Friday, January 31

FRIDAY FOLDER january 31

Highlights from the week:
The annual junior high ski trip was a huge success despite the less-than-stellar snow conditions.
North Tustin Campus Cheer Team Takes First Place
Congratulations to the North Tustin Cheer Team for their big win in the CHEER PROS CalIfornia State Cheer & Dance competition held in Ontario on Sunday, January 26.  The hardworking and spirited team had no trouble rallying a cheer for a First Place finish in their division. Way to go, Eagles!

Technology at Fairmont

The Fairmont Technology Team will be holding a series of parent informational sessions regarding the junior high roll out of iPads in the 2014/2015 school year. Please plan to attend your next campus FPA meeting for more information. If you are unable to attend, campus webinars will be held to provide the information discussed at the on-campus sessions (dates and times to follow). You may also learn more by visiting the PrepTEC website (http://www.fpapreptec.com) and clicking on the link: Junior High 1:1 TEC program.

Weekly Newsletters
Anaheim Hills Campus

January Lunch Menus
North Tustin Menu - P-K

Contributed by Danyelle, Fairmont Private Schools

Monday, January 27

FAIRMONT FIVE diy valentines

Valentine's Day will be here in a few short weeks.  It's soooo easy to grab a box of store-bought cards or a bag of candy but where's the fun in that?!  We love these make-at-home Valentines because they're simple, kid-friendly, and show so much more heart.  Happy crafting!
Image credit: Skip to My Lou
Contributed by Danyelle, Fairmont Private Schools

Friday, January 24

FRIDAY FOLDER january 24

Highlights from the Week:
"It's a Jungle Out There!" - Third Grade Music Program at Anaheim Hills
Hyenas, cheetahs, elephants, and monkeys invaded the campus this week as the third grade dazzled us with their music program, "It's A Jungle Out There!"  It was creative and clever with lots of jokes and dancing. The program started with King Leo, Dots, Spots, and Stripes trying to figure out what is important in life.  In the end, they learned that the most important things in life are family and friends and enjoying every day with love and friendship!

Fundraiser at North Tustin Campus Supports Typhoon Victims
The donations from Fairmont families helped provide immediate relief to typhoon victims in the Philippines by providing food, water, and clothing as well as three boats for fishermen who lost their boats during the typhoon. Estancia, Iloilo in the Philippines is a fishing village and without boats the fishermen have no way to earn an income. As a way of thanking us for our donation, the fishermen have asked us to help name their new boats!  Thank you Fairmont students families for your heartfelt and generous gifts to help those in need around the world.

Science Presentation at Historic Anaheim Preschool
Wild Wonders visited the Historic Anaheim Preschool this week.  The science presentation allowed students to get up close and personal with some of the animals they brought including an armadillo!
Weekly Newsletters
Anaheim Hills Campus

January Lunch Menus
North Tustin Menu - P-K

Contributed by Valerie, Fairmont Private Schools

Wednesday, January 22

HOW TO make the most of open house

Open House season is here!  That means it's time for students and their teachers to "show off" everything that has been going on since school started in the fall.  No one loves Open House more than moms and dads who can't wait to be wowed by all of the incredible work on display. With that in mind, here are a few Dos and Don'ts to get the most out of your Open House experience.

DO let your child guide you around the classroom and campus to any special displays or presentations. Pay special attention as he or she shares personal work with you. This is a precious opportunity to say "great job" and to reinforce the life lesson that hard work pays off.

DON'T compare your child's work with that of his or her classmates. Every child is unique with his or her own strong suits.  I know it's tempting to wonder out loud why your child's handwriting isn't as neat as Susie's, but now is not the time. If something really concerns you, schedule a conference to talk it over with your child's teacher. 

DO make a point of praising your child's teacher.  Let him or her know how great the room looks and how impressed you are with all of the student work on display.  Open House is a big night for teachers, who, in my opinion, don't get enough kudos for all that they do.  Let your child's teacher know how much you appreciate his or her hard work in preparation of Open House and throughout the year.

DON'T pull your child's teacher aside for an impromptu conference.  You'll put the teacher in an awkward position and you won't get his or her undivided attention.  If something is on your mind, plan to discuss it at a more appropriate time.

DO visit other classrooms including the rooms of teachers in the next grade up from your child's current grade.  This is a wonderful time for you and your child to check out what it's like to "move-up" to the next grade.  You'll also have an opportunity to meet art, music, science lab and other specialty teachers and find out a little more about what goes on in these programs.

DON'T forget to bring your camera so you can post some awesome pictures on Facebook the day after the big night!

