Thursday, March 5

CHALK TALK the benefits of students exploring robotics








It’s a sunny day as a team of Fairmont Prep students known as the “Huskyteers” prepare a wireless operated robot, nicknamed “Balto,” to compete at the Regional FIRST Robotics Competition. Using laptops and power tools, they work together to make sure Balto performs its required task.  Balto must lift, move, and stack items that represent litter in a pre-determined arrangement.

The process of building a robot offers students a rewarding experience regardless of their academic backgrounds and experience.  They form a diverse team exchanging knowledge, skills, and ideas with the goal of creating an reward-winning robot.

Teachers see robotics as a perfect example of cutting-edge learning that is completely student-driven. When students focus their energy on building a robot, they demonstrate problem-solving abilities, apply academic knowledge, integrate skills, and collaborate within a group. It’s a microcosm of a real world entrepreneurial start-up.  

The experiences in designing, building, and testing a robot bring to life mathematics, computer science, engineering, and other tech savvy topics. The finished robot provides students a gratifying source of accomplishment. Most of all, they become confident in using these academic subjects to overcome many obstacles, not only for technically-based challenges, but life as a whole.

Contributed by Doug Fleischli, Fairmont Private Schools


Tuesday, March 3

FAIRMONT NORTH TUSTIN THIRD GRADER AMONG WINNERS OF DISNEY BIG HERO 6 – XPRIZE CHALLENGE







Contest Entry Proposes Product Packaging Rating System to Help Consumers Select Products with Less Packaging Waste


Fairmont North Tustin third grader Kamran Ansari has a special connection with Disney's 2015 Oscar-winning animated feature Big Hero 6. He is among the winners in the DISNEY BIG HERO 6 – XPRIZE CHALLENGE.  The contest, held late last year, encouraged children between the ages of 8 and 17 to use science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics to develop innovative approaches for addressing global problems.

For his winning entry, nine-year-old Kamran proposed a product packaging rating system to inform consumers of the wastefulness of a product’s packaging. His system allows consumers to make environmentally friendly decisions by choosing products with less packaging waste.  Click here to see the winning video entries.
 
“I selected this topic because I thought packaging is having a big, negative impact on the environment, and I want to find ways to solve this problem,” said Kamran. “I am extremely honored and grateful for having won. I can’t believe it!”


“Kamran is a prime example of the amazing things children can do when they build upon their ingenuity and express their passion,” said Kristen Jansen, Campus Director for the  Fairmont North Tustin Campus. “We are proud of his achievement and pleased to provide a learning environment for him and his classmates to make a positive impact in the world.”

Contributed by Doug Fleischli, Fairmont Private Schools

Friday, February 27

FRIDAY FOLDER february 27

Highlights of the week:





Junior High Drama Production of Seussical, Jr. is a Block Buster at our Anaheim Hills Campus SMASH hit!


Junior High Drama performed four shows of Seussical, Jr. this week and everyone loved it! Our students dazzled us with their amazing talent. They sang and danced through stories of the Cat in The Hat, Jo-Jo, Horton the Elephant, Sour Kangaroo, Gertrude McFuzz andMaysie.  Our students are truly talented, and they loved entertaining us with their gifts!
During the past three months of rehearsal, the students of the 8th period drama class learned theatre disciplines, including but not limited to, improvisation, mime, character/scene study technical theatre, and much more.The performances were a compilation of what they have learned.~Mr. Halkyard
 
 

Monday, February 23

HOW TO: Teach Children Responsibility



Your teenage son comes home from school and calls you to his room for help. He has placed all his dirty clothes in the laundry basket and he needs help carrying it all to the laundry room downstairs.

Your daughter in kindergarten finishes dinner and puts her dishes in the sink.

Teaching children responsibility fosters valuable life skills. Responsibility is not just about completing a task -- it is about attitude. Teach your children about taking action and being proud of themselves. Once that attitude becomes ingrained, children will begin to take responsibility for tasks without reminders from their parents and they will feel the sense of accomplishment that comes from completing tasks independently.  

Here are some helpful tips on how to incorporate responsibility into your child’s life:

Begin Early
It may be difficult to suddenly expect responsibility from your teenager if that has not been the norm for them during their younger years. It’s much easier if you teach responsibility from the start. For example, you can begin by teaching your toddler to not only play with their toys, but to also put them back in their place when they’re done playing.

Set a Good Example
One of the best ways to teach responsible behavior is to be a good role model. For example, you can always try to place your personal belongings in their proper places – such as always hanging your coat on the coat rack or placing your keys in the key tray. You can always clean up after yourself in any situation – such as placing your plate and eating utensils in the sink after each meal. While you complete your tasks, talk about it with your children: “Let’s go put our dishes in the sink and wash them up!” 

Let Them Help You 
Invite your child to participate in helping you complete tasks. This will both reinforce the positive sense of accomplishment and can also serve as quality time spent together. Make the task a part of a team effort and help them feel that they have ownership so they feel valued and proud. Do it with a smile! 

Show Them the Way 
Help your child along by giving tasks according to his/her skill level and be there to provide them guidance and assistance. For example, you can provide your toddler with a toy bin and then demonstrate where the toys go after they are done playing with them. As another example, provide your elementary aged child with a clothing hamper in their room. It is important for parents to pave the way by providing both guidance and the necessary tools to succeed.

Remember to be positive and consistent when helping your child manage responsibility. Teaching responsibility may not be easy, but it will provide your child with a feeling of accomplishment and with skills and good habits that will last a lifetime.

