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See articles for School Heads, Business & Operations, Advancement, Academic Leadership, and Trustees, in addition to Private School News.

Mold Risks

Business and Operations // September 27, 2011

Here in Delaware, we’ve had one of the wettest summers in history. Most of the eastern shore can sympathize with us as we all have been saturated with one rainy day after another. The excess rain has made the perfect environment for molds and fungus to grow rampant, threatening some schools with serious health risks.

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Triaging Risk

Business and Operations // September 27, 2011

As we’ve written before, to begin managing risk, you must first identify important risk or exposure. The next critical step then is to prioritize or triage those issues. This allows you to effectively manage and focus on the most import exposures.

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Communicating Through Social Media

Advancement // September 26, 2011

Social media is not going away. How many times have we written that line? We admit, we’ve published that statement over and over. But, in our defense, it’s not because we’re out of new ideas to write about—it’s because social media continues to impact today’s students more and more each time we sit down to construct a new issue of your monthly e-Letters.

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Five Online Management Tools

Business and Operations // September 26, 2011

There are so many apps now available for education purposes administrators may have started to feel left out of the technology craze. Business Managers shake off the shunned feelings—we’ve found some great online resources for you and your team of administrators.

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Green Corner

Business and Operations // September 26, 2011

Waste-Free Lunches Originally posted on globalstewards.org. A waste-free lunch is defined as one where you’re left with nothing to throw out afterwards. This might not seem possible. Sandwiches need to be wrapped in something, right? And, what about your drink? Did you bring something that requires utensils? The following article from globalstewards.org sheds some light on how wasteful lunches can be, and offers suggestions to making your lunch-footprint smaller.

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Crafting Your School’s Newsletter

Advancement // September 26, 2011

Over the past 10 years (that’s right, this season marks ten years of ISM’s e-Letters—happy birthday e-Letters!), ISM has published several articles about creating the perfect parent newsletter. Of course, 10 years ago the focus was more on printed newsletters and now the buzz is about greener, electronic alternatives. But, regardless if your school has moved over to an electronic-only format, sending out both printed and electronic variations, or is still relying on print solely, the content is what matters most.

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Back-to-Bullying Season

Business and Operations // September 26, 2011

School’s back in full swing, and so are bullies. Not that they’ve waited all summer for school to begin—they’ve most likely been spreading their terror off school grounds over their vacation. But, now that students are back on campus, bullying is once again a concern for your school.

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E-mail Wrangling

Board of Trustees // September 21, 2011

The sheer volume of electronic messages arriving in computer in-boxes, cell phones, and hand-held devices can leave school administrators and Board members feeling overwhelmed. Here are some easy tips to help you control e-mails, save time, and increase your productivity.

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New Trustees: Hit the Ground Running!

Board of Trustees // September 21, 2011

If this is your first year serving on a private-independent school Board of Trustees, familiarize yourself with the duties that you’ll be expected to handle during your tenure. To hit the ground running, make sure you do the following.

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Coaching and Mentoring Administrators

Business and Operations // September 19, 2011

Your doors have recently re-opened for another school year, and campus is buzzing with the energy of new and returning students, faculty, staff, and administrators. The days go by in a blur. As the Business Manager or Human Resource Manager (or, multiple other roles person), if you can successfully address a majority of the questions, concerns, and requests directed your way each day, you go home feeling satisfied … and exhausted! This might be the least auspicious moment to add something else to your plate, of course. Yet and still, we’re “nudgers” by nature (HR people, that is), so we have to ask: Have you attended to your coaching duties?

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