FAIRMONT FIVE: How to Make the Most of Your Open House Experience

Open House season has arrived as private schools begin enrolling students and inviting new families to explore facilities, engage with teachers, and be welcomed into a new learning environment. Below are five tips to help make your Open House experience productive and insightful for your family as you shop around for the best private school!

1. Don’t skip prospective family events. If you’re checking out a school for the first time, don’t skip the events dedicated to welcoming visitors. These times are dedicated to introducing new families to the school and staff, as well as providing tours or question-and-answer periods. This is your time to learn key introductory information and meet admissions directors and administrative staff face-to-face.
2. Talk with current parents. Most Open Houses merge or overlap prospective families with current families, which provides you with incredibly valuable insight if you spark a conversation with a current parent. Grab an adult who seems to know their way around and ask questions for the ultimate, face-to-face Yelp review experience. Questions involving homework loads, styles of teaching, and overall satisfaction are great ways to encourage current parents to reveal their insight.
3. Take a tour. If there is no established tour time, find a school administrator and express your interest in experiencing a guided tour. Chances are a school’s staff will jump at the opportunity to show off their facilities and introduce you to their learning environment. Pay close attention to facility maintenance, safety, organization, and the resources dedicated to extracurricular activities your student might engage in.
4. Talk with your child’s grade level teacher. This could be your child’s next teacher, so take a moment to reach out and have a conversation. Introduce yourself and your child to get a feel for the teacher’s personality, teaching style, and overall compatibility. Teachers also provide a great source of knowledge regarding school policies, procedures, curriculum, afterschool opportunities, etc.
5. Be observant to people’s reactions. As you walk around a school for the first time, use this opportunity to silently observe the parents, students, and staff. Do the children look excited to show off their school work? Do the parents seem engaged and receptive to teachers and staff? What is the overall energy level of the event? Simply being aware of the atmosphere and by watching the reactions and attitudes of others can provide a big indicator of whether or not you and your child will be happy attending this particular school.

When searching for the best educational environment for your child, attending Open Houses and admissions events is a great way to investigate and make fully-researched choices about which school to attend. Use these times to ask questions and discover the best learning atmosphere for your student!

Over the next month, Fairmont Private Schools is having Open Houses at its three Orange County Preschool - 8th grade campuses. This is a great opportunity to visit a campus and learn why Fairmont was voted "Best Private School in Orange County" by Parenting OC’s Readers’ Choice poll. Click here for more event information!

Contributed by Rebecca Stokes, Fairmont Private Schools

FAIRMONT FIVE: Easy, Peasy Christmas Party Games

Spice up Christmas gatherings by organizing a few of these effortless party games that guests of all ages can participate in!

1. Christmas Carol Charades - Divide guests into teams and act out the lyrics of your favorite carols.

2. Christmas Movie Trivia - Create questions and group guests into teams to test their knowledge of popular holiday movies.

3. Who Am I - Tape a card with a famous Christmas character onto each guest’s back. Have a question and answer session later in the evening, allowing people guess who they are.

4. Elf on the Shelf Hunt - Hide the elf and reveal one clue about the elf’s location every hour until the elf is found.

5. Christmas BINGO - Create a BINGO card for each guest using specific items or decorations already placed around the areas of your house where guests will frequent.

Reward party game winners with small gifts, such as gift cards, speciality candies, Christmas tree ornaments, scented candles, and small toys for the kids! For an added bonus, set out some Christmas-themed photo props and a selfie stick for guests to create great impromptu memories!   

Contributed by Rebecca Stokes, Fairmont Private Schools

Image by Indulgy.com

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

FAIRMONT FIVE: teaching good manners

All parents want their children to be well-behaved in social settings. The best way to help your child succeed in this area is to teach him or her proper etiquette and manners. Encouraging courteous behavior will help ensure your child respects peers and authority figures such as teachers and coaches.

Understandably so, “kids will be kids.” However, teaching them that there is an appropriate time and place for proper manners is important. Below is a list of five essential manners and ideas for encouraging each:

1. “Please” and “Thank you” - Teaching children to say “Please” and “Thank you” before and after receiving something is no easy feat. However, by incorporating these words when talking to your child, he or she will being to see the pattern and corresponding reaction. When your child asks for something and does not use the “magic words,” remind them of “Please” and “Thank you.” Wait until they have asked correctly to give the reward. Also, do not forget “Excuse me” and “Sorry.”
2. Proper Table Manners - When you child forgets to say “Excuse me” after a burp, or begins to chew with his or her mouth open, gently remind the child of the proper behavior. Being a model of good table manners is one of the best ways for children to learn how to behave while eating.
3. Turn Off Electronics - Today’s children are tied to technology. There is a time and place for technology, but Christmas dinner at a relative’s house is not it. Let your child know that there are times to play on the iPhone, and that there are times to engage in conversation with others.
4. Telephone Etiquette - Children listen to adults take calls all the time and will be a quick study when learning how to answer the telephone. When your child becomes old enough to take phone calls, provide opportunities to practice a friendly phone demure.
5. Spreading Kindness - Letting your child know that it’s important to demonstrate kindness to everyone is an important step. Opening doors for others, saying “Please” and “Thank you,” and using polite words are all simple ways that children - and adults - can show kindness to others.

Being conscientious of others lies at the root of all societal manners and etiquette. When we are conscious of the feelings and preferences of others, we demonstrate respect for those around us. The most effective approach to instill good manners in your child is by being an example of proper etiquette yourself. Cultivating good manners takes time, but the rewards of a respectful, well-behaved child are endless.

