While students and faculty can relax during serendipitous snow days, the Business Office’s work never rests. Deadlines and requirements remain, even when the wind howls and ice beads on sidewalks. So this month, we’d like to talk about four things the Business Office must keep in mind to continue working—despite the season’s foulest weather.

Q: As we finish up Form 1095-C and turn to the transmittal of 1094-C, I keep receiving questions on Line 22: Certifications of Eligibility. What are these, and do we need to complete them?

Your school thrives on engaged parents. However, some families can request information from your office that exceeds your expected level of engagement. Recently on the Business Manager e-list, one school asked how to handle an uncommon financial request from one of its parents: five years’ worth of “financial records.” While transparency with the community is to be encouraged, as a way for the school to demonstrate responsible stewardship of resources, vague requests that come from parents seemingly out-of-the-blue prompt some second-guessing of assumed policy.

As School Head, you play a crucial part in your school’s advancement goals—particularly re-enrollment. There is no one else who can speak on behalf of your school quite as comprehensively and authoritatively as the School Head, which means you personally can wield a great deal of power and persuasion when it comes to student retention. So, while the Admission Office works on accepting new mission-appropriate students, take a moment to address one vital question that no one else can answer.

In this, the most romantic of months, love is in the air for student sweethearts—and maybe in your administrative ranks, as well. When people spend most of their waking hours together, it’s natural for crushes to form for admirable, available peers, regardless if your school’s policies frown on it or not. If you find that love is swamping your school’s halls and offices, here are some ways in which to keep everyone’s “head in the game”—instead of Cupid’s clouds.

December 2015’s Source for Development Directors featured Bethany Academy’s remarkable viral fundraiser, in which the school’s top fundraising parent made a “miraculous” half-court shot and won half off her daughter’s tuition for the 2016-17 school year. We had a chance to talk with Bethany Academy’s Development Director Rochelle Platter, and discuss what went on behind the scenes to create such a successful fundraiser for the school through a community building event.

Q: Families often ask me what they can “expect” as an award when they turn in their financial aid applications. They tell me how much they make in a year, thinking that their salaries will be enough information for me to offer a rough award estimate on the spot. Do you have any advice on how to respond?

Bios (short for “biography”) are one of those odd professional documents that people never think they’ll be called on to write … until they are. Whether it’s for a blurb in an Open House bulletin or a longer “About Me” page on the school website, professional and engaging bios appear more often than you think—and are often your prospective audience’s first impression of you and your work. That said, bios can be extremely difficult to write. You know yourself and your accomplishments better than anyone, making you the best person to write the bio, but “tooting your own horn” can feel intrinsically uncomfortable. Fear not! There are tricks for pushing through your initial unease. So let’s take a look at how to write the three most common bios you’ll be called on to provide.

A dose of inspiration can be the best cure to the winter blues, which sap our motivation and creativity. To re-energize you for the second half of the academic year marathon, we found three motivational videos for you to watch over your lunch break (or during your afternoon sanity check).

In 2014, online megastore Amazon boasted nearly $90 billion in net sales. It currently hosts 54 million “Prime” shoppers subscribing for special deals and the coveted 2-day free shipping option. And now, using the AmazonSmile program, a percentage of those sales can go toward your nonprofit private-independent school.