Friday, February 3

FRIDAY FOLDER february 3


Highlights From This Week
Math Matters at Mable 
On Saturday, January 28, Mable 4th and 5th graders traveled to Pacific Technology School in Costa Mesa to compete in the Math Matters competition. Mable campus sent 39 of the 150 total entrants. Mable won top honors at the competition,. with Kyle K. placing 1st and Jamie C. placing 2nd. For winning 1st place, Kyle received at tablet computer and Jamie won an IPOD Touch for placing 2nd. Overall, Mable held 8 of the top 15 spots.

Citron Gives Back 
The Citron FPA is proud to present our last community service event of this school year! We will be contributing to the Anaheim Police Department K-9 Foundation. 100% of the money raised will go directly towards taking care of special K-9 friends upon their retirement from the Anaheim police department, along with additional training classes the K-9's require throughout the semester. Learn more in the Citron newsletter.

Anaheim Hills "Lunch with Parents" 
Anaheim Hills parents and students were thrilled to have the opportunity to have lunch together. Nutrition Management Services hosted this very fun event to expose parents to the wide-variety of healthy food that they provide everyday to our students.Soup made from scratch, fresh cooked pasta, salads, and a wide selection of other items are always available. All of the items that would typically be fried are baked in the cafeteria. Our cafeteria works very diligently to offer healthy choices for all our students. Check out pictures from the lunch on Flickr.

Edgewood Boys Basketball Makes Playoffs 
The Fairmont Edgewood Junior High Boys Basketball Team is playing in the first round playoffs of the Tri-Way League on Monday, February 6th, at 3:00 pm, at Fairmont Prep in Anaheim. Come out and support our Eagles! Bring pom poms, make signs, and cheer our team on to Victory! The boys basketball team would love the support from the whole school. See you at the game!

Weekly E-Newsletters 

February Lunch Menus 

Contributed by Alyssa, Fairmont Private Schools 

Thursday, February 2

SHORT STORY groundhog's day

Fairmont Citron students learned about Groundhog's Day and made their own groundhogs! 
Did the groundhog see his shadow?? Yes! According to the Washington Post, "At 7:25 a.m. this morning, amidst mostly cloudy skies, and temperatures in the low 30s, Groundhog Phil saw his shadow in the little town of Punxsutawney, Pa. According to folklore, Phil’s sighting of his own shadow means there will be 6 more weeks of winter. Had Phil not seen his shadow, it would have meant 'there will be an early spring.'" 

Considering we've seen temperatures in the 70's and 80's this "winter" here in Orange County...our students aren't too concerned about those extra weeks. 

Contributed by Alyssa, Fairmont Private Schools 

Wednesday, February 1

BULLETIN BOARD be mine valentine


Happy February! We're sharing the LOVE this month with a few heartfelt crafts, treats & valentines...


1. Hearty Fruit Kabobs 2. Make & Take Letter Match Game 3. Valentine Pockets 4. Recycled Cereal Box Valentine Holder 5. Raspberry Hazelnut Linzer Hearts 6. Hogs & Kisses Classroom Valentines 


Contributed by Alyssa, Fairmont Private Schools 

Tuesday, January 31

CHALK TALK what every parent should know before your child turns 18 (pt 1)


Two years ago, Fairmont began hosting "Chalk Talks"--a bi-annual series of workshops and lectures open to Fairmont families and the community. We wanted to bring in great speakers on topics that parents care about (education, health & wellness, online safety, etc) and extend the Fairmont learning environment to parents and grown-ups, because we believe you should never stop learning. We've had some awesome events with speakers like Chef Tanya of Native Foods, Derek Sabori of Volcom, and Jack Lindquist of Disneyland. To share these speakers' knowledge with a broader audience, we've decided to start re-capping our Chalk Talks on our blog in this new "Chalk Talk" category. 

