Fourth Grade Visits Sacramento and San Francisco 

Anaheim Hill's 4^th grade students and parents just recently returned from their very first overnight school field trip.  This was an exciting field trip, which helped to reinforce our Social Studies curriculum. 

Sacramento, as well as the city of Coloma, provided our students will many learning opportunities.  While in Sacramento we visited the Capitol Building, and we even met with a former Fairmont student who works for Senator Huff.  In the historical city of Coloma, our students and parents had an opportunity to pan for gold along the American River.  This allowed them to experience how difficult and tiresome this task was for the 49ers.  We also had free time to explore Old Sacramento with its OId West appearance: cobblestone streets and wooden sidewalks.  Our last activity in Sacramento included a visit to the Railroad Museum which helped our students to better understand Theodore Judah and the Big Four's involvement in the building of the Transcontinental Railroad.

The second day of the trip was spent in scenic San Francisco.Our day began with a walk across the Golden Gate Bridge and a bus tour of Chinatown.  Afterwards, we explored the California Academy of Sciences Museum which includes a three-level rainforest, an aquarium, and many other interesting exhibits.  We concluded our day with a visit to Alcatraz Island and its infamous prison. As you can see, this field trip provided our 4^th grade students with a unique opportunity to explore some of California's historical landmarks.  

The following students won the highest honors in this year's WordMasters Challenge-a national language arts competition entered by ~220,000 students annually!

Congratulations to:

Austin Kim, sixth grade

Austin earned a perfect score in the very difficult GOLD division.  In the entire country only 124 sixth graders achieved this level!

Highest Honors:

Nicole Bespalko, fifth grade

Sherry Xu, fifth grade

Nicky Crosson, seventh grade

Yannie Hoang, seventh grade

Olivia Jantz, seventh grade

Lauren Lee, seventh grade

Megan Mettler, seventh grade

Kayla Bach, eighth grade

Aaron Su, eighth grade 

Faculty Spotlight:  Stephanie Conklin 

Anaheim Hills' science teacher extraordinaire Ms. Stephanie Conklin discovered a love of teaching while she was attending UC Davis interning at an inner city school as a 7th grade science teacher.  She transferred to Cal State Fullerton where she earned her Biology degree in 2006.  Shortly after graduating, she joined Fairmont's team as a guest teacher and extended day staff member.  Channeling her passion for science and education, she now teaches 6th grade earth science, the Animal Behavior elective, and elementary science lab (1st-5th grade).  Additionally, she serves as head pentathlon coach for 6th grade, DSL soccer coach, science curriculum coordinator for Anaheim Hills, and the new elementary science curriculum coordinator for all of Fairmont.

When we asked Stephanie what she liked most about teaching at Fairmont, here's what she had to say: "I love that the students challenge me to learn new concepts in science and explore areas I might not have otherwise. Working with 500+ students, each with his/her own ideas and interests leads me to amazing discussions on extremely varied topics. I love seeing the excitement on the students' faces when they are completely engaged in the scientific process and their curiosity takes on a life of its own.

I also have the opportunity to join the students on several amazing field trips throughout the year. In October, I accompanied the 6th graders up to the San Bernardino Mountains for five days of hiking and learning in the great outdoors. Students learn about the many ecosystems here in California while enjoying team building and leadership activities. In March, I had the pleasure of journeying to Catalina Island with the fifth graders to enjoy snorkeling and kayaking while learning about California coastal ecosystems.  

In April, the sixth graders and I went to the San Onofre Nuclear Power Plant to get a firsthand account of how our facilities have prepared to keep us safe in the event of a disaster such as the one experienced this spring in Japan. During our visit, the students' level of questions and knowledge prompted the tour guide to bring in several experts. As we left, one senior engineer commented, "I'll be keeping your names and numbers since I will be looking forward to hiring many of you when you are old enough!" I could not have been more proud of my students for their enthusiasm, manners, and level of engagement. Most recently, I attending the 7th grade trip to the Grand Canyon where we enjoyed hiking, biking, rafting, rock climbing, star gazing, and so many amazing experiences! There is no end to the list of awesome opportunities I have had here at Fairmont! I cannot wait to see what adventure I will have next!" 

Take Champ!

Stop by the admissions office to get your very own Champ. Take Champ with you on summer vacation! Come back and share pictures and stories of how Champ spent his summer days!!

Step One: Cut Champ out 

Step Two: Take Champ with you wherever you go this summer (on vacation, summer camp, by the pool, etc.)

Step Three: Post Champ in fun and interesting places and take a photo!

Step Four: Upload Champ's photo to www.facebook.com/fairmontanaheimhills, you can also make a video or create a poster to share details about where Champ is and what Champ is doing!

Step Five: Win a Visa Gift Card when you return to school! We will have an assembly to see all of the wonderful places Champ visited over the summer. The entire school will vote on the most creative and interesting Champ photos and stories. The winners (at different grade levels) will win a Visa Gift Card!!