Excellence in School Security

How to Choose a Private School That Aligns with Your Family Values

Selecting a private school is more than picking a place for academic instruction—it’s choosing a community, a philosophy, and a partnership in raising your child. While class size, test scores, and extracurriculars matter, alignment with your family’s values is often overlooked yet essential.

Families who find their best-fit schools look beyond prestige and focus on shared priorities. Here’s how to approach your search with clarity and confidence, ensuring your child’s educational environment supports academic success—and personal and ethical development.

Define Your Family’s Core Educational Values

Start by clarifying what matters most to your family. Every school promotes ideals, but the best-fit ones will reflect the beliefs you already live and model.

Ask yourselves:

• Do we want a faith-based or secular environment?

• How important are character education or community service?

• Do we value academic rigor, creativity, independence, or structure?

• What are our views on discipline, leadership, and competition?

• Is diversity—of thought, background, or culture—a top priority?

By answering these as a family, you’ll be better equipped to identify schools that share your core values. For example, families seeking a religious foundation may explore Christian private schools, while others may prefer independent schools with a progressive outlook.

Look Beyond the Brochure:

The Evolution of Early Reading Strategies for Children

Early reading has always been a cornerstone of child development, forming the foundation of lifelong learning and comprehension.

• How we teach children to read has seen significant shifts over the centuries, reflecting changes in education theory, societal values, and technology.
• This article will explore these changes, offering insights into the past, present, and future of early reading strategies for children.
• To understand how we teach reading in the 21st century, let's look at how they taught reading in Roman times and the Middle Ages.

Canva generated this picture of a child reading.

During Roman times

In ancient Rome, the education system was quite different from what we know today.

• However, reading was an essential skill, especially for those belonging to higher social classes.
• Learning to read, write, and do arithmetic was a fundamental part of a Roman child's upbringing.

Here's how children were generally taught to read during Roman times.

• Roman education often began at home, especially for the elite, with either the father or a private tutor providing instruction.
• However, there were also rudimentary forms of schools known as "ludus litterarius," which children from a broader range of social backgrounds could attend.
• That's how the formal education for many Roman children began, focusing on reading, writing, and arithmetic.
• While it was rudimentary compared to modern standards, it

As parents, we face critical decisions shaping our children's educational journey. One of the challenging choices is whether to have our child repeat kindergarten or move forward despite having a birthday near the usual cut-off date. This article delves into the pros and cons of repeating kindergarten for children with cusp birthdays, aiming to assist parents in making informed decisions that best support their child's academic and emotional development.

PROS of Repeating Kindergarten for Cusp Birthday Children

Academic Readiness

Repeating kindergarten provides children additional time to develop essential pre-academic skills, ensuring they are adequately prepared for future learning. These skills may include letter recognition, basic numeracy, fine motor skills, and language development. The extra year can also foster a love for learning, setting a positive tone for the rest of their academic journey.

Emotional and Social Development

Younger children in the classroom might struggle to keep up emotionally and socially with their older peers. By repeating kindergarten, cusp birthday children can build confidence and social skills at a more appropriate pace. They can mature emotionally, enhancing their ability to navigate social interactions and adapt to the school environment effectively.

Leadership and Confidence

Being among the eldest in the class can naturally lead to opportunities for cusp birthday children to take on leadership roles. These roles can help boost their self-confidence and overall development. As they interact with younger classmates, they might act as role models and develop valuable mentoring skills.

Reducing Academic Pressure

The decision to

Ensuring the safety and security of students and faculty members in schools is a top priority for educators, parents, and community members alike. With the rise of school shootings and other violent incidents, it is essential to have a comprehensive plan in place to protect everyone on your school campus. In this article, we will comprehensively analyze the key factors that impact school security, including planning by a professional security firm, cost, how to implement recommendations, buy-in from stakeholders, and the importance of considering the impact on students and staff when making decisions.

Hire a professional security firm.

Planning by a professional security firm is a critical component of school security. These firms have the expertise and experience to identify potential risks and develop effective mitigation strategies. In addition, they can thoroughly assess the school's physical environment, including the building layout, access points, and existing security measures. Your board andThis information can then develop a customized security plan that addresses the unique needs of the school. However, the cost of hiring a professional security firm can be a significant barrier for many schools. The expenses associated with a comprehensive security plan can be substantial, and the school must weigh the benefits of increased security against the financial constraints of the budget. This tradeoff can be challenging, but ensuring that the school is adequately protected is vital while being mindful of the available financial resources.

Effective implementation is vital.

Implementing the recommendations made by a security firm

As I was doing my research for this article, I found myself thinking back to when I was 12 years old. My folks were good parents, but they didn't have the means to enrich my elementary and junior high school education. I always did my homework and practiced piano pieces, but I wanted more. That's why the Westmount Public Library became one of my favorite after-school haunts. I could explore anything and everything, and I did. That was then. Now, look at the resources my grandchildren have in a device that fits in their hands.

So, with that in mind, here are some apps, YouTube Channels, and podcasts suitable for enriching the studies of students ages 10-14. (We'll look at resources for younger and older students in another article.)

Apps

You can find most of these apps in your smartphone's store. Most are free. Take time to review and sample these apps yourself. Doing so will lead to some interesting conversations with your child. Exchanging ideas and opinions will help forge a strong relationship with your young person.

1. Khan Academy: This app provides a wide range of free lessons on various subjects, including math, science, history, and more.
2. Duolingo: Duolingo is a language learning app that can help students to learn a new language in a fun and engaging way.
3. Quizlet: This app allows students to create flashcards and study sets for various subjects, including math, science, history, and more.