FRIDAY FOLDER: September 4

Weekly Highlights:

Historic Anaheim Campus

 Anaheim Hills Campus

North Tustin Campus 

Contributed by Rebecca Stokes, Fairmont Private Schools

A to Z: A Short History of Labor Day

To current American families, Labor Day signals the end of summer and a day off from work or school. However, Labor Day’s true intention is to celebrate the goals and achievements of American workers. The first Labor Day was celebrated on September 5, 1882 in New York City where workers spent the day attending parades, picnics, and addresses by community leaders. It wasn’t until 1894 that Congress passed a law making Labor Day a national holiday.

Through the Industrial Revolution, Americans worked long hours in harsh conditions. Labor unions soon became popular, as they acted as advocates for disparaged workers and children in the workforce. Peter McGuire, a New York City carpenter, is credited with the idea of implementing a national worker’s holiday. McGuire dedicated over a decade to organizing strikes, fighting for higher wages, and promoting workers’ rights.

So this Monday, while enjoying time with family and friends, take a moment to celebrate the workers who built America and paved the way for the social and economic prosperity that hard-working Americans enjoy today.

Contributed by Rebecca Stokes, Fairmont Private Schools

Images and Video by History.com, Loc.gov,  & Wikipedia.com

ARTS & CRAFTS: STEM Crafts

With the increase of STEM (science, technology, education, mathematics) curriculum in the classroom, students are being encouraged to pursue STEM-related careers and paths of higher education. STEM concepts and projects promote collaboration, investigation, and critical thinking. Here are some great STEM crafts and home experiments for your budding scientist or engineer!

Pyramid Catapult courtesy of Instructables

Gyroscopic Whirligigs courtesy of Instructables

 Solar Oven courtesy of Totally Tots

Engineer a Bridge courtesy of Scholastic

 LEGO Balloon Car courtesy of Homegrown Learners

Other great STEM resources include Code Studio, Master’s in Data Science, Childhood 101, Instructables, and Raising Lifelong Learners! Not sure what exactly STEM is? Visit Chalk Talk: Decoding STEM for a clearer picture of STEM’s implications on the field of education.

Contributed by Rebecca Stokes, Fairmont Private Schools

Images and Activities by Homegrown Learners, Scholastic, Totally Tots, & Instructables 

FRIDAY FOLDER: August 28

Weekly Highlights:

North Tustin Campus

 

Anaheim Hills Campus

Historic Anaheim Campus

 Fairmont Preparatory Campus

Contributed by Rebecca Stokes, Fairmont Private Schools

CHALK TALK: Study Habits for Junior High Students

Transitioning from elementary school into junior high can be slightly daunting. The academic and behavioral expectations are different and the amount of homework is bound to increase. But junior high doesn’t have to be scary or overwhelming. Encouraging good study habits is a great way to ensure that your student is succeeding academically, as well as potentially improving his or  attitude towards classroom learning. It’s important to remember that a student’s success builds self-confidence, which inspires the student’s eagerness to learn.

Developing strong study habits in your junior high student is the best way to prepare him or her for success in higher education. To begin, observe your student while he or she does homework or prepares for a test. Look specifically at the kinds of notes that your child takes during class. Are the notes organized, or simply a random collection of words? If your student has little sense of organization when jotting down class material, this is the best place to start.

Talk to your child about potential organization strategies such as outline structures and highlighting. Encourage your child to adopt a format of notetaking that is meaningful and memorable to him or her. Students who participate in notetaking strategies while in class are more likely to be engaged with the conversation or lecture, and the act of writing or typing helps to ingrain the facts and ideas into the student’s memory. Once your student adopts a method of notetaking, show him or her how to highlight or color-code important keywords and phrases. Warn your student about over highlighting. When a student highlights more than necessary, nothing significant stands out on the page.

Now that your student is getting older, create a study space where he or she is able to have access to all study supplies and can spread out textbooks and notes. Providing your student with a small office desk in a place with the least distractions will help aid the study process. Also, if your child’s school doesn’t require students to have a planner or online assignment calendar, purchase a planner for your child and spur him or her to keep track of assignments and due dates. If your child uses an electronic device to enhance studying, choose a free notetaking or organizer application such as myHomework or Evernote to keep track of notes and due dates.  

