Palmer Trinity School, FL, is planning its 40th anniversary celebration and Development Officer Lauren Dowlen shared the steps the school has taken so far. This could be helpful for all our readers whose schools are facing a milestone, especially if you need a jumpstart!

Katya Andresen, Chief Strategy Officer for the online donation-collection conduit Network For Good, shared in her blog “The Six Things I Wish I’d Known 20 Years Ago.”  One of those things was: What I wish I had also known about communications: Nothing beats a good story about one person. (Including a good story about two, 20 or 20,000 people.) Research is clear: if we want to spark someone’s empathy and inspire a donation, we must tell the story of our cause through one person (or animal). We must give our mission a pulse and save the abstractions and statistics for another day.

In Philadelphia, City Councilman Jim Kenney wants every student in the city to see the new documentary “Bully,” but the R rating assigned by the MPAA film board could prevent that. Due to five instances of a distinct expletive heard on film, the MPAA won’t move on the rating. Meaning, kids who should be seeing this may not be able to without their parents with them.

Last month, we looked closely at how defining “Characteristics of Professional Excellence” can enhance a school’s processes for hiring, evaluating, and developing faculty. This month, we examine the other side of the coin: What skills and characteristics do academic administrators need to have to succeed and thrive in a 21st century environment?

Springtime for much of the U.S. means allergy sufferers are already feeling their seasonal pains. For adults, it’s likely that they’re aware of their symptoms and know how to treat themselves. Children, however, may not have shown signs of allergies before. Teachers and administrators should know what signs to look for.

The IRS has issued a chart that lists various types of health insurance coverage, and whether that coverage must be reported on Form W-2 by many employers beginning with the 2012 calendar year.

A parent registering their food allergic child has a ton of worries. They fear for their child’s safety, they fear about him/her having an episode of anaphylaxis as result of an accidental contact, and they fear how the school’s faculty and staff will react in the event of an allergic reaction. There is nothing more frightening than the fear of their child’s life being threatened. As Admission Director, you have a responsibility to assure these parents of their child’s safety—and have policies in place to enforce your word.

Medical acronyms are confusing for those of us who aren’t involved with insurance procedures, claims, and policies on a daily basis. They can even be confusing for some of us who are involved regularly! Stress no more! Here's the skinny on what is what to better enable you to chose a product that works best for your school's mission—or, to help you chose what plan you should invest in for you and your family.

Blogs, forums, chat rooms, listservs—the choices go on and on. These can be valuable resources for finding alternative opinions and information about almost anything. From general private school news to just needing a quick laugh to fuel the rest of your day, blogs can remind you that you're not alone in the all-too often chaotic world of private-independent education.

During the past two years, ISM has engaged in an intensive effort to forecast the needs of schools in the rapidly evolving 21st Century environment. One of the outcomes of this effort was the recent publication of a new template for faculty evaluation, which we are pleased to publish in excerpted form this month.