The Knights of the Month are selected by their teachers for best representing

the qualities of a Knight, by being Respectful, Responsible, and Ready to Learn!

🎉 Congratulations to the following students! 🏰

These outstanding students were chosen by their teachers for consistently demonstrating what it means to be a Knight — by being Respectful, Responsible, and Ready to Learn each and every day.

👏 Keep up the great work, and thank you for being shining examples for your peers! 

Reagan Staley

Reagan exhibits the qualities of a Fairfield knight by being consistently respectful, responsible, and ready to learn. She is respectful of other students when working in groups and is always willing to help her classmates. Reagan is always prepared for class with her assignments and materials, and works hard on all classwork and homework. She demonstrates readiness to learn by always striving to do her best, and she will ask questions for clarification. She is an excellent role model for other students. We are very proud of Reagan and her hard work this month.

Sean Moxley

Sean exhibits the qualities of a knight by being consistently respectful, responsible, and ready to learn. Sean is always prepared for class with materials and completed assignments. He asks questions, works well in a group, and individually. He is an excellent role model for other students both behaviorally and academically. We are very proud of Sean for being chosen as our Knight of the Month.

L. D.

L. D. is being chosen as a Knight of the Month because she has made improvements this month in being responsible, respectful, and ready to learn. For example, she will move her seat when her peers are not following directions or staying on task. She strives to do the right things in class, as well as in other areas of the school, like the hallways and cafeteria. Being a Knight means striving to do your best, and we have seen her trying to do that this month.

Glenn Gomba

Glenn demonstrates the qualities of a knight by being respectful, responsible, and ready to learn. He shows respect by offering kindness to others and being willing to include them in group projects. He shows responsibility by completing his assignments and closely monitoring his grades. He will even ask for opportunities to revise his work when needed. He shows he is ready to learn by participating in class discussions, asking questions, and making connections between lessons and concepts. We are very proud of Glenn and his hard work this month!

Paige Tenburg

One of our chosen Knights for the month of January is Paige Tenburg. Paige is a wonderful example of a knight. She comes to class everyday with an open mindset and a smile, whether she is completing a lab, presentation, project or test. Paige also has a positive attitude when completing her work; she responds to the teacher's constructive feedback with a smile and a "can do" attitude. Paige always also makes sure to communicate when she has band lessons with her teachers and follows through with work missed. Paige works well with all of her peers and is a pleasure to have with in class.

Kacie Alexander

Kacie Alexander is our other Knight of the month for January. Kacie is an enjoyable student to have in class and makes sure to come prepared. Kacie is courteous in her conversations with both her peers and her teachers. She is mindful that different experiences shape our world views and makes sure to be respectful of different viewpoints, whether they come from a peer or an adult. Kacie asks great questions in class; often these questions are to help better shape her understanding and not just because they are a part of classwork for the day. Kacie works well with various groups of students and demonstrates flexibility with working with different students. Kacie's behavior and academics make her a stellar student, a great role model for others and an obvious choice for Knight of the month for January.

Madelyn Johnson

Maddie is one of the most responsible and dedicated students in the 8th grade. Even when faced with overwhelming challenges, she perseveres and continually shines as an exemplary student. Maddie holds herself to the highest standards and seeks to improve her performance in and out of the classroom. She ensures that she is prepared to the best of her abilities, all while maintaining a positive attitude. Maddie Johnson exemplifies what it means to be a Fairfield Knight of the Month.

Hunter Harlacher 

Hunter is a student who exemplifies the qualities of honor and trustworthiness on a daily basis. He shows up to class ready to learn and participate to the best of his abilities. Hunter is prompt and prepared, providing a model of how to be a responsible and respectful student. For these reasons Hunter Harlacher is a true Fairfield Knight of the Month.

Mr. Hoffacker has selected exceptional student artwork from class to receive the Quarter 2 Principal’s Choice Award. These distinguished pieces are proudly displayed in his office, celebrating the incredible creativity, skill, and artistic voice within our school.

Each morning, Mrs. Mentzer and her students kick off our day with the morning announcements—what an awesome way to begin!