Photo credit: www.zazzle.com
Contributed by Danyelle, Fairmont Private Schools

Monday, January 20

ARTS + CRAFTS mitten creatures

Knit glove creatures
If you're like me, you have a few lonely gloves, mittens and socks hanging around the house whose mates are never likely to be found.  Cheer them up by re-purposing them into these charming stuffed animals. Find out how at Canadian Family with step-by-step photos and clear instructions. This is a great first sewing project for kids ages 5 and up.

Oh, and don't forget to read The Mitten by Jan Brett (based upon a Ukrainian folktale) to extend the learning and bring some context to this cute craft!

Image credit: Canadian Family
Contributed by: Danyelle, Fairmont Private Schools

Friday, January 17

FRIDAY FOLDER january 17


Highlights from the Week:

Congratulations to the North Tustin JH Boys Basketball Team!
The junior high boys basketball team at the North Tustin campus has gone 5-1 so far this season!  We are very proud of how hard the team is working and of your excellent teamwork and sportsmanship.  Keep up the good work!




Ready OC! Emergency Planning
This week Officer Reed taught the students at the Anaheim Hills Campus about planning for emergencies.  He used his puppet "Foxy" with the younger students to help them learn the importance of being ready for earthquakes, fires, floods, etc.  Officer Reed talked to them about starting an earthquake kit and told them what items they should have in it.  It is always a good time to create an emergency plan with your family!


Officer Reed speaking to AH students about Emergency planning.


Historic Anaheim's Science Presentations - Preschool Campus
On Wednesday, January 22 at 9:00 A.M., Wild Wonders Inc. will be on campus for a special science presentation.  A traveling scientist will present six live animals and will teach students about the characteristics animals have that help them survive. We're looking forward to sharing photos of this exciting presentation in next Friday's post!

Historic Anaheim's Grade Level Information Meeting
During the months of January, February, and March, the Historic Anaheim Campus offers a series of meetings featuring information about each grade level. These meetings are designed to help parents find out more about what to expect for the upcoming school year at that grade level. Parents can meet the current teachers, learn about curriculum, study trips, specialty classes, and daily life.  There is also a question and answer period. Meetings are offered in the evening at 6:00 P.M. and repeated the next morning at 8:30 A.M. (Wednesday meetings will be at 9:00 A.M.) Please click on our newsletter link below to see dates and times! We look forward to seeing you all there!



News + Announcements
NO SCHOOL--Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Wednesday, January 15

A TO Z organizing kids rooms

Urgh, you know the feeling. The toys have been piling up since the holidays.  Worn and outgrown clothing is taking up valuable closet and dresser space. Art and school work is stuffed here and there.  Dust-bunnies have moved in under the bed.  It's time to get organized. 

Try as we might to get our kids to clean their rooms on a more or less regular basis, there comes a time when mom (or dad) needs to step in for some hard-core organization.  Here are some tips from Organized Home to help get you going in the right direction:

Take a child's eye view
Get down to your child's eye level to help him or her get organized. Look at your child's space, storage, furniture and possessions from his or her vantage point. Adult furniture and organizing systems don't translate well to children's needs. Sticky dresser drawers are hard for small hands to manage. Folding closet doors pinch fingers and jump their rails when pushed from the bottom. To organize a child's room, solutions must fit the child. For younger children, remove closet doors entirely. Lower clothing rods and invest in child-sized hangers. Use floor-level open containers to hold toys, open plastic baskets to store socks and underwear.

Bring the child into the process
Resist the urge to wade into the mess alone, garbage bags flying. Gritted teeth and threats of "You will keep this room clean!" don't touch the root of the problem: teaching children organization skills and maintenance methods. Partnered with your child, you stand a better chance of devising an organization scheme and system that makes sense to him or her. If they're involved in the effort, children are better able to understand the organizational logic and maintain an organized room.

Sort, store and simplify
Begin with clothing: sort it out! Store out-of-season or outgrown clothing elsewhere. Finally, simplify! Does your son really wear all 27 T-shirts crowding his drawer? Remove the extras so the remainder can stay neat and orderly in the available space.  For younger children, a toy library is the answer to over-abundant toys. Using a large lidded plastic storage container, large box or even plastic garbage bag, entrust a selection of toys to the "toy library." Store the container in an out-of-the way place for several months. Some rainy day, bring out the toy library, swapping the stored toys for other playthings that have lost their savor. The stored toys will have regained their interest and freshness--and they won't have been underfoot in the child's room.

Contain, corral and control
Contain toys and other belongings before you store. Use plastic shoebox containers for smaller toys (Barbie clothes, Happy Meal give-aways), larger lidded bins for blocks, trucks and cars, light-weight cardboard records boxes for stuffed animals. Use specialty organizers to corral magazines and comic books, video games, or CDs and cassette tapes.  A bonus: containers help parents control the number of toys out at any one time: "Sure, you can play with the farm set, just as soon as the Matchbox cars go back into their home!"

