Your private-independent school receives funds not only through predictable hard income from tuition, but also through unpredictable funnels, such as your school’s development efforts and various philanthropic events. When ISM talks about a school’s “advancement plan,” then, we’re really talking about all of these financial efforts combined, not just admissions or development alone. One person—or even a whole department!—can’t accomplish everything, which is why your school’s Advancement Team is so important. But who’s on this team, and how does each member contribute to the overall effort?

Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer although our calendars tell us that summer doesn’t begin until June 21. It’s safe to say that come Memorial Day weekend, pools open, life guards return to beaches, people pack away winter clothes and break out their summer wardrobes, and grills are fired up for some tasty backyard feasting. Sounds like summer to us!

Q: We rely on our volunteers. What concerns, if any, are there with using parents as volunteers?

It’s hard to remember the world before Google. It’s how we find anything and everything online, not to mention how we keep track of important appointments and assignments, chat with friends and colleagues, and collaborate on projects. Companies and schools alike are not just powered by Google, but are completely entrusting in the company’s software.But just how safe is your Google-driven and stored information?

With lengthening daylight and warmer temperatures, kids are eager to play outside on playgrounds and in organized sports on broad, grassy fields. But what if those fields hide creatures that could harm your students? What if they’re harboring tiny, blood-sucking parasites? Welcome to May, everyone—it’s tick season.

Strange, but possible, especially when you consider that the average U.S. office worker accounts for two pounds of paper and paperboard products every day. That’s the average employee in any industry—can you imagine how much more faculty and other administrators print to keep up with a school full of students? Letters to parents, worksheets, and memos can add up, so check out some of these tips to save on printing in your school.

Q: If we hire an hourly administrative assistant to work full-time during the school year that would have unpaid summers and vacations off, are we legally required to offer health benefits? Likewise, are we “safe” with not paying health benefits for teachers' aides who work 32.5 hours a week during the school year?

With the spring hiring frenzy in your rearview mirror, it’s time to start thinking about introductions and orientations for your newest employees! New teachers should feel welcome not just in faculty lounges, but in the larger school community, too.

As we inch closer to graduation, we start to think about what graduates will do as young adults entering the “real world.” If a recent study by centrist think tank Third Way is right, few of our highest achievers consider teaching as a personal career goal.

National Teacher Day was May 6, and we couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate all of our teachers than to share a video made by Edutopia and SoulPancake featuring veteran teachers writing letters to themselves on their first day of school as a new teacher. (The transcript’s below, if you care to read instead of listen.)