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

Friday, April 27

FRIDAY FOLDER april 27



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! Save 10% on Fairmont Summer Camp and School registration through April 30th! Discounts are not valid for enrichment workshops and are only valid online. Look for additional online promotions via Facebook! 
Enroll Online Today! www.fairmontsummerprograms.com

Fairmont Wins Big at Orange County Academic Pentathlon
The 2012 Academic Pentathlon results are in, and Fairmont took home awards in every category! See the complete list of awards 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

Weekly E-Newsletters 

April Lunch Menus 

Contributed by Alyssa, Fairmont Private Schools 

Thursday, April 26

SCHOOL NEWS fairmont takes first place in national exploravision competition



Four fifth graders from Fairmont PrivateSchools’ Mable Campus in Anaheim demonstrated their top-notch talent for scientific innovation in Toshiba’s ExploraVision Competition. ExploraVision is the largest student science/technology competition in the world, with 4,807 competing teams this year.  The Fairmont team, led by science teacher Kathryn Baham, was named the national first place winner in the 4th-6th grade division for their project “Hearing the World’s Silent Side.” The team members include Chloe S. of Fullerton, Taylor T. of Orange, Riya B. of Buena Park and Raj S, of Anaheim.

As first place winners, each student will receive a U.S. EE Savings Bond worth $10,000 at maturity. Additionally, the students, their parents and their teacher Ms. Baham will receive an all-expense paid trip to Washington D.C. for the ExploraVision Awards Weekend May 30-June 2, 2012. The weekend will include a visit to Capitol Hill to meet with members of Congress, a Science Showcase during which the students will display and demonstrate their winning ideas, a Satellite Media Tour and a Gala Awards Banquet.

The ExploraVision competition challenges Kindergarten through 12th graders to propose how a current technology might be used 20 years in the future. Fairmont’s team of students studied the cochlear implant (hearing aid) and was shocked to discover that with today's technology doctors are still unable to help patients with deafness caused by auditory nerve damage. To find a solution, the students looked to the technology that is currently being tested for spinal cord injuries and wondered if that technology could be re-purposed in deaf patients. The answer, it turned out, was yes.

Applying this creative thinking, the students came up with their product: “Hearing the World’s Silent Side” [HWSS]. HWSS is a mixture of two components: nanofibers used in Spinal Cord technology and a 2012 Cochlear Implant. In HWSS the nanofibers are used to coat the auditory nerve. When sound waves enter the ear they are able to bypass the nerve damage. Combining this nanofiber technology with the regular cochlear implant results in a perfect solution for any type of hearing loss. 

Congratulations to our young innovators! 

Contributed by Alyssa, Fairmont Private Schools 

Wednesday, April 25

SNACK TIME toddler approved




We know that good nutrition habits help children to stay healthy, develop properly and become healthy adults. How can we help create healthy eating habits or get picky eaters to try new foods?

1. MAKE MEALS FUN
There's a variety of visual tools you can use to make nutritious meals pleasant and even exciting for children. Get creative about how food is actually presented. Try using bright colors, unique shapes, and special plates and be sure to discuss the benefits of good eating right from the start.

Strawberry Rice Cake Stacks
Begin with a mini-rice cake and add a dollop of flavored yogurt (dairy or soy). Top with bite size strawberry or blueberry for color or make a funny raisin face. This quick and easy bite-size snack has a nutritious dose of dairy and fresh fruit -- and kids really enjoy it.

Mini-burgers
Kids love finger foods and anything that's made miniature. Use tiny buns and fill with a scaled down hamburger, veggie-burger or lunchmeat. Mini-veggies on the side such as cherry or grape tomatoes or cocktail pickles would compliment the entrée! Bite size chunks of cheese will surely please even finicky eaters.

Special Tableware
A colorful bowl, placemat or fancy fork or spoon can make a child feel special at meal time. A personalized plate or dish set with the child’s name or favorite color or cartoon character can enhance the eating experience and encourage a few extra bites. (http://www.alphabetplates.com/home.php)

Sandwich Shapes
Use cookie cutters to transform ordinary sandwich bread into special shapes for snacks or lunches. Make the sandwiches the usual way by using two pieces of bread and filling (almond butter and jam, cheese or grilled cheese, or lunchmeats), then cut them with a fun shape cookie cutter to make a child-friendly sandwich.

Use cookie cutters in the shape of an airplane, animal, hat or another shape, depending upon the cookie cutters you have available.  If you don’t have cookie cutters, use a regular drinking glass to make a circle shape.