Make it easier to put away, harder to get out
The premier rule for efficient children's storage? Make it easier to put something away than it is to get it out. For example, store picture books as a flip-file, standing upright in a plastic dishpan. The child flips through the books, makes his selection, and tosses the book in the front of the dishpan when he's done. Compare a traditional bookcase, where little fingers can pull down a whole shelf faster than they can replace one book. Build the effort into the getting out, not the putting away.

Organize bottom to top
Befitting a child's shorter stature, start organizing from the bottom of the room, and work to the top. Most used toys and belongings should live on lower shelves, in lower drawers, or on the floor. Higher levels are designated for less-frequently-used possessions.  Working bottom to top, the best-loved teddy bear sits in a small rocker on the floor, while the extensive Grandma-driven bear collection is displayed on a shelf built 6 feet up the wall.


Label, label, label
When it comes to keeping kids' rooms organized for the long haul, labels save the day!

Image credit: AMM blog on Flickr
Contributed by Danyelle, Fairmont Private Schools

Monday, January 13

SNACK TIME immunity boosting foods

Getting sick when you're a kid is a part of growing up. On average, children have six to eight colds per year. Children develop their immune system by battling a series of germs and viruses. But there are healthy eating habits children can adopt that may enhance their immunity.

Eat colorful vegetables and fruits every day (the rainbow diet). Carrots, squash, broccoli, oranges, berries, etc. all contain immunity-boosting phytonutrients such as vitamin C and carotenoids. Phytonutrients may increase the body's production of infection-fighting white blood cells and interferon, an antibody that coats cell surfaces, blocking out viruses. Try to get your child to eat five servings of fruits and veggies every day!

Add Probiotics and Prebiotics. Probiotics, such as Lactobacillus acidophilus or bifidobacteria, are living microorganisms that change the bacterial balance in the gut wall. Adding probiotics or prebiotics to children’s diets may have some potential in treating viral diarrhea, preventing antibiotic-associated diarrhea and boosting immune function.  About 85 percent of our immune system is located in the gut or digestive wall.  The type and amount of microbes in the gut flora can impact the forms of immune cells the body produces.

Try fermented foods. Historically, cultured and fermented foods have a long tradition in many cultures and are found all over the world. Our ancestors somehow knew they were good for us! See below for an international cuisine of fermented foods that naturally contain probiotics.

Sauerkraut, a traditional food of Germany, contains the probiotics leuconostoc, pediococcus, and lactobacillus. The spicy Korean dish, Kimchi, also contains sauerkraut. Miso, the fermented bean dish originating in Japan, reportedly contains antioxidants, B vitamins and more than 100 bacterial strains. Kefir, a creamy yogurt-like beverage that dates back to the shepherds of Eurasia’s Caucasus Mountains, contains both probiotic bacteria and some strains of yeast.  Naturally fermented sour pickles, sourdough bread, and buttermilk also contain beneficial probiotics.

Prebiotics, such as fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS), nurture and support the growth of probiotics. Foods such as banana, asparagus, oatmeal, and Jerusalem artichoke naturally contain prebiotics.  Banana and yogurt anyone?

Common Sense Caution:
Probiotics or prebiotics may offer some benefits to healthy children and infants, but they should not be given to children who are chronically or seriously ill or who have compromised immune systems.

Cook with mushrooms.  Mushrooms may strengthen your immune system because they are rich in antioxidants, vitamins C and D, and beta-glucans--a type of fiber with antimicrobial and antioxidant capabilities.  The beta-glucans in mushrooms (especially Reishi, Shiitake, King Trumpet and Maitake) are notable for their ability to activate the immune system.

Eat smart, stay strong!

Image credit: www.jillbruhn.com
Submitted by Leslie Kay-Getzinger, MS RD
Regional Dietitian for Nutrition Management Services Company

Friday, January 10

FRIDAY FOLDER january 10

   
Mr. Jackson Shares the History of Fairmont Private Schools
   
On Tuesday, all of the third graders at the Anaheim Hills Campus attended a special presentation of Fairmont's history from guest speaker Mr. David Jackson, Fairmont's President.  Mr. Jackson shared how Fairmont Private Schools has changed and grown with Orange County. This history lesson is especially important to the third graders because their Open House theme is Orange County History.  Students learned words such as "entrepreneur" and "perseverance" and were left with a sense of pride about how much work and dedication it took for Fairmont to become the amazing school it is today.

Weekly E-Newsletters 

January Lunch Menus

Contibuted by Valerie, Fairmont Private Schools