EVENTFUL: Transitioning from Junior High to High School

High school is an important time in a young person’s educational and social growth. Choosing a high school can be a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be. Fairmont Private Schools has taken the liberty of compiling an evaluation checklist for families looking for the best private school.

After curating a list of schools that interest you and your junior high student, set-up an appointment with a school's’ admissions director. An in-person meeting not only provides you with a friendly face to answer your questions, but also gives you and your student an opportunity to peruse the campus. Take in the physical attributes of campus, as well as the overall atmosphere. Be on the lookout for modern technologies included in classrooms, current and well-maintained textbooks, and that classrooms are welcoming and organized. Also, make sure that the facilities on campus are safe and sufficient for your student’s needs and interests.

While on campus or while researching a particular school, take some time to investigate the type of learning community. Are teachers well-qualified and engaging with students in the classroom? Were the administrators welcoming and knowledgeable during your campus visit? Did the students seem well-mannered and enthusiastic? Observe carefully the people associated with the school while touring, as well as any background information found on the school’s website or social media platforms. This will help you and your student determine whether a school’s social and learning environment is right for your incoming freshman.

One of the most important factors when choosing a high school is the quality of the education offered. Investigate and compare the rigor of curriculums and specialty or advanced courses offered. Does the school offer classes for college credit? Do they offer enough Advanced Placement courses for your student? Encourage your student to look over the course catalogue to see which school offers the most interesting electives and programs (e.g. foreign language, art, computer science, etc.). Decide on the importance of technology in the classroom and determine which schools are the most tech-savvy. Another large question to ask while talking with an admissions director is what percentage of graduates are accepted to the top 100 colleges and universities?

Extracurricular experiences help students grow and discover specific interests or talents. Compare and contrast extracurricular opportunities between schools. Determine your student’s social priorities (e.g. does he or she care most about athletics? Is he or she very service-oriented or interested in student government?, etc.) and let them see what most excites them.     

Remember to ask lots of questions when visiting a new school, and encourage your junior high student to do the same! But to take the guesswork out of searching for a premier southern California private high school, schedule a tour or attend an upcoming Open House event at Fairmont Preparatory Academy!

Contributed by Rebecca Stokes, Fairmont Private Schools

ARTS & CRAFTS: DIY Projects for Junior High Students

Do-it-yourself (DIY) projects are all the rage and are accessible to people of all ages and skill levels. From home improvement projects to crafting and making everyday items yourself, the notion of DIY sparks subtle development in several skill areas. Encouraging tweens to engage in DIY and craft projects helps build creativity, self-reliance, problem-solving skills, and aptitude specific to that activity. Suggest some of these easy projects to your junior high student!

Headphone Cover - Class up earbuds with embroidery floss!

T-Shirt Pillow - Transform t-shirts into pillows with some quick sewing and polyester stuffing!

Pom-Pom Bookmark - Use up extra yarn and create a simple, fuzzy bookmark!

Waterless Snow Globe - Glue any small figurine to a canning jar lid and add some fake snow for a decorative, simple snow globe!

Paper Mache Bowl - Use up old newspaper and paint a festive design on your bowl!

Lava Lamp - An easy kitchen recipe will create the flow and glow needed for a lava lamp!

Visit A to Z: Developing Hobbies for more ideas and tips for getting your child interested in a hobby!

Contributed by Rebecca Stokes, Fairmont Private Schools

Images by DIYReady, Carrina Johnson, DesignMom, SaltTree, Maria Mercedes, DIYCraftProjectsForTeens   

FRIDAY FOLDER: September 4

Weekly Highlights:

Historic Anaheim Campus

 Anaheim Hills Campus

North Tustin Campus 

Contributed by Rebecca Stokes, Fairmont Private Schools

FRIDAY FOLDER: August 28

Weekly Highlights:

North Tustin Campus

 

Anaheim Hills Campus

Historic Anaheim Campus

 Fairmont Preparatory Campus

Contributed by Rebecca Stokes, Fairmont Private Schools

CHALK TALK: Study Habits for Junior High Students

Transitioning from elementary school into junior high can be slightly daunting. The academic and behavioral expectations are different and the amount of homework is bound to increase. But junior high doesn’t have to be scary or overwhelming. Encouraging good study habits is a great way to ensure that your student is succeeding academically, as well as potentially improving his or  attitude towards classroom learning. It’s important to remember that a student’s success builds self-confidence, which inspires the student’s eagerness to learn.

