Wednesday, June 25

SNACK TIME summer ready safe foods

Keep Summertime Foods Safe



With the warmer temperatures of summer, it's important to be careful about food handling, cooking, and storage because bacteria thrive in warmer weather.  When certain disease-causing bacteria or pathogens contaminate food, they can cause food-borne illness, often called "food poisoning." Each year in the USA there are an estimated 76 million food-borne illnesses.  Children are at a greater risk for food-borne illness due to their immature immune systems.

Salmonella, a common food-borne bacteria, can be transmitted by eating under-cooked chicken or raw eggs found in ice cream and cookie dough (so, no more eating raw cookie dough, wait for the cookies to be cooked!).

There are precautions you can take to help prevent food-borne illness, because after all, what would summertime be like without a picnic or backyard barbecue?

Food Handling
  • Thaw or marinate meat in the refrigerator (not on the kitchen counter-top or sink) to prevent bacteria from growing at room temperature.
  • Avoid cross contamination.  Do not use the same utensils for raw meat and cooked meat without thoroughly washing them first.
  • Keep side dishes and condiments such as ketchup, mustard, or mayonnaise in the refrigerator or ice chest until ready to serve.
  • Use a food thermometer to check temperatures. Bacteria can grow rapidly between 40 and 140 degrees.

 Cooking
  • Cook meat thoroughly. 
  • Use a meat thermometer.
  • Again, avoid cross contamination. Don't place cooked meat on the same platter used for the raw meat  without thoroughly washing it first.

 Food Storage
  • Serve grilled food right away or keep it hot (above 140 degrees). Don't let it sit at room temperature for more than two hours.
  • Pack ice coolers with plenty of ice to ensure a temperature below 40 degrees. Bacteria multiply rapidly on food kept at temperatures between 40 and 140 degrees.
  • Place leftover foods in the cooler or refrigerator immediately after everyone is served. Throw away any food left out for more than two hours.

For more tips on serving safe food click here click here.

Keep summertime picnics and barbecues safe and fun by following food safety practices.

Image credit: Home Food Safety

Submitted by Leslie Kay-Getzinger, MS, RD
Regional Dietitian for Nutrition Management Services Company



Friday, June 20

FRIDAY FOLDER june 20

Highlights of the week:
Castle Park field trip - Anaheim Hills Campus
Our little SUPERHEROES - Historic Anaheim Preschool Campus
Thursday Theme Day  "Superhero" at Historic Anaheim Preschool Campus
Peace, Love & Tie Dye - North Tustin Campus
Future Champs - Anaheim Hills Campus



Summer Camp Fun!

Week 2 of Summer Camp was another great experience, and our little campers surely had a lot of fun. From Theme Thursday "Superhero" to Tie Dye, Tiny Bubbles, some even mixed smoothies. And the week ended with a field trip to Castle Park!


Next Friday, campers will head to Medieval Times in Buena Park.  Students will travel back in time as they take in the pageantry of a live jousting tournament, held inside a replica 11th century castle. For more summer camp news and information on what your child needs to bring and wear for the field trip check your campus weekly newsletters below.


Friday, June 13

FRIDAY FOLDER june 13

Highlights of the week:



Congratulations 8th Grade Class of 2014!

What a fantastic year it's been! Congratulations especially to our 8th Grade Class of 2014 who we said goodbye to in our promotion ceremonies last week. We wish you all the best in your future adventures and look forward to sharing more memories with you!  


Swim Day
Theme Thursday: Neon Day
Field Trip: Anaheim Hills Campus 
Summer Camp Kick off!

This week marked the beginning of Fairmont's 2014 Summer Camp season! This year's summer theme is Road Trip USA and our little campers enthusiastically got into the spirit of  Summer Road Trip.  We welcomed our new campers with fun activities such as Swim Day, our first Themed Thursday, "Neon Day",  and a Road Trip to the Anaheim Hills Campus. 

During next week's Friday field trip, campers will travel to Castle Park in Riverside. Check out your campus weekly newsletters below for tips about what your child needs to bring and wear for the day.


Weekly Newsletters:



Contributed by Neha,Fairmont Private Schools

ARTS + CRAFTS father's day

Father's Day is just around the corner! Help your children put a smile on dad's face by helping them make a special Father's Day gift. Here are some fun and unique ideas for the kids that will make perfect gifts!


Fingerprint mug.  Have the kids use their fingerprints to make this adorable coffee mug. It's a keepsake for dad and lets him know how much they care. 

Get the instructions here on how to make this Fingerprint Coffee Mug.

Duct-tape wallet.  This well crafted duct-tape wallet will surely make dad appreciate his Father's Day gift. To make it more fun, have the kids present it to him filled with a fun driver's license, coupons or even fake money. 

Get the instructions here on how to make this Duct-tape wallet.


Best Dad award.  Kids will have a lot of fun decorating this "World's Best Dad Award", and it will surely make their daddy very proud!

