Fairmount recognizes the importance of arts in education and provides a well rounded arts experience for children as part of its academic program.

Students in Kindergarten through third grade have dance, gardening, drama or art of the book once a week, with professional artists in residence; some from our own parent community. Opportunities for developing literacy and English language skills are many, while the programs meet state arts standards.

Students in fourth and fifth grades have weekly visual art and music classes and may choose an instrument to study. These classes are taught by certified arts teachers and are standards based.

Fairmount students are participating in a new ballroom dance program modeled on highly successful programs in New York City. Ballroom dance, provided by the Metronome Dance Center, is taught weekly to all fourth and fifth grade classes.

After-school arts opportunities include our school choir. Guitar classes, funded by LittleKids Rock, are taught by two Fairmount teachers.

Teachers also work to incorporate art into their classroom schedules. For example, they organize students for song and dance performances at our Winter Celebration and help students prepare visual art displays for African American History month.

Our Library

Fairmount is proud of our library and of the services we provide to our students, teachers and families. The materials in our collection include biographies, easy fiction, juvenile fiction, videos and books with cassettes, games, parenting guidebooks, and poetry; all in Spanish and English.

Fairmount's school library is large, welcoming and well-stocked. A certified library teacher serves the school twice a week, providing standards-based library instruction, and bilingual library aides provide access for all. Click here to see a selection of our book titles.

A Message from Librarian Mrs. Celena Courtney:

During the upcoming summer vacation, enjoy spending time with your child/children. Visit some of the following websites for educational activities to further their academic progress, build your parenting skills and use the extensive resources available on the worldwide web.

Information Literacy: The information literate student (person) recognizes when information is needed. Then s/he uses different strategies to find, analyze, and apply information from a variety of print, non-print, electronic and multi-media sources. This website details the process steps, student skills, potential outcomes, curriculum and teaching design. more

Visual Literacy: Do you know how to read a photograph? This power point presentation has fantastic photos, web links, and charts to guide you. more

Financial Literacy: The Jump$tart Coalition has identified hundreds of free publications that you may use to teach your students/children how to earn, save and manage money wisely. Check them out.

Read an award-winning book. This California Department of Education program tells you how each winning book was selected, and gives you links to fifteen major literature award lists for grades K-12 students. more

Would you like to help your child learn more in science, math, history, with homework, or some other subject? Use the State Department of Education's fantastic Helping Your Child Series. more

Here is an annotated list of books, magazines, internet sites, computer programs and games that you may use with your pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, and first graders to help them become good readers.

NOTE: If you are trying to read a file and its name ends with ".pdf", you will need a copy of the Adobe software. Go to this website to learn more and to download a free Adobe Reader