Developing strong study habits in your junior high student is the best way to prepare him or her for success in higher education. To begin, observe your student while he or she does homework or prepares for a test. Look specifically at the kinds of notes that your child takes during class. Are the notes organized, or simply a random collection of words? If your student has little sense of organization when jotting down class material, this is the best place to start.

Talk to your child about potential organization strategies such as outline structures and highlighting. Encourage your child to adopt a format of notetaking that is meaningful and memorable to him or her. Students who participate in notetaking strategies while in class are more likely to be engaged with the conversation or lecture, and the act of writing or typing helps to ingrain the facts and ideas into the student’s memory. Once your student adopts a method of notetaking, show him or her how to highlight or color-code important keywords and phrases. Warn your student about over highlighting. When a student highlights more than necessary, nothing significant stands out on the page.

Now that your student is getting older, create a study space where he or she is able to have access to all study supplies and can spread out textbooks and notes. Providing your student with a small office desk in a place with the least distractions will help aid the study process. Also, if your child’s school doesn’t require students to have a planner or online assignment calendar, purchase a planner for your child and spur him or her to keep track of assignments and due dates. If your child uses an electronic device to enhance studying, choose a free notetaking or organizer application such as myHomework or Evernote to keep track of notes and due dates.  

Finally, another large component of fostering good study habits lies in the student’s ability to manage his or her time wisely. A planner helps aids this process, however junior high students need to learn to prioritize their daily tasks effectively. Develop an after-school routine where your child is able to participate in extracurricular activities, but understands that time must be devoted to homework.

Taking the time to understand your student’s daily routine and expectations in the classroom will better help you to help your junior high student succeed in high school and beyond!

Contributed by Rebecca Stokes, Fairmont Private Schools

Image by Fairmont Private Schools

FAIRMONT FIVE: boldly go! … fostering girls’ interest in STEM

There are many fun ways to inspire a girl’s interest in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Educational experts have identified the need for more girls to be engaged in STEM related studies especially in the junior high and high school years. Besides developing a stronger sense of scientific inquiry, STEM provides a solid foundation for problem-solving and ingenuity that can apply to all walks of life.

A study of 4th graders showed that 66 percent of girls and 68 percent of boys take an interest in science. However, these numbers change significantly in the teenage years. According to author Susan Gibbs Goetz, an achievement gap between girls and boys appears during these years in science related areas. By the age of seventeen, girls achieve at a notably lower level than boys.

Here are a few creative and fun ideas that will help foster your daughter’s interest in STEM related subjects:

1. Find ways to encourage curiosity—Raise questions about how plants grow, why stars sparkle in the evening sky, how a computer uses data, and what makes an engine work. You do not need to know these answers right off the bat. Seek out the answers together. These and many other questions will go a long way to inspire life-long learning.

2. Activities involving STEM abound around the home from gardening and construction to cooking and plumbing. With parental supervision, the kitchen and the backyard offer perfect settings for exercising the basics of scientific research: predicting, measuring, observing, and analyzing. Offer telescopes, computers, robotic kits, microscopes, and other tools to inspire adventurous exploration filled with fun and excitement! Visit Fairmont’s Pinterest pages for ideas on conducting safe science experiments in the home.

3. Enroll in a hands-on afterschool STEM program—Fairmont offers a variety of robotics, science, and other related programs on all three campuses. Visit the MY FAIRMONT pages for Anaheim Hills, North Tustin, and Historic Anaheim Campuses to learn more about our afterschool programs.

4. Seek out local STEM professionals who would be interested in becoming mentors for girls—Meeting engineers, doctors, computer scientists, professors, pharmacists, and others will inspire dreams and learning paths leading to exciting career opportunities.