For more tips and ideas about teaching manners, check out these great articles:

6 Tips on Raising a Well Mannered Child

Manners Matter: 10 Manners Every Child Should Know

It Still Matters: How to Teach Good Manners

Contributed by Rebecca Stokes, Fairmont Private Schools 

Image by RoomToGrow.co.uk

THE FAIRMONT FIVE: developing fine motor skills

Fine motor skills are essential to human growth and success. Providing your toddler as many resources as possible to train their bodies is incredibly beneficial for kindergarten preparation. In the classroom, children need to hold scissors and writing utensils properly. Creating simple activities and devices for your child to play with at home will aid dramatically in speeding your child’s hand-eye coordination and developing fine motor skills.

1. Playdough - A simple ball of playdough can provide hours of entertainment as toddlers squish, twist, and mold different shapes. An inherently creative medium, children will automatically use their imagination to build a variety of structures. As a bonus, incorporate dry pasta, pebbles, buttons, etc. for added creativity and motor function!
2. Sensory Bins - Create a simple sensory bin for your child using a plastic storage container and layer of sand, rice, oatmeal, or other malleable elements. Mix small toys, shells, pebbles, legos, etc. into the element and encourage your child hunt for the buried items. When your toddler is ready to advance, have them dig for items and pick them up using a spoon.
3. Sensory Boards - Secure a variety of open-close items to a pegboard for your toddler to practice opening and closing. Items such as latches, zippers, door knobs, and wheels help aid critical thinking and strengthen motor skills.
4. Hole in One - Using empty water bottles and small pebbles or craft pompoms, encourage your child to practice picking up small items and placing them through small holes. Another version of this exercise is to provide your toddler with a colander and pipe cleaner to see how many pieces they can thread into the colander.
5. Threading - Develop your child’s concentration and coordination by give them some large beads and string to thread. As a bonus, get them used to seeing patterns by showing them how to thread beads by color or shape.  

Making activities more challenging by using clothespins or tweezers to move small objects will greatly aid in your child’s progression towards kindergarten. Early exposure to writing utensils, safety scissors, and shoe laces will also help to give your toddler a boost in classroom readiness!    

Visit the Fairmont Preschool Pinterest board for more developmental ideas and classroom preparation for your young child!

Contributed by Rebecca Stokes, Fairmont Private Schools

Image by Hands On As We Grow

FAIRMONT FIVE: good reasons for attending summer school

The last day of school--students look forward to it throughout the school year (even if they secretly love to learn).  Students, teachers, and parents yearn for the slightly less structured days of summer and look forward to a well-deserved break from tests and homework! The tricky thing about summer is that students have a tendency to get a little rusty in mastering academic skills. Education circles call this the “summer brain drain phenomena.”

Did you know that students lose about two months of grade-level equivalency in mathematical computation skills during the summer months?  When you compare standardized test scores taken at the end of the school year with the same test scores taken at the end of summer, there is a significant dip in student achievement.  Summer brain drain is a fact, but it's not inevitable.

Studies show that quality summer programs keep the learning going all year long. This boosts a child's academic achievement and confidence ahead of the new school year. Here are five reasons to consider summer school for your child:

1. Extra practice and review of key concepts in reading, writing, and math help reinforce academic skills and fill any gaps in a child’s education over the past year.
2. The smaller class sizes often available in summer school classes foster closer student and teacher engagement. A child may feel more confident to speak up and ask for help.
3. The relaxed environment that summer school provides is more beneficial to a child’s brain development than hours of watching TV or playing video games. Plus, during summer camp, a child has opportunities to engage with friends while building character and participating in a variety of rewarding activities.  
4. The slower pace of summer school allows a child to "play" while learning new subjects, discovering new areas of interest, and developing important problem solving skills.
5. Overall, summer school helps children build confidence in academic abilities, and a little confidence can go a long way in helping your child to succeed in the coming school year.  
   
   
   Find out more about Fairmont's summer programs including day camp, summer school, and enrichment programs by visiting www.fairmontsummerprograms.com.  Save 10% on summer school and summer camp if you enroll by April 30th!
   
   Contributed by Doug Fleischli, Fairmont Private Schools 

FAIRMONT FIVE tips to stay healthy during the holidays!

As holiday festivities fill the calendar in December, we want to provide some helpful tips to protect your children’s health.

1. Make sure they wash their hands and don’t share cups or utensils. This habit is especially important during family gathering, visits to the shopping mall, eating at restaurants, and attending other large gatherings.

2. Balance indulging in holiday treats with eating healthy snacks and meals. The daily allowance of fruits and vegetables provides the nutrition needed to fight germs and maintain energy. Have these healthy snacks available for your children during parties where sweet treats are the main fair.

3. Keep the holidays fun and healthy by making sure your children receive adequate rest times and plenty of sleep. Think of quiet activities such as craft making and baking in the kitchen to offset rushing around and attending large parties. Remember, the immune system needs 8.5 to 9 hours of sleep each night.

4. Dress appropriately when seasonal temperature changes are apparent. Keep sweatshirts, beanies and jackets handy for cooler mornings, overcast afternoons and chilly nights.

5. Don’t let exercise take a holiday break. Create holiday traditions that involve running, hiking, playing sports or engaging in other activities. For example, the whole family can participate in Wii games that involve plenty of moment and fun competition.

Have a happy and healthy holiday season!

Contributed by Doug Fleischli, Fairmont Private Schools
Image credit: Destiny In Bloom