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See articles for School Heads, Business & Operations, Advancement, Academic Leadership, and Trustees, in addition to Private School News.
Ask the Expert
Advancement // June 4, 2010
Q: I am looking at taking an intro to grant writing Webinar. Are there any Webinars on the topic that you can recommend?
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How to Expand Without Expanding—One School's Solution to the Challenges of Space Restriction
Business and Operations // June 3, 2010
If part of your job includes the duties of a Facilities Manager, then you're probably aware of the challenges of space. You need fields for your sports teams, labs for your science students, updated math facilities to meet the technological advances, and perhaps even space for a community garden. Yet, your geography could have your plans for progress at a stand-still. You can't move the whole school!
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Green Corner—How to Grill Green
Business and Operations // June 3, 2010
Now that the season is finally in transition, images of grilled organic vegetables might be dancing in your head. Of course, what goes better with spring and summer than backyard grilling and picnics? Barbecue grills can even be an ecofriendly option for you and your family, so if the mere thought of grilled food makes your mouth water, it's time to treat yourself to delicious and healthy meals.
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Ten Million People Strong and Growing—Health Savings Accounts
Business and Operations // June 3, 2010
Hot off the presses on May 19 was the news that enrollment in health saving accounts linked to high-deductible insurance plans (they must be linked by law) had grown to 10 million people. Since 2004, when a law added Medicare's prescription drug benefits to health saving accounts (HSA), enrollment has been steadily increasing. (It's almost a new trend in the insurance world!) And, there are no signs that enrollments will slow down or start to plateau looking ahead.
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Connecting Your School Garden With Others
Private School News // May 27, 2010
Kidsgardening.org has a great resource for teachers that not only contains sample lesson plans for educating students about bees, butterflies, and how to have a bee-free barbecue, but that also connects their classrooms to others that are experiencing the marvels of gardening.
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Oil Spill Resources to Share With Classes
Private School News // May 27, 2010
Classes nationwide are discussing the oil catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico, listening to news updates, and getting a crash course in environmental science. Teachers are changing lesson plans to incorporate current disaster facts, and students, even as some prepare for graduation, are making the time to leave their thoughts and opinions tagged to comment boxes and blog walls.
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May Is National LTD Month
Private School News // May 27, 2010
Disability can happen to anyone—at any time. In fact, an employee under the age of 65 is more likely to become disabled than to die. May is National Disability Insurance Awareness Month, and there is no better time for employees to learn about their risks and how to protect their incomes, families, and selves from an unfortunate injury that prevents them from returning to work.
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When Is the "Right" Time to End a Departing Employee's Health Benefits?
Private School News // May 27, 2010
As the school year winds down, the question often arises, "When should we end health insurance coverage for faculty who aren't returning next year?" The answer depends on what is written in your contract with the insurance carrier as well as how your employment contracts are structured.
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Social Media: Weighing the Risks
Private School News // May 27, 2010
Since the fall, we've written a good amount about social media and school policies. In fact, we even released a storybook and postcard series alerting schools to the risks of using social media to screen applicants—which seems to be the latest fad in the HR world—Risk #86: Curiosity Sued the School. But, just as there are risks associated with social media, there are tons of positives, too. Let's weigh a few of the pros and cons again as a refresher before summer sweeps our focused thoughts under the shade.
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The Bullying Epidemic
Academic Leadership // May 25, 2010
The suicide of 15-year-old Phoebe Prince—attributed to relentless, vicious bullying by a group of fellow students—has once again put an exclamation point on a problem that is rampant with youth today. In the Prince case, the community has been torn apart—citizens demanding justice for Phoebe, the police attempting to conduct a thorough investigation while they simmered, indictments for the alleged bullies, parents being charged, and fingers pointed at the high school's faculty and staff who knew of the bullying.
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