We kicked off our spring 2012 Chalk Talk series in early January with Becoming Bilingual at our Anaheim Hills campus and then heard from our Director of Education, Sandy Cosgrove about Fairmont's 2011 Academic Outcomes at our inaugural Fairmont Expo. At our third Chalk Talk last week, a panel of college admissions and child development experts shared "What Every Parent Should Know Before Your Child Turns 18." There was so much great content, we've decided to share it in a series of three posts over the next couple weeks. To start, here's an intro to our panelists and an overview of the modes of learning.

Re-Cap: What Every Child Should Know Before Your Child Turns 18
Panelists: 
-Rajeshri Gandhi, Educational Consultant
-Denise Hunter, Admissions Counslor, West Coast University
-Dipa Gandhi, ABC School District
-Erik Gutierrez, College Counselor, Whitney High School

Introduction to Topic: Students must undergo long-term preparation for long-term success and that requires a strategic focus by parents. Thoughtful academic choices, coupled with awareness of risk taking and understanding that today's students are complex, global, digital natives, are the keys to success.


Modes of Learning: While 60% of the population is now believed to be multi-modal, it’s important for students to understand what their top mode(s) of learning are and how to capitalize on them.

  • Visual Learners – take notes on unlined paper where space is unrestricted by lines/graphs and blank space is conducive to little drawings and pictures.
  • Auditory Learners – make songs to help memorize facts or use mnemonics like ROYGBIV. Listen to music while studying to get relaxed (music without lyrics at 60 beats per minute—like classical music from the Baroque period).
  • Kinesthetic Learners LOCI method to associate locations with certain topics.  Take a walk around the neighborhood with your stack of flash cards. Memorize a fact while standing in front of a certain tree or mailbox, etc so that you recall the fact when you think of the location.
  • Read/Write Learners – Re-read text or re-write notes repetitively to memorize facts.

Next Wednesday, look for our second post on this topic, written by one of the event speakers, Rajeshri Ghandi, on the topic of self-efficacy. 

Contributed by Alyssa, Fairmont Private Schools 

Monday, January 30

HOW TO plan a kid-friendly super bowl party


Super Bowl Sunday is just around the corner, which means it's time to plan that annual football-themed extravaganza! Between the appetizers, drinks and decor, planning activities for the kids can often slip through the cracks--leaving you missing the big play or the funniest commercial while you struggle to find Mr. Rabbit or the Toy Story DVD. We're making it easy to plan ahead this year with some simple ways to ensure your kids feel like part of the party. 
  • Get the kids up to speed on their football vocabulary before the game by making flash cards with some of these football terms. Read out the definitions and see who can name the word or make it into a game of charades by giving each child one card that he or she has to act out while everyone else guesses the term. That way everyone is on the same page when the ref yells, "Touchdown!"
  • Foster a little friendly competition with the Super Bowl Smackdown game. Print copies of this worksheet for each child and have them fill it out with their Giants vs. Patriots predictions before the game begins. Then have the kids follow along with the game to see who wins each round. Reward the winners with little treats or prizes. 
  • Test the kids' NFL team knowledge with this awesome memory matching game. Download and print this document (courtesy of Toddler Approved and artist Charles Arey) and cut out the squares to make the cards. Then set up a kids table away from the main viewing area where the kiddos can play. 
  • We all look forward to the food at parties, and so do kids! Make them feel loved by having a special "kids section" of the food table with finger-food favorites like mini croissant hot dogs, veggies & ranch, fresh fruit, string cheese and mini pizzas. When in doubt, keep it simple. 
  • Make dessert a big event for the kids by having a cupcake decorating table. They can turn their cupcakes into footballs with a layer of chocolate frosting and  white icing "lace" lines, or they can decorate according to their favorite team with white icing and red or blue colored sprinkles. 

