Week of October 28 to November 1

Preview of Boys Soccer winning the 2024 Regional Championship

November 3, 2024 1:00 PM

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Update from Interim Superintendent Bentsen

Dear Fenton School Community,

We once again have a long weekend. Monday and Tuesday are non-attendance days due to Election Day being a state holiday. We definitely encourage all registered voters to exercise your right to choose your representation. For our students, this is an empowering opportunity and we hope you build a lifelong routine.

Fenton hosted mock elections on Friday, November 1

Thank you to our AP Gov students for organizing Friday’s mock election. That served as a great demonstration of how the process works.

State Report Card

Illinois State Report Cards were released on Wednesday and Fenton was issued a designation of COMMENDABLE, which is the second highest designation and the same designation we received last year.

In addition to this designation, the report card highlights our impressive progress on key educational goals, including:

Graduation Rate: Fenton’s graduation rate of 88.9% surpasses the state average.
9th Grade on Track to Graduate: We saw a significant rise this year to 92.4%, well above last year’s 87.1% and the state average of 88.2%.
Illinois Science Assessment: Fenton students continue to perform above the state average, reflecting our strong commitment to academic excellence.

While we celebrate these gains, we remain committed to ongoing improvement. This year’s progress shows the impact of our Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) and the district’s Strategic Plan as we steadily recover toward our pre-pandemic levels. We have also placed a special emphasis on improving our school-wide attendance rate this year. We are already seeing marked improvement in our attendance this year and are eager to see those increases reflected on next year’s report card.

Thank you to all our students, teachers, staff, and families for all your hard work.

Regional Champions

I also want to congratulate our boys soccer team for winning a Regional Championship last week. This is their third championship in four years!

These student athletes dedicate so much of their time to building a team atmosphere and practicing their skills. Thank you to Coach Vic Ruiz and his staff for the steady leadership over the years. We’re certainly proud of our soccer programs.

Football Advances in Playoffs

Congratulations to our football team, Coach Mark Farrell, his staff, and all our students and families that supported the The Mighty Bison this year. Fenton was 6-3 and earned a playoff berth for the first time since 2013. Job well done! We are very proud of the major turnout from last year to this year.

STEM Beam Signing

Finally, as most of you can see the new STEM Wing is starting to take shape. The steel frame is in progress and we hope to have a roof and some walls by mid-December.

We celebrated the addition of these significant structural pieces by signing one of the beams that will go into the middle of the new two-story wing.

Students and STaff sign a beam that will be placed into the new STEM Wing

Student leaders as well as various math and science classes took turns signing the beam throughout the day on Tuesday, October 29th. Our teachers and staff were also invited to leave their mark.

This gesture signifies that our students and educators are at the core of everything we do.

We still expect the STEM Wing to be completed for the first day of school next year.

Let us know if you have any questions.

Sam Bentsen, Ed.D.

Interim Superintendent

Students take their pictures at Picture Day 2024

Underclass Picture Day Retakes/Makeups are Friday, November 8

Student portraits for freshmen, sophomores, and juniors were on Wednesday, October 4. For those who could not attend or who do not like their first photo, retake/makeup picture day is set for Friday, November 8. Students can go to room 304 during Bison Time or during their lunch periods.

The photos will be available for purchase at www.lifetouch.com/ or by clicking on the links sent to parents directly from Lifetouch. For those who have not already ordered photos, the Lifetouch website will ask for a school code. For anyone who plans to purchase photos from the makeup day, the November 8 code is EVTZFQH4C.

Extra paper order forms are also available in the main office.

Lifetouch also is offering a 10% off coupon code F202410OFF for underclass picture orders.

This retake/makeup day is not for seniors.

A Fenton student proudly donates blood on November 9, 2023

Give the Gift of Life – Donate Blood

Fenton's Student Council is seeking donors for their Thursday, November 7 blood drive, which will take place between 7 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. in room 302/304.

All students 16 and older, their parents, siblings, and members of the community are invited to participate.

Student Council members will be in the front gym assisting the staff from Versiti Blood Centers. Everyone who donates blood will receive a free Nirvana themed t-shirt.