Get the instructions here on how to make this World's Best Dad Award.

Wishing you all a great Father's Day!

Contributed by Neha, Fairmont Private Schools

Friday, May 30

FRIDAY FOLDER may 30

Highlights of the week:



Congratulations to Fairmont Preparatory Academy's Graduating Class of 2014!

On Thursday, May 29th, family members and friends of the 18th graduating class of Fairmont Prep Academy gathered at Pearson Park to celebrate the accomplishments of the Class of 2014. 
We wish each of our graduates the very best with all future endeavors!





"Gold Fever" Fourth Grade Music Program:  "There's gold in them thar hills!"

Our fourth graders at the Anaheim Hills Campus have studied California history all year and recently visited Sacramento where they panned for gold and learned first hand about the Gold Rush and its importance in California history. It was so much fun to see them act out all they have learned this year!


Good Luck This Weekend!

Two Fairmont North Tustin students have qualified to run in the Junior Olympics. Brian G, 5th grade, and Sofia R., 6th grade, will be running this weekend. Brian will be running the 1500m on Saturday and Sofia will be running the 1500m on Saturday and the 800m on Sunday. Good Luck this weekend!

Weekly Newsletters: 


Contributed by Neha,Fairmont Private Schools

Wednesday, May 28

SNACK TIME healthy summer camp snacks

Healthy snacks are important for growing children and teens, but being away from home often poses nutritional challenges. Planning ahead and packing your own snacks can be a plus.



Many healthy foods are perishable and need to be refrigerated to ensure freshness and flavor, but by bringing perishable-free snacks to camp--problem solved! Try the following:


Fruit (canned or dried). An all-time favorite, applesauce, fruit cups and canned fruit are still popular as snacks. Check canned fruit for an easy to open, pop-up top. Dried fruit and canned fruit in juice have a long shelf life, are low-cost, convenient, and healthy.

Dried fruit. Raisins, figs, dates, pears, apricots, apples, cherries, cranberries, pineapple, and papaya are delicious alternatives to fresh fruit. Some dried fruits contain sulfur dioxide (such as golden raisins) which keeps the product from discoloring, but can cause an allergic reaction in some people. Read labels and choose brands that don't use preservatives including sulfur dioxide.

Nuts. High in protein, with healthy monounsaturated fats, and rich in antioxidants, just a small handful of nuts can prevent hunger. Pick your favorite (raw or roasted), such as:  peanuts, pecans, pistachios, pine nuts, almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, or cashews. Caution with peanut and/or tree nut allergies.

Trail mix or "gorp". Trail mix is a filling snack that can satisfy your salty and sweet cravings all in one bite. They are easy to make and can be tailored to suit your own taste. Items to include in your trail mix: low-fat granola, whole grain cereals, nuts, seeds (sunflower, pumpkin), and dried fruits. For an extra sweet treat, include dark chocolate bits.

Soy "nuts". Soy nuts are made from soybeans soaked in water, drained, and then baked or roasted. They can be used in place of nuts and are packed with protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals.

Granola bars. Store-bought or homemade granola bars offer a wide variety of flavors and textures, from chewy to crunchy and everything in between.

Nut or seed butters on whole grain crackers or rice cakes. Nut butters include peanut, almond, hazelnut, cashew, sunflower and soy butter (from soybeans). It is recommended that you select rice cakes made from brown (whole grain) rice, which come in many flavors including plain, apple cinnamon and caramel.

Non-perishable snacks are also a smart choice for emergency preparedness. Or just keep non-perishable snacks on hand  to ensure you won’t be caught hungry.

Image Credit: rockettes.com
Submitted by Leslie Kay-Getzinger, MS, RD
Regional Dietitian for Nutrition Management Services Company

Friday, May 23

FRIDAY FOLDER may 23

Highlights of the week:


Fairmont Dominates at IVC
This past Saturday, the Fairmont Debate team participated at the Irvine Valley College Spring Classic.  Four teams competed across 3 divisions of public forum debate.  In the Elementary School Division, the team of Alexisse Y. and Jacob G. placed seventh in a highly competitive division.  Jacob also earned eighth place speaker. An impressive accomplishment considering this is his first tournament.  Fairmont was also successful in the Middle School Division. Ellie G. and Gurveer S. finished as the second place team.  Gurveer also finished as the second place speaker in the largest division at the tournament. The team of Adnan and Kyle K. fell just short of placing at the tournament, but they had impressive wins over Perfect Score Academy.  Finally, in the high school division, the brother tandem of Jake and Nick P. finished as the top placed team. Nick continues to earn speaker awards, taking home third place. Jake, a sixth grader participating in the high school division earned second placed speaker. The Fairmont Debate program seeks to continue its success at the NCFL tournament in Chicago on May
25-26. The team is diligently preparing for this prestigious tournament.

Weekly Newsletters:

May Lunch Menus


Contributed by Neha,Fairmont Private Schools