Tuesday, May 8

SHORT STORY fairmont student w-i-n-s parenting oc spelling bee


On April 27, Fairmont Mable Campus 5th grader Dayne T. took First Place at the Parenting OC Spelling Bee after spelling the winning word "mercurial" correctly. Campus Director Carole Calabria was there to cheer him on as he went up against 48 other student spellers! 


Dayne's classmate from Fairmont, Emaad R. took second place in the Bee, and the judge's favorite moment was when the boys continued to high-five even after learning they were each other’s competition in the spell-off for the title of champion. Great sportsmanship always deserves an applause! 

Contributed by Alyssa, Fairmont Private Schools

Monday, May 7

BOOK REPORT you weren't always my mom?


Before I Was Your Mother
by Kathryn Lasky

My three young children are always fascinated when I tell them stories of my life before they came along. "You were a dancer?"  "You lived in Scotland?"  "Really, you used to suck your thumb?!"

Hard as it is for our kids to imagine, all of us mothers were once little girls--playing, laughing, getting into trouble and dreaming big dreams, perhaps dreaming of what it might be like to have a family of our own.  I love this book for allowing moms to stroll down memory lane a bit and remember what it was like before we had the weighty responsibilities of motherhood. 

Lasky gets specific, naming her dog and her best friend and recalling the magical Jello creations her own mother used to make.  It's inevitable that your kids will want to know more about your story and that's the real fun of this book.  As Lasky recollects, we are all encouraged to remember...and then to share our stories.

Pull out the old photos and scrapbooks.  Show off your wedding dress or college diploma.  Get inspired to tell your own story.  You might be surprised how reassuring it can be for your children who are inevitably experiencing some of the same joys and struggles that you did, back in the day.  And don't forget to acknowledge your own mother!

Image from barnesandnoble.com

Contributed by Danyelle, Fairmont Private Schools

Friday, May 4

FRIDAY FOLDER may 4



Highlights From This Week
Last Chance to Save 10% on Summer Camp & School 
Fairmont's summer program offers summer experience packed with adventure, academics, friends, and memories! Our 10% off discount was extended through tomorrow, May 5th, so be sure to enroll online today! www.fairmontsummerprograms.com

Fairmont Wins Big at Orange County Academic Pentathlon
Last week we shared some preliminary results from the 2012 Academic Pentathlon, however not all of the Fairmont awards were accounted for. We apologize for not including everything, and are happy to provide an updated, comprehensive list of all of our Pentathlon results below: 

Anaheim Hills campus
7th grade team - 2nd Place Overall; 2nd Place Super Quiz
31 individual awards

8th grade team - 5th Place Super Quiz
14 individual awards

Edgewood campus
7th grade team - 5th Place Overall; 2nd Place Super Quiz
21 individual awards

8th grade team "Talons" - 3rd Place Overall; 2nd Place Super Quiz
28 individual awards

8th grade team "Eagles" - 1st Place Overall; 3rd Place Super Quiz
33 individual awards

Mable campus
7th grade team -1st Place Overall; 2nd Place Super Quiz
47 individual awards

8th grade team - 2nd Place Overall; 4th Place Super Quiz
37 individual awards

Fairmont Debaters Excel at the National Level 
On Saturday, April 21, 27 middle school students from the Orange County Debate League (OCDL) competed in the 10th annual Middle School Public Debate Program (MSPDP) National Championship held at Claremont McKenna College. Several teams of Fairmont students were among the 100 teams and 300 students who participated in the national competition. Fairmont's debaters came away with a number of team and individual speaker awards. Fairmont's Anaheim Hills campus took "Best in League" as the top performing school from the OCDL. Click here to read more about the tournament. 

Weekly E-Newsletters 


May Lunch Menus 

Contributed by Alyssa, Fairmont Private Schools 

Thursday, May 3

HOW TO save on your summer vacation

Can you believe it's May already?! That means summer is just a few short weeks away.  If you haven't made your plans yet there's still time to benefit from Parents magazine's money-saving vacation pointers.  I've already enlisted a few of them in planning my family's whirlwind tour of So Cal's theme parks.  Here are a few of my favorite tips:

Rent Lodging from the Owner
Score a deal by seeking out by-owner rentals when you need overnight digs -- and be ready to negotiate. "With people not traveling as much this summer it's a great time to call up the owners of vacation condos or mom-and-pop type hotels to ask for a deal," says Ellie Kay, mother of seven and the author of A Mom's Guide to Family Finances. "You'll speak directly with the owner, and because they're used to being full at this time of the year, they're more likely to offer you a discount."