Click here to schedule an appointment.

Please read the following helpful tips:

Bring a photo ID
Students under the age of 18 will need a signed permission slip
Make sure to eat a healthy meal and drink plenty of water before donating blood.
Enter through Door 1 (our main entrance) and proceed to room 302/304.
Do not plan to participate in any sports or strenuous activities for the rest of the day after donating blood.

For more information, contact Christine Casterton by sending an email to casterton@fenton100.org.

Veterans Day Tribute Video

Fenton would like to recognize and honor Fenton families and our neighbors on Veterans Day. Last year Dr. Sam Bentsen led a video explaining the holiday and thanking those who served. If you have a family member or neighbor who is currently serving or previously served, feel free to send us their…

name,
branch of the military,
years served (exact range of years or total number of years served), and
a photo

to communications@fenton100.org by the evening of Wednesday, November 6 and we would be happy to include them in this year’s tribute. Previously submitted photos from current students and staff will be added to this year's video. Click here to view Fenton's 2023 video.

Stats students thank the Pentagon for answering their email

United States Pentagon Answers Fenton's Data Request

Students in AP Statistics with Mrs. Gibel Cushing were learning that correlation does not imply causation on Thursday when they decided to put the lesson into practice. Mrs. Cushing asked her students to come up with two seemingly unrelated quantitative variables. One student said, "The number of pizzas the Pentagon orders" and another said, "The number of students in your AP Statistics courses."

For fun, the class decided to collect the actual data. Mrs. Cushing sent an email to the Pentagon's general email address and, much to her surprise, received a response!

The Public Relations Officer who answered the email described the many different military departments located inside the Pentagon and explained how they operate independently from each other, therefore he could not find out how many pizzas are ordered in total.

"So no one knows for sure how many pizzas the Pentagon orders. It is one of the great unknowns. However, given the number of people who work here, and given that pizza is a quick and tasty all-American food, I would think the number is quite high," the email response reads.

Although the Fenton statisticians could not evaluate this specific scenario, they were very excited to receive a response from a very busy and prominent governmental agency. Mrs. Cushing sent the Pentagon a photo of the class holding a hand drawn thank you message.

International Journalists Shares Stories with Fenton

Jacob Kushner, an international freelance journalist and Pulitzer Center grantee, visited Fenton and shared his experiences with numerous afternoon World History classes on Tuesday, October 29. His work is featured in major publications such as the New York Times. Part of his presentation centered around how he does his job, and other aspects dealt with the impact of his work as a member of the free press.

Journalist Jacob Kushner speaks to social studies students

Students Volunteer for Halloween Fun

Our wonderful Students United (STUNT) Club represented Fenton by helping our community youngsters enjoy Halloween at the City of Wood Dale Trunk or Treat event on Sunday, October 27. STUNT even won 1st Place for the Best Vehicle Decoration contest! Way to go, Bison! Thanks for giving back and showing our future Bison how it's done.

STUNT wins Wood Dale Trunk or Treat 2024

Happy Halloween from Fenton!

Our teachers and staff had some incredible Halloween Costumes this year! Thanks for all the time and energy you contributed toward building community with our students.

Bison Nation was also on point with some classic and unique costumes this year.

Community members can get a $500 referral prize if they recommend a bus driver who gets hired.

Staff members can get $600 bonus if they recommend a bus driver who gets hired.

Noteworthy Dates

November 4 – No School
November 5 – Election Day: No School
November 7 – Fall Student Council Blood Drive
November 8 – Picture Retakes for Fresh/Soph/Jr
November 9 – ILMEA District 1 Festival
November 14 – Vocal Solo & Ensemble Contest
November 16 – ILMEA District 1 Jazz Festival
November 20 – Board of Education Meeting, 7 pm
November 27 – Thanksgiving Break
November 28 – Thanksgiving Break
November 29 – Thanksgiving Break
December 1 – NHS Fall Community Service Deadline
December 5 – Students on Stage (Bison Scripts) Showcase
December – 13 Holiday Assembly

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