Friday, June 7

FRIDAY FOLDER June 7


Valeska F., Jaaniya D. and Brandon K. "hang out" on the monkey bars during Move-Up Day at Historic Anaheim Campus

Highlights From This Week
Parent Survey - Due June 10
As parents, your feedback is invaluable to us in informing our decisions and plans moving forward. We invite you to share your feedback in this year's online parent survey. You should have received an email this week with the link to the survey. If you have not received the survey, please email Stephanie Green at sgreen@fairmontschools.com with your updated email address, and we will send it to you right away. Each family who completes the survey by June 10 will be entered in a raffle to win $1000 off tuition next year! Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts.  

Anaheim Hills:
Field Day!
What a blast!  Field day was super fun for all of our students.  They had a wonderful time 'racing' with all of the funny obstacles. They jumped through hula-hoops, rode a scooter through cones, juggled balls on a spoon and did hop-scotch!  They laughed and giggled as they cheered their classmates on to the finish line.  Everyone loved getting their medals and yummy snow cones.

Historic Anaheim:
Move-Up Day
On Tuesday, June 4th, Historic Anaheim held our traditional Move-Up Day.  On this day, JK-8th grade students "move-up" and visit their next year's classrooms. It is an exciting day for students and teachers alike.
Students met and spent time with each of the teachers who are in the grade they will be in next school year.  

Each teacher presented to the students about a unique topic. For example, Mr. Edmisten had his students participate in a probability game, Mr. Briner and Mrs. Riley presented to sixth grade students about the Grand Canyon overnight trip, Ms. Gratzer read a story to the Junior Kindergarten students and Miss Patterson explained a "day in the life of sixth grade" to the students visiting her class.
More photos from Move-Up Day are available on our Flickr page. 


Fairmont Summer Programs: Now Enrolling! 
Hear Ye! Hear Ye! The Fairmont Summer Programs website is now LIVE and accepting applications for all the lords and ladies of the kingdom! Sign up before April 30th to receive a 10% discount on summer school and summer camp.  

Preschool-8th Grade:
http://www.fairmontsummerprograms.com/ 
High School:
http://www.fairmontsummerschool.com/


June Lunch Menus 

Wednesday, June 5

THE FAIRMONT FIVE fun father's day playdates

Father's Day is coming up!  We love dads and appreciate having so many wonderful fathers involved in their children's education.  Here are a few suggestions of fun places to go and things to do with dad on his big day:
  1. Nature hike--get out and enjoy the great outdoors together. Find a trail near you by going to LocalHikes and entering your zipcode.
  2. Movie--bond over popcorn and a family-friendly flick at your local cinema.
  3. Children's Museum--dads are really just big kids themselves, so they'll love a hands-on children's museum like Discovery Science Center or The Bowers Museum's Kidseum.
  4. Beach--so cal dads love the beach!  Head over to Crystal Cove State Park for swimming, tide pooling, and sand castle making.  Dad and kids will love the burgers and hand-blended shakes at the Shake Shack or for fancier fare book a reservation at the Beachcomber
  5. Camping--dad can showcase his outdoor survival skills on a weekend away camping. Check out these last minute camping ideas from Sunset magazine or for something even closer to home pitch a tent in your own backyard!
Contributed by Darcy & Danyelle, Fairmont Private Schools


Monday, June 3

SCHOOL NEWS congratulations class of 2013

On Thursday, May 30, 2013, Fairmont Preparatory Academy celebrated the commencement of the Class of 2013 at Pearson Park amphitheater in downtown Anaheim.  It was the culmination of the hopes and dreams of seniors and their families and the jumping off place for 165 graduates who are headed to schools including Yale, University of Pennsylvania, Cornell, Carnegie Mellon, and USC in the fall.  The statistics are pretty impressive, but they don't begin to tell the full story of the young men and women who leave us at Fairmont feeling very proud and a little bit sad to see them go.  Congratulations Class of 2013!  We wish you all the success in the world!

Class of 2013 At-A-Glance
  • Number of graduating seniors= 165
  • College Acceptance=100% of graduates accepted to college (over 200 different colleges and universities in 28 states and 5 countries)
  • Scholarships=$1.4 million
  • Community Service=17,260 hours
Contributed by Danyelle, Fairmont Private Schools

Friday, May 31

FRIDAY FOLDER may 31

Khalil playing violin during the Instrumental Program

Highlights From This Week
Parent Survey - Due June 10
As parents, your feedback is invaluable to us in informing our decisions and plans moving forward. We invite you to share your feedback in this year's online parent survey. You should have received an email this week with the link to the survey. If you have not received the survey, please email Stephanie Green at sgreen@fairmontschools.com with your updated email address, and we will send it to you right away. Each family who completes the survey by June 10 will be entered in a raffle to win $1000 off tuition next year! Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts.  

Instrumental Concerts
Anaheim Hills: Our amazing students entertained us with their wealth of talents and musical skills during the recent instrumental program. In September the Fifth Graders chose to learn how to play either violins, cellos, clarinets, flutes, trombones or trumpets. They have spent the past 9 months learning how to read music, about beat, about timing and playing with a group. They have learned how to take care of their instrument and about being dedicated to practice time. The improvement has been astounding! They thrilled us with their progress, and it was to wonderful to see how much they have learned. 

Junior High Instrumental group entertained us with their fun and jazzy music repertoire. We loved seeing them enjoying the music they had been learning. They played movie soundtracks like Pirates of the Caribbean and Raiders of the Lost Ark March. They also played Red Face and a jazzy blues song, and the flutes had a wonderful version of The Entertainer. Some of the Junior High students have been playing their instruments through Fairmont for four years!    