Finally, another large component of fostering good study habits lies in the student’s ability to manage his or her time wisely. A planner helps aids this process, however junior high students need to learn to prioritize their daily tasks effectively. Develop an after-school routine where your child is able to participate in extracurricular activities, but understands that time must be devoted to homework.

Taking the time to understand your student’s daily routine and expectations in the classroom will better help you to help your junior high student succeed in high school and beyond!

Contributed by Rebecca Stokes, Fairmont Private Schools

Image by Fairmont Private Schools

SNACKTIME: Back-to-School Sandwich Ideas

School is back in session, so get ready to fill that shiny, new lunchbox or those crisp, brown paper bags! Planning your child’s lunch can get monotonous after the first few weeks of school. Ditch the peanut butter and jelly, and spice up your child’s lunch with a few of these creative sandwich ideas!

 Fairy Sandwich courtesy of Kids Activities Blog

 Chicken Potpie Empanadas courtesy of Real Simple

 Sandwich Skewers courtesy of I Love My Disorganized Life

 Minion Sandwich courtesy of Eats Amazing

 Snowflake Sandwich courtesy of Eats Amazing

 Rocket Sandwich courtesy of Eats Amazing

 Roll-Ups courtesy of Martha Stewart

 Starfish Biscuit Sandwich courtesy of Martha Stewart

Visit Fairmont’s Snacktime Pinterest board for more great food ideas and meal tips!

Contributed by Rebecca Stokes, Fairmont Private Schools

Images by MarthaStewart.com, RealSimple.com, EatsAmazing.co.uk, ILoveMyDisorganizedLife.com, & KidsActivitiesBlog.com 

NEWSLETTER: August 21, 2015 Early Childhood Education

A Message from Anaheim Hills FPA President Dear Pre-School and Pre-Kindergarten parents, Welcome back to school! The Fairmont Parent Association (FPA) has two reserved parking spots in the front parking lot and four reserved parking spots in the east parking lot that we auction during Fairmont's open house to help raise money for FPA sponsored events. The winning bid for each parking spot allows the winner to hold that reserved parking spot for the entire 2015-2016 school year. Money raised from the event goes towards the Fall Festival, Teacher Appreciation, Family Movie Night, and other events. The FPA also raises money for specific action items to benefit Fairmont Private School's specials programs. Money raised by the FPA has contributed to the science lab, music program, art program, physical education, and our wonderful library. Amid all the hustle and bustle of room parties, school performances, drop off in the morning, pick up in the afternoon, wouldn't it be nice to have a reserved parking spot with your name on it in close proximity to the campus’ gate entrance? There are two spots to be auctioned off in the front pre-school parking lot available to any enrolled pre-school or pre-kindergarten family. The auction will be silent and blind. What does this mean? Submit your bid on the FPA bid form (forms can be found in the front office) with your contact information and bid amount and drop in the secure FPA mailbox in the front hallway. The starting bid for each spot is $300.00 (historically these spots "sell" for $500-$600). The highest two bids above $300.00 submitted into the FPA mailbox by Thursday, August 27th will be the winning bids and will secure the two reserved parking spots for the entire 2015-2016 school year. The bids can be in any increment and you can bid as often as you like. The highest bid amount for any of your submissions will be the bid considered. Please understand this auction is completely voluntary and you are obligating yourself to commit to pay the amount you bid should your bid amount be the winning bid. To be a valid bid, your child must be enrolled in preschool or pre-kindergarten and the bid must have your name, current phone number, and the bid amount at or above $300.00 on your submission. Bidding starts immediately and the deadline is the end of the school day (6:00pm) on Thursday, August 27th. In the event of a tie, the tied bid submissions will go into a drawing. I will notify the winning bidders on Friday, August 28th and the winner will be announced at our Family Movie Night that evening. If you have any questions please let me know, or ask any FPA board member. We are so excited for this 2015-2016 school year and appreciate all the support from all our Fairmont families. Good luck and happy bidding! Crystal Miles FPA President-Anaheim Hills Campus Fairmont Private Schools' Parent Association t. 714.335.6725 Contributed by Fairmont Private Schools, Anaheim Hills Campus