Contributed by Alyssa, Fairmont Private Schools 

Image from TVJab.com

Friday, January 27

FRIDAY FOLDER january 27


Highlights From This Week
Mable Students Win State of California Poster Contest 
Congratulations go out to 4th Grader Alexisse Y., 3rd Grader Yiyi O., and 1st grader Courtnie B.  for winning the 2012 California Department of Boating and Waterways "Safe and Wise Water Ways" poster contest.  California  elementary and middle school students are invited to participate in this contest. The contest has run for 19 years with the  primary goal of educating students to be safe and wise in or near the water. Read more in the Mable eNewsletter

Fairmont Expo Is a Huge Success!  
The inaugural Fairmont Expo was a wonderful success. Over 400 parents, students and teachers attended this event held on the beautiful Chapman University campus. There were exhibits of the high standards of Fairmont students' classroom efforts, art projects and music programs. Kindergartener's recited the "Gettysburg Address" and there were elementary mock classroom presentations. Several of Fairmont's finest musicians performed on the violin, the Junior High Debate teams showed us an exciting live debate with a hotly contested topic regarding the NFL Helmet to Helmet Contact Issues. The award-winning Fairmont Prep Concert Choir performed a spectacular show piece, and the Edgewood cheerleaders finished off the event with an example of their trophy winning routines. We are already looking forward to next year's event! 

Weekly E-Newsletters 

January Lunch Menus 

Contributed by Alyssa, Fairmont Private Schools 

Thursday, January 26

fairmont blackboard...A to Z


Did you know that Fairmont offers its parents and students access to a customized version of the learning management system Blackboard? Blackboard is an online dashboard that acts as a portal into the virtual version of your student's classroom. By logging in to your parent account, you can see your student's assignments, grades, upcoming class events and more. We'd like to kick off a series of posts about Blackboard, provided by our Education Department, with answers to the seven most asked parent questions our Blackboard team hears. 

7 Most Asked Parent Questions About Blackboard
1. WHAT IS BLACKBOARD?
Blackboard is Fairmont’s online learning management system. It facilitates communication, encourages collaboration and provides extended learning opportunities which enhance our students’ educational experience. This exciting tool allows students and parents to easily access assignments and grades, class and campus specific information, as well as enrichment activities.

2. HOW CAN I ACCESS BLACKBOARD?
You can access Blackboard directly by going to https://fairmontschools.blackboard.com. You can also go to QuickLinks on Fairmont’s website: http://www.fairmontschools.com.

3. WHO DO I CONTACT IF I HAVE DIFFICULTY LOGGING IN?
The Blackboard help desk is ready to assist you Monday through Friday 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM. Additional contact information is available at https://fairmontschools.blackboard.com.

4. WHERE CAN I FIND MY STUDENT’S GRADES IN BLACKBOARD?
When you first log into Blackboard, you will see a NetClassroom link. Simply click on the image and enter your NetClassroom username and password. If you need your NetClassroom username and password, please contact your campus registrar or the Blackboard help desk.

5. ARE STUDENTS EXPECTED TO LOG INTO BLACKBOARD THEMSELVES?
For students in grades four through twelve, students are asked to regularly check their Blackboard classes for assignments, important announcements and other class information. For preschool through third grade, Blackboard is used primarily as a communication tool between teacher and parent.

6. HOW OFTEN ARE PARENTS EXPECTED TO LOG INTO BLACKBOARD?
Information is regularly posted in Blackboard classes. Fairmont recommends that you log in at least once a week. Your student’s classroom teacher, however, may request that you log in more frequently. Your student’s teacher will provide you with more specific information regarding this during the first weeks of school.

7. WHO DO I CONTACT IF I HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT THE INFORMATION OR CONTENT POSTED IN MY STUDENT’S BLACKBOARD CLASS?
Your student’s teacher is responsible for all information and content posted in your student’s Blackboard class. Please contact the teacher directly with any questions or concerns. Teacher contact information is provided in the class.

For more information regarding Blackboard, please visit: https://fairmontschools.blackboard.com


Contributed by Alyssa, Fairmont Private Schools