BULLETIN BOARD ringing in the new year

Happy 2012! The New Year brings us all a fresh start and an opportunity to reflect. With resolutions of good health and organization in mind, here are some inspiration pieces for January. 

1. Kick off a healthy and environmentally friendly new year with Oakland, CA-based artist Maria Schoettler’s Eat Local 2012 Calendar. 2. Color code your home with these organizing tips. 3. Start checking off your home improvement to-do list with this simple, beautiful DIY project complements of Better Homes and Gardens. 4. Spend some time outdoors and re-purpose that old rake into the perfect garden tool storage center. 5. Develop a green thumb--January is the ideal month to plant roses in Southern California. 6. Keep the kids organized with these animal-inspired and kid-approved printable calendars. 

Contributed by Danyelle & Alyssa, Fairmont Private Schools 

FRIDAY FOLDER december 16

Highlights From This Week
2011 Report Card! 
We are pleased to release the 2011 edition of our Report Card, an annual Fairmont Private Schools tradition highlighting student, faculty, and staff achievement throughout the past year. Watch the trailer and/or read the full Report Card here.


Winter Break

Fairmont will be closed for winter break from December 19 - January 2. We hope you have a wonderful time celebrating the holidays with friends and family, and we look forward to seeing you in the New Year! 

Mable Math Awards 

On Saturday, December 3, seventy-five Mable Campus students in grades 4 through 8,  met at Troy High School to compete in Troy High's inaugural math competition. Over 350 students from Orange County participated in the competition. While there, students were given competition-style math problems. The Mable students earned 20 awards at the competition. Click on the Mable newsletter below for the full list of awards. 


Mark Your Calendar! 

Chalk Talk: Becoming Bilingual
Wednesday January 11, 7-8:30pm
Anaheim Hills Campus 

In an increasingly global economy, bilingualism is a huge advantage.  Speaking in Tongues, an award-winning documentary, narrates the trend towards secondary language immersion starting in preschool or kindergarten, the prime time for learning language. Join us to watch the short film and have an open discussion about the pros and cons of early childhood language immersion facilitated by language acquisition experts and Fairmont's Director of Education. Bring your children along too--language learning games & activities will be provided by Lango (our Mandarin Chinese Extra-Curricular class).    


Weekly E-Newsletters 

Anaheim Hills Campus 
Citron Campus 
Edgewood Campus 
Mable Campus 

December Lunch Menus 

AH Preschool-1st Grade

AH 2nd-8th Grade

Citron

Edgewood Preschool-Kindergarten

Edgewood 1st-8th Grade 

Mable 

Contributed by Alyssa, Fairmont Private Schools 

SNACK TIME mindful eating for the holidays

The holidays are a time for family, celebrations and, of course, eating.  With holiday treats in abundance, overindulging can lead to tummy aches, toothaches or unwanted weight gain. Is there a way to enjoy specialty dishes without overdoing it? Yes!

You can enjoy the holidays more fully if you practice mindful eating. Simply put, mindful eating is the practice of eating with increased awareness and attention to what, how, and why you eat without judgment.

For example, a mindful eating practice is to notice if you are hungry even before you take your first bite.  It also helps you feel your fullness sooner, resulting in less overeating. Mindfully eating slows down the eating experience allowing you to enjoy the food and your surroundings more fully. Eating mindfully can enhance the dining experience and often evokes a feeling of gratitude.

For more tips on how to encourage mindful eating, visit SuperKids Nutrition. 

Contributed by Leslie Kay-Getzinger, MS RD, Regional Dietitian for Nutrition Management Services

THE FAIRMONT FIVE beat boredom, boost brainpower over the break

Hurray, school's out!  Now what?  Kids need some time to just chill out, but Winter Break shouldn't signal a time-out from learning. It helps to give your kids' break schedule some thought in advance, so you don't end up using the TV, computer, or gaming device as your babysitter. Here are some ideas to keep your kids busy and their minds' engaged:

Go deep sea diving

OK, so a visit to Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach won't take you 20,000 leagues under the sea, but it will blow your kids' minds as they discover thousands of amazing aquatic creatures like the upside-down sea jellies now on display in the Jewels of the Pacific exhibit.  

Explore educational websites

Try to direct at least some of your child's screentime toward educational activities.  Here's a few educational websites that keep kids entertained while boosting their math, science and reading skills: Starfall, PBS KIDS and Math Playground .

Get crafty

I'm a big fan of Disney's Spoonful magazine for their extensive collection of kid-friendly craft ideas.  Visit the website for dozens of clever winter craft ideas, like the one posted yesterday on our blog! 

