HOW TO use the fairmont blackboard mobile app

In 2010 Fairmont launched the Blackboard Learning Management System for our preschool-12th grade programs to further integrate technology into our curriculum and extend learning beyond the classroom. Blackboard serves as an interactive portal for teachers to publish homework, course content, announcements and key resources for students to access from home any time. Our teachers have adopted this new platform with enthusiasm and are using Blackboard in amazing ways. We have also been pleased to provide parent logins to all of our parents, enabling you to easily access teacher and school announcements and keep track of your student's progress. 

This year you asked us to take Blackboard to the next level by integrating a mobile app so that your child(ren) can access their classroom from any device at any time. We loved hearing your feedback, and we listened! We are pleased to announce the launch of our new Blackboard Mobile Learn app. The app is available for free download on the iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Blackberry smartphones, Android devices, and HP web OS devices. The app is designed for student use, and Fairmont recommends the app specifically for grades 4-12. Students can log in and access all of the same resources as the web-based version, but in a dynamic, mobile-friendly way. Blackboard studies show that schools who integrate the mobile app see a significant increase in student online participation, and we are excited to offer our students another way to engage with coursework outside the classroom.  

Unfortunately, Blackboard's Mobile Learn app does not yet support the parent login and interface. However, developing the best way to provide parents mobile access to homework, grades and key announcements is a project we are prioritizing this year and working with Blackboard to achieve. 

Please read the instructions below to help your student start using Fairmont's Blackboard Mobile Learn app today! 

To download and start using the Blackboard Mobile App: 1)  Search for "Blackboard Mobile Learn" in your App Store  2) Once Blackboard Mobile Learn is installed, search for "Fairmont-Thesys" using the  search bar that automatically appears when you open the app 3)  Select "Fairmont-Thesys" 4)  Log in using the same username and password you normally use to access Blackboard Additional Resources:  Blackboard Mobile Learn Feature Guide by Device  Tech Support  End User FAQ's for Android  End User FAQ's for Blackberry  End User FAQ's for iOS  End User FAQ's for Palm   Contributed by Sandy Cosgrove, Fairmont Schools Director of Education

THE FAIRMONT FIVE mom blogs we love

In the past couple years, mommy bloggers have taken off! While the sheer number of mom blogs out there can be overwhelming, the good ones provide great content for moms with children of every age. Since Mother's Day is just around the corner, here are five mom blogs to bookmark. They'll make your life a little easier--and a little more fun! 

1. Cool Mom Picks. Just like it sounds--cool moms who find and share the coolest stuff. We love this blog for finding inspiration of all kinds: birthday party gift ideas, stylish diaper bags, organization apps, etc. Kristen, Liz, and their content contributors write in a quick, snappy way. We also recommend their sister blog Cool Mom Tech for all you techies. 
2. Design Mom. "I post on the intersection of design and motherhood." What stylish mama doesn't love that? Blogger Gabrielle Blair shares her experiences as a designer and mother of six who is currently living in France. She shares craft ideas, travel tales, amazing photography, mom advice, and much, much more. 
3. Rage Against the Minivan. Best blog name award, right there. Minivan hater (but admitted minivan driver), Kristen Howerton is mother to an amazing multicultural family, built through both adoption and birth. She blogs about the tough stuff, including the balance between parenting & adoption and the impacts of race, religion, and politics on her family. We appreciate her unique perspective (and her very sarcastic sense of humor). 
4. Alive in Wonderland. A great blog for Orange County moms. Writer Suzanne Broughton is OC Family's top mommy blogger, among many other titles. Her blog boasts everything from family excursion ideas to interviews with top OC chefs to awesome giveaways. 
5. Mom 101. Liz Gumbinner is a witty mama who knows how to write. Her posts on parenting tribulations, the challenges of being a working mom, and on mom blogging itself will get you hooked. She has a loyal following for a reason, and she's known for still replying to reader comments herself--imagine that! 

(Photo from The eMarketer Blog) 


Contributed by Alyssa, Fairmont Private Schools 

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

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 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 

Anaheim Hills Campus 

Citron Campus 

Edgewood Campus 

Mable Campus 

May 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 

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

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