parties at Fulton School. Because it is a half day (8:55-11:45), all students are welcome to come to school wearing their costumes. Students in grades K, 1, and 2 will walk in the costume parade from 10:15-10:25 a.m. Students in grades 3, 4, and 5 will wear their costumes outside to watch the parade and for their parties. Weather permitting, the students will walk outside and families are invited to come view the parade. The classroom parties (for all students in grades K to 5) will be from 10:30-11:30 a.m. Parent volunteers may come in at 10:00. All volunteers should have a current background check on file.

Please note the following guidelines for safety.

• Students may wear a costume to school. Please keep costumes as simple as possible, as it is a long day and small pieces may be lost and costumes may be damaged through “wear and tear”. If the costume is easy to put on independently, students may choose to bring a costume and put it on in the classroom right before the parade time. 

• Please no "blood” or “blood” make-up, or scary masks. Remember our younger students may scare more easily. 

• No aerosol spray cans or other unsafe items may be brought to school. Any hair coloring or light make-up should be done at home in the morning before students arrive at school. 

• No props such as swords, weapons, pitchforks, etc. should be brought to school. We want all students to feel safe, and regular school safety guidelines as noted in the parent/student handbook still apply on this day.

• No food in favor bags that may go home with students. If you sign up to bring a treat for the class, please send it in by Friday, October 24th (unless it is fresh fruit/vegetables). 

•  Only pre-approved food will be allowed at the parties. 

EL CLASSES WILL RECEIVE THEIR PARTY INFORMATION DIRECTLY FROM THE CLASSROOM TEACHER REGARDING THEIR TIME SCHEDULE FOR THEIR PARTIES ON THURSDAY, OCTOBER 30TH. 

D146 elementary schools have three (3) classroom parties throughout the school year--October, December, and February. We encourage celebrating with non-food novelty items like stickers, pencils, games and crafts; however food is welcome during these three celebrations, only.

Classroom teachers and/or the PTO coordinate food donations (examples are included on the online volunteer sign up sheet). If you participate, all food must be pre-packaged and labeled by a manufacturer. One week prior to the event teachers will approve food submissions. Parents or guardians of students with documented medical food allergies are asked to collaborate with classroom teachers to help ensure the safety and well-being of their child.

Only pre-approved food items will be allowed at the parties. Please do not send in additional treats with students the day of the party, or it will be returned home. 

Items strictly prohibited:

· Peanuts, tree nuts and all their derivatives 

Please note: Teachers may implement additional restrictions based on student allergies in their classroom or grade level.

***Birthdays may be celebrated with NON-FOOD items. Examples include stickers, pencils, books, or games for the classroom.

The parade will start at 10:15 a.m. on 10/31. Students in Kindergarten, First, and Second Grades will exit the front doors, follow the closest sidewalk into the Administration Center building, come out the back doors there to follow the horseshoe past the kindergarten playground, around the horseshoe and back into door 13. Parents may stand anywhere around the parade route. 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders will also be around the horseshoe to view the parade.

If it is raining (or snowing!), parents and grades 3-5 are welcome to gather in the gym where grades K-2 will parade around one time before going back to their classrooms. Please check in at the office before going to the gym.

The Fulton Student Council organizes activities that give back to our local community. We'll be collecting pop tabs all year for the Ronald McDonald House. Can we beat last year's total?

Every Friday, the student Fulton Morning News crew shares their broadcast for all classes to view. We'll share the videos with you here, too! Enjoy!

October is Bullying Prevention Month. Wednesday is Unity Day--a day to focus on kindness, inclusion, and acceptance--uniting us all! Wear orange to show unity in Bullying Prevention!

The PTO is selling in-stock spirit wear using this link.

Order today!

We’re so proud of all of our students who are recognized for displaying the characteristics of a model Flame! Keep up the great work!

We are excited to share with you our dozens of before/after school activity offerings for K-5 students! From the arts to meditation; from sports to coding; from Student Council to games, and so much more in between, there is something for everyone to enjoy! Please review all of the activity descriptions and dates and expect permission slips home in the future. Remember, it's important to be on time for arrival and dismissal of the activities.

