HOW TO make the most of your parent/teacher conference

Few things make a parent beam with pride more than a glowing review from a teacher. We love to hear that our children are bright, hard-working and responsible, and, chances are, that's just what you'll hear at your upcoming parent/teacher conference. Conference time is also a valuable opportunity to dig a little deeper and find out areas where your child may need support.

In order to make the most of this experience, it helps to do your homework. Think ahead about any concerns you may have and be prepared to share them with your child's teacher in an open and non-threatening way. Share important details about your child that the teacher may not know and that could help maximize your child's success in the classroom. Take advantage of the teacher's unique perspective to get a well-rounded picture of how your child is doing socially and emotionally as well as academically.

Let these tips from Scholastic be your guide and you'll be on your way to a super productive (and painless)  parent/teacher conference.

Before the Teacher Conference 

Start preparing early. Don't wait until the night before to get organized. Create a folder at the beginning of the year in which you store test scores, big homework assignments, and your notes (about things your child has told you or any other topics you want to address).

Talk to your child. Ask how he or she is doing in class, what's going on during lunchtime, recess, and when he or she goes to special classes like music or gym.

During the Teacher Conference

Arrive early. With only a few precious minutes to spend, you don't want to be late. It will shorten your time with your child's teacher and affect her day's entire schedule.

Enter with the right attitude. The goal of both the teacher and the parent should be the success of the student, but sometimes parents have a hard time discussing tough issues. Rather than put the teacher on the defensive, arrive with a compliment to start the conference off on the right foot. ("My son is really enjoying the unit on space" or "We had a great time on the field trip.") Then address any concerns in a respectful way.

Find out the communication protocol. Don't let this be the only time you talk to your child's teacher. Ask how he or she likes to communicate, whether it's by e-mail, notes passed through a folder, or phone calls.

After the Teacher Conference
Follow up. If the teacher brings something to your attention that needs to be addressed with your child, take steps to put the plan in motion, whether it's helping with organizational skills, getting extra help, or addressing a social issue.

Update your child. Start with the positive things his or her teacher had to say, then fill him or her in on any concerns you and the teacher discussed. Explain how you can all work together to ensure your child has a successful year.

Image credit: schoolimprovement.com

Contributed by Danyelle, Fairmont Private Schools

FAIRMONT FIVE apple picking in oak glen

Romes and Winesaps and Braeburns, oh my! It’s apple season again! You can find these iconic fruits of fall at your local farmer’s market, but it’s so much more fun to harvest them yourself. Consider packing up the family and heading on an apple picking adventure. The little town of Oak Glen, California is just over an hour’s drive from Orange County, but you’ll feel worlds away. Pick your own apples, press a gallon of cider, hike in the San Bernardino wilderness, ride a pony, square dance…and gorge yourself on apple delicacies. Click on the farms below for apple picking and all manner of apple-related fun.

1. Los Rio Rancho
2. Mom’s County Orchards
3. Riley's Apple Farm
4. Snow-line Orchards
5. Willowbrook Apple Farm

Image credit: http://snow-line.com/
Contributed by Danyelle, Fairmont Private Schools

BOOK REPORT dark emperor and other poems of the night

 

Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night

by Joyce Sidman

Illustrated by Rick Allen

 

This October we are taking every opportunity to embrace the dark side, and no, we're not referring to The Force, Luke!  This exquisitely illustrated book of poetry celebrates the creatures that go bump in the night from bats and owls to mice and moths.  It's a great read for kids during this spooky month of Halloween and features both beautiful poetry and enlightening natural science facts about the featured animals.  It's an un-scary read for a cozy night around the campfire.  Oh, and did we mention that Dark Emperor is a Newbery Honor Book!

 

Image Credit: http://www.joycesidman.com/books/dark-emperor-and-other/

Contributed by: Danyelle, Fairmont Private Schools

BULLETIN BOARD october

From poetry to chemistry to apple picking road trips, we hope our inspiration board helps sets the tone for your "fall" into October.

1. Apple picking in Oak Glen
2. Moon poster free printable
3. Macaroni skeleton craft
4. Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night
5. Pumpkin spice playdough
6. Mad scientist-themed Halloween party

Contributed by Danyelle, Fairmont Private Schools

HOW TO strengthen math skills at home

Math exists all around us in almost everything we do, and it's important to stop and use everyday math to help children improve their math skills.  When children use math in a real world application, they are far more likely to understand and remember the skill used.  This real world application alongside a consistent math regimen allows children the comfort and precision necessary to build a strong foundation in all areas of math.  

Have fun! Don’t be afraid to make a game out of some of the more mundane math activities such as math fact flash card drills.  For every fact a child gets correct, they get to keep that card and later can try to throw their correct cards into a hat or bowl.  The more cards they get into the hat, the greater rewards they can earn.

Let’s bake!  Rarely will you find more math involved in an everyday activity than in baking. Whether it's counting chocolate chips, doubling recipes, or just learning units of measurement, baking will teach children important math skills...and the end result is delicious!