2. HAVE CHILDREN ACTIVELY PARTICIPATE IN MEAL PREPARATION
Meal planning and preparation activities provide an opportunity to engage children to use all of their senses as they learn in meaningful ways. Children can help select foods when grocery shopping. Young kids can retrieve things from the pantry, garden or refrigerator, help measure ingredients, and stir or mix various foods. Older children can help read recipes.

Grocery shopping and meal preparation engages children and helps them to develop physical, social, emotional, cognitive, and language skills. Studies show that when children are involved in meal planning and preparation they are less likely to be picky eaters and much more likely to try new foods!

(Image from Lunch Punch

Contributed by Leslie K. Kay-Getzinger, MS, RD, Regional Dietitian for Nutrition Management Services

Tuesday, April 24

THE FAIRMONT FIVE preschool readiness

How do you know your child is ready for preschool?  The answer really depends upon your child. In my case, I noticed that my children were becoming more independent and enjoyed spending time at grandmas without having me close at hand.  They talked about school and were curious about colors, shapes and learning their A,B,Cs. And (here's the biggie) they were confident about going to the potty.

Preschool paves the way for a lifetime of learning.  Here are five questions to ask yourself to determine if your child is ready for those first, important baby steps:
  1. Is your child potty-trained? While not all preschool programs require that children be potty-trained, at Fairmont we believe that giving up diapers is one clue that your tot is ready for the big kid world of preschool.
  2. Can your child separate from you without melting down? Every child has moments when leaving mom, dad or another caregiver can be particularly tough.  If your child is ready for preschool, you'll notice a burgeoning independence as your little one looks forward to striking out on his or her own.
  3. Can your child properly feed him/herself with utensils and remain seated in a chair while eating?  Preschool-aged children are notoriously "wiggly" in their seats, and that's okay.  But he or she should be able to feed him/herself without needing adult help.
  4. Can your child play with other children, or alone, for at least 15 minutes without requiring constant adult intervention?  Playing well independently and with others is a skill that builds as preschoolers mature; however, they'll need to start moving in this direction before it's appropriate to enroll them in preschool.
  5. Can your child follow other adult’s directions?  If you're the only one who can get your child's attention, he or she may not be ready for preschool.  Make sure your child has the opportunity to experience other caregivers--family members, friends, etc.--before starting preschool.
Want to learn more, join us tomorrow, Wednesday, April 25th, for a special Chalk Talk: Week of the Young Child Workshop at the Fullerton Main Library.  Sheila Rafa, an early childhood educator from the Citron campus, will share tips and tricks for potty training and ways to prepare your child for preschool.

Photo from Microsoft Office clip gallery

Contributed by Danyelle, Fairmont Private Schools

Monday, April 23

SCHOOL NEWS week of the young child




At Fairmont Private Schools, the Week of the Young Child™, an annual celebration sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), is packed with fun and learning designed for the early childhood years.  Each of Fairmont’s elementary campuses has plans for commemorating this special week (April 22–28) with events and activities including an outdoor concert with Nick the Music Man at the Anaheim Hills campus, a Bubbleology performance at the Edgewood campus, an international fashion show at the Citron campus and buddy story time at the Mable campus.


“Research and our own experiences at Fairmont have proven the importance of early childhood for laying the foundation for academic and life success,” said Fairmont Director of Education Sandy Cosgrove.  “We look forward to the Week of the Young Child each spring to bring awareness to Fairmont’s youngest learners and celebrate the teachers whose nurturing and instruction prepare our students to excel.”


The purpose of the Week of the Young Child™(WOYC) is to focus public attention on the needs of young children and their families and to recognize the early childhood programs and services that meet those needs.  Fairmont’s third annual WOYC celebration perfectly aligns with NAEYC’s 2012 theme: Early Years Are Learning Years®.


In addition to the on-campus events and activities, Fairmont will be hosting a special WOYC Chalk Talk at the Fullerton Library on Wednesday, April 25 from 5:30-7pm. This complementary workshop is open to the public and is designed for children ages 1-3 and their parents. Starting with Potty Training 101, parents will learn simple potty training tips and tricks. Next, one of Fairmont’s seasoned early childhood educators will provide insights into how to prepare children for school with a comprehensive Preschool Readiness presentation. Parents can RSVP at www.fairmontschools.com/chalktalks


Contributed by Danyelle, Fairmont Private Schools