As we enter cold and flu season, please remember:

A child who is well should be in school, and one who is sick should be kept home. A child who has a fever at or above 100 degrees, and/or is experiencing vomiting, diarrhea, or an uncontrolled cough should be kept home and not return to school for 24 hours after symptoms subside and fever returns to normal (without the use of fever reducing medications).

A child who has a diagnosed communicable disease, undiagnosed rash, or uncontrolled cough should also be kept home. 

Returning to school prematurely after illness may result in additional absences because the child is vulnerable to recurrence of the illness, and because of the potential cross infection with other students who may be in the beginning stages of an illness.

A student who sustains an illness or injury which requires an absence of four or more days must present a physician’s statement in order to be readmitted to school. 

Encouraging hand washing and covering coughs will help limit the spread of germs.

Students will be going outside for recess as often as possible. The following are our school/district guidelines.

🔆Hot Weather Conditions: We will switch to indoor recess if the temperature is 100 degrees with heat index or if the grounds are too wet.

⛄Cold Weather Conditions: We will switch to indoor recess if the temperature is below 20 degrees with wind chill, or if our grounds are too icy or wet.

We value the opportunity for students to engage in movement and independent play/socialization. Please watch the weather and be sure to send whatever your child needs to be comfortable playing outside each day.

To ensure the safety of all students and to remain in compliance with state law, parents are required to notify the school office if their child will not be in attendance. This notification must take place within the first hour of school. When reporting an absence, please call the school office, use the voicemail system, or enter the absence into Powerschool anytime, day or night. You may inform the office of attendance 24 hours day/7 days a week. 

Please notify the office of any absence or anticipated late arrival by calling 708-614-4525. Additionally, if your child will have a change in dismissal plans (leaving early, not taking the bus, etc.), please let the office know by 2:00. Informing the office in a timely way makes dismissal run more smoothly for all!

A few reminders for the front of the school at dismissal:

• Please do not park against a yellow marked curb. Parking nearest the exit over the yellow lines obstructs everyone's view and clearance.
• Please park behind the yellow sign closest to the school. The spaces directly in front are reserved for special transportation needs.
  
• Please adhere to the sign and turn RIGHT out of the driveway during arrival and dismissal. This reduces the chance of crossing oncoming traffic and the potential for an accident.
• Pedestrians crossing the drive to get to their cars should use the crosswalk at the east end of the drive for the safest path.
• Please avoid turning around in our neighbors' driveways and blocking entrances/exits.
• No cell phone use in school zones.

Bus transportation is also available for most students attending Fulton school. Please contact the office if you would like to add your child(ren) to a bus route.

Anyone who would like to volunteer in classrooms or at school events must have a background check on file. Please be sure to submit an application here: https://apps.raptortech.com/Apply/ODQzMzplbi1VUw== If you are unsure whether you have submitted a background check in the past, please contact the office. 

As you may have seen, we have a new food service vendor, Whitsons Culinary Group. Breakfast and lunch will be available for all K-5 students for a fee (breakfast $1.50, lunch $3.75). Lunch money may be set up through Pushcoin. Students will receive a debit card to purchase meals through the breakfast/lunch lines. If needed, applications for free and/or reduced fees should be completed. These forms are available in the school office and on the district website. When available, monthly menus will be posted to the district website, https://www.fdmealplanner.com/, and the FD MealPlanner app. 

We have completed our bus evacuation and earthquake drills. We are down to our evacuation walk on Friday and all drills will be complete. Thank you for support!

Within a couple of weeks, American School Bus will use Bus Bulletin to alert District 146 parents of bus delays and schedule changes.
Bus Bulletin sends parents instant notifications via text message, email, and/or phone call. There is no cost for parents to sign up and receive notifications.
For more information or to sign up for notifications, please visit the Bus Bulletin website.

We want to hear from YOU! Please let us know about your experiences at Fulton School so we can work together to improve or keep the good things going!

Our 25-26 PTO Board can't wait to partner with YOU for events like Book Fairs, appreciation days, etc.!

President: Megan Combs

Vice President: Melissa Sands

Treasurer: Jamie Bellik

Secretary: Melissa Santangelo

Committee Members: Jennifer Matise and Kristin Wooten

Email: mmitera@district146.org
Website: http://fulton.district146.org/
Location: 6601 West 171st Street, Tinley Park, IL, USA
Phone: 708-614-4525
Facebook: facebook.com/FultonFlames