Let’s shop!  Stores are excellent places to reinforce estimation, percentages through sales or taxes, and money.  Include children in every part of the process from budgeting to cost analysis. Let them decide which size package is a better buy at the market or what the price of an item on sale will be.

Let’s travel!  Using distance, speed, and speed limits, children can find out how long a trip will take. With so much information available online, children can look up the speed of airplanes and find distances from one locale to another.  Make a game of seeing if Google Maps has made a correct estimation of travel time.  Children can also use math to deduce whether their parents have violated a speed limit or two! Travel games can be used on a daily basis on the way to and from school.

Unfortunately, learning math doesn’t always involve yummy treats, shopping, or speeding. Math is one of the few subjects where extra practice and repetition is the key to success.  All subjects require understanding, but math requires hard work and diligence at home in order to attain speed, skill, and mastery.

There is never any substitution for a child carefully attacking his or her math homework each and every night.  Fairmont provides home access to Accelerated Math and Math Facts in a Flash.*  These programs along with excellent math instruction at school have allowed our students to take classes such as Algebra II and Pre-Calculus in 8th grade. *There are other great no-cost or low-cost math apps available such as XtraMath and Operation Math.

A love for math needs to be established both at school and in the home.  Math can be a burden or an adventure.  It is all about the positive attitude we create in the home for our children.  If we help keep math entertaining and meaningful our children will be more excited each and every day when math class begins.

Photo credit: www.movingwithmath.com

Contributed by Matt, Fairmont Private Schools

FRIDAY FOLDER September 27

Preschool Celebrates Johnny Appleseed Day

Highlights From This Week

Fairmont Family Football Night

Saturday, October 5, 2013 

Please mark your calendars and join us as we cheer on the 

Prep Academy Huskies at:

Yorba Linda High School Stadium

19900 Bastanchury Ave YL, CA 92886

Fairmont has a long-standing tradition that Junior Kindergarten & Kindergarten students from AH, NT & HAC sing the National Anthem before the Huskies take the field. In preparation, all JK/K students have been practicing the National Anthem. If you are interested in having your student participate, we are asking singers to arrive at Yorba Linda HS Stadium at 4:30 PM. All students participating should wear their white button down or red polo shirt with any bottom (jeans/blue pants). National Anthem singers along with their families will receive FREE admission into the game. Face painters, balloon artists, along with various craft and game booths will be available FREE of charge. Come out and support the Husky football team! Fairmont student athletes who come in their Fairmont team uniform will receive FREE admission into the game. At half time, all DSL/JH Flag teams and cheerleaders from all campuses will be introduced.

2:30PM     JH Flag Football Game- Anaheim Hills 

                  vs. Historic Anaheim 

4:45PM    JK/K students sing the National Anthem 

5:00PM     Fairmont Prep Huskies vs 

                    Calvary Chapel Downey Grizzlies 

Historic Anaheim Campus Celebrates Johnny Appleseed 

Everyone at Historic Anaheim Preschool joined together yesterday Thursday, September 26th to celebrate the nurseryman Johnny Appleseed.  He told stories to the children in how he started to collect apple seeds from cider presses. He also told the children about his various journeys to different places. Right after story time with Johnny Appleseed, each class was able to meet and take a group picture with him.  Some were able to ask questions while others enjoyed looking at his hat.  Once meeting Johnny Appleseed was over, students went back to their class and enjoyed more apple treats such as apple chips, apple pies, and applesauce.  They were able to learn about different kinds of apples.

Weekly E-Newsletters

Anaheim Hills Campus

Historic Anaheim Campus

North Tustin Campus

September Lunch Menus

Anaheim Hills Preschool-1st Grade

Anaheim Hills 2nd-8th Grade

Historic Anaheim Campus Preschool

Historic Anaheim Campus Kindergarten

Historic Anaheim Campus 1st-8th Grade

North Tustin Preschool-Kindergarten

North Tustin 1st-8th Grade

Contributed by Rickey, Fairmont Private Schools

FAIRMONT FIVE non-scary diy halloween costumes

It's only September, we know, but the cute Halloween costumes popping up on Pinterest are "screaming" out for a blog post. Halloween is a great excuse to indulge in some good-natured make-believe with your children. Whether it's decorating the house or dreaming up the coolest costume, it's fun to get in the trick-or-treat spirit. We've steered clear of spooky get-ups and found some great DIY costumes for boys and girls to inspire your Halloween creativity. What will you be this Halloween?

1. Raggedy Ann Mother and Daughter (from A Beautiful Mess)
2. Clark Kent/Superman (from The Berry)
3. Sweet Snail (from Oh Happy Day)
4. Alice in Wonderland (from Misha Lulu)
5. Jack in the Beanstalk (from Better Homes and Gardens)

Contributed by Danyelle, Fairmont Private Schools