5. Encourage your daughter to consider STEM related topics as "interesting" rather than “too hard or complicated”—Take fun, small steps to become more familiar and confident with STEM subjects. Some of history’s greatest discoveries were the result of a big mess or mistake. STEM offers important lessons on persistence by teaching that mistakes are expected along the journey of scientific inquiry.

Visit SciGirls for more ideas for encouraging girls in STEM.

Contributed by Doug Fleischli, Fairmont Private Schools

Image by Yorkregion

FRIDAY FOLDER: may 29

Highlights of the Week

Studying since February for their competition on May 2nd, the Anaheim Hills 6th Grade Pentathlon Team was thrilled to learn that they had placed 1st overall in the 2015 6th Grade Orange County Pentathlon! The team also earned 2nd place in the Super Quiz Relay and amassed 30 individual medals in all subjects including science, history, math, and literature!

Congratulations to the North Tustin MVP athletes Sofia R. (Soccer), Karishma R. (Volleyball), Nadia A. (Basketball), James K. (Golf), Ryan H. (Basketball), and Andrew L. (Football & Soccer)!

Historic Anaheim students close the 2014-2015 performing arts season with concerts featuring songs such as "Shake it Off," "Ode to Joy," "Shoo Fly," and the Pink Panther theme.

Weekly Newsletters

Anaheim Hills Campus

North Tustin Campus

Historic Anaheim Campus

Contributed by Rebecca Stokes, Fairmont Private Schools

BOOK REPORT: five summer must-reads for young adults

During the school year, students perpetually read and analyze a variety of texts. Summer provides a great opportunity for students to deviate from the required reading list and engage in books of their own choosing. To establish a love of reading, students should be encouraged to explore their own literary tastes and preferences. Check out these renowned bestsellers for summer reading inspiration!

Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll

Lewis Carroll’s adventure story, riddled with nonsense and confusion, begins with a young girl’s daydream of tumbling down a rabbit hole into a magical land of talking animals, wild tea parties, and disproportionate limbs. Alice tries to make sense of  Wonderland and the characters she meets, but the more she tries to solve their riddles, the more frustrated she becomes. Alice in Wonderland captures the essence of growing up and the confusion young people face while transitioning from childhood to adulthood.

The Aviary, Kathleen O’Dell

The Aviary follows a Victorian girl named Clara who has been cloistered away in a crumbling mansion. Clara soon discovers that there’s more than meets the eye to the mansion and the pet birds living in the aviary outside her window. When a new neighbor moves in across the street, Clara becomes intrigued with life outside and begins investigating the strange  happenings around the mansion.

The Invisible Man, H.G. Wells

Written by a student of science, The Invisible Man delights budding science fiction readers with scenes of great chases, escapes, and trickery only capable by an invisible man. An overarching theme of isolation follows the character of Griffin as he creates an invisibility elixir and becomes forever concealed. However, Griffin soon discovers that life as an invisible person is not as simple as it appears. Disasters ensue, leaving the invisible man on the run, isolating himself even further.  

Where the Red Fern Grows, Wilson Rawls

The classic tale of boy and boy’s best friend, Where the Red Fern Grows reveals the resilience and determination of one young man as he achieves his dream of raising competitive coonhounds in the Ozark Mountains. Meshed with triumph and heartbreak, Billy’s adventures with his young pups display the friendship and grit of which young people are capable.

The Princess Bride, William Goldman

What do you get when you mix a beautiful princess, a friendly giant, a penniless farmhand, and a revenge-driven swashbuckler? Adventure and intrigue are the result, making The Princess Bride an excellent novel for any fantasy reader. The story follows two lovers, Buttercup and Westley, who are separated by fate but brought back together with the aid of several heroic, and sometimes comedic, characters. Sword fighting, castle-storming, true love, magic, and more; William Goldman’s epic adventure contains something for everyone.

Visit the Fairmont Pinterest board Literary Genius for more young adult reading recommendations!

Contributed by Rebecca Stokes, Fairmont Private Schools

Images by Wikipedia, Goodreads, The Collector's Library