Math Class

We explored graphing linear equations, practiced finding the slope of a line, and worked on graphing proportional relationships. Students practiced plotting points accurately, identifying rise-over-run to determine slope, and recognizing when a relationship is proportional by checking whether the ratio between quantities is constant. Looking ahead, we will build on this foundation by tackling graphing linear equations in slope-intercept form and standard form, and by learning to write equations both in slope-intercept form and point-slope form.

Algebra

We are wrapping up our chapter on solving linear inequalities. Students wrote and graphed inequalities on number lines, solved inequalities using addition and subtraction, and applied multiplication and division while correctly remembering to flip inequality signs when needed. Students have worked through multi-step inequalities with increasing independence and tackled compound inequalities with improved understanding about ranges of solutions. We also explored absolute value inequalities and practiced breaking them into two related inequalities. Students showed persistence when problems felt challenging, checked their work, and frequently helped peers understand tricky steps.

Social Studies

This month in Social Studies class we started our unit on the War of 1812 and the Age of Jackson. The students created timelines of the major events in the War of 1812 which allowed them to use their creativity as well as create a visual picture of these important events. The students also wrote their first research paper of the year on any topic that we have covered since I started here in November. These research projects allowed them to dive deeper into a topic of their choice and helped refine their writing and citations skills.

Math

We are wrapping up our work with ratios and rate conversions and getting ready to move into percentages. Students have been working hard building a strong foundation, and I’m excited to see them apply these skills in new ways. Please be on the lookout on ParentSquare for our updated weekly schedule so you can stay up to date on what we are learning in math. After we finish our unit on percents, we will transition into Algebraic Expressions, where students will begin connecting numbers, operations, and variables. I’m looking forward to an exciting next few weeks in math! 

Science

Be sure to ask your learner about his/her assistive technology design project. Students really let their creative juices flow as they identified criteria and constraints of a design problem, sketched 2-D designs, analyzed designs to determine the best plan for building a 3-d model, built and tested prototypes, and modified their designs based on data. 

ELA—“Baby it’s cold outside!” Fifth graders have been keeping plenty warm in ELA class when their pencils hit the paper and sparks fly. We have begun working with RACES and the students are writing well using this acronym. (Ask your fifth grader what RACES stands for and why we are using it in the.) Please continue to remind your children to use proper capitalization, spelling and punctuation. Unfortunately, the fifth graders are up against texting and as we all know this form of communication is much more relaxed than the written work that we do in school. 

 The students have gotten back into reading the novel Because of Winn Dixie and suffice to say they were excited to dive back into the lives of Opal and her dog, Winn Dixie. 

In the next few weeks we will try to bring our Mobile Makerspace into the classroom to help reinforce some of the reading skills and strategies that are being taught to the students. (Look up the definition of Mobile Makerspace. It’s really a great concept and I thank Mrs. West for creating one for the students of Fairfield to use!) 

Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow! Our students have brought the snow indoors.

 In Math we have been looking at snowflakes and talking about their shapes and symmetry. We continue to work on Fact Fluency and Solving Word Problems using strategies. Moving into 3rd quarter we are going to begin multiplying 2 digits by 2 digits and dividing using long division with and without remainders. In ELA we continue Text Analysis and Grammar tackling singular vs.plural, compound words, pronouns, similes, and identifying prepositions. In writing, students are comparing themselves to a snowflake and how each are unique. They chose six words that describe themselves and will use these words to write a paragraph with a topic sentence, supporting details, and a concluding sentence. Our highlight of January was our Word of 2026, where students chose a word and defined it and wrote how they would use this word at home and in school throughout the year of 2026. Ask your child what word they chose. We also made bracelets using letter beads to spell out our words so we can wear these as a reminder. Finally,when I said we brought the snow indoors, I wasn’t kidding. The students created 3D snowflakes and hung them out in the hall. They turned out beautifully! We also added glitter so they would sparkle. The students of room 122 continue to sparkle as well, sparkle and shine! They continue to work hard and continue to thrive in and out of school. I am extremely proud of each and every single one of them!

The Student Council is currently planning two dances for February 12, 2026. This year, there will be a dance for grades 5–6 and a separate dance for grades 7–8. Themes, decorations, snacks, and activities are all in the planning stages.

In addition, a winter door decorating contest will take place in February.

Student Council meets every other Wednesday from 3:00–4:00 PM. Any student interested in joining Student Council should contact Mrs. Kozack.