Theme Parks: Go Local
A trip to a theme park doesn't have to include long car rides, flights, and hotels -- chances are your kids (especially younger ones) will be just as thrilled with a great local park. Hit up your park's Web site before you go. Many offer discounts on tickets purchased online, have printable coupons for deals on food, and offer information about reduced fares for afternoon admission, season passes, and group ticket sales.

Give the Kids a Budget
Prevent post-vacation credit card bill shock (and teach your kids a thing or two about budgeting) by thinking about how much each day will cost in advance -- and then giving your kids (over age 7) a reasonable amount of cash as their daily spending money. Let them know they can keep anything that's left over so they'll think about whether or not they really need both the cotton candy and the jumbo lollipop -- or if they can make do with one or the other and pocket the rest. Be clear and stick to you guns -- if the money runs out, that's it. No bailing out your spendthrift kid.

Photo from Parents.com

Contributed by Danyelle, Fairmont Private Schools








Wednesday, May 2

SCHOOL NEWS 7th & 8th grade pentathletes continue tradition of wins

Anaheim Hills pentathletes strike a proud pose with their coaches and Mr. David Jackson at this year's
Orange County Academic Pentathlon awards ceremony held Tuesday, April 24.
It's a tradition that stretches back more than most of us at Fairmont can remember (21 years, in fact) and this year, Fairmont's teams not only placed in the prestigious annual OC Academic Pentathlon, they brought home some of the top team and individual awards.  Of the many highlights of the awards presentation on April 24th was the discovery that six of the eight students who earned perfect scores on the 8th grade math test came from Fairmont Schools!  Way to go, Fairmont!  Special thanks goes out to all of the Pentathlon participants, including their coaches, for their hard work and preparation for the 2012 OC Academic Pentathlon.  Here are the highlights from each campus:

Anaheim Hills campus
7th grade team - 2nd Place Overall; 2nd Place Super Quiz
31 individual awards


8th grade team - 5th Place Super Quiz
14 individual awards

Edgewood campus
7th grade team - 5th Place Overall; 2nd Place Super Quiz
21 individual awards

8th grade team "Talons" - 3rd Place Overall; 2nd Place Super Quiz
28 individual awards

8th grade team "Eagles" - 1st Place Overall; 3rd Place Super Quiz
33 individual awards


Mable campus
7th grade team -1st Place Overall; 2nd Place Super Quiz
47 individual awards

8th grade team - 2nd Place Overall; 4th Place Super Quiz
37 individual awards

Contributed by Danyelle, Fairmont Private Schools

Tuesday, May 1

BULLETIN BOARD may day


May is a special month to celebrate springtime and to recognize the person in our lives who helps us through all of life's trials and tribulations--MOM! We've dedicated our Bulletin Board to ideas for showing mom you care every day in May. 


1. Pancake Hearts Make the Perfect Breakfast in Bed 2. Forget the Venti, This Month It's All About the Madre! 3. Make-It-Yourself Vintage Tea Cup Candles 4. Today's Headline: World's Best Mom 5. This P&G Tribute to Moms Video Melts Our Hearts 6. Gardening-Inspired Flower Arrangement

Contributed by Alyssa, Fairmont Private Schools 

Monday, April 30

SCHOOL NEWS debaters win top awards in national championship



Fairmont Edgewood Debate Team
From left: 
Sonali Narang, Lauren Lee, Amanda Madden
On Saturday, April 21, 27 middle school students from Orange County competed in the 10th annual Middle School Public Debate Program (MSPDP) National Championship. The MSPDP has leagues in locales across the country, including New York, New Orleans, Washington, San Francisco, and several in Southern California. Only 27 of the roughly 200 students from the MSPDP-affiliated Orange County Debate League (OCDL) earned the chance to compete in the National Championship.

We are very proud of our OCDL debaters. The students from Fairmont Anaheim Hills and Edgewood did a fantastic job. About 100 teams (300 bright students) came to participate in this event. As a group, the OCDL students won roughly 65% of their debates! Clearly, some of the BEST competition in middle school debate is right here in Orange County (and at Fairmont Private Schools)!


Team Awards
Anaheim Hills PPL (Kyle Patel, Nikasha Patel, Zeke Levin) 4th place
Anaheim Hills RTC (Nick Crosson, Sabrina Tawfik, Jack Renton) 15th place


Speaker Awards
Anaheim Hills - Zeke Levin 6th place
Edgewood - Lauren Lee 16th place
Anaheim Hills - Nikasha Patel 23rd place
Edgewood - Amanda Madden 24th place

Best in League (Given to the top performing school of each league)
Anaheim Hills

Contributed by Ben Hughes and Danyelle Knight, Fairmont Private Schools