STUDENT SPOTLIGHT anaheim hills features musician allison to

How many kids can say they've played at Carnegie Hall?  Not many.  However, Fairmont’s Anaheim Hills campus is home to one such talented student.  Fourth grader, Allison To, is an accomplished pianist and skilled violinist. Allison has won multiple awards in numerous competitions such as: SYMF (Southwestern Youth Music Festival), MTAC (Music Teachers' Association of California), and the Long Beach Mozart Festival. She was awarded a Gold Medal at the 2010 International Young Musician's Competition. In the same year, Allison gave her debut performance at Carnegie Hall in New York.  She currently studies piano under the direction of Ariel Yang at Opus119, the school of music's prestigious Conservatory Program.  She shares her musical talents with others by performing in local senior centers and giving concerts to fund-raise for World Vision.  Her favorite subject is math and she also enjoys shopping, drawing, and playing with her best friend Suma, her Maltese dog. Allison remembers a time her mom took her to a concert given by a Korean doctor. He is not only a famous surgeon, but a musician and believes that music is very therapeutic.  This has inspired Allison to pursue a career as a doctor and use both her academic skills and her musical talents to make a difference in the lives of others.

Contributed by Danyelle, Marketing

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT edgewood features natalie k. and ryan g.

Natalie Kim, Jr. Kindergarten

 

Natalie, is currently in Miss Kliss' Junior Kindergarten and is 5 years-old. Some of Natalie's favorite things are: the color pink, eating rice, the song “More Than a Song”, and the movie, “Lemonade Mouth”.  Speaking of songs, Natalie also takes voice lessons and loves to sing and dance whenever Room 102 has a dance party. She also takes swim lessons with another classmate, Daniel Shim. We enjoy Natalie and her amazing personality!

Ryan Gumlia, 1st Grader

Ryan Gumlia, an Edgewood first grader, takes his passion for ice hockey beyond the local rinks. He recently returned with a bronze medal from the Alberta Championship Cup in Canada, a large youth hockey tournament covering most of western Canada.  He scored three goals in five games.  More than 250 Canadian teams participated in the tournament. Ryan’s team, the Cougars Selects, is headquartered out of Edmonton with branch teams in the United States. Since returning from Alberta, Ryan has been invited to return to play in a tournament in Calgary at the end of the month.

Congratulations, Ryan!

Contributed by Jonna, Edgewood

SNACK TIME may is egg-cellent

It’s time to celebrate a versatile food, found around the globe and eaten in a variety of ways for centuries, the egg. Eggs are well-liked in the US, and if you count all the eggs eaten for breakfast and used in cakes and other cooked foods, we eat about 250 eggs per person per year!

Why are eggs so popular? Well, for starters they help give foods a richer flavor, color and texture. Eggs are high in complete protein and easy to digest. All of the protein in eggs can be found in the egg white, or “albumen”.  The albumin also contains B vitamins, which play a role in energy metabolism.

Egg yolk contains the fat soluble vitamins A and D, fat, and most of the minerals, such as iron, calcium, phosphorus and potassium. The yolk is also rich in choline, an important nutrient for development of the brain.

Lutein, a yellowish phytonutrient previously discussed on these blogs, is also found in egg yolk, and has the ability to protect the eye from damaging ultraviolet light. Corn and other yellow vegetables contain lutein, but the form of lutein found in egg yolk is much more bioavailable, meaning it is easily absorbed and used by the body.

While chicken eggs are most popular in the US, duck, goose, ostrich, emu and quail eggs can also be found mainly in specialty shops, restaurant menus, or local farms. Have you ever eaten a quail or ostrich egg?

Big egg: An ostrich or emu egg, is twenty times as large as a chicken egg. The ivory-colored shell is very thick and hard to crack open.  A single emu egg is equal to about 10 -15 hen’s eggs.

Quail eggs are pretty small (five quail eggs equal to one large chicken egg) with speckled spots on the shell. 

Fun facts about eggs:

White eggs come from white hens

Brown eggs come from brown-feathered hens

The egg carton was created in 1918 to prevent eggs from breaking

The egg yolk color depends on the bird’s diet and can range from pale yellow to dark orange.

If you want to hard-boil an ostrich egg, it will take about 1 hour

Free-range eggs are produced by hens that go outdoors daily where they can peck for worms, grubs and insects, and exercise their legs and wings. 

Can’t remember if an egg is fresh or hard boiled? Just spin the egg. If it wobbles, it’s raw. If it spins easily, it’s hard boiled. A fresh egg will sink in water, a stale one will float.

Contributed by Leslie Kay-Getzinger, Nutrition Management 

BOOK REPORT mable second grade teacher recommends grad season fav

We've gone with a patriotic theme for our Fairmont book report selections this month in honor of Memorial Day, so Dr. Seuss' Oh, the Places You'll Go! is something of a departure.  Consider it our one-and-only pick for graduation season.  You just can't find a more whimsical way to congratulate the new grad in your life or to motivate your little ones to keep up the good work as they approach their own big days.  As Summer Burbage, Mable second grade teacher says, "I believe every student has the ability to "move mountains!"

Contributed by Danyelle, Marketing

BOOK REPORT citron suggests the pledge for memorial day read

The Pledge of Allegiance

By Scholastics Inc.

The Pledge of Allegiance pairs pictures of America with the words of the Pledge of Allegiance to help children better understand what the pledge means. The text of The Pledge of Allegiance is illustrated with stunning photographs of American landscapes, monuments, and flags. In addition to the inspiring pictures, at end of the book, the authors include historical facts about America that serve as a mini history lesson for students.  This is a great book to share with your children on all of the special holidays when we celebrate America.

Contributed by Elly, Citron campus

BOOK REPORT mable fifth grade teacher suggests historical fiction

The Year of the Hangman, by Gary Blackwood is a wonderful piece of historical fiction. In fifth grade, we study American history and the Revolutionary War. This book is a fictional story about what might have been had we lost the war. The story gives insight into what life was like during this time period and also provides an imaginative look at what life could have been like. This book is a page turner and very hard to put down! 

Contributed by Nicole, Mable campus

BOOK REPORT anaheim hills suggests inspirational american story

The Land

by Mildred Taylor 

Every year, my students enjoy reading The Land, by Mildred Taylor.  Set in the South after the Emancipation Proclamation, it tells the story of Paul Edward Logan, the son of a wealthy, white plantation owner and his black slave.  Although Paul’s mother is now free, she chooses to stay on the plantation and give her son the opportunity to know his father.  Paul’s father treats him like his own white children, until one day when Paul hits one of his white brothers.  Mr. Logan must make Paul understand that he is black and cannot hit a white man. The story takes the reader through Paul’s life, as he feels he does not fit in-—he is not accepted by the whites, because he is half black-- he is not accepted by the blacks, because he looks white.  In spite of many hardships, he perseveres to fulfill his dreams.  It is an inspirational story that brings to life an important part of American history.

Contributed by Nancy, Anaheim Hills campus