Historic Anaheim: On Wednesday, May 27, the Historic Anaheim Campus was filled with beautiful music. The eclectic mix of songs ranged from the Beatles' "Yesterday" to Beethoven's "Symphony No. 5." First off, the fifth grader strings class took the stage. They played several traditional songs including "Mary Had A Little Lamb." Their portion of the program concluded with "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" by Mozart. Performing next were the brass and woodwinds classes from fifth grade. Their program consisted of folk songs from around the world. Additionally, their set featured two solo performers - Jason B. played a clarinet solo and Julia T. performed a piano solo.
 
After the fifth grade completed their portion of the program, a handful of students took center stage as they performed solo or in small groups. Here is a list of these performers:
Kai H. - Piano Solo - "Sonatina" by M. Clement
Daryuish K. - Violin Solo - "Concerto #3 in g-minor" by F. Seitz
Xixi L. - Piano Solo - "Sherzino" by M. Maskowsky
Ejay C. - Violin Solo - "Concerto" by J. B. Accolay
Justin L., Lauren L, and Michelle L. - Violin, Cello, and Piano Trio - "Part of Your World" from "The Little Mermaid"
Woodwind Ensemble - "We the People" by J. Williams

Finally, the combined Elementary Ensemble and Junior High Orchestra took the stage. They performed several well known songs including "Yesterday" by the Beatles and themes from "Pirates of the Caribbean." Also included in their set was "Finale" by Beethoven and "Canon in D" by  Pachelbel. The show concluded with the traditional closing number, "Can-Can" by Offenbach.

Fairmont Summer Programs: Now Enrolling! 
Hear Ye! Hear Ye! The Fairmont Summer Programs website is now LIVE and accepting applications for all the lords and ladies of the kingdom! Sign up before April 30th to receive a 10% discount on summer school and summer camp.  

Preschool-8th Grade:
http://www.fairmontsummerprograms.com/ 
High School:
http://www.fairmontsummerschool.com/

Wednesday, May 29

ARTS & CRAFTS fairytale summer crafts

In the spirit of Fairmont's fairytale-themed summer camp, we rounded up some of our favorite summer crafts that may or may not appear at a Fairmont campus near you this summer.  Try these at home with the kids on a lazy Sunday afternoon or leave the crafting to the professionals and enroll in Fairmont's summer camp.  Either way, we wish you and your little elves a magical summer break!

Image from Spoonful
Contributed by Danyelle, Fairmont Private Schools

Monday, May 27

BOOK REPORT the whipping boy

The Whipping Boy
by Sid Fleischman

Finding appropriate reading for my 8 year-old can be hard. I want a book that she won't want to put down but I also want it to teach her something. Luckily, I have a wonderful children's librarian at our local library and she recommended The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman for my daughter to read. Little did I know upon giving it to her she had already read it. 

"Oh yeah mom I read that already. You should read it, it's really good!" To which I replied that I have read it too, just many years ago. But I thought that it would be the perfect book to re-read and share. 

The characters in the book are very colorful and even I was sucked in from the very beginning. We are introduced to Prince Brat and an orphan boy named Jemmy who serves as the "whipping boy" who is always punished in place of the prince. The book is about the transformation we see in the two boys once problems and adventures arise. 

It is very simply written so that a child can read it on his or her own, but it is also a perfect book for a parent to read aloud. It won the well deserved Newbery Medal Award in 1987. It's a great book to kick off your summer reading list.

For more age-appropriate books and reading lists, browse through Fairmont's Pinterest boards.

Book jacket image from wikipedia
Contributed by Darcy, Fairmont Private Schools 

Wednesday, May 22

SNACK TIME gardening this summer



Give the gift of gardening this summer by introducing your child to a fun activity that can last all summer long and beyond. Let your children be dazzled by dirt and critters, inspired as seeds sprout and vegetables and fragrant herbs grow.
 
Benefits of Gardening
Tending to a garden, including regular watering, checking for growth, removing harmful insects, etc. can foster independence and responsibility. Allowing the child to select their own seeds or plant teaches them about expression.
 
Master gardeners know that exposure to gardening also shows kids the importance of food and healthy eating, as well as caring for their environment. Gardening can be a great way for children to expand their food choices since kids are more likely to eat something they have grown.
 
A trip to the local nursery to pick out seeds and a child’s very own gloves and tools can delight with anticipation.  Seed packets usually include instructions for caring for the plant, giving young gardeners an opportunity to practice their reading skills, too.
 
Kids love using their hands to create things. It can be as simple as one plant in a single pot or a full designated garden onsite. Decide on where you will plant- directly in the ground, on raised beds or in containers.
Growing tomatoes, green beans, strawberries or sunflowers are popular and easy options.
 
Theme gardens are fun too. You could create theme gardens with foods kids like. For example, if they like pizza, have them plant tomatoes, basil, oregano and peppers. Or stimulate their imagination by planning a fairy garden. Or plant a “hidden treasure garden” by harvesting root plants such as carrots or potatoes or radishes.
 
It’s also a great way to elevate a child’s self esteem. There are many benefits to gardening at home, school or as part of a community project.
 
Preparing the soil, planting the seeds, watching the first sign of life instills a sense of wonder and connection with the soil and plants that nourish them. Give your children an activity that will give them inspiration and a sense of accomplishment all summer long.
 
For tips on making gardening a family activity refer to the resources below.
Books:  "We Grew It, Let's Eat It!" (Tenley Circle Press, $15) and "Dig, Plant, Grow: The Kids Guide to Gardening," (Cool Springs Press, $16)
 
For nutrition education printouts for preschool and elementary school children:
 
Contributed by Leslie K. Kay-Getzinger, MS, RD, Regional Dietitian for Nutrition Management Services Company