Winter is the perfect time to cozy up with a great story! As we spend more time indoors, here are a few simple ways to encourage your child to keep reading:

• Explore Ebooks with Audio Narration: To access ebooks that read to your child, go to www.mycapstonelibrary.com and use the username: fairms and password: school 

This is a fantastic way to build confidence. Following along with professional narration helps children understand pacing and emotion, making complex stories more accessible and engaging.

• Create a "Reading Nook": Set up a dedicated space with blankets, pillows, and good lighting to make reading feel like a special retreat.

• Establish a "Chapter-a-Night" Tradition: Reading aloud together—even for tweens and teens—creates a shared experience and builds excitement for "what happens next."

• Let Them Choose: Whether it’s graphic novels, hobby magazines, or non-fiction, kids are more likely to read when they are genuinely interested in the subject.

Stay up to date with rehearsals and events by checking the Knight Time calendars for February

Knight time 5th and 6th Band & Chorus February Calendars - click here

Knight time 7th and 8th Band & Chorus February Calendars - click here

Fundraising Information:

There will be a Krispy Kreme fundraiser for our 7th through 12th grade band, chorus and show choir students. The fundraiser starts on January 14th and are due February 5th. IMPORTANT CHANGE The delivery date is changed from February 16 to Thursday, February 12. All proceeds and profits go to the individual student who sells for the upcoming adjudication field trips in May.

5th through 12th Grade Choral Ensembles and Show Choir performed on December 16th in our district auditorium. See below for some pictures of our featured groups.  

To ensure the safety of all students, no medications are allowed in school without a completed Medication Permission Form. These forms expire on the last day of school each year. Students who take medications at school will need a new Medication Permission Form completed. For more information, please review the Health Office Services page on our district website and the Medication Administration Board Policy (Policy 210). https://www.fairfieldpaschools.org/cms/lib/PA01000417/Centricity/Domain/35/Medication%20Permission%20Form%20210.pdf

My favorite thing we have done in school so far was independent work like IXL. I know it may sound weird to like IXl but there are some pros to that. I get to listen to music, work at my own pace, and once I'm done with IXL do whatever else I need to do. I also get to practice some skills that I'm rusty on, like in math class we do translations, flips, and more on a coordinate chart. It’s not the easiest but from me practicing it helps get me better.

-Jameson Hall

Medication at School

To ensure the safety of all students, no medications are allowed in school without a completed Medication Permission Form. These forms expire on the last day of school each year. Students who take medications at school will need a new Medication Permission Form completed. For more information, please review the Health Office Services page on our district website and the Medication Administration Board Policy (Policy 210). https://www.fairfieldpaschools.org/cms/lib/PA01000417/Centricity/Domain/35/Medication%20Permission%20Form%20210.pdf

Our district has amazing faculty and staff that deserve to be celebrated! 🎉
Please take a moment to nominate an outstanding Fairfield Area School District employee!
Do you know a teacher, staff member, or colleague who goes above and beyond? Whether you're a coworker inspired by a fellow employee, a parent impressed by your child's teacher, or a student impacted by a dedicated staff member, we want to hear about them!

Nominate someone today for the Shining Knight recognition and help us celebrate those who make a difference every day! ✨

We’re thrilled to welcome Miss Sites as our new Attendance Coordinator for Middle School and High School! She will be your primary point of contact for all things attendance-related.

Whether you’re:

• Reporting an absence

• Following up on a tardy

• Or have questions about attendance policies...

Miss Sites is here to help!
Welcome to the team, Miss Sites — we’re so glad to have you!

📝 Need to Send a Note? It’s Easy!

Option 1: Go old-school
Handwrite a note and send it in with your student. ✍🏻

Option 2: Send an email
📩 Email Miss Sites directly at: sitesc@fairfield.k12.pa.us

👉 Be sure to include the reason your student was absent or late.

⏰ A Few Friendly Reminders:

• Students are allowed 10 parent notes per school year for absences.

• Doctor’s notes are best whenever possible — they help ensure absences are excused properly!

Thank you for helping us keep attendance on track. We’re looking forward to a great school year!

You'll need to complete an Educational Journey Form. Students are allowed 5 educational journey days per year. Please submit your Educational Journey Form online or send in with your student. Please try and get it in at least 10 days prior to your trip.