Make a holiday scrapbook

There's no reason why the chore of chronicling the holidays should always fall to us moms.  Older children can create a yearly holiday scrapbook by taking and printing photos, creating page layouts, and journaling.  It's a great indoor project for chilly nights and builds creative writing skills.

Visit a galaxy far, far away

Don't miss the Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination exhibit at Discovery Science Center.  Boys (and little Princess Leias) will love this exhibit where kids can build and test their own speeders and robots; ride a hovercraft; see real artifacts, costumes and props from all six Star Wars films; and explore the technology of droids and landspeeders.  Talk about fun learning!

 photo from Microsoft Office image gallery

Contributed by Danyelle, Fairmont Private Schools

ARTS & CRAFTS winter wonderland ornament

This craft owes its appeal to old fashioned snow globes which capture the imagination of old and young alike, especially during the holidays.  Special thanks to Disney's FamilyFun magazine for dreaming up this whimsical winter creation.  I can't wait to try it with my kids!

Materials: 

• 9-ounce clear plastic cup
• Silver poster board
• Pinking shears or decorative craft scissors
• Polyester batting
• Miniature trees (sold in craft stores; try the dollhouse or model railroad section)
• Miniature animals or people (sold in craft stores or online at BJCRAFTSUPPLIES.COM)
• 1-inch-wide mirror
• Tacky glue
• Fine glitter
• Pushpin
• Monofilament
• Several craft beads 

Instructions

1. Trace the rim of the cup onto the underside of the poster board. Cut out the circle, but stay at least 1/8 inch outside the trace line so the base will be slightly larger than the cup.
2. Cut out a circle of batting snow that's the same diameter as the cup and set it atop the shiny side of the poster board circle. 
3. Separate or snip the batting where you'd like to position the trees, figurines, and mirror pond. Glue the base of each item to the poster board, then smooth or fluff the snow around them as needed. Sprinkle the scene with fine glitter.
4. Use the pushpin to poke a hole in the center of the cup bottom. Thread a craft bead onto a 12-inch length of monofilament. Gather the ends together, letting the bead fall to the center of the line, and thread them up through the hole from inside the cup. String a few more beads onto the doubled line (outside the cup) and then knot the ends to form a loop.
5. Apply a line of glue along the edge of the poster board circle. Press the cup, upside down, atop the glue and hold it in place for 20 seconds or so. During the first 10 minutes of drying time, occasionally check the seal and press down gently on the cup, if required. Let the glue cure for a full day before hanging the ornament.

photo credit familyfun.com

Contributed by Danyelle, Fairmont Private Schools

SHORT STORY choc toy drive 2011

Santa Claus Leads an Entourage of Harley Davidson Riders to Pick Up Fairmont's CHOC Toy Drive Donations

Contributed by Alyssa, Fairmont Private Schools 

FRIDAY FOLDER december 9

Highlights From This Week
CHOC Toy Drive Re-Cap

For over ten years, Fairmont Private School l has participated in the CHOC Toy Drive. Today, December 9th, 50+ Harley Davidson motorcycle riders drove on campus to collect the toys for CHOC Hospital. This was a fabulous year for the drive. The students went above and beyond and we donated over 50 boxes of toys. Each year the donations increase and it is wonderful to see the spirit of giving from our students. All donations will be delivered to CHOC Hospital so they may be given to the children there during holidays. For those children residing at the hospital, it is not just a toy.  It is a ray of hope during a difficult time. See pictures from the event on Flickr. 

Winter Musical Performances 

Many of our campuses hosted their annual winter musicals this week, and all the parents in attendance had a wonderful time watching the creative performances. Check your campus e-newsletter and Facebook page for links to photos and videos from the shows. 

Mable Honors Top Students 
On Thursday, Mable's top 4th, 5th, and 6th grade students were honored at the first trimester Honor Roll Assembly. Students receiving "A"s and "B"s in all core subjects make the distinction of Honor Roll while students receiving only "A"s are given the distinction of Director's Honor Roll. Additionally, students may not receive an "N" mark on their report card. During the first trimester, a total of 64 students were recognized for being on the Honor Roll or Director's Honor Roll. Congratulations to these students! 


Weekly E-Newsletters 

Anaheim Hills Campus 
Citron Campus 
Edgewood Campus 
Mable Campus 

December Lunch Menus 

AH Preschool-1st Grade

AH 2nd-8th Grade

Citron

Edgewood Preschool-Kindergarten

Edgewood 1st-8th Grade 

Mable 

Contributed by Alyssa, Fairmont Private Schools