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See articles for School Heads, Business & Operations, Advancement, Academic Leadership, and Trustees, in addition to Private School News.
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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Just a Cool New Gadget? Some Thoughts on the iPad
Academic Leadership // May 25, 2010
Just a big iPod Touch. Just a big iPhone. Just a big gaming device. And that name. You are probably hearing all these things about the latest release from Apple, the iPad—the company's new e-tablet. But just walk into an Apple retail store (if you can manage to get in—even at the height of the recession, the place was always mobbed), wait your turn, and then belly up to one of the dozen or more iPads on display.
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Ask Michael
Business and Operations // May 21, 2010
Q: We issue contracts to all faculty members and some (but not all) administrators and staff. We're thinking of eliminating contracts for administrators. What issues does this raise?
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