Contributed by Natasha, Fairmont Private Schools
Image from: About Parenting


SNACKTIME Why fruits and veggies are important during the flu season







To keep your family in tip-top shape during the cold and flu season, make sure everyone is giving their bodies the resources they need to fuel their immune systems. This means fresh, healthy food!

Fruits and vegetables contain essential vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and phytochemicals (plant compounds) that help children stay strong and healthy.  These nutrients support skin, eyes, heart, and the digestive system. Did you know that eighty percent of our immune system is located in our digestive system?

Color Counts!
Try a variety from the rainbow colors listed below to help support your family's immune systems.

-Green fruits and vegetables such as broccoli, sugar snap peas, Brussels sprouts, green cabbage, green beans, celery, spinach, kale, and bok choy.

-Red fruits and vegetables contain beta-carotene, known to be involved in the immune function. Some examples include cherries, cranberries, pomegranate, red/pink grapefruit, red grapes, watermelon, beets, red onions, red peppers, red potatoes, rhubarb, and tomatoes.

-Orange and yellow fruits and vegetables contain vitamin C and alpha/ beta-carotenes, which protect cell membranes. Examples include oranges, tangerines, papayas, apricot, cantaloupe, grapefruit, mango, papaya, pineapple, carrots, yellow pepper, yellow corn, squash, and sweet potatoes.

-Purple and blue fruits and vegetables contain anthocyanins and vitamin C. They have antioxidant benefits and help protect the body’s cells. Examples include blackberries, blueberries, plums, raisins, eggplant, and purple cabbage.

-White, tan, and brown foods contain flavonoids that protect cell membranes, which help support heart health and reduce cancer risks. Examples include bananas, pears, dates, cauliflower, mushrooms, garlic, onions, parsnips, turnips, white-fleshed potatoes, and white corn.

School-age children need between 1 1/2 to 3 cups of vegetables and 1 to 2 cups of fruit each day. A few bites at every meal can easily add up. Kids love to dip! Have sliced fresh fruit or vegetables ready for after-school snacks. Try dipping veggies or fruit in yogurt, bean dip, peanut butter, or low-fat salad dressing.


*******************************           
Submitted by Leslie Kay, MS, RD
Regional Dietitian for Nutrition Management Food Services



Image Credit: Everyday Families

Friday, February 20

FRIDAY FOLDER february 20

Highlights of the week:


Courtnie B. Wins CASTO Art Competition
Each year, the Orange County Chapter of the California Association of School Transportation Officials (CASTO) holds a poster contest. This year, the theme was "Bully Free Zone."  Courtnie B., under the tutelage of Mrs. Gormin, entered the CASTO contest with her "Bully Free Zone" entry, and she came in first place for the Local Chapter 2. Courtnie will receive a class party and $25 spending money. Way to go, Courtnie!

For more news and updates from the campuses, please click below:


Weekly Newsletters:

February Lunch Menus:

Tuesday, February 10

A TO Z: Saving Battery Life




We have all been there.  You turn on your iPad in class or for a meeting, you see the icon in the corner - battery is at two percent.  What can you do to maximize that last bit of battery juice? How can you prevent a low battery situation?

Prolonging Your Battery

Here are six quick tips to help your battery last longer.

1. Identify Culprits

A new feature in iOS 8 allows you to view the apps are using the most battery life.  Click on Settings —> General —> Usage —> Battery Usage.  Apps that are using up your battery life should be closed when not in use or deleted if they are not essential.

2. Turn Off Background App Refresh

Some apps run in the background even when you are not actively using them.  This is convenient when you are multitasking, but it drains battery life. Go to Settings —> General —> Background App Refresh.  You can turn off the feature in general, or select certain apps that you would like to refresh and turn it off for others. 

3. Turn Off Data Push or Fetch Email Less Often

If you are using the Apple Mail app to check your email, you can manage how often the app will connect to the mail server and search for new messages, called Data Push or Email Fetching.  How often the app fetches email will affect your battery life.  To adjust these settings, go to Settings —> Mail, Contacts, Calendars —> Fetch New Data. If the Push setting is switched on, your iPad will connect to the server frequently to find new data.  Turn this feature off to save battery life.  You can then select how your data will be fetched for each account.  To save battery life, select the Manual option - data will only refresh when you open the account. Alternatively, you can select Fetch, and select a fetch option that is less frequent, such as hourly.  

4. Use Auto Brightness or Reduce Screen Brightness

The screen display will eat up battery life if it is set to a high brightness.  You can save your battery by either using Auto Brightness or by dimming your screen when possible.  Go to Settings —> Display —> Brightness and turn Auto-Brightness to on.  You can also access your brightness quickly by swiping up from the bottom of your screen to open the Control Center.

5. Auto-Lock Sooner

Your battery will continue to drain while your iPad is on.  Using the auto-lock feature will put your device to sleep and save on battery.  You can adjust how quickly this will occur in Settings —> General —> Auto-lock.  Use a quicker auto-lock to save on battery life.

6.  Turn Off Parallax

The feature that makes the wallpaper appear like it’s moving behind your apps is called parallax. Whether you find this to be distracting or want to reduce the huge battery drain it causes, you can turn it off. Go to Settings —> General —> Accessibility and switch Reduce Motion to on.

I hope these tips are helpful in ensuring your iPad is fully functional when you need it the most! I would like to know your thoughts and ideas regarding saving the battery life for an iPad. Please feel free to contact me at: rosborne@fairmontschools.com. 


Contributed by Natasha, Fairmont Private Schools
Image from Freepik.com